The news leaked out yesterday, but I was so underwhelmed that I failed to blog it: John Edwards joins presidential race.
I have never seen Edwards to be in a position to actually win the presidency (indeed, not even his party’s nomination). He is telegenic and has a populist message, but beyond that, what does the man actually have going for him that suggests he can beat Clinton or Obama or any number of other contenders? His governmental experience is scant and he has nothing on his resume to suggest that he can make any claim to be the right person for the White House given the ongoing focus on foreign policy. And I simply don’t think his “two Americas” approach will take him very far.
It is true that his governmental service is essentially the same as Obamam’s, but Obama has the advantage of being a new, very charismatic face who, at the moment, seems to have the ability to transcend simple partisan squabbling. Edwards’ basic message is very much a divisive one: us v. them (i.e., the poor v. the rich), and I don’t think that that is a tone that he can ride to the White House. I think that Obama’s inexperience will catch up with him, and his veneer of being “above politics” will also crack. However, he can ride it for quite a while, and will distance himself greatly from Edwards as a result (assuming he does, in fact, run).
Further, what is to stop other candidates from finding a way to appropriate Edwards’ social justice message in a less overt form? It isn’t like Edwards is uniquely qualified for that approach. In other words, I find him to be a one trick pony whose trick can be learned and used by others.
And remember what happened to the last failed VP nominee from the Democratic party–and his ticket won the popular vote and had a potential sympathy factor going into ‘04.
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December 28th, 2006 at 7:44 pm
I had the same reaction. I hope he doesn’t politically burn himself out and end up doing Viagra spots like Bob Dole
December 28th, 2006 at 10:09 pm
You make some valid points, but I would not underestimate him or his grass roots efforts. I am not ready to write him off yet.