Edwards would get crushed in the general election...

[KissMyAsscroft]

He could get tagged unfairly with the "he's too green" meme and it would stick like glue.

Bush would play up the threats and the RNC would push the whole "Edwards is a wussy, pretty boy"...

He would get crushed.

I really, truly believe this.

He does well with Democrats because he has largely gone unscrutinized, but Americans want a president with that "resolve" that Kerry has...

I was and still am a Dean supporter but I think an Edwards nomination would be suicide.

[DemDogs]

1. Is this a legitimate discussion or just flame bait?

Not biting

[OneBlueSky]

11. not flame bait . . . this assessment is right on the money . . .

fair or not, Bush (and his $200 mil) will tag Edwards with the green label, and the election will play out as the experienced "dad" versus the inexperienced "kid" . . . the election won't even be close . . .

[DjTj]

2. If this is true...

...Kerry should be able to destroy Edwards in the next few weeks.

Edwards is relying on the centrist Democrats and Independents for his support, and if these people will be wooed away by Rove with the "he's too green" meme, Kerry should be able to exploit it. He has been doing it reasonable effectively thus far, and if it is truly a weakness, Kerry should be able to run away with the nomination.

Everything about Edwards is out in the open. Your only question is whether or not a political tactic would be successful. This question will be answered before the end of the primary season.

[Barad Simith]

8. good point

If this turns into a close Kerry vs. Edwards contest, it might be healthy to see them really bite into each other - see which one is best at taking the heat.

[JCMach1]

3. Edwards/Graham or Edwards/Clark

Would balance the experience question...

[On the Road]

4. This Election Will be Decided by Economics

The more I see of the candidates, the better I think Edwards will do. I may not like his position on the war, but I think he will inspire and draw swing voters much better.

Two years ago people were afraid of a terrorist attack. Now they're afraid of losing their jobs.

[AP]

5. Ameircans don't expect their presidents to have much experience being

president, and we kick them out once they get too much.

I can't think of a race in a while in which the person with more experience won. LBJ might be the one, but he was totally riding on the sentimental wave.

Edwards is going to win because he plays on the homefield for Democrats. He has built-in homefield advantage, whereas Kerry is a patch for admitted weaknesses of the Democratic Party. Edwards makes you forget about weaknesses, and helps you focus on strengths.

[Barad Simith]

6. Put Edwards on a debate stage with Bush...

...and the contrast will be startling. Edwards never falters, always speaking quickly but clearly; and while Bush is mumbling, stammering and trying to think of what it was he wanted to say, Edwards will be concentrating on his rebuttal. It's going to be a train wreck for the repukes, whether it's Edwards or Kerry doing it to their loser candidate.

[SerpentX]

7. If he can somehow manage a comeback against Kerry

its not a stretch to say he could win the GE. I don't think the "wussy" tag is going to play for the repukes this time around. However, Edwards' fate is more closely tied to the economy than Kerry's is.

I'm a Kerry guy, but Edwards is a better candidate than you're giving credit for.

[KissMyAsscroft]

9. A few points...

1) My post was not flame bait...this isnt I/P forum...

2) Its not whether or not he really has experience, its his hair.(meaning the public only sees how young he looks)

3) Jobs are going to be an issue until Bush uses his 200 million to make the war on terror an issue.

4) Kerry is not going to change strategy to attacking Edwards because it would backfire, making Edwards a sympathetic figure which only plays to his strenghts.

[Edwards4President]

10. Don't underestimate John Edwards . . .

Who (besides Edwards supporters) would have predicted that John Edwards would be one of the last ones standing today?

As he tells it, Edwards has been underestimated all his life. "and I beat 'em, and I beat 'em again, and then I beat 'em again!"

[tobius]

12. Interesting that you put "resolve" in quotation marks...

your assesment is right on the money.
forgot to put </sarcasm>, because I don't see much resolve on the issues.

[Awsi Dooger]

13. I would LOVE to wager othwerwise

I gamble for a living, have for 15+ years. My record on offshore political wagering is almost perfect. As I've mentioned here before, if it's Edwards I'm plunking down serious dimes on us, otherwise I'm backing Bush.

Handicapping like this absolutely amazes me. Edwards is the very definition of teflon. One beaming smile, one clever sound bite like tonight's "rear view mirror" classic wipes out anything Rove and Co. can sling. When you have a crush on someone, nothing your envious neighbor says negative about her is going to stick. Now ask yourself, after a convention speech and 3 debates, is antsy and out-of-work Middle America more likely to swoon over John Edwards or John Kerry?

[CWebster]

14. No he wouldn't.

Republicans and Independants voted for him yesterday--there is the Right, and he is the preference of both Kucinich and Dean, which brings in the Left.

[patricia92243]

15. Bush being a cheerleader is pussy boy in my mind.

[quaker bill]

16. I don't disagree

However, I don't think Kerry's chances are markedly better.

[NNN0LHI]

17. That is exactly what I said when Clinton won the nomination in'02

Then came the gift of Perot. Moral of the story is we just can't say anything is for sure until November. And then as we found out in 2000, we still may not know.

Don

[jpgpenn]

18. yes he would!

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Moderator]

20. Locking.....

1. If you start a thread in this forum, you must present your opinion in a manner that is not inflammatory, which respects differences in opinion, and which is likely to lead to respectful discussion rather than flaming. The moderators have the sole authority to decide whether a thread topic is inflammatory. Extremely inflammatory or inappropriate topics will be deleted rather than locked, and the thread's author will receive a warning.


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