Johnson and Clark on Edwards and Obama
From editorial page editor Allen Johnson:
As sour a pill as it may have been for Hillary Clinton to swallow, Barack Obama's stunning victory in the Iowa Caucuses says a lot of good things about Obama and about America.Obama won in a state that is 90-plus percent white. That means he effectively tailored a campaign message that transcends race -- that he spoke to concerns that cut across racial lines. He is clearly a different breed of candidate from Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton; for Obama race was an issue, but not THE issue.
He also beat Clinton among female voters.
His victory also means that many Iowans looked past race in their choice of a candidate.
From editorial writer Doug Clark:
What's the difference between Edwards and Obama in 2008? Both are youthful, charismatic men with comparable political experience. But Obama suddenly has surged out front in the Democratic race while Edwards looks to be in serious trouble.Could it be that, this time, Edwards' rhetoric seems to emphasize fear over hope, division over unity? That Edwards is appealing to anger and envy, trying to build resentment against "those people" in Washington or wherever who supposedly are holding ordinary Americans down?