EuphLine

How Not to Run a Campaign (by John Edwards)

Tonight, I stopped by Lawrence Lessig's blog and was struck by his entry on John Edwards' recent book.

Lessig asks the question, "How could a candidate for president believe that telling stories about life as a trial lawyer is a good way to win votes in America today?"

I hadn't heard anything about the new book, so I Googled quickly and was led to the Official Edwards Campaign Blog. Spawned, no doubt, in response to Dean's quite successful blog, I can't blame the campaign for trying. What I can blame the campaign for is a failure to follow through. As of right now, the last post is dated November 17... promoting Four Trials.

Salon's review suggests Four Trials:

is a lot like Edwards' presidential campaign appearances: On the plus side, it's affecting if a little bit corny, and in parts it's enthralling. But it's also thin on policy, focused on a past that bears little relation to the candidate's merits, and filled with eye-rolling paeans to the virtues and dignity of "regular people." And like the Edwards campaign, it's headed for the remainder bin before you know it.

Newsday has an analysis of a recent Edwards campaign ad. I'm glad Edwards is railing against corporate scandals... but I'm a bit confused. Are corporate scandals the only message Edwards has? While I believe quite firmly that corporate scandals are a significant problem... are they on any voter's top 3 list? Unlikely.

Of course, in the Federal Colony, voters can't even write in Edwards, as he specifically dropped out of the DC primary. With only 4% of the vote in NH polls, Edwards will need every primary he can get.

I shake my head... and remember: you gotta say something worth hearing.

-jbn
(Now John Edwards the Psychic... he's got something to say...)

Posted by jbn at December 17, 2003 10:26 PM | TrackBack