Regards, Ivan
Posted on 07/07/2004 3:30:27 AM PDT by MadIvan
Lyn Nofziger, a White House aide under Ronald Reagan, is a Washington political consultant.
Four years ago, when Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush selected Richard Cheney as his running mate, the word among political pundits was Cheney brought much-needed gravitas to the ticket. From the dictionary, where most people had to go because they'd never heard the word, the world learned gravitas means seriousness of purpose.
A person with real gravitas is a mental heavyweight. Bush was seen by his critics to lack gravitas and Cheney assertedly balanced the Republican ticket by bringing gravitas to it.
Yesterday Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry, who will be the Democratic nominee for president, picked Sen. John R. Edwards to be his vice presidential running mate. And the legitimate question voters have every right to ask today is: "Where's the gravitas?"
Kerry had been winnowing out possible choices for vice president for several months before deciding on Edwards and perhaps deciding that gravitas doesn't really matter. Edwards, however, was not his first choice and perhaps not even his second. Kerry openly wooed Arizona's maverick Republican senator, John McCain, who decided he'd rather remain a Republican, and, failing to get him, was thought to be eyeing others. McCain is known for his gravitas. Edwards, on the other hand, is not, even though he came in second behind Kerry in the Democratic presidential sweepstakes. He has not produced any significant legislation. Nor has he appeared to seize any leadership role.
In choosing Edwards, Kerry may have thought he has enough gravitas for the two of them or that other factors outweighed the fact that in political circles, at least, Edwards is not viewed as a heavyweight.
True, Edwards, a southerner, brings geographic balance of a sort to the ticket. But the days when that was of serious concern seem to be gone. Perhaps the last time geography really mattered was in l960 when John F. Kennedy selected a Texan, Lyndon Johnson, as his running mate, but Johnson brought more than geography to the ticket. Like Cheney, he brought gravitas and in addition brought reassurance to many Americans who had concerns about Kennedy's Catholicism.
Like Kennedy, Kerry is a Catholic, albeit a pro-abortion one, while Edwards is a Methodist who happens to share Kerry's view on abortion. Regardless, Americans in general no longer care about a candidate's religion.
If Edwards cannot help carry the South for Kerry, can he at least bring along his home state of North Carolina? Not necessarily. He squeaked out a narrow victory in 1998, garnering just 51 percent of the votes, and North Carolina Republicans, on the heels of Elizabeth Dole's easy win in 2002, were looking forward to reclaiming Edwards' seat this year. If the odds are against a Democrat for the Senate (Edwards is not seeking re-election), there is little reason to believe Edwards can carry the state for Kerry.
Kerry, the wealthy eastern elitist, might be looking at Edwards' middle-class background as an asset among working men and women. Edwards boasts that his father was a mill worker, his mother also worked - at the post office, among other places - and that he is the first member of his family to go to college.
It remains to be seen if the wealthy - he's a multimillionaire - polished, handsome and glib Edwards, who honed his speaking ability as a courtroom trial lawyer, can still pass himself off as a common man. It also remains to be seen if he can pass himself off as the moderate Democrat he claims to be when he will have no choice but to support and defend Kerry's ultra-liberal 20-year voting record.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
Edwards brings dirty diapers to the ticket.
"Regardless, Americans in general no longer care about a candidate's religion."
...as long as it is a mainstream christian sect...
Anyhow, Edwards is just Dan Quayle.
Also, when is there going to be an in depth comparison and legislative records between The Breck Girl and Dan Quayle?
A huge gift indeed! And, as an added bonus, the business community has something to rally 'round!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1166728/posts
The announcement forced the media to give Kerry air time yesterday and the man is so beyond dismal and dreary it's even more pronounced against the boy toy.
I'll just be glad when these two bozos leave Pittsburgh. They are smelling up the joint.
The "Gravitas Gap".
I heard it on the Radio last night........Mike Medved, I think
If they don't win in November, Edwards will bring a class-action lawsuit against all Americans who didn't vote for him, citing employment discrimination.
American's still care about a candidate's religion. In proportion to the amount the candidate cares.
So, John Kerry will get non-Catholic votes. People who would normally vote for a laissez-fare protestant, atheist or agnostic. Why? Because Kerry has shown himself to have more in common, spiritually and philosophically, with the latter group than the former.
Similarly, Bush will get votes from Catholics (my wife and myself, for example), who realize that, of the two candidates, the better Catholic is, in this case, the Protestant.
JMHO, of course.
The Vice Presidency is kind of like the last cookie on the plate, especially for Democrat office seekers. The real prize, in their eyes, is at a particular Cabinet slot, at State, or UN ambassador. The rest of the Cabinet could be filled with goats, so far as the Democrats are concerned. Defense, Labor, Housing, Interior or Education are just crumbs to be distributed as favors to major contributors or their office boys. And since so many judgeships will be at stake, the reliable Trial Lawyers will be well rewarded, with a number of medium-sized prizes to be handed out. Note that by taking the Vice Presidency slot, John Edwards takes himself out of this award placement.
That is what Herself is looking for - Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. That would be so much more powerful than a mere VP, which would be chancy at best. The President must be removed from office, and there is a term limit still in effect. Supreme Court is for life.
That is a pile of horsecrap! The Dan Quale you are talking about is not the real Dan Quayle, but the parody manufactured by the media. Dan Quayle has been vindicated by history, a fact the media would like to be forgotten.
Edwards is a true bottom feeder.
John Kerry says that John Edwards is going to lead his administrations's fight against terrorism.
He is going to bury the terrorists in court filings and paperwork.
No Gravitas. Very good point.
Kerry and Edwards are CINO's....Catholic in name only...
Actually, he isn't.
Michael Moore, on the other hand, is known for his gravity.
Edwards is Methodist.
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