Don't Count Out the Real Liberal: John Edwards

Wonder why the mainstream corporate media isn't talking about John Edwards much, except to denigrate him for cutting his hair? They know he, with his populist message, is really the most viable Democratic candidate to win against Republican corporatist candidates. Thanks to Thom Hartmann, for pointing his listeners to the title-linked article, in Rolling Stone Magazine:

The Real Liberal: John Edwards is Third in the Polls, But Don't Count Him Out

by Tim Dickinson

If he weren't rich, handsome and so well married, you might feel a little sorry for John Edwards. Never before in the 231-year history of our republic have the inalienable traits that Edwards possesses -- his fair skin and a Y chromosome -- been anything but a prerequisite for presidential politics. Today, his race and gender stand a chance of derailing his campaign altogether. "There's a lot of democrats who would like to make history," says Markos Moulitsas, founder of the influential online forum Daily Kos. "The party is anxious to nominate a black or a woman," agrees Dick Morris, the former adviser to Bill Clinton. "You have to sign off on either of those two options before you even get to voting for Edwards." Indeed, Edwards has been all but eclipsed by the celebrity candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama: He ranks a distant third in national polls, and his $12 million cash on hand is barely a third of Hillary's and Obama's hauls.

But counting Edwards out would be a big mistake. Flying below the radar, the former vice-presidential candidate is pulling off a feat that Democratic consultants have long considered impossible: staking out the most progressive platform among the viable candidates while preserving an aura of electability. In head-to-head polling against the likes of Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, Clinton and Obama have managed to post only modest leads. Edwards, by contrast, not only bests every Republican candidate in the race, he trounces them -- by an average of twelve points.

"Edwards' message is more left than it was in '04, and it's attracting the right kind of people for the primaries," says Bill Carrick, a veteran party strategist. "But the general electorate still sees him as mainstream. He's doing a good job of threading that needle." MORE

If you like John Edwards, like I like John Edwards, support his efforts, populist efforts, by donating to his campaign. (And I do put my money where my mouth is. Matt Gerlach [sp? -- nice guy who used to work for IBM and know how important keeping jobs in the USA is] called from the campaign this past weekend and I donated another few dollars -- which add up! I donated on the web -- then I went to Dennis Kucinich's site and donated a few dollars because I like his message, too.) Thanks!!

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne