Reply #36: Your crticisms are legitimate, but your dichotomy disproves your theory [View All]

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As more people heard about Edwards, he did better and better (but obviously not at a rate that was going to pass Kerry within the timeframe of the primaries).

As people learned more and more about Clark, he tapered.

So, sure, Edwards had holes in his resume, but compared to Clark and everyone except Kerry, voters preferred him despite his weak spots to candidates that had the things he lacked but lacked the qualities Edwards had (which was probably not just charisma and a good speach, but also an authenticity on issues of class and his concern about whether people on the bottom and middle were enjoying a fair proportion of the wealth they created for their employers and for society).