Andrew Cuomo's "Shuck and Jive" Comment

I've been ill, so first off let this Edwards supporter congratulate Sen. Clinton on her surprise win in New Hampshire. And, now, I think, reluctantly, that John Edwards should drop out. It looks now as if he is splitting the left-of-Clinton progressive vote with Obama. He can't win, but he can keep taking enough votes from Obama to be a spoiler and allow Clinton to win. C'mon, John. Yes, you're the most progressive of the big 3 candidates. But don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good. You know Obama has a better chance of a clean break than Clinton, so drop out and endorse him. (BTW, all those waiting for Gore to endorse someone are deluded. Gore should follow Ted Kennedy's example and keep mum. Gore's priority is strong action on global warming--and he wants whomever is the next president to take that issue seriously. So, he cannot afford to alienate any potential winner.)

So, having just put up my Edwards' sign, I am taking it down and endorsing Barack Obama for president. And, since working for progressive policies and peace and justice is my priority, I am also looking for ways to push Sen. Clinton to be more progressive than her husband was or than she has shown in the Senate, should she become the nominee and the next president. It will be a close race and I hope the candidates don't damage each other--the party has to come back together in the fall to defeat whomever the GOP selects.

Today was a day of endorsements. Kerry's endorsement of Obama was unexpected and helpful. But Andrew Cuomo's endorsement of Clinton was problematic since he said that Obama was trying to "shuck and jive" voters. That's a very racially coded phrase and the Clintons are probably hoping it doesn't hurt more than help them. C'mon, folks! Let's make this race about who is best qualified to lead the country and who has the best platform. Let's not make it about whether it is more important to have the first African-American (male) president or the first (white) woman president. Both would be historic. In '04, before she dropped out, I was very proud to support the candidacy of Ambassador Carol Mosely-Braun, who is both black and female--and more progressive than either Obama or Clinton! We need to be working to heal the nation, not opening old wounds. There have been several times in the past when white women and African-American men started out working for the same goals--and then turned on each other (and African-American women were caught in the middle). Let's not do this in 2008, please!