Reply #69: Saw Edwards recently on CSPAN [View All]

He was the keynote for a state Dem Convention (might have been Florida - it slips me, was a little over a week ago). I thought overall Edwards was a very effective speaker, not truly great but very good. However before he came on I was literally appalled by the build up given him. He was described as a hunk from the podium, which was bad enough, but what really got to me was when the convention hall was blackened to show an intro movie with highlights from his campaign for President. The whole thing screamed of Ego to me. Nothing remained on the screen long enough for anything thoughtful to be conveyed.

We're not talking about touching and powerful intimate exchanges with voters, this was more like a People magazine photo spread against a rock sound track with a song I couldn't place but which eerily kept repeating the word "I" seemingly every 5 seconds. I found myself having a strong negative gut reaction to Edwards, reinforcing my worse fears about the man. When he actually came on and spoke, I calmed down and felt better about him overall. He certainly has appeal and he said many things I strongly believe in. Still, the net result for me was I came away from watching that presentation less positive about Edwards than I went into it feeling.