|
Come what may, Edwards supporters should implore their man to maintain his campaign until both Clark and Dean terminate theirs. If he does so, and so long as his showings remain reasonably strong (not necessarily #1), he has the ability to upset Kerry in both California and New York on March 2, and turn the race upside down. I say this as a veteran of three past presidential campaigns. What are my reasons for saying this? He's a far superior debater than Kerry, and the camera loves him -- as much as it loved Reagan or Clinton, perhaps more. Moreover, the great, largely unnoticed strength of Edwards in relation to all these other candidates is that he has a superb ability extemporaneously to frame and make a logical argument, stemming from his years as a trial lawyer. While Kerry declaims in stentorian tones, apparently believing that haughtiness is a form of persuasion, Edwards gets himself out of the way and makes his points in crisp fashion -- providing a personal, story-based dimension by referring both to his own values and his listeners' experience, insisting on the unfairness of the present system, and driving home the substance of what he believes. That's why he is connecting electrically with ordinary voters -- again, largely unnoticed by the national media, who are oblivious to anything now but Kerry endorsements by fellow pols and Dean's free-fall. If Edwards gets Kerry one-on-one, the toe-to-toe performance comparison would begin to wither Kerry's support immediately, since it's built on nothing more than the assumption of electability, not Kerry's inherent personal appeal, which is minimal beyond the Vietnam vet image. So the pecking order among also-rans in places like Maine or Tennessee doesn't mean much. It's purely a question of whether Edwards -- who is the only candidate remaining with a chance to defeat Kerry -- can survive with credibility until these other candidates are gone and he can get Kerry one-on-one...
|