The Democratic Party picked the wrong John in its choice of the junior Senator from Massachusetts, rather than the senior Senator from North Carolina, as its standard bearer. John Kerry, though, made the right choice in selecting John Edwards as his running mate.
Edwards brings youth, regional balance, charisma, and likeability to the ticket. His opposition to NAFTA helps with labor, and his Southern accent boosts Kerry's chances in some border states as well as the more moderate parts of Dixie.
Possible downsides to picking Edwards include his history as a trial lawyer, his inability to guarantee the electoral votes of his home state, and his inexperience as an attack dog. Edwards's reluctance to go negative on his primary rival may have earned him a spot on the ticket, but to continue that aw-shucks song-and-dance act in the general election may help George W. Bush. The role of the running mate is to serve as the attack dog so that the man at the top of the ticket can seem above the fray. Al Gore and Dick Cheney did this well as vice presidential candidates. Jack Kemp did this poorly. Like Kemp, Edwards may not be naturally cut out to play the bad cop. Or, perhaps, he may not want to because going negative will hurt his popularity--and his future aspirations that go beyond his current one of becoming the next vice president.
Good choice for Bush though.
With flip flopping John, the rich Liberal no-show Senator from Massachusetts and the other John, his new running mate who has not even finished his first term as Senator and who, by all accounts, would not have been voted in for a second term, this should be a slam dunk for GW.
Two weak and relatively inexperienced candidates.
Call it the Good Hair ticket
So now we’ve got the number one most liberal Senator and the number four most liberal Senator (based on Congressional voting records) running on the same Democratic ticket for the President and Vice President of the United States.
Our choices are now between a ticket with two very liberal Democratic candidates and a ticket with a liberal Republican and a conservative Republican.
Ay Carumba!!
Still, a no brainer.
