[Sam the Sham]

Wrong.

Economic populism is the only weapon the Democrats have against the overwhelming strength of the GOP on social issues. The more the subject is "Jobs" the less the subject is "Gay Marriage".

[longtermmemmory]

so will this CIVIL lawyer consider the war on terrorism, a "war" on terrorism which is really a law enforcement issue for the courts?

Edwards is so Carter-esque.

[Akira]

Well, it's clear that Kerry has changed his thinking and feels the south actually does matter. They'll try to put the economy and jobs front and center, and continue to deny we're in an upswing.

I think Edwards was a better pick for Kerry than Gephardt and might put a couple of southern states in play.

[smonk]

the thought of edwards wearing "the daddy pants" with
al quaeda on the loose terrifies me.

[gilliam]

This is the "all special interest ticket". The #1 senator in special-interest contributions has chosen the #1 special interest: trial lawyers.

http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/04_07_04_corner-archive.asp#035156

[Alberta's Child]

What I found interesting about Edwards' "Two Americas" campaign theme is that the media hated it. Not that they disagreed with anything he said, but because it was the only thing the guy ever talked about in the entire campaign. Imagine covering the Edwards campaign and hearing the same damned speech 15-20 times a day, for several months in a row.

I can't believe Kerry picked this guy. He's as shallow as they get in politics.

[NotchJohnson]

Edwards is different in that he will try to give the middle/lower class a voice without going against the elite. Gore used the class warfare which Edwards does not do exactly. OK, this I heard from that fat guy who ran Dukakis campaign on Fox News this morning but it sounded good.

[Katya]

What does this say about the power of the unions...nada. They've lost their pull even within the democratic party. Kerry picked Edwards because his base of looney lefties wanted Edwards, and with Nader running he can't afford to lose them. Obviously the Unions cannot exert enough voter control over their members any longer to mattter.

[GraniteStateConservative]

York is wrong. First, Kerry is the nominee. Edwards will repeat Kerry rhetoric not the other way around. Second, VP only help at the margins. In this case, Kerry thinks it might help secure his base of single women (millions of which didn't vote in 2000) and steal some married women votes from Bush.

[rudypoot]

Edwards was picked based on two factors: a) his physical appearance; b) controllability. Edwards is a political lightweight with no depth whatsoever. All of his speeches in the primaries were based on emotion without substance.

Besides, no one votes for a presidential ticket based the running mate. Kerry is still a screaming Massachusetts liberal. He can't change that.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Party strategists will undoubtedly answer that in the general election it is the presidential candidate who really matters, and that in the area of national security, voters placed much more trust in John Kerry. That's true. But given that the war in Iraq, and to some extent the larger issue of national security, will likely dominate the fall campaign, it's also true that Kerry has chosen a running mate who is extraordinarily weak on those issues that matter most.

And on this, Edwards merely has to handle the single VP debate to not hurt the ticket on national security. Voters won't decide on Edwards' strength on national security until then. It doesn't matter what the issue, in a re-election year, voting is a two-step process: do I like the current guy's policy; if not, is the other guy's okay. So, if voters are even considering Kerry-Edwards, they've already got them half-way where they want them. Kerry-Edwards will run untited on the notion that everything wrong with Bush's policies on national security can be fixed with being more friendly toward our allies in Europe, and less like a shoot-first cowboy. That utopian garbage will sell with plenty of voters.

[ER_in_OC,CA]

Turn the tables on the dems' quips from 88 thru 92 and put it into a sound bite for your dem-leaning friends:

"Wow, the Democrats were so critical of Dan Quayle and now they've got a VP candidate with LESS experience in elected office than him. Guess Kerry flip-flopped on that one too."

[Mark in the Old South]

Kerry would have been wiser to pick Gov. Warner of Virginia. He is just as shallow (a necessary attribute for any southern democrat) as Edwards without the Liberal track record of a Senate term. Edwards know he could not win a second term from N.C.. Let us face facts, his run for the Demoncratic nomination was just an audition for the V.P. spot.

He may not be very bright but he is smart enough to know good hair, a southern accent, shallow values married to ambition can get you places in the Demoncratic party.

Bush is going to kick butt (can I say that on the air) come November.

[Edit35]

Question: What is John John and the Pony Boy gonna do when terrorists get ahold of chemical or biological weapons?

Answer: They'll pee their pants --- and then file a lawsuit against Osama bin Ladin.

[GiveEmDubya]

For a while, I thought it would be Gephardt, but I'm completely unsurprised by this move. I still don't think any southern states are going to tip because when push comes to shove, Breck Girl is the #2, not the #1. The Windbag-in-Chief is still at the top of the ticket, and while sheeple morons may have the hots for this vacuous twerp, Lurch is still the side effect they'd have to deal with. Not a good deal.

I've been hearing around here that Nader hates Edwards. Is this true?

[reformed_dem]

Two Johns don't make a right.

[tnlibertarian]

I also don't think that it helps that an anagram of 'Kerry Edwards' is 'Dry, dark sewer'.

[daybreakcoming]

hmmmm....Kerry & Edwards - a pair of mama's boys both married to women years older than themselves. What's the deal with these guys?

[Kenton]

Anybody remember this guy?

[1Old Pro]

given that the war in Iraq, and to some extent the larger issue of national security, will likely dominate the fall campaign, it's also true that Kerry has chosen a running mate who is extraordinarily weak on those issues that matter most

Cheney is already "boning" up on ways to embarrass Edwards in debates when National security is the topic. Look for some real winners for Cheney in this category, as well as all the other topics.