The Nation.

Edwards Journal

By David Corn

July 7, 2004

Mini-Tuesday: Ten Talking Points
02/04/2004

» More

Will John Edwards go negative? Edwards has thrived as Mr. Nice. He hasn't said a bad word about the other guys. Now he's trying to convince folks it's a two-man race--and he's the other man (not Dean, not Clark). In mano-a-mano contests, candidates usually feel compelled to compare themselves to the other contestant, and that means pointing out unflattering aspects of the opponent (or, as the pro-Bush forces did in 2000 concerning John McCain, making stuff up). On election night, Edwards, speaking about Kerry, said, "there are real differences in our own backgrounds and our own policies." That sounded as if he is trying to figure out how to exploit those differences. There is a stylistic difference between the campaign populism each has adopted. Kerry tells voters, I want to fight for you. Edwards says, I care about you and believe in you. Do voters want a soldier or a social worker?

Will Edwards get the Botox treatment? As soon as Kerry started winning, Republicans and rightwingers began pummeling him. Ed Gillespie, the head of the Republican Party (and former Enron lobbyist), blasted Kerry for being soft on defense and national security issues, selectively citing a handful of the thousands of votes Kerry has cast in his 19 years as a senator. Rightwing partisans started spreading the word that Kerry was a Botoxer and posting before-and-after photos that supposedly proves this. This move was laughable, but their aim was serious: raise questions about Kerry's authenticity. (Fox News' Brit Hume told viewers, though, that he has seen Kerry in the green room without makeup and that the frown lines are there.) This is just the start. Now, no one is going to take on Edwards on the Botox front. The guy uses reading glasses as a prop to appear more mature. But what attacks await him? Will the right bother? Can he be characterized as a greedy ambulance-chaser who is single-handedly responsible for runaway lawsuits? In recent days, The Washington Post and The New York Times have run stories on his years as a successful trial lawyer. Though the reporters found a handful of detractors, the pieces mostly depicted him as a Grishamesque hero and as an attorney who carefully chose his cases and treated his clients fairly. And since he's only been in the Senate five years, the GOP oppo team will have less of a record to mine.

About David Corn

David Corn is Mother Jones' Washington bureau chief. Until 2007, he was The Nation's Washington editor and is co-author, with Michael Isikoff, of Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War.

Corn's work has appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Harper's Magazine and many other publications. His books include The Lies of George W. Bush: Mastering the Politics of Deception (a New York Times bestseller), Blond Ghost: Ted Shackley and the CIA's Crusade and the novel Deep Background.

more...
Popular Topics
Most Searched

Issues »

Most Emailed

Issues »

Blogs

» Campaign 08

Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time Palin | GOP puts its candidate in a political witness protection program.
John Nichols

» The Notion

Palin Coward Clock Starts Ticking (Updated) | Palin's refusal to take questions -- from the press or investigators -- tells us about her character.
Ari Melber

» The Beat

What McCain Needs to Tell Us About Sarah Palin | Interviewing the VP choice is important, but the real questions can only be answered by McCain.
John Nichols

» The Dreyfuss Report

McCain and The Forrestal | Back in '67, McCain did recognize the horror of war. But he chose horror.
Robert Dreyfuss

» Editor's Cut

Inside Palin's Politics | A debate with Republican strategist Barbara Comstock over what McCain's running mate represents and where she would lead the country.
Katrina vanden Heuvel

» Capitolism

Community Organizers Fight Back | These people are not particularly practiced in taking things lying down.
Christopher Hayes

» ActNow!

Power Vote | New effort to build a green youth voter bloc of one million is growing.
Peter Rothberg

» And Another Thing

Sarah Palin, Wrong Woman for the Job | Seriously, people! Life is not a Lifetime movie.
Katha Pollitt