JRE needs to maintain and display his Southern Charm- rather than petty campaign stunts. This is one of the things that voters from other parts of the country seemed to like about him in '04 -and is a quality which leaves the impression of being optimist & presidential, in the mind of voters....
Even though he didn't win the nomination in '04, an easy argument could be made that he would have won Iowa & the nomination...Absent the talk that circulated of JRE as the VP nominee. (I feel Obama is the one that will fall into the vp trap this year). The campaign is in good position- higher in Iowa/ NH polls than this time in '04.
Now is not the time to .....
pull stunts to gain media attention- that's the easy & ineffective route, & does not make a candidate look Presidential. Voters are intelligent enough to can read the facts of a situation w/out gimmicks to drive the point home. (One can look at SC Governor Mark Sanford's stunt with pigs on the state house steps to see that such sideshows are never well received, at least in the South- even if voters agree with the point being made). Along with an Iowa win...the South is going to be crutial in the primaries.
JRE looks most Presidential when he is in small crowds or in one-on-one interviews.....When we are able to see his level-headed & thoughtful- decision making skills and his knowledge of how to solve problems. Such stability ultimately will win over undecided voters in Iowa (and elsewhere). I think this is one reason Dean ended up losing in Iowa- People like to vote for a candidate that delivers a message of big ideas (maybe even radical change), however without the air of being too radical or angry.
In Kennedy's campaign speeches, (that I've seen on TV as I was born in `79) he does a very good job of mastering both elements in unison (passionate about big ideas/ big change
The large majority of undecided voters are JRE's for the taking if he is able to leave a mental picture with voters that he is both Presidential & an agent of Change/ big ideas: Seeing as how...1)Obama will get the "VP" & "not enough experience" talk; and 2)Hillary is so polarizing, a trait that rarely picks up undecided voters. Also, there is a delicate balance needed to win over the voters who loosely support her but may not think she is electable.
The good news is- voters have a short memory regarding campaigns and candidates- which provides a clean slate, over the next month or so, for the campaign to refocus on JRE himself and allow voter every opportunity to get to know him... his ideas, his sincerity, his character, and the fact that he is most elect able around the country in the General election - Primary Voters will elect the candidate 1)they feel good about and 2)that can win in November... But voters want to feel in control, human nature- have to figure it out on their own & not be force fed through side stunts, etc. (Morning news shows, ESPN, talk shows, etc, work great for JRE and Elizabeth). Also issues such as Edwards's Rural Economic Revitalization play well in leaving a grounded image in the minds of voters.
The strength and superiority of Edwards' Character, Message, Sincerity, and Personality will win out in the end on their own merits.
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related at technorati Tags: Edwards, South, Electability, Iowa (all tags) [Flag this Post]
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