Wednesday, July 07, 2004

Edwards is the Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate

Here at Make me a Commentator, our top reporters bring you yesterdays big story. After it's news but before it becomes nostalgia, like an old fish.

OK, maybe I need a better slogan writing department.

Basically the consensus is that Edwards is a good pick. Even some of the Conservatives are saying that, although they are also trying to find ways to pick apart Kerry and Edwards. That is, after all, their jobs.

What is interesting is that while many democrats seem excited by the prospect of a debate between Senator John Edwards and Vice President Dick Cheney, comparatively few Republicans seem enthused by the possibility.

Instead they are trying to get him dismissed sight unseen by suggesting that the selection of Senator Edwards means that the Kerry Campaign doesn't care about the War on Terror. That's Jonah Goldberg's point.

But of course having a President in the White House who understands combat and the value of our troops lives might make a bit of a difference.

Linda Chavez compares Edwards to Dan Quayle, " minus Quayle's more impressive Senate accomplishments." The difference there is that Edwards had run an impressive campaign, giving people the opportunity to know what he stands for. I can understand how lazy conservative commentators might not know much about him, but most tuned-in Americans probably do.

Salon has an article on the upcoming vice presidential debates, with this fascinating quote.

""I can't imagine two human beings that are more polar opposites than John Edwards and Dick Cheney," said Alan Schroeder, a professor at Northeastern University and expert on presidential debates. "I see Cheney as this dour character who exists on the dark side, with a sense of suspicion and almost paranoia about him, and then you've got the sunny optimist Edwards, who was very reluctant to criticize his opponents in the primaries, never went negative, and had a message that was serious but not the least bit paranoid. There is so much that's different in their personalities and their politics; their debate could be an unpredictable, volatile mix of elements."

Should be fun.

No comments: