Daily Kos: Edwards Breaks Free

Edwards is the candidate who has most broken free of the moderate milquetoast Democratic political image and is running from the heart.

It will be difficult for John Edwards to win the nomination. No one should be deluded about that; I don't think anyone is. But Edwards supporters (I'll presume to speak for all of us) are more excited than ever. We like the positions he's taking, the rhetoric he's using, the way he's running. If he loses, it will be on his own terms. Last week, he hired the leaders of the "Wake Up, Wal-Mart"campaign. Next week he'll take a break from campaigning in early primary states to focus on poverty in the South and Midwest.

And if amid our excitement you discern confidence, that's because we know his message will resonate with voters as they compare the candidates. Also because we sense in Edwards a freedom that's rare for a top-tier presidential candidate. He's relatively free from the ties that normally bind candidates. Conventional wisdom, the approval of the Establishment, pressure from big donors: none of this is constraining him.

Tags: John Edwards, 2008