Election 2004 Update: While the Dem field try to figure out who’s going to go after Al Sharpton, Karl Rove and the White House set their sights on John Edwards. It’s getting ugly early, folks.
Category: John Edwards
California Gold Rush.
In the Democratic race to lock up Golden State backing for 2004, John Kerry’s leading in the (still-hesitant) money department while – surprisingly – Howard Dean (also doing well in Iowa) has locked up some key Hollywood endorsements, including Rob Reiner and President Bartlett. Meanwhile, Florida Senator Bob Graham joins the fun and swells the field to nine. Despite the late start by Graham, his entry probably means bad news for John Edwards.
Friendly Fire.
Having appeased the DNC over the weekend, the Democratic field now set their sights on John Kerry, the current frontrunner. Intriguing to note that the former Gore cronies, like Edwards communications director David Ginsberg, have access to all the potential oppo research done for the 2000 veep decision…looks like the real nasty mud’ll be flying sooner rather than later.
Let the Groveling Begin.
The 2004 hopefuls prepare to kowtow before the DNC in what’s being billed as the “first big test” for the Democratic field (minus Kerry, who’s still recovering from prostate surgery.) Anyone else want to jump in before we get this party started? Feingold? Bradley?
Treading Lightly Amid the Palmettos.
John Edwards and the rest of the Democratic field try to figure out how to manage the NAACP boycott of South Carolina. Sigh…between Bob Jones University and the Stars ‘n Bars, it’s always a bit embarrassing to hail from South Carolina in an election year. Hopefully a day will someday come when the post-Strom Palmetto State will finally get its act together.
Chip off the old Block.
James Fallows on Bill Clinton on John Edwards, coming soon in The Atlantic Monthly. (In the meantime, you can peruse Fallows’ annotated version of Dubya’s State of the Union address.)
A Champion for Regular People?
William Saletan sizes up John Edwards’ Clintonian appeal, as does the rest of the media. If nothing else, it sounds like he’s got a winning message that he’s smart enough to stay on.
The First Campaign.
In related news, John Kerry currently leads the fundraising race among Democrats, although the as-yet-unannounced Dick Gephardt is relatively close. Like Daschle, I’d think Gephardt would serve the party better as a much-needed progressive flak, taking the heat off more viable candidates like Kerry and Edwards. But Gephardt has desired the Presidency for so long that I doubt he’ll let the race pass him by this time.
Leaders of the Pack.
It ‘s now looking like Senators John Edwards of North Carolina and Tom Daschle are both in for 2004. Edwards seems like an ok candidate due to the Southern thing, but Daschle? I like Daschle, but I’m not sure this is a very good idea. Sure, he’ll probably win the not-so-crucial South Dakota primary hands down, but what does he bring to the table that’s not already offered by the other three Senators in the hunt? I guess we’ll see.
Dem Debacle.
Lieberman, Hillary, and the Ghost of Gore…is this really what the Dems have to look forward to? I still might vote Kerrey, Edwards, Daschle, or Dean, but right now this DLC affair is definitely turning me off.