John Edwards In Retrospect.

In 2007 I decided to support John Edwards for president in 2008. I did some local volunteer work for the campaign mostly for when he came to Memphis and gave a speech at MIFA. I was very excited about the prospect of Edwards running. He was young looking with an attractive family and compelling life story. He was Southern which seemed to be a good thing because the last three Democratic presidents had been from the South. He had a good message and thought he had a good chance as anybody. The Edwards campaign never gained the traction it needed and like the rest of the field he dropped out by Super Tuesday. It was down to Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama and in the end Obama won the nomination and was able to flip the script, create a new electoral map and win the White House in November 2008. Obama beat all the odds against the Clinton juggernaut, and then the Republican candidate John McCain and the support of the right wing noise machine. Obama put the plan together and was able to survive the ups and downs of a very long campaign.

I am not upset that Edwards did not win the nomination. Given the affair story that recently came out which means the if he had won the nomination chances for disaster would have been very high. How Edwards thought that the news of the affair would not get out remains a mystery. Maybe it was simply ego and the idea he was working for the greater good and that would overcome any tabloid type stories. Of course this is the opposite of reality because it did become a tabloid story even though he came nowhere near the nomination. The story is not over because there are still bits and pieces of the affair details and what happened during the campaign that have not come out yet. In fact one of his former aides, Sara Nelson, is shopping a tell all book deal. It is so sad because he such a promising future, but barring a miracle of some kind it looks like John Edwards political career is over.

After the debacle of the Kerry/Edwards campaign there was the idea floating around that it would not have been so bad if Howard Dean had gone up against Bush in the general election. Dean probably would have lost too but there would been far less painful moments like seeing Kerry all decked out in hunting clothes or the windsurfing incident that made it laughable easy for the Republicans to make a campaign ad. There are no such regrets about Edwards 2008. This goes beyond the fact that Obama won. Barak Obama created a new coalition of voters that may help the Democrats control the next several cycles and create a generation of voters like Reagan did in the 80s. Even if John Edwards could have somehow become president, he would not have been able to create the realignment that Obama did.

There is one side note that brings me back to the beginning of the post. As part of my efforts to get the word about John Edwards I decided to visit a group called Drinking Liberally. There were a great group of people and I continued meeting with them. It was because of that I met Dabney who became my girlfriend and now fiance. So say what you will about the 08 Edwards campaign I did manage to get the love of my life because of him.

Witty Title Here

A week has gone by since my last post, and not that much has changed. I am still trying hard to find a job. I am still getting distracted by all things wedding. I am still missing seeing people on a regular basis.

The other day Glen and I were talking about whether or not to attend the weekly Drinking Liberally at RP Billiards, and I told Glen that if we didn't go, I wouldn't see another person besides him until Friday. So, we went. Of course, today I ended up spending about 6 hours with my Dad and tomorrow, I am going to lunch with my former boss, so I will be seeing other people after all. I am still glad we went.

Drinking Liberally is a great thing. Not only is it where I met Glen, but it is a great place to go and talk to people who have similar political beliefs. Last night, we talked about everything from Iran to Cohen vs. Herenton to the email issues in Nashville. The Memphis chapter of DL has a lot of dips and peaks in the number of people who attend, and I am hoping now that summer is here, some of our former regulars will return.

For those of you looking for a little something different to do tomorrow night, Running Gag Improv is having its third anniversary show tomorrow night. It will be a good show, and is definitely worth the $5 admission.

I hope to see you soon.

Solitary

One of the hardest things about not having a job is all of the time I spend alone. From the time Glen goes to work until the time Glen comes home, I am basically alone. I occasionally go to lunch or on an interview, but for the most part - I am alone.

I am not necessarily good at being by myself. I am not saying I need constant contact with people, but given several hours a day of time alone, I tend to go a little crazy. I think of things that can go wrong or I think of things that Glen and I need to do, and I start to panic a little. My mind races with thoughts and I don't have an outlet for all of those thoughts. When I am at work, my mind has to slow down in order to accomplish my tasks. I also am able to stop thinking by reading a book, but I won't find a job if I am sitting around reading a book all day.

Even the job searching is solitary. Most jobs you apply for are online. You submit your resume, and, in most cases, are rejected without ever even talking to a real person. There is no one to call and follow up with, there is only a random email address.

If you know me well, don't worry. This isn't a request to give me a call or anything. You all are doing your jobs just fine. It is just something I am thinking about today, while I am sitting on the couch with my cat, looking for a job.