With the news that Edwards is dropping out of the race, I thought it would be worth sharing the following exchange.

About a week ago, I received a very thoughtful letter from Jay S regarding the Edwards campaign and a comment I made in the Jan. 19 blog posting about the Nevada Caucus. It was the kind of letter that really helps make this strip worth doing because, though I back a different horse in this race, I so respect the position, tone and thinking of the writer.

Dear Mr. Conley (or Steve if you are ok with that),

I find Socks and Barney to be both funny and a refreshing change to the political cartoon world. That said, I take particular exception to a comment you made on January 19th (NV Caucuses).

Full disclosure, I have been an Edwards supporter and contributor since June of last year. I do feel his plans for dealing with health care, poverty, and global warming (among many other policies) are both excellent and fully workable.

On January 19th, you made the comment “John Edwards got just 4% of the vote. Looks like he’s stayed in he race just long enough to help Hillary get the nomination.” This is quite offensive on many levels. Edwards was in the race long before Senators Obama or Clinton officially declared. He gathered good grassroots support and offered well crafted policy positions. His poll numbers were strong through the summer of 2007, and even with some decline were good enough to consider him to be among the potential nominees. He scored a strong finish in Iowa and has been campaigning tirelessly since. He has most definitely earned his right to compete for the Democratic nomination. You have noted that you are not a member of the Democratic party, and this is absolutely your right. Political choices should not be an exclusive club (something I certainly think that all the Democratic candidates would agree on). Do you really think, though, that a qualified and thoughtful candidate with notable support should drop out simply to help your chosen candidate beat one who you seem to despise?

You cited Bill Moyers recently, so I will point you back to one of his favorite political commentators, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, who lamented the early drop out of good candidates simply because they didn’t score well in Iowa and New Hampshire. Jamieson noted that once the candidate drops out of the race, their public voice is largely silenced. Just because they might not be able to gain the nomination doesn’t mean that they don’t have important things to contribute to the political dialogue. As much as I support John Edwards candidacy, I certainly admit that he is becoming more of a long shot. However, he (and Kucinich as well) help to draw attention to the crucial issues of healthcare, corporate influence, jobs, and wages. I do prefer Obama to Clinton, but no candidate should leave the race just to defeat her. This is both insulting and does not represent the kind of politics we should want for America.

This is your comic, and you certainly have every right to draw what you want and say what you want. You do, however, come across as an intelligent, thoughtful, and broadly informed person. I submit that a your January 19th comment deserves a retraction in the name of fair and democratic (small d) competition.

Sincerely,

Jay
PS: I know you have strong opinions about Clinton, and admittedly her politics are both way too “safe center” for me and much too connected to corporate and DLC interests, but there is an ugly side to much of the antipathy directed at her. I highly recommend two recent articles by Glen Greenwald and Joe Conason (yes, I know he has some Clinton connections).

To which I responded (at the time Dennis Kucinich was also still in the race - amazing what can happen in 10 days)…

Hi. Thanks for the very thoughtful e-mail. It deserved as thoughtful an answer as I can muster after watching CNN for wayyyy tooo long.

You asked:
Do you really think, though, that a qualified and thoughtful candidate with notable support should drop out simply to help your chosen candidate beat one who you seem to despise?

Nope. In no way do I think Edwards or Kucinich or Paul should drop out despite the huge odds against them. They are passionate, committed candidates who represent IMO very valid points of view and constituencies.

I voted Kerry/Edwards in 2004. And the day after Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention, a buddy of mine and I leapt to try to reserve EdwardsObama2008.com as a gift to their future campaign. Sadly, it was taken and sadly, it looks like that ticket may not materialize. At least not in that order.

My Truth, Justice, American Way strip from Saturday - the same day of the blog posting you mention - gives props to Edwards. I honestly think Justice is something he represents.

To answer your question from a different angle, I think if the Democratic party wants to build a coalition of the next generation of voters and broaden the Democratic party’s base beyond older, and let’s face it… dying, registered Democrats (which is Hillary’s most solid constituency and nowhere near enough votes to win a general election), the party needs to go with Edwards or Obama. It could be said that both are in each other’s way and appeal to many of the same people. I think it could be safely argued that Edward’s “more of a long-shot” status, in your words, and Barack’s place in polls justify my comment.

If the situation were reversed and Edwards had won Iowa and done as well as Obama in New Hampshire and had just received 45% of the caucus vote in Nevada to Obama’s 4%, I would have said exactly the same thing about Barack. In that situation, his presence would only be getting in the way of Edwards. That wouldn’t diminish my appreciation of Obama’s campaign or his message. Just as Edward’s loss doesn’t diminish my appreciation of his campaign or message. And it wouldn’t be that I’m suggesting he drop out - just acknowledging the effect he’s having.

I feel for the Edwards supporters. They are backing a strong candidate who, as of now, is not capturing the support or funds needed to battle the corrupt Clinton machine. I don’t blame Edwards on this - I think it’s a case of timing (only now is the economy getting the attention it deserves) and unbelievable media bias.

Regarding the ugly side of the charges many have leveled at Clinton. Many I’ve seen are reprehensible and even hateful. One of my earliest comics from 1992 - not Socks and Barney - had a female protagonist who had a Hillary for President sticker on her computer monitor - I thought Hillary was a remarkable first lady and every bit as qualified to be president as her husband. I voted for her husband twice. My problems with her stem largely from her voting record in the Senate, her history of terrible compromises including George W.’s blank check for initiating the war in Iraq and from her campaign of distortions and outright, PROVEN lies which she herself, her husband and her campaign are using to win. It’s horrible. They’re horrible. My position is this: just because idiots and bigots are attacking Hillary for no good reason, that doesn’t mean I should ignore my very good reasons to poke fun at her and point out the obvious - that she’s a horrible candidate for president.

America is at a place where we have a chance to restore the integrity of our country. You don’t get there by lying and cheating. To me, it’s really that simple.

The more I do the strip and the more feedback I get, I realize I’m probably just naive. But I still think good guys should win.

The Clinton people don’t believe good guys exist.

The Edwards people just picked, at this point in polls and fundraising and momentum, a good guy whose time isn’t now.

I am sorry if I offended. I find I’m slightly more charming when my words are coming out of the mouths of cute, furry animals.

Thank you again for the e-mail and the kind words about the strip. It means a lot.

Sorry for the rambling response. Back to the drawing board.

Best wishes!

– Steve

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