Elizabeth Edwards: There's More To Presidential Candidates Than Meets Eye (Sen. John Edwards' wife)

WRAL-TV 5 (Raleigh, NC) ^ | April 7, 2003 | WRAL.com staff

[Constitution Day]

RALEIGH, N.C. -- There's more to the presidential race than the men in front of the cameras.

There's the support of their wives, who one day could be called "first lady."

In a rare interview, Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of N.C. Sen. John Edwards, spoke with WRAL about what it means to be the wife of a presidential candidate.

[Constitution Day]

Click the negative for *Edwards Watch articles!

[Constitution Day]

Indexing...

[theDentist]

Lemme guess... a new "package" story should be forthcoming any day now (complete with altered photo while wearing blue-jeans).

[Constitution Day]

Ping for FReepers who have recently posted articles about Blinky.

[My2Cents]

Another "Two-for-the-Price-of-One" package. I'm not buying.

[Constitution Day]

NC ping!
Please FRmail me if you want to be added to or removed from this North Carolina ping list.

[areafiftyone]

Edwards is doing so poorly in the polls he is pathetic.

Edwards' run leaves polls cold

Freshman U.S. Sen. John Edwards was not burning up the charts as he toyed with a presidential campaign. When polls last year put the little-known North Carolinian in the cellar, he joked about being surprised he did so well.

Three months after starting his bid, Edwards still does not seem to have gained huge momentum among voters.

Recent public opinion surveys conducted in key battleground states such as New Hampshire and South Carolina have pegged Edwards -- one of nine Democrats seeking the party's 2004 nomination -- in the single digits.

News from North Carolina so far has not been much better.

Last month, a poll for the News & Observer of Raleigh found only 43 percent of Edwards' constituents backed his campaign for president, and a majority would pick President Bush over him in a hypothetical matchup.

An Elon University survey conducted about the same time registered a 37 percent favorable rating among respondents for their first-term Democratic senator.

Ed Turlington, general chairman of Edwards' campaign, said most polls carry little weight now because few people are paying attention to the fledgling presidential race.

"John is still relatively unknown nationally," Turlington, a Raleigh attorney, said last week.

He said support among North Carolinians for Edwards may not appear unless he becomes the nominee.

Some Republicans were less charitable.

Bill Cobey, who heads the state GOP, argued that the weak showing at home could cause Democrats elsewhere to question Edwards' viability.

"It's really going to hurt his bid," Cobey said.

GOP strategist Jack Hawke speculated that the state's tendency to vote for Republican presidents could be suppressing Edwards' numbers in North Carolina.

But while "you always want to carry your home state," Edwards does not necessarily need to do so to win the presidency, he said.

Candidates usually dismiss poll results this early in a campaign as unimportant, saying the only survey that counts is at the ballot box.

In the coming months, though, Edwards will want his numbers to rise to show donors and voters that he should be taken seriously.

Edwards can find solace in this: None of his Democratic rivals brought an overwhelming name-recognition advantage to the race. Those with such status -- Al Gore, Tom Daschle and Hillary Clinton -- are not running.

Some candidates do possess greater visibility because they are veterans on the political stage. Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt ran for president in 1988, and Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman was Gore's running mate in 2000.

Even candidates such as Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Bob Graham of Florida have been in elective office far longer than Edwards, whose first campaign was his successful 1998 Senate effort.

But candidates unknown to many voters and polling poorly in their home states have gotten themselves to the presidency. Consider the rise of a relatively obscure Arkansas governor named Bill Clinton, which the Edwards campaign has seized upon for comfort.

A May 1991 poll for a Little Rock, Ark., newspaper had Arkansans favoring the incumbent president, Republican George H.W. Bush, over Democrat Clinton by 25 percentage points. Only 39 percent wanted Clinton to seek the White House.

Clinton won the election. And he took Arkansas with 53 percent of the vote.

