What Did DU'ers think of John Edwards as Kerry's Running Mate?

[DoctorWeird]

Hi DU'ers, hope you are all well. I just had my internet returned to me after a move and I missed the last two weeks including the Kerry/Edwards announcement. What were the pros and cons?

[Catch22Dem]

1. Welcome back

Pretty much all around pro. Nearly all of us are pretty stoked.

[Zen]

2. He's real purty and we all wanna hug him.

lol. It's true!

[KittyWampus]

3. Pros- It Wasn't Gephardt. The Wait Is Over

Cons- Edwards IS vulnerable on the "lack of foreign policy experience.

Comment- Glad they took my advice, and Clark's lead, on the "Family Values".

Ultimate assessment- too soon to tell if Edwards will live up to the hype intentionally generated before his nomination for VP.

[Trajan]

15. Edwards strengths lie OUTSIDE of Foreign Policy ...

Whereas Kerry's strengths CONTAIN Foreign Policy ....

WHY anyone would demand that Edwards ALSO possess impeccable bona fides vis a vis foreign policy makes no sense to me ...

Edwards is a POPULIST who knows what to say to the humble classes, and HOW to say it .... He is a great communicator, not a foreign policy wonk ...

There is NO CALL for the Dem VP to be strong on foreign policy: why you would demand it is unknown ....

[KittyWampus]

18. Considering FP Is A Major Role In This Election

it would be beneficial NOT to have to pretend Edwards is more qualified than he is.

Edwards only just managed to looked informed on FP during debates.

And here is another CON with Edwards I forgot to mention.

He is NOT the great debator many claim. He did no better than AVERAGE in ANY debate during the campaign. And towards the final few... he did worse than average.

Also Edwards, in the end, was no more populist than Kerry. When push came to shove during the last round of debates ... he towed the Neo-Liberal line.

And Edwards "communicating" during the campaign was more often than not vapid platitudes. Why pretend anything else?

Perfect example, someone asked during town hall about Education. Answer, a Goldilocks fairytale- there must be responsibility and yet adequate funding. NO real answer... just complete NON-ANSWER. And a tap dance around his vote for Bush's legislation.

[DrWeird]

4. I, DrWeird, like him.

How about you?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

i agree with the Bilderberg group>>>Edwards is a great choice

[trof]

5. Perfect.

And his son's name is Jack, as is my grandson's.
What more could I ask for?
;-)

[hippiegranny]

6. like him lots

especially since the pubbies got their panties into a major twist over his nomination. that kind of hysteria can only mean that they are runnin' skeered now! heh heh

[ElsewheresDaughter]

7. i agree with the Bilderberg group>>>Edwards is a great choice

[Warren DeMontague]

8. Great. Excellent Choice.

Stellar.

Pros? He's smart, articulate, and can frame "values" issues in such a way as to very clearly and succinctly point out that, for all their phony posturing to "reg'lar folks" in the heartland, the GOP's policies are screwing middle america, and they truly are the party of "two americas". Plus, it'll be fun to see Multimillionaire, no-bid contract Halliburton kickback Dick Cheney try to paint Edwards as an "elitist trial lawyer" because he fought for some crippled kids against corporations.

Cons? There are no cons. This is an ass-kicking ticket.

[patricia92243]

9. I was delighted to hear Edwards was the one, especially after the Post led

us to believe it was Gerhard. I think Edwards sort of "perks up" our guy. I know he was smiling and looking happy and relaxed. Edwards is on the Senate Foreign Relations committee, so has More foreign experience than Bush had before he invaded the WH.

[The Shadow]

10. All Positive!

I'm a huge Wes Clark fan and was hoping for him to be selected.
But John Edwards, in many, many ways a superb choice.
First, John Edwards is a good man.
You must have noticed that the GOP has nothing of substance that affects Edward's credibility. Notice how they came out of the gate negative, because they don't have anything to damage him and it kills them. They don't even have anything of substance on Kerry for crying out loud. I think they're desperate, considering the high percentage of negative ads and speeches.
Remember too, I don't think an incumbent has ever won a "reelection" with polls below 50%, and the best bushhole can get is in the 40's.

John Edwards compliments John Kerry well. Since the announcement the polls for Kerry have risen several points on average.

[AngryLizard]

11. There was this great cartoon a few months ago

I think it was either NYT or WaPo, which showed the democratic donkee dressed up like a bride, walking down the aisle with John Kerry. Over her head was a thought bubble that said, "Dated Dean. Married Kerry. . .still dreaming of Edwards." That's definitely how I felt, and I gotta tell you, 2 out 3 ain't bad.

[Digit]

12. All news has been favorable..

I am delighted.
Seems like a good fit and I like the way Edwards seems to
complement Kerry.

[FlemingsGhost]

13. Indifference.

Granted, they *are* brand new faces for a nation craving change. And fine men, at that. However, I don't see much change actually occuring if the DLC is allowed to call the shots. John and John are quite possibly a one-term duo simply because they are inheriting a foreign policy nightmare, and a completely neurotic economy.

ALso, there is a very real danger of a further fracturing of the Party if the "war" drags, and casualties mount. The long-time progressive wing of the base is already dubious and restless, and since Kerry/Edwards know they have them in the bag this time around, it's difficult to guage loyalty ... from either side. Shades of LBJ, my friends.

In short, a finger in the dike. The DLC's shot at selling us "Clinton, The Sequel," after having labored through Reagan/Bush II. Par for the course, really. What a shame both sides are stuck in the past, as most of the world continues forward.

(edited for grammar)

[Nlighten1]

14. I think it was a great idea.

Edwards is a great choice for VP. Smart, good-looking, populist-talking, Southern guy.

[lovuian]

16. I love him!!!

Great choice....

[Amaya]

17. Great Choice

IMO. Thankfully it wasn't Gephardt:boring:

[hang a left]

19. I would have bet my left ___, it would have been Clark.

I actually owe a couple of people a buck. Found out at the end of vacation, days after it was announced, on a houseboat cut off from civilization. I have to go back and check who I owe now. Well my 'Cheney won't be on the ticket in Nov' bet for 40$ still looks good.