John Reid Edwards

John Reid Edwards
(Project Vote Smart)

Qualifications: Er, well, he's really quite wealthy... OK, he's a first-term US Senator with no political experience before that at all. He was a very successful trial lawyer, and made a bundle of money acting as plaintiff in personal injury cases. This evidently gave him a taste for acting as an "advocate". He grew up in a blue-collar household in the Carolinas, and got a BS from NC State and a JD from UNC.

Strengths: Senator Edwards is good-looking, charismatic, young, and southern. His working-class background and his person-injury suits give him a sort of resource-based view of the world. He does seem to understand that the purpose of the democratically elected government is to fight for the relatively powerless against the relatively powerful. He is articulate, intelligent and persuasive. The National Journal quoted an anonymous Republican Senator thusly: "Never yield the floor to John Edwards."

Weaknesses: He's young, and has almost no experience in politics. He has spent a few years in the Senate, with very little important legislative success (such success would be surprising). He does not have any foreign policy experience, or any executive experience (other than having a hand in running a law firm).

Priorities: This is difficult to tell; his history is so brief that searching for patterns is a bit difficult. From his speeches, it's clear that he places a lot of emphasis on the economy, and on the ability of the federal government to make a difference in people's economic lives. He also clearly believes in the regulated market, and that part of the purpose of government is to restrain the worst impulses of corporations. He also places a high priority on access, that is, on blue-collar America's lack of access to elected officials. As with many other Democrats, he doesn't appear to have strong feelings about foreign policy. He supported the war in Iraq. The National Journal called him a 63/37 liberal on the basis of Senate votes in 2002; compared to, say, Kerry at 87/13 or even Lieberman at 78/22. He was prominent in the argument over the so-called Patient's Bill of Rights.

Coalitions : Other than the ability to get elected as a Democrat in North Carolina, I have no evidence that Sen. Edwards is a coalition builder. As a moderate, southern Democrat, though, he could appeal to a variety of people, which is different from coalition-building, but also helpful.

Legislative: Sen. Edwards does not appear to have made enemies in the legislative branch, but he cannot have had time to make many friends. On the other hand, he clearly has a respect for the act of legislation itself (which puts him ahead of most Republicans and many Democrats).

Executive: Again, there is no experience to draw from. He doesn't have a gang of experienced friends from back home, because (a) he's from North Carolina, and (2) he was an outsider there only a few years ago.

Judicial: Oddly enough, here is where I would expect Senator Edwards to shine. He has, obviously, tremendous experience with the judicial system as an attorney, and in his stump speeches he emphasizes the appointive powers of the presidency. And, of course, there's the simple fact that he respects the power of the law, and part of that is that he and his wife are lawyers; remember that W. is not, and that Cheney is not, and that Karl Rove is not, and that few of his close advisors and cronies have law degrees (with the obvious exception of AG Ashcroft). This affects attitudes toward both legislation and the courts.

Crisis: Again, we have nothing to go on. Your judgment is as good as mine. One thing we have to go on is that he is considered a quick study. Also, in a time of crisis, his skill at public speaking could well be useful.

Day-to-day: I suspect that this would be difficult for Senator Edwards; he's never run a large staff, and although he certainly showed persistence in his legal career, it's not the same as sitting down every morning and getting through the day's work. I'm guessing that he would pick a Chief of Staff, and let that person handle a lot of the day-to-day stuff; whether he picks the right person or not would be a matter of luck, as he doesn't have one immediately to hand.

Leadership: John Edwards appears to be a natural leader. He could shape the national conversation, and even change a lot of minds. He is quite a good speaker, if not (so far) terribly original, and we could well see his speeches become Must See TV. He would also likely be a fierce fighter for Causes while in the White House (even if his choice of Causes were not gutsy). Also, he would be a Fighting President�, which could well do us some good.