Can we save the Edwards campaign?

[NHPolitico]

I'm an Edwards supporter now, and why he has been held back is that not everyone is considering him yet. If he can get the media coverage to be a choice between Kerry or him, I think he has a shot at it again. If the media still talks about Bush v. Kerry, Edwards will suffer.

Even Kerry has said he has no confidence at all that Edwards would even carry his home state.  I think establishment Democrats view him as all hat, no cattle.  They think that he'd end up blowing it on some rookie mistake. The fact that only Kerry and Dean declined public financing hurt him, too.

[NHPolitico]

He's going to do well in Wisconsin. The question is can that qualify attention, and does he need contributions now to survive Super Tuesday.

He did well. He'll get attention. He does need cash, and I think he might get it.  He just needs to focus on a few states and try to build momentum and then he can try to run the table with Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas on 3/9 and really try to make a race of it.  Kerry will probably try to steal some of Edwards' thunder, but Edwards just has to hit back harder. He has to say he's the real candidate to save manufacturing jobs, etc.

[NHPolitico]

Edwards would definitely be the strongest Democratic candidate in a general election. The more people in a general election get to know about Edwards, the more they will like him. The more they get to know about Kerry and his voting record, the less they will like him.

If Edwards were smart, he'd focus on two issues-- securing our borders and loss of jobs. Run hard to the right on immigration issues-- reduce overall immigration, reduce chain migration, reduce visa lottery, no amnesty for illegal aliens, reduce importation of foreign high-tech workers via changes in the L-1 and H-1B visas programs, etc.  It's Bush's achilles heel.

[NHPolitico]

NHPolitico,

You're right, that would be a great strategy for Edwards. It would pick up the former Perot independents who are still not satisfied with either party.

The beauty of it is that it really puts the notion of broken glass Democrats to the test. They'd go along with the trade policies, but would they go along with the immigration ones? If they would, he'd really be able to dip into Bush's total and a group of voters who may not regularly vote.

[NHPolitico]

35% was a good finish, but not good enough, I think. The media will announce that Edwards had a strong finish, but that Kerry is still the front-runner and should be safe for Super Tuesday.


Q: Will the Utah/Idaho/Hawaii Primaries/Caucuses on the 24th make any difference? Very conservative states that may go for Edwards instead of Kerry. Then again, Virginia and Tennessee went for Kerry in droves.

It hurt that Clark was in the race, too. That made a difference in how Kerry did there.

[NHPolitico]

The latest GA numbers [31st Jan]:

Kerry 30%
Edwards 15%
Dean 15%
Sharpton 12%
Clark 9%
Lieberman 5%
Other 5%
Undecided 5%
Survey USA

It's winnable.

Wrong.

Kerry 50%
Edwards 19%
Sharpton 12%
Dean 10%
Kucinich 4%

http://www.davidwissing.com/demstatepolls.html

But, it still is winnable.  If we spend the whole week there and Kerry doesn't, we can win it.

It's winnable only if he refocuses on issues that Kerry hasn't and in some ways, as the safe establishment choice, can't.  He should come out against PBA and run a real Southern populist campaign.

[NHPolitico]

It was the earliest I could find
Besides GA is winnable as Edwards will get a load of momentum from WI.

Just having this be a two-man race gives Edwards momentum. He can now make one-on-one debates a demand. Talk about it until Kerry gives in.  Then try to get Kerry to choke. Use those trial lawyer skills to make him snap in front of the cameras.