Edwards takes up residence on Page 1

You've been seeing a lot of John Edwards on the front page of The News & Observer lately. Get used to it; there's more to come, right through your holidays.

Last week, the paper ran front-page stories about Edwards on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, and more were planned for the weekend (after this column's deadline). The reason is apparent. After five years of determined stalking of the Oval Office, the former senator will very likely see his political future decided in the next three to four weeks -- in the Iowa caucuses Jan. 3 and the New Hampshire primary Jan. 8.

So The N&O has geared up for a sprint to the finish line with the hometown hopeful in a spate of stories that will be almost as exhausting for the reporters as the candidate. Reporter Rob Christensen trailed Edwards across Iowa all last week, and Washington correspondent Barbara Barrett earlier spent two days with him in New Hampshire.

During the holidays, the reporters will be sharing campaign trail duty with journalists from The Charlotte Observer, The N&O's sister paper, writing for both papers. "We're anticipating having a couple of people in Iowa in the week leading up to the caucuses and the caucus day, then making a quick slingshot to New Hampshire," said Deputy Managing Editor Steve Riley, who is helping coordinate the coverage.

The stories last week focused on Edwards' straddling of the "two Americas" (Sunday), his pitch to independents in New Hampshire (Tuesday) and his re-imaging from sunny optimist in 2004 to anti-establishment populist this time around (Thursday).

Reader reaction to the coverage was mixed. Some Edwards critics begrudge any space and ink that goes to what they see as a slick opportunist. "In my opinion, he is nothing more then a high-priced ambulance chaser, and I want no part of him in the government -- especially as president," wrote Levon Martin of Cary.

Others wonder why the paper gives so much attention to Edwards compared to their favored candidates, Democratic or Republican. Why aren't Barack Obama or Mike Huckabee getting that front-page real estate?

And then there are the supporters who do want to read about Edwards, as long as it's not negative. "The Sunday piece on John Edwards' message versus lifestyle wasn't news to anyone who reads the paper or watches TV. It did give his enemies a boost. Are you one of them?" asked Tom Parks of Raleigh.

To the first two types of readers, the answer is the same. The paper gives disproportionate attention to John Edwards because he is a hometown candidate who still has a decent shot at being president of These United States. "He's either going to flame out or he's going to be in a position to become the Democratic nominee in a month or so," Riley said. "We can't ignore a guy like that."

A number of readers complained about the Sunday piece. That article focused on the disconnect between Edwards' anti-poverty platform and his already much-dissected lifestyle of hairstyle and hedge fund.

Christensen said a key question about Edwards among voters is his authenticity. "Edwards is the only presidential candidate who talks about his own background and upbringing, and that is an important part of his campaign message - 'Vote for me for who I am and where I came from, because that gives me special knowledge of working people.'" He added: "If he's going to be running as a populist and the voice of the working man, I think it's fair game to look at the hedge fund and house and haircuts."

Riley said the purpose was not to replay old news, but to illuminate the bipolarity that still causes voters to doubt Edwards' sincerity as champion of the poor. The article sifted the fine sands of Edwards' upbringing and legal career for grains of real populism. "Either this is the hard-charging guy who is hell-bent for leather to take on the establishment, or this is a matter of political convenience," Riley said. "Is this really a guy that understands the problems of the regular people? That's how we tried to focus the piece."

Like other readers, I didn't think it quite worked. I was looking for new information that might shed light about Edwards' character or candidacy, but found too much replowing of the same ground I already was familiar with.

So did Cary reader Katrina Folsom: "I was not a fan of the article simply because it repeated most of what I've already read." Two people from Iowa wrote to complain.

(After the article came out, Christensen said, he "was taken to the woodshed by the Edwards campaign" for what it saw as a rehash of old issues. I called the Edwards campaign office for comment, but no one returned my call.)

I also wanted a closer look at Edwards' newfound populist persona and what that might mean both for his candidacy and, if elected, presidency. The Sunday story didn't satisfy, but the article Thursday addressed just that question. Like Edwards or not, it is significant that he is staking his candidacy, as the article said, on being the first major presidential candidate since Harry Truman to run on a populist platform. Christensen handicapped for readers how that message may cut with voters, both positively and negatively, and he laid out Edwards' positions on issues that support the populist agenda.

Riley promises more such coverage of Edwards' issues and strategy in the coming weeks. I think that's what readers are looking for, this one anyway.