Newsweek Joins Media Chorus in Praise of John Edwards
In a January 30 Newsweek Web Exclusive, Matthew Philips added his voice to a chorus of mainstream media figures effusively eulogizing the failed candidacy of class warrior par excellence John Edwards.
In, "Travels With John: Edwards ran hard, and he leaves a lasting mark on his party," Philips moved from his lament about Edwards long hours and non-stop campaigning...
Some of us started wondering why we couldn't have been assigned to Fred Thompson. At least he slept, apparently a lot.
...to gushing over the former trial attorney's persistent optimism:
Maybe that's the mark of a good trial lawyer: always be convincing a jury. No matter what the polls said, Edwards's sunny and optimistic demeanor never flagged. Any suggestion of dropping out was quickly denied as implausible. "I'm in this till the end, and I intend to be my party's nominee," he'd say without even the slightest hint of irony or self-delusion.
Far from finding Edwards campaign a failure, Philips found the former senator giving Sens. Obama and Clinton a kick in the pants to pick up his signature issue of class warfare:
Through a year of hard campaigning, Edwards has forced the Democratic Party to refocus itself on the plight of the poor. In his resignation address in New Orleans Wednesday afternoon, Edwards said he had gotten both Clinton and Obama to pledge to make the eradication of poverty a central part of their administration. He finished by urging his supporters not to give up on what's possible and to keep on fighting. He wasn't giving up so much as passing his torch to a stronger, faster candidate. He is gone now, but Obama and Clinton go forward carrying a torch that Edwards lit.
For more of our recent coverage of the media's mushiness over Sen. Edwards, click here for a full list, or see my highlighted picks below.:
- Ken Shepherd's blog
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