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September 11, 2007
More Inconvenient Truth For John Edwards
What is the deal with John Edwards' campaign? His second run at the presidency has adopted a decidedly populist tone -- think Al Gore's last 2000 campaign reinvention of himself, the whole "people vs. the powerful" schtick. This game plan hasn't brought much success for Edwards so far (though it is early.) He runs a distant third in most polls and his fundraising seems to have largely dried up.
To date, Edwards' common-man message just isn't resonating with Democratic primary voters. The American public, which is pretty good at spotting a phony, may be on to John Edwards this time around. Wonder why? In our judgment, the tenor of his campaign is simply not in tune with the electorate. Oh, and certain pesky facts keep getting in the way of his everyman appeal.
Remember the $6 million 28,000 square-foot mansion? How about allegations that he basically used his poverty center as a front to fund his campaign trips? And of course, who could forget the $400 haircuts? All of these stories poked holes in Edwards' populist message, and made him come off as less than genuine. After all, how can a multi-millionaire really relate to everyday folks struggling to pay their bills?
Well, more trouble for Johnny Boy. Turns out one of Edwards' recent employers and a firm in which he has invested millions, the Fortress Investment Group, is involved in foreclosing on a number of homes in his native South Carolina, homes that were financed with subprime mortgage loans. Whoops.
This latest story is yet another that undermines his "I'm on the side of average working families" campaign theme. Note to Team Edwards: it may be time to look for a new angle, Hey, it's not like this one's worked anyway.
Posted by houtopia at September 11, 2007 10:45 PM