What do Daschle and Edwards plan to do after they leave the senate?

[fujiyama]

What are these two supposed to do? After all, they're both incumbents that lost their job. Granted, Edwards resigned his own seat, but I think looking back it would have been tough for him to have won (though it's possible).

I know many don't here like Daschle, but I'm curious because he's been in the senate for so many years now.

[realFedUp]

1. Where they all go

Lobby heaven or Speaker circuit

[Florida_Geek]

2. disney world

silly rabit

[WI_DEM]

3. Daschle-?? Edwards is running for president

[clutchcargo]

4. A North Carolina take on Edwards

I am personally supporting Hillary----It is time for a woman to be President and she could win---Being from N.C. I have a negative view of Edwards--He started running for President almost as soon as he got elected and so he forgot that he was to represent us in Washington---I thank it shows a lack of character and commitment when you do not even try to represent your constituents--He would not have been re-elected here for that reason .

[Arkana]

6. And you don't think he would have represented you

as President? Supporting Hillary Clinton would be an automatic death knell for the Democrats in 2008.

[Ms_Mary]

8. I live in bumfuck NC and he did things to help us out here where

everyone forgets we even exist. I love Edwards, am sad to lose him as senator and want to see more of him in the future.

[AP]

20. From the Ginger Livingtson article:

While Edwards offered no specifics, some audience members had definite ideas. "As soon as the wife gets well, we want you to go back," said Willie Gilchrist, Halifax County Schools superintendent. Edwards and his staff were responsible for helping secure $6 million in grants for a new library, dropout prevention and other programs for Gilchrist's low-wealth school system, Gilchrist said.

This was also on CSPAN last Wednesday. Gillcrhist said that Edwards and his staff got money for them to do things they know they won't get from the Republicans.

[chapel hill dem]

11. Edwards is building a house up my street

on over 100 acres. Can't see it from the road yet but the local press will have pix soon, I bet.

On the job front, he is being courted by UNC Law School to teach and he will probably join a big law firm as a rainmaker (like Jim Hunt did).

Also, local speculation is that as soon as his wife stabilizes he will travel extensively throughout the world to buck up his foreign experience for a 2008 POTUS run.

[mattclearing]

13. Nice Republican talking points.

eom

[AP]

15. Ginger Livingston, The Daily Reflector, reports:

Despite losing his Senate seat, Edwards' supporters didn't fault him for his presidential aspirations.

"He gave us hope, something to look forward to, a hope for change," said Tina Rodriguez of Beaufort, who traveled to Greenville with four friends to get Edwards to sign campaign memorabilia.

Beatniz Pesez, who is learning English at Pitt Community College, worked her way through the crowd to get Edwards to sign her dictionary.

"I love democracy, and I liked him before he was with Kerry," she said, wrestling with her new language to form her thoughts. "His speeches were true."

Suzan Teel, another Beaufort resident, said Edwards brought a "North Carolina" sensibility to the race, talking about issues such as raising the minimum wage, providing better health care and securing jobs.

"I thought it was important for regular North Carolina to have a voice in the Senate," Edwards told the audience.

[KoKo]

5. Daschle's wife was lobbyist for an Airline (United, I think) so he will

Probably find a job as a big Lobbyist or Consultant in DC. Who knows about Edwards. Word on the ground here in NC is a run in 2008 for President.

[fujiyama]

7. I thought Daschle's wife

was a lobbyist for pharmacueticals?

I know she was a lobbyist for something. My guess is that's where Daschle will go.

I've also heard the same about Edwards, though I think he'll have a rough time, especially if some southern governors are running.

[theHandpuppet]

9. Daschle pigs out at the trough

Linda Daschle is one of DC's biggest lobbyists, and her (very) lucrative connections to the pharmaceutical and military industries forever destroyed any naive belief I ever had that Tom Daschle could deliver a vote not influenced by corporate interests. Just do a google search for "Linda Daschle" + lobbyist and you'll see what I mean. Here's just a sampler:

http://www.laweekly.com/ink/03/09/news-ireland.php
http://www.indyweek.com/durham/2003-07-23/cover.html
http://www.ariannaonline.com/columns/column.php?id=28

Don't worry about Tom. As long as there are endless wars and the mechanisms needed to keep them going, he will be doing just fine.

