Why John Edwards Must Follow David Bonior and Endorse Barack Obama

David Bonior, a North Carolina super-delegate, endorsed Obama on Thursday and narrowed the candidate's lag in the super-delegate count to a mere 8 compared to Clinton's numbers. Bonior has served the Congress for 26 years and has strong backing from blue collar and auto union workers.

His endorsement should improve Obama's credentials amongst this voter base which has overwhelmingly supported Clinton in the race so far. What is significant is that Bonior is the presidential campaign manager of John Edwards who has maintained neutrality until now. Though this does not mean that Edwards will follow suit, it seems likely that Edwards' ideology and reasoning may be along the lines of Bonior.

In fact Edwards should break his silence and endorse Obama now for several reasons. Firstly, the race between Obama and Clinton has been dragging on endlessly with Obama largely maintaining his delegate lead despite Clinton's significant wins in Ohio and Pennsylvania. This is not good for the party as a whole - the race is becoming divisive. Polls have shown that a significant portion of Clinton supporters will not vote for Obama in the presidential elections. This way, beating John McCain will get very difficult. If super-delegates align themselves with either candidate, a resolution will emerge soon and a unified Democratic party will emerge.

Clinton continues to be in denial and on the offensive claiming that she is on the path for nomination. So late in the race, she wants Florida and Michigan to go for a re-vote. This shows Clinton in poor light - she must accept the will of the electorate and step aside and let the party coalesce as a single unit. Edwards' endorsement may pressurize Clinton along these lines.

Clinton is behind Obama both in the popular vote count and in delegate count. Her argument to win super-delegates is weakening with the passage of every day. And the few remaining states that are yet to conduct their primaries are not likely to change the equation. Nothing new is expected from the candidates in terms of their policies and ideology. So there is no real reason for Edwards to still wait.

John Edwards is a senior and well respected member of the party. His stance will be widely accepted and may trigger other super-delegates to endorse either candidate and end the race.

Finally, as a presidential candidate himself, his say and choice will have a bearing on how people will vote in the presidential election. Since Obama is thought to be ahead of McCain in polls, Edwards' support for Obama will further strengthen the prospects of a Democratic President in the White House.