The Command Post
2004 US Presidential Election
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March 02, 2004
| Edwards Had the Nice Guy Curse

The voters treated Edwards like a potential date: Well, you’re a really nice guy.…which, as any guy knows, is the death knell.

John Edwards, whose 2004 presidential ambitions died here this evening, ran as a nice man, about whom many Democrats had no end of nice things to say. He was called charismatic, likable, polished and, to his frustration, “vice presidential.”

Yet for all the positive things people said about this candidate and the positive message he ran on, he could not persuade most Democratic voters that he was the party’s most plausible nominee against President Bush this fall.

Eh, they always want to date the guys that will make another suitor jealous.



Posted by Michele at March 2, 2004 09:26 PM | TrackBack
Comments

His presidential ambitions are right on track. Even Hillary had to start out as just a co-president.

Posted by: he's fine at March 2, 2004 10:46 PM

If I am not wrong, this guy is 50. What heck do you mean ‘presidential ambitions on track’ with vice presidency? It President Bush loses and Kerry wins then that means Edwards might be vice president for 8 years. that would make him 58 yrs old before he has another chance to run as president.

Not very likely that a nearly 60 year old man would run for president.

Posted by: Jeff MacMillan at March 3, 2004 01:05 AM

Ronald Reagan was 69. Bush Sr. was 64 when he was elected President, Eisenhower 62. Ford was 61 when he succeeded Nixon. Plenty of 60 year olds have been President. The Boomers will surrender the reins of power only when we X’ers pry them from their cold, dead hands, and so I expect to see a lot of 60, 70 and even 80 year old Presidential candidates over then next 2-3 decades.

Life expectancy for a 70 year old is about 15 years right now, it is close to 10 years for an 80 year old. There is no reason to view 58 or even 68 as “too old”. Dick Cheney is 63, I suspect that even he has his eye on 2004, despite his health.

Posted by: rvman at March 3, 2004 04:33 PM

Keep in mind that Nader is now 70. Older than Reagan was when he ran, but nobody’s crying out that he’s too old to run for President. (Just too… Nader-y)

Posted by: Laurence Simon at May 10, 2004 12:03 PM

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