We're not seeing a lot of this yet, because primary season doesn't give the best opportunities for the media to obsess over the blue state / red state stereotypes that are played to make Democrats look out of touch in general elections. But it's pretty neat to see that the biggest purveyor of those stereotypes has been hooked by John Edwards. I'm talking about David Brooks' latest NYT op-ed, "The Ascent of a Common Man". It's full of all the David Brooks tropes that we hate -- how the only authentic Americans are from the non-urban parts of red states, and how only cultural conservatives can connect with them. But this time, all of that is working for us. Brooks goes to Iowa, sees John Edwards and his southern accent connecting with rural voters, and writes things like
I came out to Iowa having read that Edwards had swung left thiselection campaign. He was going to outflank Clinton and Obama amongliberals and then sweep his way to the nomination.
But out hereit's clear that the Edwards campaign is based on the same convictionthat organized his last campaign: no one understands regular people theway he does. No one else can get out of a bus in places likePocahontas, Iowa, and bond with the farmers, nurses and hairstyliststhe way he can. No one else comes from their ranks the way he does.
