Edwards just handled O'Reilly, and won respect and votes.

[chimpymustgo]

He was very, very good. Kept his composure, made his case, and O'Reilly said "I respect him."

Edwards picked up a bunch of votes tonight.

www.johnedwards2004.com

[Jerseycoa]

1. O'Reilly said "I respect him."

Oh, no. :(

[MrMonk]

9. Watch out for the knife in his boot.

[tridim]

11. AKA "Kiss of death"

I like Edwards, but respect from a guy like O'Rielly is not a good thing.

[spooky3]

34. but it doesn't hurt him. O'R also said he liked Molly Ivins.

Hasn't hurt her a bit.

[PurityOfEssence]

47. And Molly Ivins likes Edwards; read her latest column

Ta get elected, ya gots ta get elected.

(Well, all right, so that isn't always the way...)

[dennis4868]

51. O'Reilly respects him?

well now I cannot vote for Edwards....he is out of the question.

[Name removed]

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[spooky3]

13. Welcome to DU, JohnnyFianna1!

[GreenArrow]

31. "Edwards has pretty much positioned himself perfectly

on the issues."

He has "positioned" himself perfectly. Okay, maybe he says what he believes people want to hear, but what does he actually believe in, beyond his posturing?

[spooky3]

35. He could be sipping margaritas in the Caribbean with his $$$.

He does not need the job or the grief to get it. So it looks to me as though he is doing it so he can make change happen consistent with his beliefs, all of which are clearly spelled out at JohnEdwards2004.com.

He is not an idiot, and he knows what succeeding in politics requires. So he chooses his language and his strategy with care.

[GreenArrow]

37. I don't think it's about money with him

it's about power. I agree, he's not an idiot. He does choose his language and his strategy with care. He is a consumate politician, and that is not a complement. I just have a hard time knowing whether his positions are based on principle or expediency. Either way, he is at the bottom of the list for me. I don't respect expediency, though it may win elections, and I don't agree with him on most issues.

[spooky3]

48. what evidence do you have that he has a wish for power that is strong

enough to drive him to unethical behavior, i.e., expediency?

[GreenArrow]

49. Expediency isn't necessarily unethical

as per Webster:

Main Entry: 1ex·pe·di·ent
Pronunciation: ik-'spE-dE-&nt
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin expedient-, expendiens, present participle of expedire to extricate, prepare, be useful, from ex- + ped-, pes foot -- more at FOOT
1 : suitable for achieving a particular end in a given circumstance
2 : characterized by concern with what is opportune; especially : governed by self-interest
- ex·pe·di·ent·ly adverb

I just see Edwards as being governed by self interest. There's nothing unusual about that for any politician. As a trial lawyer, he got paid to win. Unfortuantely, in law as it's currently practiced, the winner is often predicated on who argues best, not who has the best argument. In other words, it's more about how one's case is presented rather than what one is actually presenting. As a politician, he is in it to win it, same as any other politician. He is just a bit slicker than most. Now, as a prospective voter, I have to judge what the candidate is trying to persuade me on. What I see is a conservative and cautious man who has very few bold or original ideas. Most of his positions fall either in the center or towards the majority of popular opinion. His is a safe approach. I simply don't know what the guy stands for, and I don't trust him.

Watching politics since the Reagan era has left me very mistrustful and cynical about politicians in general.

[Frodo]

3. I'm sure he picked up a HUGE percentage of voters...

... A huge percentage of Democratic primary voters who watch Bill O'Reilly.


All six of them.

[DjTj]

7. ...a huge number of Republican and Independent voters...

...for the General Election, because John Edwards is the one candidate who realizes that Bush is our enemy and that our battle is in November.

He will win, and he's shown me nothing to make me think otherwise.

[Frodo]

22. Hey, Edwards is probably closest in the field to my positions...

I LIKE the guy (and I'm now from NC)...


But, believe me, he gains nothing by focusing on the GE at this point. He's never going to get there at this rate.


My guess is that he finishes stronger than expected in NH, Wins SC (knocking Clark out or close to it), and pretty much screws things up for the party's nomination plan.... But that's about as far as he goes. If he would run for NC Governor (assuming he won of course) he would make a GREAT candidate in 4-8 years. I figured he was in the race just to put his name in the hat for the future (of course... that's what Bill Clinton was doing too when he ended up winning two terms...)

[Phelan]

32. do people in NC still resent him abandoning his comitment he made

to the state when he was elected by essentially immidiate move on to campaign for prez?

[spooky3]

36. he was elected in 1998. This is his sixth year as senator.

Exactly what commitment did he make that is being abandoned.

[leyton]

52. Yes, they do.

Jesse Helms was revered for the personal attention he bestowed on his constituents (much like Strom Thurmond) and Elizabeth Dole has been going heavy on the pork for NC. So it makes Edwards look bad by comparison. Luckily, he's not running for re-election; Erskine Bowles is running and has a good shot of beating Richard Burr.

I get a little bit annoyed myself, but I still want Edwards to be President, and that's why I support him.

[Liberal_Andy]

53. I don't!

I support his quest!

[arewethereyet]

12. I believe he was looking a little farther down the road

and you know as well as I do that its 47.

[Frodo]

17. lol... The other 41...

... were already Edwards supporters watching just to see their guy on TV.

I meant the six regulars.

[Blue_Roses]

39. I was in a hospital emergency room

tonight and they had it on there with a room full of people...you'd be surprised.

