Edwards On Verge Of Major S.C. Endorsement
GILDA COBB-HUNTER LEANING TOWARD FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE
FITSNews - February 21, 2007 - Former House Minority Leader Gilda Cobb-Hunter, one of the most powerful, well-liked and well-respected leaders of either political party in South Carolina, could be on the verge of throwing her support behind former Senator and Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards.
“I like him,” Cobb-Hunter told FITSNews. “I like his focus on poverty, and we need someone who can win.”
Cobb-Hunter, the Orangeburg, S.C.-based social work administrator whose dizzying proficiency when it comes to poverty research and health care issues is legendary around the state, would easily be the most significant endorsement Edwards’ campaign has received in South Carolina. Symbolically, it would speak volumes in that Cobb-Hunter is a woman who would be endorsing Edwards over Hillary Clinton and - more importantly - a black woman who would be endorsing Edwards over Barack Obama.
Of course, political observers in the Palmetto State know that the real value of the endorsement is the famous “Gilda Treatment,” her subtle, persistent and remarkably effective method of getting people to do what she wants, similar to the one-on-one method of cajoling employed by former president Lyndon Johnson.
Politically-speaking, a Cobb-Hunter endorsement of Edwards probably puts the most pressure on the Obama campaign, which is seeing several top African-American leaders in South Carolina sign on with the campaigns of his opponents.
One or two such endorsements is easy enough to overcome, but Cobb-Hunter endorsing Edwards would probably lead some politicos to invoke the dreaded “P” word … “pattern.”
Comments
By Newspaper Hack on February 22nd, 2007 at 10:09 pm
Damn. I still think the race is wide-open, but is anyone of any substance backing Obama in SC?
It seemed to me that Kerry had the establishment in ‘04, but Edwards had solid support. It looks to me (an SC ex-pat) that things are splitting between Clinton and Edwards this time ’round.
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