Reply #21: You are somewhat correct, that on the one hand, the media pretty much ignored [View All]

[FrenchieCat]

Edwards for most of last year. However, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as it kept him out of harm's way (bad publicity with the 3 "Hs", and sympathetic Publicity on the news of Elizabeth), while Hillary and Obama have been much more scrutinized by the press. The lack of press did depress his fundraising ability, however....to the point that he decided to opt for Matching funds in October.

Currently his past lack of media coverage and the now resurgence of news reports about him is almost making him come to the caucus as a "fresh face" or/and "the Underdog candidate" which in Iowa is actually a good thing to be....so that voters can exercise their "independence".

However, Edwards has been getting positive media attention for the last couple of weeks, and this is actually when voters start to pay attention anyways. Remember Howard Dean as the "inevitable Frontrunner" throughout most of 2003? Guess what that got him? Certainly not the nomination.

The bad news is, however, that Edwards has never really taking a good vetting from the media. They have for the most part either left him alone as you mentioned (as was the case through all of 2003 and again through most of 2007) or they have provided him with positive press (as was the case once he came in 2nd in Iowa in 2004, and when they were pushing him for the Kerry ticket Veep slot, and in the last two weeks). In the meantime, Clinton and Obama have been depicted as "clawing" at one another; which doesn't look good to voters. In fact, I would daresay that Clinton and Obama had been put under much more scrutiny this primary season than Edwards has in his 6 years of running for Prez).

I am afraid that once the press starts to scrutinize John Edwards, they will unearth quite a bit and it will get rabid.

I'm starting to think that maybe the GOP and its corporate friends figured out that Edwards and his matching funds as the Democratic nominee is the only way that the GOP can win in 2008....and maybe the media understood that way before John Edwards did. And maybe we will understand this much better later on when it comes to pass.