John Edwards

Continuing with my "Bill Clinton 2.0" series of profiles of Democrats I think would be electable, here's my profile of former NC Senator John Edwards:


FULL NAME: Johnny Reid Edwards
CURRENT OFFICE: None
BIRTHPLACE: Seneca, South Carolina
AGE: 52
RELIGION: Baptist
EDUCATION: Clemson University, North Carolina State University, Bachelor's in Textile Technology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, law degree.
PREV. EXPERIENCE: U.S. Senator, North Carolina, 1999-2005; Presidential Candidate, 2004; Vice Presidential nominee, 2004
CURRENT ANALYSIS: John Edwards, a successful trial lawyer for 20 years, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1999, defeating incumbent Republican Senator Lauch Faircloth. He distinguished himself soon after his election by helping manage Bill Clinton's impeachement hearings in the Senate, charged with the deposition of witnesses Monica Lewinsky and Vernon Jordan. Later, Edwards fought against the formal charges on the Senate floor. In 2000, Edwards was on Al Gore's final short list of potential Vice Presidential picks (along with John Kerry and Joe Lieberman), but was not picked. After Gore's loss, he soon began running for President himself, stylizing a populist message of prosperity for all, not just the wealthy. While he was unsuccessful in his quest for nomination, the nominee, Senator John kerry, chose him to be his Vice Presidential runningmate. The Kerry-Edwards ticket went down in defeat, but made an excellent showing, leading many to talk of an Edwards `08 race. Senator Edwards is currently teaching at UNC-Chapel Hill and making appearances in primary states such as New Hampshire.
P2008 ANALYSIS: John Edwards is one of the most likable politicians in America. Period. He is an excellent campaigner with a populist message. In all reality, if not for September 11, 2001, John Edwards could have been President today. But now he has a chance in 2008. Edwards will need to get an extremely early start, since, as a former officeholder, he doesn't have the bully pulpit that others have. Edwards is already going to New Hampshire and Iowa, and must continue to do so. Edwards can tout his experience from 2004 and his seat on the Intelligence Committe during his race, and if he focuses on real kitchen table issues (Jobs, Social Security, poverty), he could be swept into office by a good margin. To close, John Edwards is an extremely elecatble Democrat, but he will need to get moving soon to accomplish his presidential ambitions. His current website is http://www.oneamericacommittee.com/ which conveniently uses his same P2004 layout.

SUPREME COURT
Rumor has it that William Rehnquist has in fact resigned, but it isn't being announced yet as a sign of honor for the Chief Justice. We'll keep an eye on this one.