Edwards' accent

[ecstatic]

He has some good messages but his accent makes me cringe. I suppose I could get used to it, and I will support him if he's the nominee.

And before you attack, if Clinton's tone of voice is up for discussion, then there shouldn't be a problem with me expressing my opinion on Edwards' accent.

[laureloak]

1. I have the same accent.

[MethuenProgressive]

43. He has no accent in his New Hampshire TV ads.

He can turn it on and off, very similar to the way GWB (born to millionaires in CT, grea up summering in ME, went to NE preps and college) can pretend to have a Texas accent.

[Name removed]

47. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MethuenProgressive]

51. It is not a lie that he has no accent in his NH TV Commercials.

Hence, he can turn it on and off.
Please refrain from using the Edwards tactic of squealing "you're a liar!!" at your fellow DUers.

[supernova]

2. Well, Ted Kennedy hurts my ears too

but I like what he as to say most of the time.

[LisaM]

12. I find the Kennedy accent reassuring

It's the sound of liberal politics to me!

[Marrah_G]

46. Hey!

~sniffles~ I have a Boston/Cape Cod accent too.

:cry:

[Der Blaue Engel]

3. His accent is beautiful

Do you have a problem with all southerners or just him?

[pnwmom]

9. Some of us have just O.D.ed on southern accents in our Presidents.

There are other parts of the country, too, that deserve representation.

[Der Blaue Engel]

10. So do you find all southern accents ugly or do you just object to

"another southerner"?

[pnwmom]

15. My brother-in-law from the deep south has a beautiful southern accent.

I dated someone in college who did, too.

And I loved hearing Molly Ivins talk.

But I'd be happy to hear another kind of accent in my President, for a change.

[Der Blaue Engel]

29. What you're talking about then seems to be unrelated to the OP's

statement that Edwards accent is cringe-worthy. I didn't get that s/he was wanting a President from another region for a change, but that the sound of his voice is unpleasant.

Personally, I'm always fascinated by accents, and I always cringe when people talk about certain accents being unattractive, or certain languages. While it's not racism of course, it kind of feels like that to me. I can't quite put my finger on it. Certainly it has overtones of classism.

Regardless, I don't care what kind of accent my president has, as long as it isn't fake Texan.

[laureloak]

16. That's babyish. Vote on the ISSUES, honey, not accent. n/t

[pnwmom]

20. I never said I wasn't, honey. n/t

[ecstatic]

21. I actually like Bill Clinton's Arkansas accent

Kind of raspy...

[venable]

30. this is beyond absurd

are you proud of finding Edwards accent cringe worthy and bubba's accent likeable for it's raspiness (which, by the way, has nothing to do with his accent, but that distinction obviously has no place in this extraordinary and penetrating thread)?

sheesh. please deliver me and my southern-ness from this kind of 'analysis'.

[Guaranteed]

41. I actually think I like Edwards' better.

Bill seems like he's wheezing too much or something. Too much air. Edwards' is smoother.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. The Last Three Democratic Presidents Have All Had Southern Accents

Actually the only three Dems elected pres in the past forty or so years...

[depakid]

38. And each one's failures led to Republican successors

So that ain't saying much....

[ISUGRADIA]

42. That's not a southern thing, it's more a Democratic president thing

There hasn't been a Democratic President who's been on the inaugural platform with his Democratic successor since the 1850s.

[Orangepeel]

5. I love his accent

:loveya:

[Inspired]

17. I love it, too.

I've been at 2 events when someone fainted. Both times he asked, "Are you OK, darlin'?" When I heard him say that, I thought this is what heaven must sound like!

[elle1sf]

36. I love it too

but maybe it's because I grew up in the south so it sounds like my childhood a little bit

[SayitAintSo]

35. me too ... I'm a southern girl...

It sounds genteel....

[pnwmom]

6. You're right -- a lot of what people complain about in HRC's voice, whether

they realize it or not, is her flat midwestern accent. (Not all midwesterners speak that way, of course, but she got her accent growing up where she did.)

To my ears, Edward's accent is awfully thick, to the point of syrupy.

But, like you, I pay more attention to what they're each saying, rather than to their accents.

[LisaM]

7. LOL, I'm an Edwards' supporter, and I don't like his accent either

I think the world of Jimmy Carter, too, and I know that his accent is part of who he is. But the accent that I prefer to listen to day after day after day is a good New England or Boston accent. I LOVED Kerry's accent. I can look beyond accent for a candidate that I like, of course. My boyfriend, though, can't stand how Hillary talks. His mother is from the south, so he's more used to southern accents than I am - he likes them.

