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Is Edwards The One?
By Tim Siggia
January 23, 2004
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, talk show host Rush Limbaugh made the pronouncement that dittoheads all over the fruited plain were anxiously waiting to hear: his prediction that North Carolina senator John Edwards would emerge as the 2004 Democratic nominee for president. Convinced that former Vermont governor Howard Dean had in effect ended his candidacy at the Iowa Caucuses with his much-publicized tantrum afterward, and that Massachusetts senator John Kerry, despite his victory in Iowa, still lacked nationwide appeal, Limbaugh picked Edwards as the one candidate who would emerge as the nominee, and the one who, in his words, could beat President Bush.
Rush Limbaugh has something in common with the former brokerage firm of E. F. Hutton in the conservative community: when he talks, people listen, and they don't lightly dismiss what he tells them. And there is much about Edwards to give credence to what Rush is saying. Dubbed "The Breck Girl" by some, Edwards, with his youthful appearance and his celebrated hair style, is a candidate straight out of central casting. Also, he is one in control of himself, not given to the verbal gaffes and temper tantrums that have plagued candidates Dean and Kerry. His message, while unpalatable in most Republican circles, still plays well among Democrats, and furthermore, to date has been consistent, with none of the flip-flopping observers have noted in several of the other candidates, particularly retired Army general Wesley Clark.
Portraying himself as an outsider, Edwards plays on his variation of the usual Democratic class-warfare rhetoric, painting a picture of "Two Americas": one of the rich and of special interests, and the other of everybody else. Though he would enact corporate tax cuts as an incentive to keep industry and jobs in America, he does not seem to favor the sweeping general tax cuts enacted by President Bush. At this time, Edwards seems to be running primarily on his own personality, building an image of himself as a clean fighter who has refrained from attacking his fellow Democrats. His first priority appears to be to get himself known and recognized, and get to platform specifics later on. That he is now for the most part unknown could be seen as a handicap, particularly against the instantly-recognized Kerry and the still-popular Dean, but it must then be remembered that the last two Democratic presidents -- Carter and Clinton -- were also relatively unknown outside their home states when they first made their presidential bids.
But in spite of all this, it seems premature, at best, to write off Kerry, Dean, Clark, and even Lieberman so early in the race. At this writing, the New Hampshire primary, where Dean and Kerry both enjoy favorite-son status, is still ahead of us, with that in South Carolina -- which would be Edwards country -- following roughly a week afterward. Anything can still happen.
President Bush's recent state-of-the-union message gave his campaign a powerful send-off, and at this time he still appears to hold all the trump cards. But if Rush is right in his supposition that Edwards could beat Bush in an election, then he is most definitely a candidate who bears watching. Though he did not win the Iowa Caucuses, Edwards' second-place finish has established beyond any doubt that he is no Al Sharpton or Dennis Kucinich, but rather, a serious candidate who could prove formidable in the months to come.
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