Edwards: Out of his league or Baby-Faced Assassin?

[bushwakker]

The post debate narrative will go one of two ways.

#1 The wise and experienced VP, the man who knows where all the bodies are buried, calmly and with surgical precision took apart the young first term senator who came across as a nice man with no foreign policy credentials in a time of war.


#2 The sharp as a tack Edwards immediately put Cheney on the defensive and kept him there for 90 minutes continually calling into question the VP's judgment, credibility and personal ethics.


I think that JE really has his work cut out for him tonight. Cheney will be in a familiar setting - basically just sitting down and having a chat with another pol and a millionaire pundit. Kinda like just another Sunday with Tim Russert. Cheney's great skill has always been SOUNDING cool, competent and in control. There is a significant stature gap between himself and JE that will only be enhanced if JE acts in a deferential manner. If Edwards is in "Lieberman mode" with the "Mr Vice President" and "my esteemend colleague" and "with all due respect" bullshit - we will be in trouble. The only way to deal with Cheney is to get him out of his "Sunday morning" comfortable zone from the get go. The good news is that I think Edwards will not be eager to repeat Lieberman's shitty performance if for no other reason than people like us will remember should the ticket lose and he runs for the top spot in 2008. Cheney is poison to the Dem base and we all want to see blood on the floor. Usually in these debates you hear the VP candidates constantly referring to the guy in the top spot. Tonight may be different since Cheney is so powerful within the administration and has his fingerprints on so many policy failures and ethical lapses. I don't want Edwards to attack Bush tonight. I want him to attack Cheney. 3 things we need to hear - Halliburton, Anmed Chalabi, Secret Energy Meetings.

[Hubert Flottz]

1. I think Edwards will blow Cheney away!

All Edwards has to do is tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!

[bushwakker]

2. he must be very aggressive

to the point of obnoxiousness.

[JuniorPlankton]

4. Yep, it's always easier

when you don't have to make shit up!

[MsTryska]

3. I say baby-faced Assassin.

One other thing re: Lieberman.

Edwards will be polite, because he's a Southern Gentleman. That doesn't mean he can't stab you with a knife of honey-coated viciousness tho.


Lieberman had no balls. He was deferential and that's it.

A Southerner can be deferential and insulting in the same breath, but you don't pick up on it till a split-second later.

[LittleClarkie]

6. Ditto

He will very politely cut Cheney to ribbons.

Tonight shouldn't be too much different from stating your case in court. I hope.

[bushwakker]

8. to use a football metaphor

I believe he needs to establish the run early. By that I mean let Cheney know right away that he is not sitting down to a friendly chat with "his esteemed colleague" Joe Lieberman.

[MsTryska]

15. This i agree with.

imo, dick punked lieberman in their debate.

[RT Atlanta]

5. Experience

Edwards has more fucking national exp. than dumbya did at this stage of dumbya's "presidential" campaign.

Go get 'em Tiger!

[bushwakker]

9. JE's abilities are not in question

but Cheney is a wily character who does have a gravitas (yes I will use this overused cliche) that is hard to deal with. Cheney is simply not going to make a fool of himself like W.

[Nordic]

7. baby-faced assassin, definitely

there's a reason he's in the spot he's in.

[indyjones1938]

10. Edwards

is not going to attack Cheney. He never, ever attacked opponents or witnesses in court and he's not going to do it now.

He will instead "undress" him (figuratively of course). When Cheney stands up, all his clothes will fall off. Edwards will pose stinging hypothetical questions that will force Cheney on the defensive, and smile as he's doing it. Many past adversaries of Edwards in court explained this "undressing" strategy of his.

Cheney wants Edwards to come out in attack dog mode. He's throwing him a bone. Edwards won't bite.

[bushwakker]

12. this should be fascinating n/t

[indyjones1938]

17. Something else to look for

Edwards will constantly change his tone and style tonight. If Cheney tries to play the "quiet, grandfatherly statesman," Edwards will step up the pressure with jabs and sarcasm. Then when Cheney starts to get angry, Edwards will switch back to the innocent-young-southerner-with-a-cute-smile routine and Cheney will look like the raving, out of control old man he is. If Edwards is having a hard time getting Cheney angry, I expect he will toss Cheney an opening by giving a "softball" answer on a question or two. Then when Cheney goes for the kill, Edwards is gonna turn it around on him.

We're talking about a guy who never deposed opposition witnesses and still won record high $20 million+ verdicts, and gave complicated 90 minute closing statements without any notes. Cheney's "grandfather" routine and snappy one liners won't seal the deal this time.

[bushwakker]

21. I wonder if GOP went so far as to study his courtroom style?

[apnu]

11. What JE can do is be likable

Which comes naturally to him. JE has "the gift" of politics, that inexplicable likable-ness that every pol wishes they had. JFK had it, Big Dawg has it, and so does JE.

If he's likable and charming as he always is, and then agressive... he'll do fine against Darth Vader

[PurityOfEssence]

13. Simply put, he's the political genius of this era

Carville said he's the best stump speaker he's ever seen run for president. Of all the candidates in the primary season after Iowa, he's the only one who maintained a positive trajectory; Kerry held his lead and fought off opposition, Dean declined, Clark fell off from expectations even if he did win a primary and there's no real argument elsewhere.

The NYT showed that it was very probable that had the primaries been less compressed, he would have improved even more.

He made less tactical mistakes, and none in the heat of battle that I saw.

Besides all that, he actually speaks from a place that rings true: the American system is good, but has been perverted and skewed in favor of the rich. He's Bill Clinton without as much caving in to the right and with no personal baggage. His was the populist message (along with the saintly Dennis Kucinich, who is a close friend) and this has the wind at its back.

All of his energy is focused outward, because he isn't hiding what he is: loyal, dutiful, tough as nails, pleasant and approachable. He actually IS what he presents himself to be, and that makes him nimble, powerful and charismatic.

[GumboYaYa]

14. I know John Edwards' type well and he will systematically

destroy Cheney tonight. When it's over people will love him even more.

I had a professor just like Edwards in law school at LSU. This was a guy who had made a fortune as a trial attorney and decided to teach. He was by far the most popular professor at the school.

He had a way of making you look about two feet tall. It wasn't mean; it was just a way of using your own words to back you into a corner from which you could not move. When he would finish he would give the class a big smile and they would all feel sorry for him having to destroy you like that.

Cheney is in for a long night.

[seafan]

16. Many attorneys sat in on Edwards' closing arguments to learn from him

during his legal career. We are in GOOD hands.

[creeksneakers2]

18. Most people hate Dick Cheney

Dems will probably pick up a couple of points just having Cheney on TV to remind voters he's there.

[bushwakker]

20. I think many respect him though

most people look at cheney as a slimy sob - but he's OUR slimy sob. many people seem to buy into his "just trust me, go about your business, i'll take care of it" demeanor even though they find him personally distasteful.

[rocktivity]

19. Edwards built his reputation taking apart people like Cheney

But if the Bush camp wants to misundersestimate him, go ahead.

:headbang:
rocknation