During the introduction of Sen. John Edwards at a middle school here Sunday, a local Democratic leader asked the standing-room-only crowd to think back to 1992, when another eloquent and surging Southern politician spoke from the same stage.
Then, the voters in the room had sensed something special about a little-known governor named Bill Clinton: his flair for connecting with an audience, his talent for making politics personal, his ability to answer impromptu questions on almost any topic.
“As I said in February 1992, let me repeat those same words: `Welcome the next president of the United States,'” shouted Bill Barry, a former New Hampshire state legislator, as Edwards swept into the school gymnasium.
The North Carolina senator, buoyed by a surprise second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses and by rising poll numbers in New Hampshire, then launched into a well-polished speech that is plain-spoken and passionate, conversational and caring. It is not uncommon to find voters walking into a rally undecided and leaving as star-struck campaign recruits.
“He has the best qualities to run well against Bush and to be an effective president,” said Sandra Susse, a 60-year-old lawyer who was dazzled by Edwards’ speech here.
In these final days before the nation’s first primary, Edwards is drawing enormous crowds across New Hampshire. On Sunday, he had to give back-to-back speeches at the Nashua school–one for the people who could fit into the gymnasium and another for the several hundred people who had crammed into the cafeteria.
The courtroom-polished former trial lawyer delivers a message–dubbed “The Closing Argument” by campaign staff–that never strays from the positive. And the 50-year-old is a natural in front of a crowd.
That is prompting fresh concern from Republicans in Washington, many of whom believe Edwards, if he wins the nomination, could pose the biggest threat to President Bush’s re-election prospects.
The Republican National Committee has portrayed him as a multimillionaire trial lawyer, but as one pro-Edwards sign read over the weekend, “Abe Lincoln was a trial lawyer, too.”
6-year political career
Despite all the comparisons, three things clearly distinguish Edwards from the last Democratic president. He will have a difficult time finishing second in New Hampshire, as Clinton did in 1992, with most weekend polls showing him in third or fourth place. Edwards has not been plagued by any of the personal-life controversies that dominated the headlines about Clinton exactly 12 years ago this month. And, unlike Clinton, Edwards hasn’t been preparing for the presidency his whole life.
Edwards entered politics just six years ago, shortly after his life was shaken by the death of his 16-year-old son, Wade, in a car accident. Edwards never speaks of Wade’s death while campaigning, and the only visible sign of the tragedy’s impact is a small pin on his lapel, which he switches from suit to suit. It is his son’s Outward Bound pin and Edwards always wears it over his heart.
Virtually every poll shows that Edwards has the highest likeability rating of the Democratic candidates.
“He’s just such a warm person, you can tell that immediately,” said Kate Dingle, who drove with her mother from Massachusetts to see Edwards.
“If we voted for candidates based on who has the best, most genuine smile,” added Diane Dingle, her mother, “he’d be in for sure.”
Questions about experience
People magazine agreed, naming him the sexiest politician in America in 2002. The accolade won Edwards early attention, but also raised questions about whether he has the experience and sophistication for a credible run for the presidency, especially in a time of global turmoil. His ability to reel off policy positions pales to that of rivals such as John Kerry of Massachusetts, who has served in the Senate for 17 years.
Before anyone can raise his potential shortcomings, though, Edwards does it himself. Yes, he tells his audiences, he has only served one term in the U.S. Senate. But if they believe a Washington insider is the best Democrat to challenge Bush, Edwards bluntly encourages them to find another candidate.
When the presidential race moves beyond New Hampshire this week, Edwards will be on more-familiar territory in Southern states, which have produced the last three Democratic presidents. His campaign has said it must win the Feb. 3 primary in South Carolina, where he was born. Then, the race heads to Virginia, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
Edwards, who reminds voters again and again that he is the son of a mill worker, presents a common-man message that some party leaders believe is most appealing to middle-class voters.
Standing on an upside-down milk crate in the middle of Roland’s Restaurant–a blue-collar kind of place where hamburgers cost $3.50, the waitresses call everyone “hon,” and tips usually consist of piles of silver coins rather than stacks of green bills–Edwards emphasized last week his theme of two Americas. One, he said, is for the “rich and the politically connected, one for everybody else.”
When he blamed credit card companies for charging high rates, he told the audience, “They’re fleecing y’all.”
“He takes all these big, complicated issues and just puts them back in perspective,” summed up Joan LaChance, who admitted she had mistakenly come to Roland’s to see a man with a similar name: psychic John Edward, host of the television show “Crossing Over.”
LaChance said she was leaning toward voting for Edwards.
