[pgkdan]

You're thinking like a political junkie, and most voters aren't political junkies.

True, but many primary voters are political junkies. Most voters don't care about primaries at all.

If Independents and Republicans heavily favored Edwards in Wisconsin, it's because they really preferred him to Kerry.

I completely disagree. Edwards may be the more attractive candidate on the surface, but believe me, it's only skin deep. My wive thought she liked Edwards until he started running commercials here in VA during the run up to our primary. He ran a commercial about 2 America's one rich one poor...blah blah blah and that turned her off. Then they ran the commercial about 2 America's one white and priveldged and 1 black and poor and that infuriated her. Me too, BTW. Edwards is a sleazy trial lawyer, ambulance chasing slime ball. But I don't think he'd make a tough opponent. He's all fluff and no substance.

[George W. Bush]

My wive thought she liked Edwards until he started running commercials here in VA during the run up to our primary. He ran a commercial about 2 America's one rich one poor...blah blah blah and that turned her off. Then they ran the commercial about 2 America's one white and priveldged and 1 black and poor and that infuriated her. Me too, BTW.

Susan Estrich ran these types of campaigns for years. She told Brit Hume in an interview yesterday that the rhetoric is really good but it never wins elections. I guess she lost enough campaigns that she's an expert.

Mort Kondracke weighed in later in Brit's round table segment and said it's just silly because America is a middle class country. Mort managed to get a little angry about Edwards using this tactic. He said it could only be effective in places where people see outsourcing and the loss of manufacturing as a threat to their middle class income.