I'm in South Carolina now, following I'm in South Carolina now, following John Edwards the next couple of days, trying to figure out what the story is with his presidential campaign and where he goes from here. He won the Palmetto State four years ago, but now trails both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Though one can surely argue that Hillary's candidacy initially and indelibly defined this primary, and that Obama's late fall 2007 surge redefined it, Edwards' impact cannot be overstated because he forced both of his competitors to deal with him: Hillary had to take account for votes that she and Edwards cast that came to be viewed as too accomodating of the center-right; and Obama had to incorporate, if not appropriate, Edwards' calls for transformative changes in how we conduct our national politics.
And say this much, too, for Edwards: In the final days here, he is staying true to his campaign's themes and target demographics, campaigning today and tomorrow in Bennettsville, Lancaster, Seneca and Greenwood. None of these small, rural communities are vote-rich destinations, yet they epitomize the places and kinds of people that Edwards has focused upon from the start of this campaign.
If he goes down to stinging defeat here in South Carolina on Saturday, he will go down swinging.
--Tom Schaller
