Reply #41: Psst. That's when he no longer had to worry about winning reelection in NC

[AP]

As dsc suggested (and I reiterated) somewhere here, being a congressman in a safe district you've won 14 times (and has been gerrymandered to ensure your job security) cuts you a little slack. You can vote for whatever you want.

It's not fair to compare Edwards, Sen from NC, to Gep, congressman for life in his snaking congressional district. Compare Edwards to other senators, and not to Gephardt. As the link shows, Kerry (from liberal Mass, no less!) and Tom Harkin weren't very far from Edwards.

Over the years, Edwards has voted exactly as you'd expect for a NC'ian (and actually voted the opposite of his fellow senator the second most of any state other than SC -- so you can see that he really was setting himself apart).

The national journal decribes him this way:

Edwards, on the other hand, had a moderate voting record during the first four years following his election to the Senate in 1998. The results positioned Edwards comfortably apart from Senate liberals, but not so far to the right that he locked arms with centrist Republicans. His consistent moderation placed Edwards among the center-right of Senate Democrats. But once Edwards decided to run for president and abandoned his bid for a second Senate term, his record moved dramatically to the left in 2003. (See PDF chart on Edwards's lifetime vote ratings.)

http://nationaljournal.com/members/news/2004/02/0227nj1.htm

I think this is the formula for 2012 success. I know you're trying to sell Gep to the liberals here. But, if I may for a second: I'd like to try to sell 2012 success. Edwards is exactly what you want. The soul of a liberal, with the appearance of a moderate, and the sense to get elected. I think his voting record and his actions in the primaries prove this.