WHY BRUCE BRALEY'S ENDORSEMENT OF JOHN EDWARDS IS MEANINGFUL

A couple months ago we did a short post on the value of celebrity endorsements and it turned out that most endorsements don't have much net positive impact. Exceptions are Oprah, Tom Hanks, George Clooney, John Stewart, Tiger Woods and Angelina Jolie. Other celebrities-- like Donald Trump and Tom Cruise-- have net negative effects. At least in terms of likely Republican caucus goers in Iowa, wrestler Ric Flair and tough guy impersonator Chuck Norris seem to be working well for Mike Huckabee; we'll see how that translates to normal people. (And we'll soon see if Kurt Schilling's shilling for McCain does any good.)

And as for political figures endorsing candidates, well... would you want an endorsement from George Bush? Joe Lieberman? Dick Cheney? Rudy Giuliani? Nancy Pelosi? Rahm Emanuel? I guess how targeted the audience is makes all the difference. A boatload of political figures in Iowa have been endorsing this one or that one. It hasn't meant a great deal to me-- nor is it meant to. I live in California, not Iowa. But today, the first Democrat in Iowa's congressional delegation to endorse came out for John Edwards. Had reactionary Democrat Leonard Boswell endorsed someone-- Biden or Hillary, I'm guessing-- it would serve as a contrary indicator to liberals-- like a celebrity endorsement from Donald Trump. But this endorsement was made by progressive freshman Bruce Braley. What do we know about Braley? He was endorsed by Blue America last year when he stood up to Rahm Emanuel and told him to take a flying leap when Emanuel tried pressuring him to back off his criticism of Bush's Iraq agenda. Since being elected to Congress, Braley has racked up a 100% score on Iraq and an excellent overall progressive voting record. We're glad we endorsed him and raised money for him. I remember watching Bruce brilliantly question Bush's GSA head, Lurita Doan and thinking-- wow! we helped elect this brilliant guy.

Bruce's endorsement of John Edwards means something to me and it should mean something to the folks in his district. “John Edwards has always fought for people who don’t have a voice to speak for themselves,” Braley said in an interview with the Quad-City Times yesterday.

Braley said Edwards’ potential to appeal to states all over the country, as well as his positions on health care, the war in Iraq and poverty, all played a role in his decision to endorse him.

“He has consistently scored high in terms of getting out with ideas early,” Braley said. And he noted much of his district is rural, and that is an area Edwards has given attention to. “I think a lot of people in rural America think they’ve been left out,” he said.

Braley has stood up for progressive values and principles, whether he was fighting Rahm Emanuel or Bush and Doan. He knows Edwards will do the same, which is why he endorsed him.