[laureloak]

22. Screech! Southern accents warm my soul while

New England accents chill me to the bone.

[LisaM]

25. Oh, I think they are so much fun to listen to!

I just love a good New England accent (and I'm not from there). I don't think anyone here is voting for anyone based on accent, though. Just discussing what they like or don't.

[democrat2thecore]

8. regional accents shouldn't have anything to do with anything -nt

[LisaM]

11. Don't you think that a lot of what people like/dislike about accents

is what they associate with them? Though a Chicago accent can be pretty grating.

How about a Yooper accent? Could a Yooper do well saying things "Say ya to da U.P., eh?" I'm sure that it would bother people, though I'd like it!!!!!!

[ecstatic]

18. I think you're right...

It's not fair but those associations are hard to shake.

[LisaM]

27. The sad thing is that televangelists have Southern accents

so I guess when I hear a southern accent, there is a little transference going on. OTOH, it reminds me that everyone insists that a presidential candidate can't win without the south. No one ever says about the Great Lakes region (where I'm from) or the Pacific Northwest (where I live now).

[stevedeshazer]

13. What accent do you have?

Why does it matter?

I spent many years answering phone calls from every state. I'm pretty good at identifying regional accents. It never bothered me.

:shrug:

BTW, if there's an accent that makes ME cringe, it's GWB's.

Connecticut Blueblood / Phony Texan.

He cracks me up when he pronounces the word 'rather' as 'rawther', just like his mommy the dude on the oatmeal box.

[Bluebear]

14. I'm not voting for accents, hair styles or who I want to have a beer with.

[pnwmom]

19. Or even tea with?

;)

[AlCzervik]

23. speaking as someone who has a wicked Boston accent i welcome another accent besides my own.

[Basileus Basileon]

26. Boston? And with that avatar?

Terrorist.

[AlCzervik]

32. yes thats me, watch out i have my lightbright on.

[mtnsnake]

24. I nominate Mike Gravel for coolest voice. I love it when he gets all cranked up

and carried away.

[Basileus Basileon]

28. I dislike both Edwards' and Clinton's voices. It doesn't matter at all.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

31. After 7 years of listening to a Chimp's primitive grunts

I think both Edward's and Hillary's voices sound great to my ear. Neither one is my first choice as a Democratic candidate, but the sounds of their voices don't bother me at all.

[nealmhughes]

33. Edwards has a recognizable accent tthat represents about 1/3 of the USA.

Fred Thompson is from my home county. Our voices sound alike. I detest him, but when Arthur Branch gets going off on McCoy, whew! Sounds like home.

Actually, I was being facetious, there is no one Southern accent. They vary widely. Even in Tennessee and Alabama they are very marked by just a few counties' distance.

People from Huntsville, for example sound but vaugely like people from Montgomery, same goes for Nashville and Knoxville. Richmond is not like Bristol in Virginia.

But most of us were raised right and put sugar in our tea while it is still hot before icing and also love dogs, horses and tobacco, worship our ancestors and think a toddy cures everything. We also know that "y'all" is the third person plural, that "fixing to" is a perfectly good construction, and so is "right" as an adj. intensifier (Ex: "She is right smart, even if she did marry that Jones boy.").

Well, I'm a-fixing to sign off and get fixed to make me a toddy as I have a pretty bad headache right now from the dogs howling at the horses in the pen all evening. Y'all take care now.

[Odin2005]

34. I like his accent.

Some southern accents I like, some Southern accents drive me up-the-wall nuts. Edwards is definitely the former.

[Skittles]

37. I can't stand his accent either

I absolutely cringe when he says IM-PORDANT :puke:

[Hieronymus]

39. Interesting that Edwards' accent could influence you so.

[MalloyLiberal]

40. RACIST

[ecstatic]

48. lol. good one!

:eyes:

[JNelson6563]

44. It doesn't bother me at all

But then again Hillary's manner of speech doesn't bother me either really.

Julie

[Vickers]

45. His accent is OK with me...

...but then again, I'm just another dumbass Southerner.

:eyes:

[dajoki]

49. There's nothing wrong with his accent...

this is petty!!

[Catchawave]

50. At least JE's accent is honest and real.

I'll take honest over fake, like.....nevermind :P

[brentspeak]

52. I'm from NJ. How come his accent doesn't bother me?

Are you ok?