Edwards turns on the charm to build Kerry base

[chimpymustgo]

Kerry must decide if N. Carolinian could play unglamorous role
By Charles Babington
Updated: 1:55 a.m. ET June 27, 2004

DES MOINES, June 26 - As Sen. John Edwards campaigns nationwide for John F. Kerry -- and for the second spot on his presidential ticket -- the North Carolinian's main strength is also his biggest handicap, a paradox at center stage of Kerry's narrowing search for a running mate.

Of all the surrogate candidates and vice presidential hopefuls, none can touch Edwards's ability to electrify crowds and charm voters out of their socks. But Democratic big shots and small-county chairmen alike say there is no question that the charismatic senator still covets the presidency -- in 2008, 2012 or whenever the next opportunity arises.

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This weekend in this mecca of presidential politics, Edwards's star qualities were in full glory, delighting hundreds of Iowa Democratic convention-goers but surely prompting mixed feelings inside the Kerry camp. In speeches Friday night and Saturday morning, Edwards ripped the Bush administration and repeatedly brought the delegates to their feet, whooping, cheering and later mobbing him for photos and autographs as the party convention tried to resume its business.

Edwards heaped praise on Kerry, calling him "a man of strength, courage, determination, leadership, vision." He refused to answer reporters' questions about the vice presidency, saying his visits here and to dozens of other cities are made solely to elect Kerry. But in his first visit to Iowa since the January caucuses -- in which Kerry finished first, Edwards ran a strong second and former Vermont governor Howard Dean imploded -- Edwards reprised lines from his old stump speech, high-decibel riffs that might echo in Iowa caucus participants' heads three years from now.


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http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5305867/

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It's tough balancing act for Edwards. I think he's handling it quite well.

[David Dunham]

1. Edwards will add the most to Kerry's chances.

[disenfranchised]

3. Agreed

The most constant attacks I'm hearing towards Kerry are that he's pessimistic and out of touch. I don't agree, but my republican family members seem to use that as their mantra. Edwards makes Kerry appear more optimistic and in touch with average people.

[JI7]

2. this is nice, but

the audience here are democratic and they will vote for kerry anyways.

what i would like to see is edwards try to convince republicans and independents who are not supporting kerry right now to vote for kerry. i want to see how well he does with that.

the only problem is that it would be kind of tough to gather an audience for it. but maybe if they can do a small town hall type thing with some undecided voters we can see.

[chimpymustgo]

4. Pretty hard to gauge Indy and Repug support in the present.

But we know Edwards did very well in the primaries with these voters. I agree, we have to appeal to them - which is yet another reason for Kerry to pick Edwards over Gephardt. "Mr. Insider" won't have any appeal to those voters, IMO.

[Darkamber]

5. It is hard to judge this group..

The question becomes how much will a VP change the view of that group toward Kerry? Edwards is seen as moderate. His stand on the War, Patriot act, death penalty and gun control make him favored with the conservatives. He brings Kerry a step away from the "MASS liberal" label.

I've not heard conservative talk shows attack Edwards and some like Bill O'Reilly have basically said that he will be the VP. So that conservative base looks at Edwards will at least a neutral if not positive view. It might make them take a second look at Kerry.

On a personal level, my Lifelong Republican parents don't like Kerry, but they liked Edwards. I asked them how they would feel about Kerry if he picked Edwards for VP. They got around it by saying that Kerry wouldn't be bright enough to pick Edwards because his ego would get in the way of doing that. However, if Kerry did pick Edwards then I could make some serious inroads to make them change their minds and vote for Kerry. They are not pleased with Bush at the moment but see him as the lesser of two evils.

[chimpymustgo]

6. Same anecdotal evidence here. Edwards does not seem to inspire

negative responses among Indies and Repubs. He's such a likeable guy.

[AP]

7. Biggest RW'er I know says she'd give $ to Edwards and vote for him.

RW'ers just don't know what to do with him. He's exactly what they think they are. He's someone who made it from bottom to top with nothing more than talent and hard work and public education.

They hear what he says about how the government should provide an infranstructure within which everyone can make the most of themselves and they love it and don't realize that this is the same message that every democrat has had for decades, only they've seen it as welfar-state-ism in the past.

Edwards provides a more compelling version of society than the Republicans' "cowboy-if you succeed it's because of you-the gov't can do nothing for you-if you fail it's because the gov't gave a minority, woman or immigrant something you deserved" BS. Edwards appeals to the exact same instinct that makes people believe the Republican BS, but he gives them a liberal alternative.

