Newsweek: Who Is the ‘Real’ John Edwards?

[question everything]

Campaign '08: Who Is the ‘Real’ John Edwards?

Is it an accident that Genuine John Edwards has chosen this moment to emerge?
By Jonathan Darman
Newsweek

(snip)

The "real" John Edwards is not someone America knows well. When he first crossed the national stage, he called himself the "son of a mill worker," but he seemed more like a creature spawned in a focus group—attractive, well spoken and safe. Since then, he has weathered enormous hardship—his wife, Elizabeth, has battled breast cancer—but hardly a wrinkle has crossed his perpetually tanned face. He has spent the better part of five years in one of the most contrived careers known to man: candidate for president of the United States.

In recent weeks, however, Edwards has been trying to draw attention to his less- scripted side. First there was his "silence is betrayal" attack on his main rivals for the 2008 Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, for not speaking out against the escalation of the Iraq war. On Feb. 4, in an appearance on "Meet the Press," he broke the cardinal rule of presidential politics and admitted that his proposal for universal health care would require raising taxes. Then, last week, he refused to fire two campaign employees who'd criticized Roman Catholics and religious conservatives on their personal blogs, despite pressure from conservative leaders.

(snip)

Still, Edwards's new commitment to authenticity may have real roots: in 2004, the candidate learned the hard way that too much caution can be fatal. When the Kerry campaign faltered, Edwards and his wife were convinced that a broad swath of competing consultants, offering conflicting advice, were largely to blame. "Consultants can make it hard to tell the truth," Edwards says. "They want you to be so cautious it makes it hard to say anything." Aides, who didn't want to be named discussing their boss's internal thinking, say he walked away from 2004 convinced that only strong, centralized decision making works in presidential campaigns.

(snip)

All his talk about the working class has helped Edwards get cozy with labor. In 2004, he peppered his speeches with sympathy for unions but largely sat out of the major jockeying for endorsements from Big Labor. Now he has led an aggressive courtship, naming union-friendly former congressman David Bonior as his campaign chairman and pitching labor leaders... Edwards has also recast himself as the Internet candidate. In 2004, his campaign largely ceded the Web money chase to Howard Dean. But Elizabeth, who was an early habitué of online communities, has long urged her husband to take more-aggressive steps on the Internet. He has wooed bloggers during private dinners and invested in a Web site that many consider to be the most sophisticated of any candidate in either party. Last week he declined calls to dismiss campaign bloggers Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan, amid allegations they were antireligion. "The first response normally would have been to listen to these Beltway actors who were saying, 'Clearly, you have to fire these people'," says Jonathan Singer, a blogger for the liberal site MyDD. "He has some spine."

But to win the Democratic nomination, Edwards needs cash as much as he needs resolve. To stay in the same sentence as Clinton and Obama, Edwards must have an impressive fund-raising total at the end of the first filing period on March 31. He will spend the next two months crisscrossing the country, picking up checks. "The travel bothers me more than it used to," he admits. "Maybe it's just that I'm older." The new John Edwards is still running for president—but now admits when he feels a little pain.

With Holly Bailey, Eleanor Clift and Arian Campo-Flores

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17081033/site/newsweek/

[Hekate]

1. KnR. We liked John and Elizabeth around here, and I hope DU remembers that

It's interesting that when a black leader in the South was recently asked about supporting Obama, he responded that he was going to continue to support John Edwards because Edwards had done so much for African-Americans already, whereas Obama is a newcomer and something of an unknown quantity. He even called John Edwards a "homeboy" because of his origins in the same state.

Hekate

[Mass]

11. This person does not know anything about Obama, in this case.

[karynnj]

12. I agree

It also is to some degree racist, implying that all blacks should endorse Obama. This is as dumb as saying that all woman should endorse Hillary. (Black women will I guess have to decide which is a bigger issue for them)

Obama was a low paid advocate for 3 years in one of the worst areas of Chicago. This after graduating from Harvard Law school as the head of Harvard Law Review. He then was a civil rights lawyer and a University of Chicago Constitutional law proffesor. Then 8 years in the Illinois legislature. There is a huge amount of proof that he cares for the poor.

[Hekate]

15. I'm watching Obama's progress with great interest, myself

I'm quite prepared to vote for him -- and quite prepared to vote for Edwards.

I'm also interested in the rationale of black leaders (sorry I can't remember the gentleman's name) who are not jumping on the bandwagon without concrete reason to do so. The point is, that John Edwards has already proven himself to that community and there are those who are not going to forget that, which is in itself a commendable thing.

Hekate

[Kiouni]

2. hold on John my checks on the way! n/t

[Doondoo]

3. worth the read

[JNelson6563]

4. Like Gore

he has walked the gauntlet and learned much from it.

