Without Irony, 'Rural' Working Man John Edwards On Cover of Trendy, Upscale 'Men's Vogue'

There are two Americas. One fans the flames of class warfare while running for office and the other knows that there is something disingenuous about a class-warfare spokesman posing on the cover of high-end fashion magazine. Yes, that's John Edwards on the cover of “Men's Vogue.” The same John Edwards who decried the "Two Americas" in 2004 (emphasis mine throughout):

Today, under George W. Bush, there are two Americas, not one: One America that does the work, another that reaps the reward...One America that is struggling to get by, another America that can buy anything it wants, even a Congress and a president.

For a magazine that seemed determined to pump up the Edwards campaign, describing Edwards as “the person who may shape our immediate future more than anyone in these pages is North Carolina's John Edwards...who just might be the boldest—and most refreshing—choice for 2008” and “a passionate advocate for rural America,” it strangely kicked off with a description that only reinforced Edwards' preening, very non-rural, metrosexual, hair-obsessed “Breck Girl” image:

The hair, up close, is peppered with tiny strands of blond. Chestnut brown and so finely trimmed, mellifluous, smooth, and feathery, it could almost be a weave, the Platonic ideal as imagined by the Hair Club for Men. Along with the piercing blue eyes, slashing V-shaped smile, and a shimmering burgundy shirt tucked into stonewashed Levi's resting low on the hips, the hair completes the man: John Edwards, a populist Adonis, a golden god of a Southern Democrat.

Ooooh, sassy!

Further disputing Edwards' “Two Americas” claim was this comment near the end of the article that “Mens' Vogue” unsurprisingly didn't link to the candidate's constant class-warfare theme:

"I've lived the American dream," Edwards explains when I ask him about it. "No one ever gave me anything, and I'm proud of what I've been able to do." Then he adds: "And I'm particularly happy for Elizabeth's sake now, that she has a nice place to live."

Sounds like the system isn't rigged, and factory floor sweepers can live “the American dream.”

The most amusing part of the article concerned Edwards' top shelf lifestyle contrasting with his homespun and Average Joe-Bob shtick. (Edwards' supporters, don't worry. Keep reading the article, and you'll be reassured in his chicken-fried bona fides):

After two decades as the most successful trial attorney in North Carolina state history (with a net worth as high as $60 million), Edwards has a decidedly New South profile, a peculiar blend of country flavor and newly minted wealth. He prefers white wine with his NCAA March Madness, imported suits with his GMC truck.

And he prefers a 102-acre $6 million estate to house his tractor...and so on and so on and so on...

Contact Lynn at: tvisgoodforyou2 AT yahoo DOT com