[DjTj]

40. Do tell!

details?!

[Edwards4President]

18. Some of us watched so now its 62

[arewethereyet]

24. there is quiet talk of a sports bar that also watched runs it to 79

but thats unconfirmed

[spooky3]

33. As AP posted elsewhere, O'R has 3 million viewers

if you believe Nielsens.

It's free TV time for JRE.

[Victor Wong]

4. I agree. I thought he did well.

He didn't come out and start dropping "Saddam is better off in power" bombs.

[trumad]

8. Obviously Edwards supporters are wearing rose colored glasses?

[DjTj]

14. ...all I wanted to see was no screw-ups...

...going on O'Reilly the day before a major primary just didn't seem like the smartest thing to do, and I'm glad he played it safe.

[Victor Wong]

16. Nope. We're wearing glasses that show us how to win in November.

Not glasses that show a 48 state defeat like Dean would provide. Let's start yelling and ranting and alienating huge blocks of voters!!!! no thanks.

[Abigail147]

38. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Won't you be my neighbor

Stop saying Edward is a Ken doll.

[Doctor_J]

6. Won votes?

From whom? The people who watch O'Really vote about 99.99% Bush. I am sure he did well, but I have two suggestions for Dems wrt Faux News

1. If you are a candidate, STAY OFF
2. If you're not, TURN IT OFF

[spooky3]

19. news flash

Independents get to vote in the NH primaries.
There are lots of independents in NH.
There are lots of NH Republicans who are unhappy with Bush (if CSpan Callers are any indication).
Some of them watch O'Reilly.
There are prospective voters who do not live in New Hampshire.
Some of them do not post at DU and watch O'Reilly.
In the general election, many of them vote on whether they "like" the guy and have no idea what the guy's policies are nor do they care.
John Edwards has a high likability factor and can handle heat.
It is free TV time.

[AP]

26. O'reilly (sadly) is the highest rated politics show in US

something like 3 million were watching that show.

[Skwmom]

15. O'Reilly respects him because they are cheering Edwards

to knock out Clark.

[spooky3]

21. Underestimating JE would not be O'R's first mistake.

[AP]

28. I wrote about this the other day. O'Reilly is forced to do

what Gore did to Bush at the end. Edwards is such a nice guy who was dealt with some real tragedies in his life and who has overcome a lot to get where he is.

It would be unseemly to attack him personally.

So you're left saying, "I respect this guy."

And then you criticize for things that you spin as substantive.

It's exactly what Gore was left doing with Bush. Remember when he said, "Bush would make a fine president someday. Just not now."

That's what O'Reilly is setting up to say.

[lastknowngood]

20. sounds like a soft interview

if O'liely didn't go after him the what gives. I know Kerry is getting money from AOL Time Warner, Edwards isn't is he?

[not systems]

23. Handling it for O'Reilly is not what I look for in a president.

Neither is buttering it up for Bush about the Iraq war.

[DjTj]

29. He threw all the Repug talking points at him...

...taxing the rich, redistribution of wealth...

...did Bush lie?

...but Edwards sidestepped them and got out scot-free. Any other one of our candidates would have been toast with those questions.

[wheresthemind]

25. He did well...

I thought he was very very good...

[chimpymustgo]

27. He was very very good. Gave O'Reilly nothing.

And O'Reilly bowed down.

[ampster]

30. O'Reilly's respect = 0

I hope you were not impressed that O'Reilly respects Edwards. The man (O'Reilly that is) is a hack. He respects Edwards because that "blessing" will prove that he is not a partisan. But respecting Edwards is harmless, since he is not a front runner. O'Reilly has nothing to lose by "respecting" Edwards. But to his followers, viewers, he has prooven again that he is "looking out for them" by being an objective observer.

Edwards is too decent to have even done the O'Reilly show.

[XanaDUer]

41. Good! I have Fox disabled and could just see Edwards thru the fuzz

glad he handled that maniac O'Reilly.

I saw O'Reilly's eyebrows going up and down-not a good sign.

Edwards looked as calm as usual.

[TheWebHead]

42. o'reilly is really disgusting

the way he personalizes that tax debate.. he sounds so amateurish trying to explain government policy simply because of the taxes he pays, not from a broad perspective. It's like he lives in this cocoon where only how issues affect him personally is the perspective he will argue from. He tells people who have studied specific issues all of their professional lives they got it wrong and how they should think based on 5 minutes of analysis of a particular subject. He is so arrogant, so vile, so ignorant, yet for some reason he gets more viewers.

[K8-EEE]

45. Right ON!!

God O'Reilly was DISGUSTING! He thinks the freaking world should turn around the fact that he makes all this money. Earth to O'Reilly: poor and middle class people "work hard" too. Although it must be exhausting spinning all that crap every day!

[TexasSissy]

43. That means he said what "O'Lielly" wanted him to. Bush is good.

The Iraq War is good. Implication being....the Republicans in charge are good. We lose.

[K8-EEE]

44. Edwards Blew It IMO

He looked like he was schoozing O'Lie-ly. That appearance really irked me....he just fell off his #1 spot in my book.

[AlFrankenFan]

46. Woah. How'd I miss that?

Partly cause I don't watch Fox anymore...but I would have loved to see Edwards on O'Reilly's show.

[chimpymustgo]

50. Edwards was EXCELLENT.

If you can bear going to the Fox website, you can probably watch it. It's worth it. It really proves how Edwards would be able to hold his own in the GE.

With grace.