John Edwards

Is John Edwards the future of the Democratic Party?  
 
I remember when John Edwards was considered by Al Gore to be his vice-presidential candidate in 2000. Back then it seemed strange that such neophyte would even be considered but then I heard him speak on CSpan and I realized why he was enjoying such meteoric rise within the Democratic Party.  
 
Edwards is a star because of a combination of factors the make him the ideal political leader in contemporary American politics. First and foremost is his apparent empathy with the average guy. This quality which used to be more of a factor in the populist democracies elsewhere was introduced by Ronald Reagan and it seems to be here to stay. Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have demonstrated this quality and capitalized on it to mount very successful political careers. If you think of it, this is why George Bush Sr. lost the election to Bill Clinton and even though Bush Sr. won the first time around it was only because Dukakis was as exciting as dry toast.  
 
Yet another quality that makes Edwards a formidable politician with a bright future is his astuteness. He is intelligent but we all know that Americans do not like neither trust smart politicians, so though Edwards is intelligent this is not the real quality that makes him such a force. More importantly, Edwards is astute. He has been able to position himself and trail a promising road which will bring him to the Presidency eventually. He has a keen sense of politics and how to put himself in advantageous positions to attain his main goal, which is the White House. For instance, this year's presidential campaign was designed as a spring board to his being the vice-presidential candidate. At first, Edwards thought that he would be Howard Dean's running mate but because of the unexpected success of Kerry his plan was almost derailed due to his uneasy relationship with Kerry. Yet it was Kerry the one who had to get over the tension. Edwards kept pressing with his objective and eventually achieved it. This is an amazing feat. It proved that Edwards is more determined than Kerry and really has a road map to his ambition.  
 
So what? Edwards will work hard for the campaign. He knows that win or lose he is the real winner in November. He is not Al Gore, whose political career seemed to be motivated by emulating his father, and even though he surpassed him by achieving the vice presidency was never able to surpass him in stature. Edwards, fortunately for him, has no dynastic pressures like Gore and Bush or patrician expectations like Kerry. He is the more polished and state of the art version of Clinton. Attractive, empathetic, populist, ambitious, determine, and lucky. Plus he is astute not only politically but also in handling his personal and private life. He is married to a woman who is as smart as anyone but whose devotion to him cancels her political ambition. So the road is open and clear for John Edwards.  
 
I just wondered how Hillary will react to this threat to her own ambition. Without reservation the future of American politics will be Hillary and Edwards but who will get to the top first. Let's seat back and watch. It is going to be a bumpy ride.