Posted on 07/01/2002 5:47:37 AM PDT by Lance Romance
John Edwards may gore Kerry as the alternative
The voice of the Sexiest Politician in America, so decreed by People Magazine, crackles across the cell phone in a digitalized drawl, falling somewhere between Jesse Helms and Colonel Sanders. ``Why ah don't thank John Kerry spends much tahm worryin' 'bout me,'' he says, knowing quite well that John Kerry spends a great deal of time worrying about him. He is John Edwards, who, despite a bumbled appearance on ``Meet the Press'' recently, is being touted by many as the most promising Democrat in the already-under way 2004 presidential sweepstakes. Edwards, the first-term senator from North Carolina, poses the single greatest threat to Kerry's own White House ambitions because he has great fund-raising ability - he went head-to-head with Al (Please Lord, not again) Gore in dueling donor parties over the weekend - and has so far won positive reviews from New Hampshire. ``I like the people of New Hampshire,'' he said. ``They remind me a lot of the people of North Carolina. They have a lot of good common sense.'' As he shuffles through the first-in-the-nation primary state - and no, it's not too early to be doing that - hamming it up at backyard pig roasts and charming the nursing home ladies, he gives his humble-roots story. ``I grew up in the rural part of North Carolina. . . . My daddy worked in the cotton mills all his life,'' he says. It goes on: First in his family to go to college, state college. Went to bat for the little guy as a lawyer. Won a Senate seat as a reformer in a tough race against an incumbent. What he doesn't mention is that, thanks to all the little guys and their personal injury settlements - some call it ambulance chasing - Edwards is now one of the richest members of the Senate. He's worth a reported $13.6 million - which is a lot, but still less than John Kerry's $139.7 million. Not to mention that he still takes soft money for his campaign even though he backed campaign finance reform. Then again, so does Kerry. Edwards, like the other Democrats, walks a fine line as he maneuvers to find a comfortable and safe place from which to prod one of the most popular presidents in history during one of the most uncertain times in history. The strategy so far is so basic, it seems a bit thin. Attack full-bore on the domestic front, second-guess the government on anti-terrorism steps while wrapping yourself in the flag as protection against any backlash. ``This race should be about the future . . . about the things people wake up in the morning worrying about, their jobs, their kids, their schools, their health care,'' he says. Edwards takes a stand a day in e-mails to the press - no to tax cuts for those with salaries more than $200,000, yes to cheaper prescription drugs for seniors and expanded health insurance, no to vouchers for private schools and corporate lawyers shielding law-breaking executives, yes to abortion rights and environmental protection. Already, he is the target of conservatives who say his moderate Democrat jive belies a pol more liberal than Ted Kennedy. ``I support a patient bill of rights, fiscal responsibility, a balanced budget - these kinds of issues are very much in the mainstream,'' Edwards protests. Kerry - also a liberal doing the move-to-the-middle dance - will gladly let Edwards hover to his left in the race. Kennedy gets along far better with Edwards than Kerry, anyway. While questioning President Bush's homeland security measures as little more than reshuffling bureaucracy, Edwards waves the flag. After a federal judge had some sort of neurological event and declared the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional, Edwards sent out a press release declaring, ``America is one nation under God.'' He not only recites the pledge every day, but also leads the Senate Prayer Breakfast, the senator noted. So Edwards is smart, hard-working and innovative - or, is it shrewd, opportunistic and inexperienced? A fresh face, or is it Bubba Clinton's clone? We will know the answers soon enough. Whether his ``outsider'' strategy will work during wartime when Americans might actually prefer an insider who understands the government apparatus is unclear as well. But every day that John Edwards talks about having ``the vision'' to give ``the people a voice in their own government,'' it's another day that John Kerry isn't the obvious alternative to Al Gore that Democrats so desperately need.
by Joe Sciacca
Monday, July 1, 2002
To paint this guy as a Southern Boy makes good is ridiculous. He's a scumbag trial lawyer who only think about his career. They do have one this right. He more charming the "Live Shot" Kerry.
Ya, That's just what we need as a prerequisite for holding the highest office in our land......the Sexiest Politician.....I think that's a matter of one's opinion, and I think he comes across as a egotistical twit!! Spare us, Paaallllleeeeezzzz!!
"I've raised cotton my whole life. I've picked it till my fingers bled. I've seperated the seeds. I've Eli Whitney Cottton ginned it. I've dried it.I've sold it"
Sounds like Al Gore is this guys role model.
Maybe he'll say he was a poor black child too.
Edwards normal speaking voice has only a slight Southern accent. If Edwards is putting on this think drawl, it is as phony as his claim to be 6 feet tall.
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