"The normal order has been reversed. The Democratic nominee is the candidate expected to satisfy the base, while the running mate appeals to swing voters and independents."
-- Chris Suellentrop
It is fine that Edwards is used to target swing voters and bleed away potential Bush voters as Suellentrop discusses is his column. This is an important strategy, one that the Republicans love to use as well -- the idea is not necessarily to get people to vote Republican, but to get disgusted, and not vote Democrat. The votes for Republicans are thus but gravy in many cases.
The Republicans, however, do more. They also provide a good brand identity for their candidate, one that might appall many, but then not everyone likes Survivor either. This brand identity* is not just shown to a select few voters, but helps the candidate across the board, including in national press coverage. Cheney, with a more negative identity, is therefore able to be used to attract the base.
Edwards needs to be used as more than a selective special weapon. Many in the party across the board really like the guy, though many feel he is too green to be presidential material. This provides a good potential to energize the voters, who do not just want a platform (which favors Kerry) or a reason to dislike Bush (ditto). They want someone, a personality, to believe in as well. In other words, Edwards balances the ticket in more ways than one.
This is what many mean when they wonder where Edwards is hiding. It isn't that they want him to be more negative ala his opposite number Dick Cheney. They want him out there energizing the party, sort of like Barack Obama. And, not just in the backcountry somewhere.
So, things are different ... from the Republican ticket. For the Democrats, the head of the ticket brings the experience and gravitas, while the running mate brings the sunny personality, but unfortunately is inexperienced in the executive department. Edwards is sort of the George Bush of the Democratic ticket, which seems the proper way of doing things, doesn't it?
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* Naomi Klein, author of No Logo and Fences and Windows as well as a writer for The Nation, has a lot of interesting things to say about brand identity. The Corporation (documentary) does as well.