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Kerry's VP: An Immodest Proposal

Remember this guy?

He's the one.
(JohnEdwards2004.com)

That ol' debbil conventional wisdom now holds that since the Midwest has the greatest concentration of battleground states, Kerry will and should select a running mate from that region. The names advanced most regularly are Dick Gephardt, Evan Bayh, and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, three of the whitest (or maybe that should be least colorful) men in these United States. I am from Iowa myself, and I've barely registered an impression of Vilsack or of Hoosier favorite son Bayh. Dick Gephardt would make people everywhere long for the grace and dynamism of Al Gore. Regardless of origins, none will be big Midwestern vote getters (unless Kerry wants to shoot the moon on Missouri, and nothing else).

I would humbly make a case for the old CW choice, John Edwards. Remember his showing in Iowa, and his exit poll numbers among independents in the states that allowed them to participate. Jobs are the central issue in most of these states, and Edwards has already demonstrated he connects very well on that issue. It's missing the point to think of him as a Southern candidate who would be superfluous in the Midwest. Quite the contrary: Consider him the issues candidate who gives the Democrats an opening that John "Special Interests" Kerry will not get very far pushing by himself.

Yes? No? Tell me what you think.

At Long Last...

I've finally finished a draft of "Karl Rove's Moment" (aka "The Goddamn Thing"), which will appear next Wednesday (3/24) in City Pages. I'll post it here over the weekend after I've had a chance to do some rewriting.

Posted by Steve Perry at March 19, 2004 6:51 PM

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