[KoKo]

10. Thanks! Here's a snip from "I'm Linda (Daschle) Fly Me!" Disgusting...

I’m Linda, Fly Me
The real reason Tom Daschle didn’t run for president
by Doug Ireland


Tom Daschle: Ambitions grounded
by his wife’s baggage
(Photo by Chris Kleponis/ZU7MA)


The national press corps didn’t bother to tell you why Tom Daschle, the Democrats’ Senate leader, decided at the 11th hour not to run for president: In the end, he calculated that he couldn’t survive scrutiny of his persistent service to the clients of his wife. Linda Daschle has been one of the airline industry’s top lobbyists for two decades — when she wasn’t busy running the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which explains why, just 11 days after the 9/11 attacks, her husband rushed through the Democratic Senate, which he controlled, the $15 billion bailout for the airline industry, a notorious taxpayer rip-off.

Right after then-Congressman Tom Daschle dumped his first wife for a younger, prettier one, the former Miss Kansas Linda Daschle went to work as chief lobbyist for the Air Transport Association, the airline industry’s main lobby; she then became the senior vice president of the American Association of Airport Executives; and these days hangs her hat at the pricey top Washington law/lobby shop Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell, headed by former GOP Senate leader and ex–Reagan chief of staff Howard Baker — where she peddles influence on behalf of a long list of lucrative aviation clients. The clients for whom Linda lobbied brought more than $5.86 million into Baker, Donelson in one three-year period, including Northwest Airlines ($870,000 from 1997 through 2001) and American Airlines ($1.26 million in fees). Northwest was already teetering on the edge of bankruptcy even before 9/11. American, which has had six fatal crashes since 1994 (not counting 9/11) and has been repeatedly fined by the FAA for a skein of safety violations, had the reputation as the most unsafe major U.S. carrier.

Yet these two clients of Linda Daschle’s got nearly $1 billion from the airline bailout her husband pushed into law — thanks to which Northwest (which was the second largest contributor to Senator Daschle’s 1998 campaign, and which scooped up $404 million in government cash) actually posted a $19 million profit in the third quarter after the twin-towers attacks. And, as the lone senator to vote against the bailout, Illinois GOPer Peter Fitzgerald, decried, “The only people who got bailed out were the shareholders. The 1 million airline employees were left twisting in the wind.” So much for the populist noises that occasionally come from Senator Daschle’s mouth. The Daschles also made sure that the bailout exempted American (which has consistently lobbied against tougher airline safety standards) and other carriers with lousy safety records from any real liability to lawsuits from the families of 9/11 victims. Moreover, the General Accounting Office found that the airline industry’s representations to Congress to secure the bailout overstated its anticipated losses from 9/11 by as much as $5 billion.

[Cuban_Liberal]

12. Edwards didn't lose' his job.

He was not defeated for re-election, as was Daschle.

[trillian]

16. Well not technically.....

but his approval ratings were so low, everyone knew he wouldn't have won re-election. The good people of NC weren't too impressed with his record .

What really burns me is, if he had cared at all about the Democratic party he would given up his senate seat when he ran for Prez. Erskine Bowles could have been named his replacement and he would have had a really good chance of re-election. Instead, Bowles fought from the outside and lost the seat to a Repub. Aaarrrgghhh!

[Cuban_Liberal]

19. No, he didn't lose it at ALL.

Technically, or otherwise.

[TheDonkey]

14. Probably join an lobbying firm, rake in the cash

I'm not sure of course but I'm sure it's workingfor a loobbying firm, intrest group, or think tank.

[AP]

18. Edwards says no law practice, no corporate boards.

It's his first trip to North Carolina since he and his running mate, presidential nominee John Kerry, lost to George Bush and Dick Cheney this month. At each stop, Edwards said he's not sure what he'll do next. The former trial attorney did say he's not interested in returning to the law or serving on corporate boards. What he does want to do, he said, is keep working on the issues such as health care and poverty that he's talked about since starting his own presidential campaign in January 2003, whether through a foundation or some other avenue.

"Edwards says his fight isn't over" (Tue, Nov. 30, 2004) JIM MORRILL Charlotte Observer

[mattclearing]

17. Hopefully Edwards will claim the Vice Presidency.

Maybe he can get Daschle a recount while he's at it.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

21. Daschle lost, 'cause my home state is filled with morans

Daschle served his state in Congress for 26 years, authored over 400 bills, and LOST to a man (John Thune) who was in the House for 6 years and didn't author a SINGLE bill.

South Dakota: the last great frontier of idiocy. Remember, this is the state that sent Bill Janklow to Congress, too. Expect Tim Johnson to lose his seat when his term's up, too. And I don't expect Stephanie Herseth to retain her seat, either.
I'm glad I moved out of there.