Meh.  Now-wealthy son of a millworker endorsements don't matter whether they are delivered early, middle, or late in the race.  Edwards himself would have gotten more press if he endorsed early, or upon dropping out but I suspect his wife was clutching his jewels and just released her grip.

No, the tens of thousands of people dying in Asia helped take care of the news bump Hillary might have gotten from WV.  I can't really bring myself to call that "balm for the sores".

Does this mean anything for Edward's pledged delegates?

I doubt this was a complete fluke.  I'm sure the Obama camp wanted to time this for a day when they could use some good coverage, and this is as good a time as any.

Problem solved!  With Edwards' endorsement, white working-class voters will now flock to Obama in droves. Phew!  Bubba was just waiting for the millionaire ambulance chaser to show him the way. This should help put the South in play for Obama, too. I mean, just look what Edwards did for  ticket in '04. Oh wait, NC went for Bush. Oops.  

clumsymohel, that's a good question. One assumes that most delegates (including Hillary's) will actually vote for Obama on the first ballot just to show party solidarity. But assuming Edwards' pledged delegates will follow him to Obama, then Obama just picked up another 19 delegates.

Endorsements equal positive press and little else. But today is a GREAT day for positive press for Obama!

In addition: Does Obama get Edwards' 18 pledged delegates????? Because...if so...then Obama is only 7 delegates away from a pledged delegate majority, right?

According to my delegate spreadsheet, here's what I've got:

With projected pledged delegates and projected add ons (47-29 for Obama) + Edwards' 18 delegates, Obama is at 2032.5. Without projected add ons (current add on total is 17-10 for Obama), he's at 2002.5.

If you add in superdelegate leaners (I have a list of 50 leaners towards Obama), include pledged delegate estimates, Edwards' delegates, and add on projections, then Obama is at 2082.5 with 124 delegates remaining (all superdelegates).

Finally, if just add the 18 to Obama's total right now (without any projections), then he's at 1909.5.

So, by-the-way, where's Drudge? The news came out about an hour ago and yet I don't think he's got a link to the story yet. This would seem to be pretty siren-worthy, no?

I've been waiting for an opening for Edwards to endorse, and it seems like he found the perfect one right between West Virginia and Kentucky. It really only makes sense for Edwards to endorse before the primary if he can have people say that his endorsement made a real difference. West Virginia served as a perfect low water mark for Edwards to endorse, campaign hard in Kentucky for the next week, replete with son-of-a-coalminer-stories, and get credit for whatever points above 26 that Obama gets. It seems unlikely that Obama could do worse overall or with the white working class voters in Kentucky than he did in WV. If Edwards could give him a real or apparent bump in both those numbers then he can say his endorsement meant something.

It sounds a lot more like Obama is gearing up for the general election, and wanted to pull out a big gun to start the shoot-out. I'm betting Obama is going to go a populist for a while to help remove the tarnish of bitter-gate.

Yawn...

I'm sure the timing was orchestrated with the Obama campaign.  They saw West Virginia coming, and they needed something big for today.  John Boy glad to oblige.  

john boy says:  "this election is about taking down the tired old walls that divide us, to see what's possible."  

translation: if you don't vote for obama, you're a racist.  

you really think that'll work with the swing voters?  

god I hope he does not pick him as his #2

That was very open-mouthed, er, open-minded of you, dcshungu.

Eweiss: I can assure you he will not pick Edwards.  Well, actually I can't assure you but it just is not going to happen. It will be a white Southern male, just not Edwards.

Obama would have scored more points with me if following Edwards endorsement he declined it and said there is no room in his campaign for false profits, charlatans, and hypocrites like John Edwards and the Clintans.

I kind of agree with dcshungu:  Other then pledged delegates, does Edwards help Obama with whitey?  W. Va and Kentucky just seem like hillbilly central.  And I use the word "hillbilly" despite my usual P.C. tendencies, just given what came out of the mouths of many of Hillary's supporters in W. Va.  Right now, I'm really not opposed to incest is best jokes.  

