http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3825522The knock on Edwards is that he is hypocritical because he is a rich guy pretending to be a populist. And he was a garden variety centrist when in the Senate. And thus he is a hypocrite in his current campaign.
I'll admit that I had to think about that myself. And yet, after seeing him actually being interviewed and listening to his campaign rhetoric and looking into him, I believe he really is being totally sincere -- and that those same things used against him are actually advantages.
After the 04 election, Edwards had many options. He could have easily stayed in Washington and joined the revolving door of corporate lobbyists, lawyers and insiders. Or he could have returned home and his lucrative law practice. He could have also simply lived off his wealth and never try to accomplish anything.
Any one of them would have been the pasth of least resistance. In fact, he did take a step in that direction, by signing on as a consultant to a hedge fund.
But ultimately, he rejected that and chose to dedicate himself to public service and re-join the political fray instead of coasting on his money and connections.
To me that indicates character and commitment to what he says he believes in. (Especially since his wife has cancer, which was an additional incentive to go for the easy way.)
Also, one cannot chalk up his current campaign to blind ambition and political opportunism. If that were the case, he could he run as a centrist this time, and simply tried to appeal to those who are "anti-Hillary" as the "pragmatic alternative."
Instead he chose to carry a more risky message. To me, that is another sign that he really means it.