John Kerry wisely opts for a charisma injection...
WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry selected former rival John Edwards to be his running mate, telling supporters Tuesday he couldn't wait to see the freshman North Carolina senator going "toe-to-toe with Dick Cheney."I almost believed that Kerry was going to pick Dick Gephardt, which would have been a monumental mistake. As Gephardt's previous runs for the nomination have indicated he would have sucked the life right out of the Kerry campaign."In the next 120 days and in the administration that follows, John Edwards and I will be fighting for the America we love," Kerry said in an e-mail to supporters obtained by The Associated Press. "We'll be fighting to give the middle class a voice by providing good paying jobs and affordable health care. We'll be fighting to make America energy independent. We'll be fighting to build a strong military and lead strong alliances, so young Americans are never put in harm's way because we insisted on going it alone."
By selecting Edwards, Kerry went with the smooth-talking Southern populist over more seasoned politicians in hopes of injecting vigor and small-town appeal to the Democratic presidential ticket.
I'm struck by the following comparison with Dan Quayle (paraphrased from a comment at Free Republic):
Dan Quayle was an attorney, the associate publisher of a small newspaper (daddy's paper, admittedly), served in the Indiana National Guard, was elected to two terms in the U.S. House, and was in his second term in the Senate when Bush the Elder tapped him as a running mate in 1988. The choice was roundly criticized (by Democrats and Republicans) due to Quayle's lack of experience.
John Edwards was a "textile mill worker" (daddy's mill), a personal injury attorney; his bio shows no record of military service. His political career to date consists of one election to the Senate over a weak candidate; and his service in the Senate has gone almost unnoticed. For some reason he is widely viewed as an exciting and well-qualified VP choice.
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Comments (12)
Edwards was the only logica... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Paul | July 6, 2004 9:17 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Edwards was the only logical choice. It has been that way for months.
1. Posted by Paul | July 6, 2004 9:17 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 6, 2004 09:17
2. Posted by sugarmama | July 6, 2004 9:55 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I thought Kerry said he didn't like southerners?
2. Posted by sugarmama | July 6, 2004 9:55 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 6, 2004 09:55
3. Posted by Michael Diaz | July 6, 2004 9:58 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I didn't think anyone liked Southerners.
I kid!
3. Posted by Michael Diaz | July 6, 2004 9:58 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 6, 2004 09:58
4. Posted by Mark | July 6, 2004 10:13 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
So Kerry picked a Chickenhawk?
4. Posted by Mark | July 6, 2004 10:13 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 6, 2004 10:13
5. Posted by eclipsegurl | July 6, 2004 10:23 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Being from NC, I can attest that John Edward's record in the Senate has been nothing to write home about. He used his election into the Senate as a stepping stone towards his bid for the White House. He missed most of the Senate votes from the past year which is an indication that his priorities and the priorities of the state he represents aren't even in the same ball park.
He tries to portray himself as a hard working southern family man, when in fact he made most of his "millions" as a trial lawyer before getting into politics.
I really miss Jesse Helms.
5. Posted by eclipsegurl | July 6, 2004 10:23 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 6, 2004 10:23
6. Posted by uncommon2u | July 6, 2004 10:39 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
what's not to like? I don't think this makes a difference, it's gonna be all about the debates just like, almost, every other close election.I was all of 12 yrs old at the time of reagan vs. carter, but as I recall, that election was as tight as any until reagan handed him his hat in the debate.Those of us who will probabely decide the election,informed, independant, critically thinking americans, don't pay much attention to partisan rhetoric, and typically don't trust either of the corporate puppets, I mean political parties,but will vote for the best quallified and most trustfull of the two.
6. Posted by uncommon2u | July 6, 2004 10:39 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 6, 2004 10:39
7. Posted by La Shawn Barber | July 6, 2004 11:28 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Since he's going to lose anyway, I guess Kerry figured he go for the easy-on-the-eyes factor.
7. Posted by La Shawn Barber | July 6, 2004 11:28 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 6, 2004 11:28
8. Posted by TC-LeatherPenguin | July 6, 2004 11:37 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Does anyone else notice that the middle chunk of that pull quote just begs for a fisking in relation to trial lawyers driving up the cost of everything?
8. Posted by TC-LeatherPenguin | July 6, 2004 11:37 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 6, 2004 11:37
9. Posted by Jay Tea | July 6, 2004 1:11 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
In retrospect, Edwards was the obvious choice for Kerry's running mate. Historically, John Kerry has always chosen his mates by the size of their bank accounts, and Edwards is worth over half a billion dollars.
J.
9. Posted by Jay Tea | July 6, 2004 1:11 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 6, 2004 13:11
10. Posted by David Scott Anderson | July 6, 2004 2:23 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
You mean sortta like Haliburton driving up the price of everything our troops need in Iraq. LOL! Whatever you cats say about Edwards, he is going to hand that crooked, old man (Cheney) his ass. I would say that The current VP is about to be cross examined on everything from Halliburton to his ties to Challabi, to the lies about Iraq. I am stoked about the selection of Edwards, and as much as I enjoy debating with you guys, I am going to be NASTY in November when Bush and his CEO are sent packin'
10. Posted by David Scott Anderson | July 6, 2004 2:23 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 6, 2004 14:23
11. Posted by TC-LeatherPenguin | July 6, 2004 3:46 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Crooked Old Man to DSA: "F#%& You, and your pipeline too."
11. Posted by TC-LeatherPenguin | July 6, 2004 3:46 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 6, 2004 15:46
12. Posted by uncommon2u | July 8, 2004 7:21 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
TC-"trial lawyers driving up the cost for everything"
There y'all go again just blame the trial lawyers.I thought inflation was relatively low.Who's the pessimist now.Oh, that's right,when you use it to negatively label your opponent it doesn't count....hmm.I'm personally no fan of lawyers,but if I had to choose what kind of lawyer to break bread with, i'd rather sit at the table with a trial lawyer than a corporate one any day of the week.
BTW, Don't suppose rising costs could be related to 60% rise in corporate profits.Nah.Couldn't be.
Wonder how the oil and health care profits are doing.And I wonder how much money we (the tax payers) spend on their externallized costs.Eventually a critical mass will figure it out.
12. Posted by uncommon2u | July 8, 2004 7:21 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 8, 2004 19:21