No Place for Edwards?

Barack Obama's victory in the Iowa Caucus last night was significant in this way. It showed that Democrats in this state want change, but they want it to be polite change. As the second place finish of an "angry" John Edwards showed this time around, and what Howard Dean's loss in 2004 showed, is that Iowans like their candidates to appear to fight without actually taking verbal punches at the forces that prevent democracy from working as well as it could, like the consolidated news media.

As a John Edwards supporter, I saw that his presence in Iowa was tougher than the approach he took in 2004, when he was the "nice" John Edwards. But I also believe that he is in the unenviable position of being last in line on the media train and has had to carve a space for himself. I also believe that he sees his time as now and he, like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," is going all out. Unfortunately for him and Joe Trippi, nice to the nth degree tend to be what Iowans reward.

Having seen John Edwards up close, he is a nice guy, a compassionate man, but a fighting man who could be and should be president. Unfortunately for him, the vultures are circling, but not are news reporters.

As the candidates move on to New Hampshire, the news reports are more interested in comparing the first and third place finishers here than to say that Iowans appear to want: a change from the Bush-Clinton-Bush legacies. I have not lost any faith in John Edwards and his ability to communicate his ideas, but I do know it is harder to be considered a "winner" if you don't in fact win.

Perhaps in the hard scrabble world of eastern sensibilities the message as a fighter will resonate, particularly about strengthening the middle class, creating new jobs that pay a living wage, and making sure everybody can get affordable health care.

But he's up against it. The media does a better job setting up scenarios in terms of bipolarities and it is hard to do it when there is a trio of candidates. Politics, like items in a grocery store, are better seen when they are at eye level. Unfortunately for John Edwards, he is on the news media's lower shelf.

With the storyline likely to be "Comeback Kid II" if Hillary Clinton should win in New Hampshire or "Hope Surges in New Hampshire" if Barack Obama should win, where does John Edwards fit in the story? My conclusion is: odd man out-- unless he wins. Then the story will be "Edwards Wins: No More Mr. Nice Guy?"