"We believe that if the Democratic Party selects John Edwards as the nominee, he will carry the state of North Carolina," said his spokeswoman, Jennifer Palmieri.

Edwards shows no sign that the uninspiring poll data trouble him. He often finds a way to put them in a positive light, such as when he says North Carolinians' distaste for his presidential bid means they would rather he keep his current job.

"I think they want me to be their senator," Edwards said Jan. 2 on NBC's "Today."

Stephen Hess, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution in Washington, said raising money was more important for candidates now than cloud-touching poll numbers.

Edwards' campaign revealed last week it had collected $7.4 million during the past three months -- a substantial sum that reignited buzz for the senator among the national media. The other major contenders all took in less money.

Hess said Edwards had plenty of time to gain ground in snapshot surveys. The first nominating caucuses and primaries come in January.

"It's not going to help him that he's mired in the polls," he said. "But it's not impossible for him to make the climb.

"The bottom line is, it's just too early."

[Weimdog]

Ambulance Chaser Alert!

[mwl1]

Elizabeth Edwards - fat, stupid, liberal ideologue and ambulance chaser.

[Constitution Day]

Heh heh. Check the keywords.

[mwl1]

I watched some of Edwards in Iowa yesterday with Harkin on c-span. Nauseating. NRSC should be licking its chops because almost everything Edwards said -- other than support for Iraq operation -- will not play well in his re-election bid next year in North Carolina.

Edwards is drifting far left and becoming increasingly out-of-touch with North Carolina voters.

[Fraulein]

North Carolina Sen. John Edwards raised more money in the first quarter than any of the other Democrats seeking to challenge President Bush in 2004...

Edwards Outdoes Rivals In Campaign Fund Collection

[Mamzelle]

Did they adopt--or did she give birth at her advanced age...?

[Gothmog]

Yes, it does sound eerily familiar. Of course, the press does not mention L Bush or B Bush's popularity numbers. Niether one needed to be 'smart and opinionated,' just intelligent and grounded in common sense. Thanks for the ping.

[Constitution Day]

I'm not really sure. I guess it's possible with fertility drugs?

[Constitution Day]

Thank you for the link!

I guess I missed that.
The graph posted by defeat_the_dem_igods is particularly illustrative.

[Jhensy]

He's gonna be the nominee. With Bush winning the Iraq war, Dems have NO choice but to play it safe, move to the right, present the blandest and least controversial face possible to try and convince Southerners/Christians/white males, etc.

Kerry is a creepy-looking moron who ain't going anywhere. Lieberman is too Jewish for this election, they won't risk it. Dean is way too left, he'll make noise, but the powers that be won't let him near the nomination. The rest are has-beens.

Wesley Clark is clearly gonna be the vice presidential choice to somehow give them a military/defense angle.

Edwards is the bland good-looking guy who fits the Hollywood Clinton-Kennedy template. Edwards/Clark '04, bank on it. And we'll swamp 'em.

[Semper Vigilantis]

Frankly, Elizabeth, Auh don't give a damn.

[Weimdog]

I was going to comment on the poor old woman's looks but thought it was inappropriate, but since you started it...

DAMN, I THINK SHE GOT RUN OVER BY THE AMBULANCE JOHN WAS CHASING!

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Sorry, but Russ Feingold will be a strong Dem dark horse.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Sorry, but Russ Feingold will be a strong Dem dark horse.

[mabelkitty]

So who is he actually sleeping with, cuz it ain't her.

[mabelkitty]

I've heard there is a good chance he is going to lose his Senate seat at re-election.

Can anybody verify if RNC is working on a replacement?

[mabelkitty]

No way.

I say there's a surrogate mother in there somewhere.

Or maybe they did what Billy and Hilly were going to do - adopt the illegitimate offspring and pay off the whores.

[mabelkitty]

After hog tying the fund-raising for the Dems?

Doubt it.

[mabelkitty]

Would they be that stupid to put in a ticket that reminds America of Clinton? Obviously they don't want to win this election. They are faking it.

