Posted on 07/06/2004 7:31:49 AM PDT by Mike Bates
John Kerry’s selection of North Carolina Senator John Edwards surprised me. Maybe it’s time to take a refresher course in political punditry.
There were some candidates I was pretty certain Mr. Kerry would not choose. Senator Bob Graham of Florida, replete with his meticulously maintained notebooks about what he wore, ate and talked about every day, is just a little too strange.
Iowa’s Governor Tom Vilsack was clearly out because until about a month ago no one other than his Mom knew who he was.
I was sure Hillary Clinton wouldn’t be picked. John Kerry doesn’t want to spend the next four years being overshadowed by the heiress apparent. Or watching his back.
Missouri Congressman Richard Gephardt would have brought a lot of experience with him as well as some enthusiastic support from labor unions. Mr. Kerry rightly reckoned that Big Labor will, as usual, back the Democratic ticket no matter who’s on it.
So Mr. Kerry selected one of his Democratic opponents, a man who had enough prescience to not criticize Kerry too harshly during the primaries. Edwards brings strengths, including geographic balance, but has some obvious weak points.
Edwards is telegenic, a highly prized attribute in this age of sound bites and photo ops. He was named People Magazine’s "sexiest politician" a few years ago.
It’s tempting to scoff at such things, but they can play a major role in who wins elections. American voters don’t generally read party platforms, position papers and policy statements. They do watch the news on TV and scan the front pages of newspapers. They make judgments based on what they see.
In choosing Edwards, John Kerry showed some unexpected daring. The Massachusetts senator is slightly less charismatic than Walter Mondale was twenty years ago. He often looks as though he’s in pain, perhaps with a severe migraine. Maybe it’s all those nuances he’s carrying on his shoulders.
Adding someone to the ticket who’ll clearly outshine him isn’t what I would have expected from the cautious Kerry.
John Edwards will also bring to the table money. Plenty of it. His personal assets are as much as $36 million. For a guy not married to Teresa Heinz Kerry, that’s a lot of money.
Senator Edwards has attracted millions of dollars in political contributions from trial lawyer interests. And he’s not shy about admitting it. Last year an Edwards’ spokeswoman noted: "We have no problem if 100 percent of our money came from trial lawyers."
Undoubtedly, the North Carolinian will trot out his "Two Americas" speech for the campaign. Honed throughout the primaries, the thrust of that stump talk is that we have two countries, one for the rich and another for everyone else.
He cites a figure from the Census Bureau that there are 35 million Americans living in poverty. What he doesn’t mention is that the poor in our country often live better than middle-class citizens in many other nations.
Edwards’ speech is pure Class Struggle 101. It’s misleading. But it’s red meat for the party faithful and will be used to good advantage for the next five months.
On other issues, from abortion to taxation, Edwards has proven himself dependably liberal. He votes with Teddy Kennedy about 90 percent of the time.
It’ll be interesting to see how John Kerry contends with his running mate’s woeful lack of experience. His only political credential is having been elected to the Senate. Once. His record there can charitably be described as undistinguished.
During the primaries, Kerry attacked Edwards on this very point. He asserted that now "is not the time for on-the-job training in the White House on national security issues."
Then there’s always the possibility that some skeletons will emerge from Edwards’ closet. He’s not been subjected to the scrutiny that he will be from now on. I have no knowledge of any scandal lurking in the background, but he is a Democrat so anything is possible.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised at the Edwards pick. Kerry’s first selection for running mate, John McCain, turned him down and that didn’t leave much from which to choose. Who could Kerry have turned to, Howlin’ Howard Dean?
Not quite. Clowns are supposed to be funny, not making one reach for the tranquiliser darts.
Regards, Ivan
John² = 0
Regards, Ivan
John² = 0
I like your formula.
John² = 0 | Vote Bush / Cheney
Regards, Ivan
Evidentally idiot Kerry wasn't looking for a more balanced ticket. Good.
My daughter informs me that Edwards comes in shortly behind Kerry, as the 4th most liberally voting Senator. Probably sandwiched in between Hillary and Chappy Teddy. Ewww yuck, maybe I should rephrase that....::
I agree the soccer moms will be swooning. Not so certain that the addition of Edwards will help that much in the South. His liberal voting record won't easily be covered up by a drawl.
In 1985, a 31-year-old North Carolina lawyer named John Edwards stood before a jury and channeled the words of an unborn baby girl.
Referring to an hour-by-hour record of a fetal heartbeat monitor, Mr. Edwards told the jury: "She said at 3, `I'm fine.' She said at 4, `I'm having a little trouble, but I'm doing O.K.' Five, she said, `I'm having problems.' At 5:30, she said, `I need out.' "
But the obstetrician, he argued in an artful blend of science and passion, failed to heed the call. By waiting 90 more minutes to perform a breech delivery, rather than immediately performing a Caesarean section, Mr. Edwards said, the doctor permanently damaged the girl's brain.
"She speaks to you through me," the lawyer went on in his closing argument. "And I have to tell you right now — I didn't plan to talk about this — right now I feel her. I feel her presence. She's inside me, and she's talking to you."
