Cincinnati Post ed: Edwards Brings Balance, is Dems' Great Communicator

[Maddy McCall]

Great column by Martin Schram about Edwards' positive attributes that he brings to the ticket, versus the unseasoned Bush in 2000, who has harmed our childrens' future:

snip/

Of course, you are probably now thinking that the last four years proved this line of reasoning was sage and savvy. Well, not quite. For, faithful readers will also remember that this columnist also harkened back to old friendships in other times and thus counseled that America can at least surely take comfort that this shrub of a Bush would at least be surrounded by the most experienced of the Grand Old Party's vet set -- Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, Colin Powell -- wise elders with decades of experience in running the Pentagon and reigning over the armed forces. They'll keep the inexperienced Bush from getting us into any terrible trouble, this column once reasoned.

Hmmm. Well, it turned out there seems to be some direct linkage between hardening of arteries and hardening of policies, a hardening of mindset that results in a loss of flexibility, a numbing of the senses (including common sense) and a myopia that makes it impossible to see the limits of national resources such as military manpower and money. All of that is not good. Then comes the final reality: An onset of desperation that fosters a willful willingness to hock the future of even their own great-grandchildren (see also: your grandchildren) to finance their final fling.

snip/

While Kerry announced his veep on President Bush's birthday (July 6), it was the all-news cable networks who gave the president the birthday gift he craved. Bush's strategists prepared a campaign commercial to run the day Kerry announced his veep, featuring Republican John McCain, who has long detested Bush and was courted for veep by his Senate pal, Kerry. It was an unremarkable snippet of McCain introducing Bush at a rally. By last Friday, Bush's team hadn't paid for any TV time for the ad -- but the ad got huge airplay -- cost-free! -- a gift from unthinking execs of CNN, MSNBC and Fox -- who ran it all day. Why? Because Bush's brain trust gave it a title no viewer sees but all journalists saw as an inside jab at Kerry: "The First Choice."

Edwards may not be able to bring the South back into the Democratic fold, where it hadn't been since the Reagan Revolution. But he is a master campaigner and debater (don't forget to duck, Cheney!). Indeed, Edwards has the sort of perfect-pitch populism that may help Democrats carry key states such as Ohio, which all Republican presidents have always carried.

Speaking of the Reagan Revolution, there is one more bit of balance that Edwards provides for his party. At last, the Democrats also have a Great Communicator they can call their own.


more at: http://www.cincypost.com/2004/07/07/schram070704.html

(While it appears that he has bought the rumor that Kerry courted McCain, overall, this is a very influential, favorable article about Edwards and a good reason to give Democrats optimism in Ohio.)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. I actually watched part of CNN last night

and it was so obviously tilted towards the right wingers that I fired off an email. Got a cutesy reply "You didn't think we'd respond!" How stupid do they think we are? I knew it was an automatically generated response, and the likelihood of my post actually being read beyond the opening line (You are biased in favor of the GOP) is highly unlikely.

I'm going back to watching TLC.