It's so obvious when talking to RW'ers about Edwards that this is what's going on.

[Darkamber]

8. I think you are right there...

I never really thought about it, but Edwards is what GOP claim they wish to make for everyone. So it hard to cut him down and his words work for so many.

I never felt so proud to say I was a Democrat as I was when I listened to JRE. He also was doing more positive campaigning instead of just attacking Bush. I think this made a huge difference in the eyes of RWers. They are more willing to listen if there is not anger coming out directed at the head of their Party.

[spooky3]

18. Good points, AP. Something just occurred to me...

Having moved to the southeast after many years in the Midwest, I saw a values difference that I think Edwards is tapping into. Where I now live, there is an admiration for people who went to private schools, Ivy League for college, for example. Many people here think that if you are smart, you'll be admitted there, and if you aren't rich, you'll get scholarships, so anyone who is smart and capable will go to an Ivy League school (which is patently false in many if not most cases--if for no other reason, these schools do not have enough scholarship money for everyone who deserves to get in). Therefore, if you go to a state school, you are a second class citizen--not as smart, not as capable, etc. Most people in the Midwest would laugh at this line of reasoning if they ever heard it. They would say that, while anyone who is smart, capable, works hard, etc. deserves admiration, you have to be crazy or have more money than brains, if you pay for a private school education, when you can get just as good an education at a good state university for a third of the cost. So when many Midwesterners meet Edwards, they see him as taking the smart path and admire him for what he's done, wish their kids would do the same, etc. Many people work their way up there from blue collar homes. In contrast, his background would be viewed with some derision in the elite circles in the area where I now live, even among many Democrats who prize the private education as a badge of personal worth.

I'm generalizing of course, but I don't think I'm being unfiar.

[MaggieSwanson]

11. Having heard him at the convention yesterday, I must say

that I do wish he would write more than one speech.

[AP]

12. They said the same thing about Clinton's Boy from Hope speech.

The key is to have a consistent message and make sure it reaches as many people as possible.

Clinton knew what he was doing, and so does Edwards. For every one of us who can start to repeat verbatim parts of his speech, there are 100 people in the room who are either hearing it for the first time, or weren't paying close enough attention last time that they don't realize they're hearing it a second time.

When I met Edwards, my friend said to him, "you keep giving that speech, you're going to be president." He said, "yeah, it's a good one isn't it."

I guess he listened to my friend.

[Darkamber]

17. I would agree with you on that...

I love Edwards speech...but I was most moved by his 'withdraw' speech partly because it was so different and it was moving.

If I was Kerry and I picked Edwards the first order of business would be to tell him to change the speech,even if he has to rely on cue cards..just change it.

There's much more to Edwards if you have ever heard him answer Q&A session you can get a much deeper feel for him.

[sandnsea]

13. Iowa??

You certainly must have paid attention to the crowds he drew in Iowa, conservative Democrats and Independent types. In the south, whites. He'd definitely draw those centrist and rural voters who are looking for some common sense working man politics. And I really think America wants something positive after Abu Ghreib and the rest of this really ugly war. Edwards would be a breath of fresh air. Clark would remind them of the depressing state of the war and the country. Americans don't like reality and they don't like to be depressed. There's a good chance they would choose Bush and fantasyland over facing the stark realities of Iraq.

[JI7]

14. yes, i'm talking about i want to see him convince them to vote for kerry

i would like to see how edwards does in convincing people who right now don't support kerry to support kerry. i think he would do a good job of it,but i would be interested in seeing it. but as i said, it would be difficult to organize a group of those type of voters.

this is because people still vote based on who is at the top of the ticket more. but edwards can be like the lbj pick of kennedy where he helped him get support in the south and other conservative leaning areas.

[sandnsea]

15. That's true

There is a difference between getting support for yourself and someone else. It's certainly a tough decision, glad I don't have to make it!

[chimpymustgo]

16. I couldn't agree more, sandnsea. Optimism, hope. A brand new day.

Kerry/Edwards projects an image of an optimistic team setting out to help Americans achieve the dream. And they'll DO it!

[fujiyama]

9. While I've had a slight preference

for Clark, Edwards has a lot of strengths and I think anyone other than these two would be a bit of a dissapointment. Edwards has a lot of support from the party as well. I would not be dissapointed with Edwards.

[faithnotgreed]

10. those are my exact thoughts too

[chimpymustgo]

19. Edwards has juice.

You've got to get elected before you can govern.