The jury came back with a $6.5 million verdict in the cerebral palsy case, and Mr. Edwards established his reputation as the state's most feared plaintiff's lawyer.
Agree that the sex stuff with Klintoon diverted attention from his more serious transgressions. Edwards' resume is thin, and I think the Repubs need to keep pounding on that theme, using Kerry quotes from the primaries as frequently as possible. How, for example, did Edwards go from needing OJT to fully qualified to be president in a few months? What did he do in the interim?
Kerry probably wnet with the best choice ( for HIM) out of the pack.
"Then there’s always the possibility that some skeletons will emerge from Edwards’ closet."
But will the Republicans have the savy to find them and the cojones to publicize them? Only time will tell but recent behavior by the GOP does not leave me sanguine on that possibility.
Once again, John F'n Kerry decides to marry the richest woman in the room. You think Edwards insisted on a pre-nup?
Ooops.
That would make a nice bumper sticker.
Maybe Registered could expand on the idea?
Yet, my sympathies for Edwards on that one point, still; Kerry's pick had to be somebody who would fall on his sword for Hillary's debut, and indeed, John Edwards sounds much like Bill Clinton.
Very possibly the party itself will not. But some sympathizers probably will. And the cable news channels will pick up and run with practically anything. Scott Peterson can only fill so many hours.
Nah, he's too darn happy to even care. For him, it was either being selected by Kerry, or going back to work as a trial lawyer. Not much of a choice.
A Pair of Gucci Loafers
"In 1985, a 31-year-old North Carolina lawyer named John Edwards stood before a jury and channeled the words of an unborn baby girl.
Referring to an hour-by-hour record of a fetal heartbeat monitor, Mr. Edwards told the jury: "She said at 3, `I'm fine.' She said at 4, `I'm having a little trouble, but I'm doing O.K.' Five, she said, `I'm having problems.' At 5:30, she said, `I need out.' "
But the obstetrician, he argued in an artful blend of science and passion, failed to heed the call. By waiting 90 more minutes to perform a breech delivery, rather than immediately performing a Caesarean section, Mr. Edwards said, the doctor permanently damaged the girl's brain.
"She speaks to you through me," the lawyer went on in his closing argument. "And I have to tell you right now — I didn't plan to talk about this — right now I feel her. I feel her presence. She's inside me, and she's talking to you."
The jury came back with a $6.5 million verdict in the cerebral palsy case, and Mr. Edwards established his reputation as the state's most feared plaintiff's lawyer."
Did this guy vote for the partial-birth ban? I can't remember.
IMHO Evan Bayh saw this as a losing year and bowed out. Hillary knows the same and will actively work behind the scenes, along with Bubba, to make sure Kerry/Edwards lose. Then with 4 more years of W, they will attempt to create not just hatred of Republicans but irrational hatred. Oh, I forgot, we're already there.
As far as Edwards goes, he's a one-trick pony (Two Americas yada-yada-yada) who only entered the race to be the VP pick. A one-term Senator and a lawyer is not going to win over alot of independents. The VP-candidate cannot obscure the obvious - the total lack of conviction and charisma that is at the head of the ticket - John Effin Kerry!
Edwards voted against banning partial birth abortions.
Personally, I can't wait until Hillary unleashes her attacks against Kerry and Edwards. I take "Marital Infidelities for both Johns" for $200, Alex.
The Soccer Moms will be swooning, but I don't think his impact will be felt in the South too much...especially in the deep South, but those are really locked in the R column. I think that he will have some impact in VA, NC, AR, and LA...and maybe some in OK. I think he will have the biggest impact in OH, PA, MI, WI, NV, NM, and the PNW. He is going to bring in a some core voters that were discouraged by Kerry winning the nomination. It won't be a lot, but it might be enough. It will probably help as much as Jack Kemp helped Dole. Without Kemp...Dole was dead in the water. Edwards' youth, life story, and looks will probably offset some of his liabilities such as experience (lack there of)...he is Clinton without the know sex scandals. I wonder if crap like Agnew/McGovern will come out over the next couple of weeks that will reduce the impact. This was a strategic pick...
I do find it interesting that once again the claimed party of the minorities/women have chosen once again, two white men. Where are the minorities? Bush was smart enough to chose a cabinet that represented America a little better and was not rife with scandal (unlike Clinton's), and was critized by the left for doing so.
I wonder if Bush will drop Cheney and grasp for "shock value". I wonder if Cheney will weigh him down like Quayle weighed his father down?
You realize, of course, that the Democrats, and John Kerry in particular, have fired off the last clip of ammunition they had. Making the choice before the convention, takes away the supposed bump they would get after Boston. They will get a short-term boost in poll numbers now (that is, if George W. Bush's birthday doesn't dampen whatever little enthusiam the Democrats now have), and during the month of August, first the Olympics, then the late-season Republican convention will use up ALL the oxygen.
And at some level, the Democrats know the best days of this campaign are behind them.
John Kerry really doesn't like John Edwards very much. And it will show on the campaign trail.
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