If they did, they'd put Hillary in now instead of '08. If the Dems win in '04, which they won't, then Hillary won't be able to run until '12. Too late for her.

So, they are throwing away the '04 election on purpose.

[isom35]

didnt both Edwards and Kerry skip the latest partial birth abortion vote?

[ZULU]

She is almost as ugly as he is.

[Constitution Day]

So who is he actually sleeping with, cuz it ain't her.

LOL!!
Well, I saw the interview on WRAL that the image above is taken from.

I hate to say too much about her appearance, but it looks to me like she's "been rode hard and put up wet".

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Windom Earle]

Congressman Richard Burr is the choice of the White House and is already out working on the campaign.

[Windom Earle]

Let's not be too rough with Elizabeth. She's no Hillary. She met Slickie in law school but didn't practice, staying home to raise the family.

However, she is smart, so she bears watching.

[holdmuhbeer]

She's icky, what happened there, everybody always talks about how attractive he is? Is he blind too? I think its time to trade that model in for a new one.

[Congressman Billybob]

The bulk of Edwards' money comes from fat-cat trial lawyers, much like him. The sources of his money will become a liability to him, for precisely that reason. Edwards is dead meat for President.

He is also dead meat for Vice President. By the end of this campaign, the ultimate Democrat nominee will consider him radioactive even for Veep.

Ending the Edwards infestation, however, means more than just keeping him out of the White House. It requires getting him out of the Senate as well. We can only hope that his ego will keep him flailing away in the presidential race long enough to take issue stands that will poison his chances for reeelection here. 'Tis a consumation devoutly to be wished.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, now up on UPI, and FR, "The Berlin Solution to the Baghdad Problem."

Latest book(let), "to Restore Trust in America."

[Constitution Day]

I agree, she's no Hillary.
You must admit that the statement I emphasized in bold was redolent of Hillary (ca. Slick's 1992 campaign).

[daddypatriot]

Having read the piece on John Edwards and his wife, while resisting the impulse to throw up, I can offer only one conclusion: the last damned thing we need for a president is a trial lawyer. Before George II, we had two lawyers in the White House and anyone with half a brain knows they left us with a f----- up mess. Edwards and his wife can kiss my a--. So, too, can Kerry and the rest of the damned Democrats. Can you imagine where Saddam Hussein would be with Al Gore as president? My daddy told me when I was a small boy, "Don't worry, son, the Good Lord always looks over America." By gollies, daddy was right.

[Lee'sGhost]

"Heh heh. Check the keywords."

You forgot "Sen. Exlax"

[Constitution Day]

You forgot "Sen. Exlax"

I do apologize. I've remedied the situation. :)

[AppyPappy]

She had Emma Claire at age 48 and Jack at age 50

I call BS.

[Liz]

They said it couldn't be done but we are looking at Bill and Hillary redux.

I just can't wait for Johnny-boy to say, " I never had sex with that woman."

[Badray]

" "It's just a matter of getting a few rounds under my belt, . . ."

Interesting choice of words. Is it me or does she look like she's drunk in that picture?

[Windom Earle]

She's also no Laura Bush!

[RightOnGOP]

I disagree, she is/will become fair-game.

She/he has allowed her to stand-in for him, and freely admits they jointly discuss major policy positions, as well as all strategic political moves.

Also, cant' put my finger on background info, but she did work, she did not just stay home, so she did use her ambulance-chasin' degree also. :)

[Windom Earle]

Fair enough.

I can't stand Edwards. I've known him and his wife for years. She may be fair game, but I will stand by my statement that she is no Hillary. Hillary is the greatest threat to the Republic in our lifetimes. Elizabeth is not. She is the typical political wife. I'm sure he bounces things off of her and she stands in for him. That's true of a lot of conservative political couples as well.

In this political marriage, Slick Johnny is the dangerous one.