"Big, Strong, Bold Change" - Edwards Vies To Be The Apple Of NH's Eye
A true story (as related to us).
In the spring of 2001, a mere 12 (or so) weeks after George W. Bush's first inauguration, a group of White House staffers gathered in the Oval Office to plan the President's '04 re-elect. The discussion centered around identifying Democrats who "posed the greatest threat to Bush's re-elect chances".
The most dangerous Democrat, most agreed, was freshman North Carolina Senator John Edwards.
"Edwards is a scrappy, smart, articulate son-of-a-bitch," one of the meeting's participants told us years later. "Many of us saw him as the greatest threat to Bush's second term."
Of course, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 shook-up 9/10's conventional political wisdom. And the Democratic Party chose a war hero to take on the wartime President in 2004.
But GreenMountainPolitics1 has been struck in conversations over the last year at the level of (grudging) respect Edwards commands among Republican operatives who cite Edwards political savvy, ability to give (and take) a punch and his maneuverability.
"That guy (Edwards) constantly benches above his weight," was the way a top level GOP campaign strategist described it to us a few weeks ago.
And no one would be foolish enough to forget the "Elizabeth Factor".
Fast forward to late July 2007 (today) in New Hampshire. Where, at Mack's Apples in Londonderry, John Edwards wrapped up a 3-day, 13 stop swing through the Granite State with a town hall meeting.
300+ people showed up. And they didn't care to ask about haircuts or mansions or fundraising (staff) process stories.
No surprise there. Granite Staters are (generally) content to leave that drivel to the national media.
Mack's New Hampshire voters wanted to talk about health care, the War in Iraq, education, college loans, the environment and what a disaster the Bush Administration has been.
And Edwards was killing it (in a good way). Each and every question. To lots of applause.
Edwards might be mad as hell at the "sorry state of affairs", but so are a lot of people in New Hampshire.
Which is why John Edwards is selling "Big, Strong, Bold Change".
And it is why John Edwards is going to be in New Hampshire a whole lot over the next 5 months.
Noted: You can't spell inevitability, comeback or momentum without New Hampshire (we need to trademark our brilliance).
Which is why we have said for the last 8 months that if anyone can beat Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination it will be John Edwards.
Book it Danno.
