Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Alas, it appears that Edwards will be leaving the race. It makes sense for him to do so in the wake of Tuesday's results. He really needed Ohio in addition to Georgia - there would have been no better way for him to demonstrate his viability in vying for working class, somewhat conservative Democrats.
His speech to his supporters last night featured him at his best: upbeat, strong and encouraging. At the end I almost expected him to say he was going on, but CNN reiterated their own reporting of his imminent departure.
The Edwards phenomenon outlasted and outperformed the Dean phenomenon for a number of reasons. Firstly, they made the best of their more limited resources. Edwards faced a steep challenge expanding his base beyond trial lawyers, but managed to hold things together long enough to emerge with some reserves, while Dean was blowing his wad in New Hampshire. Secondly, Edwards did what others like to think they did: bring new voters to the Democratic primary. These voters happened to be more centrist in outlook, but those are exactly the voters that the party will need in battleground states. Thirdly, he demonstrated convincingly the power of the personal style of politics - it was said that the campaign's best weapon was Edwards' personality and his ability to win over crowds. Fourthly, he managed to steer the race in a positive direction - and remind other candidates of the power of positivity. He first gained by his refusal to sink into the muck of mudslinging. This may have hampered him later on against Kerry, but it also had clear benefits that Kerry clearly noticed.
The field always tilted against Edwards. Both Dean and then Kerry generally had a home-field advantage: superior financial resources, endorsements of leading local politicians, and entrenched campaign organizations. Given all that, Edwards did remarkably well and Democrats would do well to remember his approach in the post-convention season. It's anyone's guess whether Kerry will take Edwards on as a VP candidate - and some articles note that Kerry doesn't really think he should - but he would do well to enlist him in some way, if only to campaign for him in the fall. John Edwards represents a vital segment of the Democratic electorate, and I doubt that we've seen the last of him.
His speech to his supporters last night featured him at his best: upbeat, strong and encouraging. At the end I almost expected him to say he was going on, but CNN reiterated their own reporting of his imminent departure.
The Edwards phenomenon outlasted and outperformed the Dean phenomenon for a number of reasons. Firstly, they made the best of their more limited resources. Edwards faced a steep challenge expanding his base beyond trial lawyers, but managed to hold things together long enough to emerge with some reserves, while Dean was blowing his wad in New Hampshire. Secondly, Edwards did what others like to think they did: bring new voters to the Democratic primary. These voters happened to be more centrist in outlook, but those are exactly the voters that the party will need in battleground states. Thirdly, he demonstrated convincingly the power of the personal style of politics - it was said that the campaign's best weapon was Edwards' personality and his ability to win over crowds. Fourthly, he managed to steer the race in a positive direction - and remind other candidates of the power of positivity. He first gained by his refusal to sink into the muck of mudslinging. This may have hampered him later on against Kerry, but it also had clear benefits that Kerry clearly noticed.
The field always tilted against Edwards. Both Dean and then Kerry generally had a home-field advantage: superior financial resources, endorsements of leading local politicians, and entrenched campaign organizations. Given all that, Edwards did remarkably well and Democrats would do well to remember his approach in the post-convention season. It's anyone's guess whether Kerry will take Edwards on as a VP candidate - and some articles note that Kerry doesn't really think he should - but he would do well to enlist him in some way, if only to campaign for him in the fall. John Edwards represents a vital segment of the Democratic electorate, and I doubt that we've seen the last of him.
