Molly Ivins on John Edwards, August 2003

[jsamuel]

Molly Ivins on John Edwards, August 2003
by Drew
Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 09:51:18 AM CDT

I'm neither blessed nor cursed with a photographic memory, but I do remember this - Molly Ivins' view of John Edwards, from http://www.progressive.org/aug03/ivin0803.html">her August 2003 column on the Democratic candidates in The Progressive:

John Edwards in the early appearances struck me as almost a little too pretty, a little lite. But he's got a populist streak I like--his daddy spent thirty-seven years working in a North Carolina mill, and Edwards ain't forgot it. Seemed to me he might develop. In a recent speech at Georgetown University, the sumbitch hit a home run. (Look it up.)

Apparently, way back in 2003, before John Edwards supposedly "reinvented" himself as a populist, a fine judge saw a populist in him herself.

And so did I.

more...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/9/21/62852/7610

[RufusEarl]

1. Now that's an endorsement worth having!

[Milo_Bloom]

2. He didn't "reinvent" himself as a populist.

What was popular changed, so he changed right along with it.

That is EXACTLY the problem with him.

[wyldwolf]

3. A fine judge? Is that the joke or the punchline?

[redqueen]

6. Maybe they meant 'judge of character'?

:shrug:

[jobycom]

4. Kucinich:Can't elect a guy that short and skinny, not to mention vegetarian

Kerry: My early take on Kerry was that he has gravitas--sumbitch about bent over double with gravitas--but that he has no Elvis. Minus-zero on the Elvis Scale was my first read. (snip) Happily, Kerry seems to have started to do what he most needs to do, which is lighten up a bit.

Dean: Naturally, I've been leaning toward Howard Dean: He's at 2 percent in the polls and has the full weight of Vermont behind him. On a recent visit to Austin, Dean sounded alarmingly moderate, appealing to the centrist vote. Sheesh, what good is Dean if he doesn't pull the whole field to the left?

Gephardt: He may have no eyebrows but has balls.

I love Molly. She was friends with several friends of mine, but I somehow always managed to miss meeting her. :cry:

[MethuenProgressive]

5. Back in 03, lots of us liked him. Times change.

Perhaps his polling is so low becuase we know him all too well now.

[jsamuel]

7. A lot of attacks in this thread.

[xxqqqzme]

8. I noticed that too.

Edwards was talking about 'Two Americas' in '03/'04. It was after he was swallowed up by the Kerry machine that the 'Two Americas' stopped. The campaign did not make good use of him because he had a more positive presence than Kerry - better looking, better speaker, better message. I don't think Edwards has 'reinvented' himself as much as he has expanded his 'Two Americas' to its obvious extensions and inclusions.

He is the only candidate talking about poverty and its burden on all aspects of society. It has been far too long since poverty was talked about in this country.

[saracat]

10. Must be people who are very unhappy with themselves!

[bvar22]

9. Go Molly!

Molly Ivins lives on in MY heart.
She was one of those wonderful Texas populists
Jim Hightower
Bill Moyers
My Parents.

She was also a good judge of character.
She warned the nation about Bush* while he was still in Texas and only a gleam in the eye of the Corporatists.

The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.