@molly, know the feeling but they are a significant part of the electorate in PA and OH, important states. If I were Obama, I would attack this head on; campaign with Edwards in Appalachia to address the 'muslim' issue, and to talk about his poverty program and to really shore up this demographic. His bang for buck, even if he decides to go head to head with some locals who don't like him, plus the publicity is high, and with Edwards could be quite valueable. I agree, doesn't matter for the primary but important for the GE, and since it happened before the primaries were 'over', it can be said that he isn't doing it just out of party unity concerns.

As the rest of the world, including our enemies, has since realized, Americans are merely a step or two shy of intellectual meltdown in their willingness to believe any old nonsense that comes their way and suits their prejudices.

This makes it easy to manipulate the knuckle-dragger element.  Here's how:

Obama becomes the nominee.  He works hard to reach the rural and rust-belt white voter, and to dispel the "secret muslim" slur.  It's having positive results.  Just before the election, however, Osama bin Laden releases one of his videos in which he says that he's proud of Obama for his secret Muslim loyalties and his plan to make Christianity illegal, and that he also thinks it's great that Obama's name is so like his.  Fox and the Repugs pounce on this to show how they've been right all along.

All attempts to explain Bin Laden's motivation in doing this are shouted down.  Ann Coulter quickly releases a book entitled "Logic:  The Last Bastion of Liberal Evil."

Millions of intensely stupid voters (oh I'm sorry, hard-working white folks) nod their heads and file into the booth to press the button for McCain.  In his inaugural McCain ups the original "100 years in Iraq" promise to 200 years.  Bin Laden smiles in his cave.

ironyroad

"As the rest of the world, including our enemies, has since realized, Americans are merely a step or two shy of intellectual meltdown in their willingness to believe any old nonsense that comes their way and suits their prejudices."

As the rest of the world, including our enemies, has since realized, Americans are merely a step or two shy of intellectual meltdown in their willingness to believe any old nonsense that comes their way and suits their liberal prejudices.

"Millions of intensely stupid voters (oh I'm sorry, hard-working white folks) nod their heads and file into the booth to press the button for McCain.  In his inaugural McCain ups the original "100 years in Iraq" promise to 200 years.  Bin Laden smiles in his cave."

Millions of intensely gullible voters (oh I'm sorry, highly educated liberals) nod their heads and file into the booth to press the button for Obama.  In his inaugural Obama ups the original hope and change promise to include eternal life.  Those with a shred of common sense just shake their heads.

And your point is . . . . that you think education is a bad thing?  Or what?

r-brown:  I'm not sure how you can defend voters who spout out stuff like, "We should lynch the nigger."  These people aren't just stupid, they're hateful.  But you go ahead, stand up the common man.  Just don't go camping in West Virginia.  They might make you squeal like a pig.

Nobody, by the way, is saying these racists aren't entitled to things like health care, a decent wage, good schools.  If you think the Repugs give a shit about them, what with their tax cuts for the wealthy, you're as stupid as they are.  In fact, these hillbillies are so stupid they'll vote against their interests every time, even when they vote for a president who sends their kids (not those of the rich white folks) off to war.  You see, West Virginia's, land of the poor and inopportune, has been particularly hard hit by this monstrous war.  

I think r-brown207 is right. Highly educated is a synonym for gullibility and the meaning of the word liberal  compliments the concept of prejudice quite nicely. With this sort of creative thinking at play there's no stopping McCain. (sigh)

Boatsrwood:  What exactly are you saying.  That highly educated is equal to gullible?  You really believe that shit?  Also, do you mean complement for compliment?  Please, do tell me what you're trying to get across.  

Edwards and Obama resemble each other in many ways. Both senators with skimpy records, both handsome and appealing to both genders, perhaps. Might be some guys out there fantasize about Hillary -- she's definitely got back -- but probably more guys fantasize about Obama. And Edwards.

Today's news about the California court's overturning a gay marriage ban perhaps stimulated this.

And really, mollysimon, why be so judgmental about incest if the US favors gay marriage?

Ooh, FBC, gay-baiting.  You're a classy gent, ain't ya.  Go fuck your mother.