Edwards announces candidacy

Well, well, well. In the first shocker of the New Year, Sen. John Edwards announced he will be running for president. Who would've guessed?

Actually, he didn't announce his candidacy. He announced plans to form an exploratory committee. See, this is modern presidential politics at work.

First announce plans to form an exploratory committee. Then announce the formation of the exploratory committee. Then announce plans to become an official candidate. And then (finally!) announce the candidacy. Yawn. Boring!

As for Edwards, he was a favorite of mine a while back, but has done little to justify my initial optimism. I don't know about the "empty suit" label, but he hasn't done a good job in shaking it. And, in fact, he has made several blunders that only serve the perpetuate that negative label.

Sure, Bush weathered his perpetual stumbles, but Bush had the family name and Texas' electoral votes locked up. Edwards doesn't have a nationally known name, nor his home state's electoral votes. He would have to work a lot harder than Bush ever did.

As for those that see him as a VP candidate -- god I hope not. While I am far from declaring a preferred candidate, I can say this much -- the Democratic Party has gone too long without running a ticket that looks like its supporters. The ticket must include a woman, African American, or Latino. I actually don't see a Latino that is ready for a top-two slot (Richardson will be ready in 8 years). But, there are plenty of women and African Americans that would make an excellent number two. Let's make that the first choice, rather than Edwards (yet another white male).

Posted January 02, 2003 08:13 AM | Comments (68)