So what’s next for John Edwards?
Edwards has given no indication of his plans, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation. Rob Christensen offers his take on some of the more widely discussed possibilities:
Could Edwards be a vice presidential candidate again? Most political observers think it’s unlikely.
There is little evidence that Edwards helped as Sen. John Kerry’s running mate on the national ticket in 2004. Kerry has said he regretted choosing Edwards, according to political consultant Bob Shrum. Kerry gave credence to that view when he endorsed Sen. Barack Obama in South Carolina, a move that seemed designed to hurt Edwards when he was most vulnerable.
Finally, it’s not clear that Edwards would be interested in a vice presidential slot - been there, done that.
Who might Edwards endorse? The most likely candidate is Obama.
Edwards and Obama shared many of the same supporters, and both portrayed themselves as change agents, while depicting Clinton as the politics of the past. Many of Edwards’ supporters might see an endorsement of Clinton as a betrayal. The gossip is that Clinton and Edwards aren’t particularly fond of each other, although they were observed chatting amicably in the holding room after the recent Democratic debate in Myrtle Beach.
“It’s unlikely that Edwards would cut a deal with Clinton if there is going to be an endorsement or Cabinet post,” said Peter Francia, a political science professor at East Carolina University. “It would come in an Obama administration with an Obama endorsement.”
Could Edwards be part of a Democratic administration? Edwards could end up as a Cabinet secretary, especially if his endorsement helps a candidate.
Speculative gossip -- and that is all it is -- has centered on the Department of Justice, where he could be a crusading attorney general and bring anti-trust suits against corporations, and the Department of Labor, where he could champion the conditions of working people.
Edwards would be a high-profile appointment that would be welcomed by certain segments of the party, including trial lawyers, organized labor and anti-poverty groups. But Edwards would be an independent power base within the administration -- something that a Democratic president may not want.
Whether Edwards would be interested in a Washington job is another question. But a Cabinet post would allow Edwards to remain a player in big-time politics.
“Cabinet posts are often a polyglot of various sentiments of the party, often quite small,” said David Rohde, a Duke University political science professor who has written extensively about presidential politics. “He has spoken for and received support of a significant portion of the Democratic voters - considerably more than a bunch of others who would be considered for a Cabinet post. I could imagine him being invited to be in the Cabinet.”
Would he make a bid to return to the U.S. Senate? Edwards did not seek re-election to his Senate seat in 2004. There is little indication that Edwards was enamored with the working of the Senate during his one term. He has also moved sharply to his political left while running for president, making it more difficult to win a Senate race in North Carolina.
Comments
Re: Just admit it
January 30, 2008 - 8:43pm — ProctorRob Christensen's reporting on the John Edwards campaign was fair, detached and professional to the highest degree throughout the campaign. Any major newspaper in the country would have been please to have such fine political reporting from its own staff.
Christensen's report on the Edwards' campaign's willingness to re-assess the economic legacy of the 1990s during the administration of President Bill Clinton was one of the best pieces filed by any newspaper throughout the entire campaign. For this debate will continue in the extended competition between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton for the 2008 Democratic nomination.
It is unfortunate that presidential candidates in both the Democratic and Republican parties cannot start campaigning in the most important "Super Tuesday" states from the get-go and, while building their organizations in some of these industrial and heartland states, make periodic campaign forays into the key early states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, without having to consider leaving the race before they have had a chance to compete in more states.
Edwards came very close to winning Oklahoma four years ago, for example.
He also might have been a stronger contender in a states like Michigan and Florida if the Democratic National Committee had not so severely "punished" themn for trying to schedule their primaries in the important early weeks of the campaign. He also was in a position to make major inroads into former President Jimmy Carter's home state of Georgia, which has remained supportive of the Carter legacy even as the Democrtatic Party as siffered at the polls across teh South in recent presidential elections.
But as far as reporting is concerned, The entire News & Observer staff did a thorough and fair job of chronicling the candidate's progress both in North Carolina and across the country in his quest for the Democratic nomination in 2008. Indeed, The N&O's reporting of one particular home state a home-state candidate's campaign for the presidency is in itself worthy of consideration for a Pulitzer Prize, and it is to be hoped that editors of The N&O will file an entry in the appropriate Pulitzer political news reporting category in the coming year's prize review and competition.
Yet newspapers do not set about the challenging task of reporting responsibly and fairly on important stories for the sake of getting a leg up in various journalism awards contests but rather because they believe it is important to keep their readers informed on all news developments of interest to the people and communities they serve.
If The N&O can bring this same brand of excellence to the coming months of reporting on and analysis of such North Carolina political campaigns in North Carolina as the 2008 races for governor and U.S. senator, then it will have raised the standard of newspaper reporting to yet a higher level for the entire region of the South in a time when new national news media ownership and management groups are in need of re-discovering the relavance of local, state and regional reaction to major national and state news events.
By all means, the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communications would do its students a great academic service by inviting Rob Christensen to come speak on the task of covering a presidential campaign from the vantage point of one Southern state's unique political and historic experience.
David McKnight
Just admit it
January 30, 2008 - 2:22pm — JohnBurnsYou have no idea what you are talking about. This is all speculation based on nothing.
[thought this was posted by Christensen - it wsn't - still the message to him is: "Sit back and enjoy today, Rob. Your efforts paid off."]