John Edwards and the Clintonesque factor.

[Cascadian]

Has anybody ever thought about this?

It seems to me the reason for John Edwards rise in Iowa may have been the fact he using the same playbook as Bill clinton. I mean, look at Edwards. He is a Southerner, he has youthful looks and charm, and he is emphahising the positive potential for America. It smacks of Bill Clinton. If he can keep pulling it off, it may just work for him.


John

[scheming daemons]

1. I agree completely

He has all the positive aspects of Clinton, with none of the negatives.

i.e. No "bimbo eruptions" are likely.

[K8-EEE]

2. He's Camelot-icious!

He's got the IT factor....he's the IT guy.

[chimpymustgo]

13. Edwards and family do have the Camelot factor in spades.

They are lovely, exciting people - and those kids are gorgeous.

Inspiring.

[jab105]

19. I dont like his vote on the IWR...

but that being said, he would be a much much stronger candidate then most...I'm a Dean person myself...but Edwards has the looks that will get the women voting for him, he is a great speaker, he's from the south and, dont underestimate the dream that people have of going back to the days of camelot...he has a smart young pretty wife , beautiful children, and a very sad but touching story about why he got int politics...

I will be for Dean in the primary BUT, I think Edwards just may stand the best chance in the general...

I think his chances would be better than Kerry and Dean at this point...

[Cascadian]

3. kick

kick

[DjTj]

4. CNN commented that Edwards' ads had shades of Clinton...

...and Perot...

Edwards is also Clinton with a more populist message and will be able to win election without compromising Democratic principles.

[ArtieBoy]

5. How can I...

support Dean and Edwards at the same time? I don't know, but I do! KICK KICK KICK!

[DjTj]

7. Dean and Edwards...

...have a lot in common in my mind. They are both running as outsiders trying to change the Washington establishment. They're both running to help ordinary working people. Neither have been anointed by the Democratic establishment and have had to build their own campaigns from within.

[spooky3]

8. they both come across as honest if a bit stubborn, and

in this race for the right reasons. They both could be enjoying comfortable lives on the golf course but believe what is happening to this country is outrageous and they want to change it.

[spooky3]

6. also, they are both smart, and excellent speakers

[Jawja]

9. Rather than Edwards

and "Clintonesque," I would say Edwards and "Kennedyesque," as in JFK. I am old enough to remember JFK and Edwards is more like Kennedy than Clinton.

Just my two cents.

Wiseman, if you're out there somewhere, I apologize for being rude to you the other morning. Dental surgery and winter cold temps did a number on me and you were my target. I am so sorry.

[leyton]

14. Perhaps he's the best of both worlds...

Edwards is like Kennedy, but the 2004 version: from the South, where we need Democrats.

[JohnLocke]

10. kick

[blue america]

11. Go John Go!

He definately has the "IT" factor. My wife and I drove up to NH to watch him speek this weekend (we're in NJ, the last primary, nobody ever comes here). He's so captivating it's not even funny. I think he's almost too good to be true.

[Edge]

12. I like John and I really hope he gets the nomination.

[JohnLocke]

15. kick

[DjTj]

16. Clinton without the scandals...

...what else could you ask for?

[Awsi Dooger]

17. A poor man's Bill Clinton

I support Edwards but let's be frank, Edwards' stump speech and looks may rival Clinton's but he is not as glib or well-reasoned when confronted by tough questions. Yet? Edwards' pedigree is also not as ideal, one-term senator instead of multi-term governor. Plus 5 foot 10 and not 6 foot 3. The personal slate is obviously superior.

Keep in mind Bill Clinton won by roughly 6 points in '92 and 8 points in '96. All we're asking this time is one lousy electoral vote over an unfit, unelected nuisance like George Bush. A poor man's Clinton might be plenty, and I don't think our other candidates even approach that level.

[jab105]

20. Clinton is at most 6 feet...

saw him last year and was surprised that he wasnt bigger...

And anyways, Edwards will be even with Bush anyways...

Saw Edwards in DC at the Take Back America conference (he spoke about prescription drugs, a good speech, but the wrong thing to talk about in front of young progressives)...anyways, he was a decent height, and looked just **adorable** on stage...heh heeh:)

[Edwards4President]

18. John Edwards is no Bill Clinton

and neither is anyone else and no one should be. Even Bill Clinton wasn't Bill Clinton before he became president. When he was running, we were told, "He's no JFK," "He's no Mario Cuomo," "He's no Bobby Kennedy," etc.

We need to stop trying to compare our candidates to Clinton. All of them will fall short in some way and we are setting them up to fail.

All of the Democrats have outstanding qualities that Bill Clinton has and each of them has their own unique qualities that neither he nor anyone else in the race possesses.

We have a great field of candidates but we should be careful not to hobble them by constantly looking backwards and longing for a "new" Bill Clinton. Should any of our candidates become president, in 10 years, we're going to be saying about the new kids on the block, "He's no John Edwards," "She's no Wesley Clark," "He's no Howard Dean," "He's no John Kerry," etc.

Let's look forward.