Edwards and Huckabee

Does anyone see the similarity and differences between the two men?

Both are all but eliminated mathematically. One stepped away from the race. The other insists on sticking around "to give the voters a choice".

On the Democratic side there is bitter disappointment from some, including myself, at our remaining choices, but very few who say they won't vote for the nominee in November.

On the Republican-American side the talking heads are outspokenly opposed to the presumptive nominee, and the Beagle-Eyes supporters say they just might stay home or vote for the Democrat. (Side note: this statement is usually accompanied by the presumption that Hillary will be the nominee. I suspect this is indicative of the racism that's rampant in the GOP.)

There are at least two lessons, here.

1. Anyone who thinks the GOP base will compromise is fooling themselves.

2. Anyone who thinks a rigid ideologue from "the left" can be elected in America is fooling themselves.

The 8 years of the Bush regime were a fluke. He lost the first election in popular votes and only "won" through a fluke of the electoral college and SCOTUS intervention. Without 911 and two wars he wouldn't have been "re"-elected.

Uncompromising "my way or the highway" rigid ideological politics won't succeed in America, in the long run. Even the fundies know it. That's why they understand that the SCOTUS, with it's lifetime appointments, are so important. Despite their protestations, they want to "legislate from the bench", and they are succeeding.

McCain would pander to the extremists in his party on judges. Perhaps, with a large enough Democratic majority, this could be thwarted.

I wish I could vote for Edwards for President, but I will show up and vote for Hillary or Barry because the alternative is to live with a RW extremist court for what would likely be the rest of my life.

I just hope that "we" pick the candidate who is best able to navigate the mine-field that Bush has left for them. We can't afford another 4 or 8 years of Bush policies, and we're not going to undo 40 years of indoctrination overnight.

If it doesn't seem reasonable that we can turn things around in our lifetimes then we should do the next best thing; give our children a reasonable chance to fix this mess in theirs.