Julie

[chimpymustgo]

5. Julie, interesting comparison. I think you nailed it.

I thought Edwards' appearance on MTP was phenomenal. Tim threw everything at him, but Edwards maintained a palpable sense of "center". "He has walked the gauntlet and learned much from it." You said it.

[saltpoint]

18. Seconded.

[GreenEyedLefty]

20. I agree. Edwards' MTP appearance changed my opinion

for the better. As of right now, my top two candidates are Edwards and Obama.

[karynnj]

6. If I were an Edwards person, I would be concerned by

the undertow current in this story. I am not surprised to see Eleanor Clift's name at the bottom. She is (and was in 2004) capitvated by the idea of a woman President.

Every positive is countered by something that tells you - "do not trust". They say that America doesn't know the "real" John Edwards and that "He has spent the better part of five years in one of the most contrived careers known to man: candidate for president of the United States." and "Still, Edwards's new commitment to authenticity may have real roots"

This is telling you that the Edwards many people liked in 2004 was not the "real" Edwards. This implies that he was a fake in 2004. (This can not be blamed on the Kerry people - that only covered the last 4 months - not the over a year period earlier when he was running in the primaries.) It makes you question, if he was a fake in 2004, why should I believe he's not a different fake now.

Having seen Newsweek in 2004 do the same thing to Kerry, I thought it might be helpful to point out. I'm not sure how this type of article could be dealt with.

(disclaimer: I do not have a candidate. On different days of the week, I've though maybe Dodd, Obama's ok, but green, Maybe Gore will enter. etc. I don't like that the media is already creating doubt on ALL the Democratic choices.)

[Clark2008]

7. The article pretty much says what I think - that for every

alleged positive, there's a "watch out!" factor.

[KoKo]

10. Agree...this article insinuates hoping the reader will draw the

conclusions you stated. The same folks who diss all Dems in very subtle ways are still writing the same crap they've done over and over. They just have to pull out an old article from the past fifteen years or so and insert which ever Dem Candidate who is running in a new election.

Media Whore Press.

[geek tragedy]

8. Why did he wait until he was running for Prez to care

about poor people?

[grytpype]

9. Here we fucking go.

"Isn't just a phony?" Blah blah fucking blah.

[gratuitous]

13. I'm sure Newsweek will run a similar story on Mitt Romney - not

While the story is pretty good, the headline is chosen for maximum prejudicial impact: The "Real" John Edwards implies* that his previous work and candidacy were phony, and how much can you trust someone who was phony before? Is their current candor any more real than their prior phoniness.

Naturally, this sort of headline would hardly be used against the likes of ersatz middle-of-the-roader Mitt Romney and his numerous flip-flops, and for sure never used against phony baloney Texan George W. Bush, who switches personae like Liberace changed costumes.

My contempt for the popular media continues to grow, long after I thought I'd be too disgusted with the whole circus to even care anymore.

*Actually, it says it right out.

[SunDrop23]

14. Edwards is my guy, but I am confident he will not get the Pres or VP nom.

JMO

[Jai4WKC08]

16. Looks like this part worked out just the way he wanted it to

From the Newsweek excerpt in the OP:

Last week he declined calls to dismiss campaign bloggers Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan, amid allegations they were antireligion. "The first response normally would have been to listen to these Beltway actors who were saying, 'Clearly, you have to fire these people'," says Jonathan Singer, a blogger for the liberal site MyDD. "He has some spine."

But to win the Democratic nomination, Edwards needs cash as much as he needs resolve...

Both Marcotte and McEwan are gone, so Donahue and the religious right are appeased, but people who get their news from the corporate media (i.e. most of them) will never know that. Instead, they'll think Edwards acted decisively and stood up for his staff members.

[saltpoint]

17. I got an early glimpse of John Edwards after reading that he consented

to go with his late son Wade and one of Wade's friends on their trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro.

I thought of the various parents in my childhood growing-up neighborhoods and could not think of one who might have made an expedition like that.

After Wade died, I know as any parents would, Elizabeth and John Edwards must have been emotionally devastated. Whether we've been parents, children of parents, or both, a loss like that can be overwhelming.

In the aftermath of that loss, I am almost positive that John Edwards does not regret for one instant that he trekked up that mountain with his son. Physical strength notwithstanding, I consider the emotional investment it represented, and my guess is that Edwards prizes it as one of the most powerful intimate moments of his life with one of his children.

Among the duties of parents, I believe, are the twin responsibilities of protective safety and inspired adventure. From everything I can tell, Elizabeth and John Edwards meet those criteria handsomely.

Some years after Kilimanjaro there are two new children in the Edwards family, and extensive public service.

I think in that landscape is the real John Edwards.

[Dr Fate]

19. I am open to Edwards- and I dont have a huge probblem with the article.

There are some negatives- but mostly stuff that Edwards is already adressing.

I actually like that the article allows him to speak on the flaws of focus-tested & over-advised candidates.