Two-Face Part I:
John Edwards is a Clinton-style golden boy. What does it look like when he has a bad day?
by Jonathan V. Last
01/23/2004 3:55:00 PM
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Concord, New Hampshire
JOHN EDWARDS is currently the trendy pick to win the Democratic nomination. According to the conventional wisdom, John Kerry is now the solid frontrunner, Dean is a has-been (albeit a has-been with money), and Clark is increasingly out of his league--making Edwards a nice dark-horse bet.
The primary reason for liking Edwards is his collection of natural gifts. He's smart and confident, but more than that, he's a tremendous politician. When he's firing on all cylinders, he's polished but not slick, seamless but not prepackaged. He does not always fire on all cylinders.
Exhibit A would be last night's debate, where Edwards treaded water until he ran up against the Defense of Marriage Act and didn't appear to understand the law. Exhibit B would be today's event at the Page Belting manufacturing plant.
A MAKER OF SMALL LEATHER GOODS, such as knife sheaths, Page Belting is a regular stop for presidential candidates, Kerry and Clark have been here before and today is Edwards's second visit. He reminds his audience of this fact no fewer than three times.
And the audience is small. There are probably 25 workers from the plant seated in chairs, a handful of curious New Hampshire residents standing in a ring around them, and then a legion of journalists who take up most of the space. While Edwards has been drawing good crowds for most of the week, today the media outnumber the voters by at least three to one.
The senator does a modified version of his
stump speech, with nearly all references to foreign policy excised. It's his standard litany of the "two Americas" where he laments that there are two healthcare systems, two tax systems, two governments, and so on.
Where Edwards normally walks the line between charm and smarm, today he's missing his marks, asking patronizing rhetorical questions ("Don't you love those credit card companies?" "Now none of you have ever had any trouble with an insurance company or HMO have you? Huh? Have you just a little bit? Yeah, yeah. I know it's never happened to any of you that the doctor says you need something and the insurance company says they're not going to pay for it. That never happens does it? No. Yeah, right.") and misreading his audience, who sit quietly and inertly.
When Edwards finishes his talk, there is a polite round of applause and then he fishes for questions ("Comments? Questions? Anybody? I knew this was going to happen. You're going to be shy now because of all these cameras. You've gotta speak up.") There are few takers, but one of them is a man asking Edwards where the money in his campaign comes from.
Edwards uses the occasion to boast about how he refuses to take money from PACs or lobbyists. "I raise money from individuals," Edwards says. When the questioner asks Edwards to name the individuals, the candidate promises to provide him with a list. The questioner tries to follow up again, but Edwards turns his back to him and says he needs to take other questions, even though no one appears ready with a query. |
