John Edwards has made mistakes in his personal life, for sure, but that is not unique for a politician. Edwards has been a strong voice on progressive issues, and if there's any way he could get back on the scene, I'd like to see it. Today I've thought of two unusual, though not impossible, ideas to get him back out there.
1. Challenge Chuck Grassley for Senate in Iowa.
John Edwards campaigned for two years in Iowa when running for president. He's been to every single county multiple times, and he knows more Iowans by name than most Iowans do. If Edwards were to throw his hat in the ring there this month, he could slam Chuck Grassley's lies on health care and pound away. It would get a lot of coverage, and would be daily headlines in Iowa. Edwards didn't win the Iowa primary, but he did make it a hell of a race. Even if this turns out to be a losing battle, it would be worth hurting Grassley.
or ...
2. Challenge John Mcain for Senate in Arizona.
Why Arizona? Why not. This could be John Edwards chance to do what he wanted to do in 2008: take on John McCain. Arizona is an uphill battle by most accounts, but John Edwards is a big enough name to make this interesting. Again, huge local and national coverage daily, and a chance to hammer away on John McCain for his lies. The interesting thing about this option is that McCain's ugly history with his first wife undercuts McCain's ability to take the high ground regarding Edwards' indiscretions. The possiblity of a run against McCain was inspired by this, but I still like it.
The creative state choice is an interesting story in itself, which would be a big headline in addtion to the the cheating/baby scandal that might otherwise be the sole focal point of another run in North Carolina.
Am I crazy, or could this be worthwhile? What would it do to those otherwise safe seats in Iowa or Arizona? Maybe he could play coy about both and then pick based on a trial balloon. Or it could be a local draft Edwards campaign. The thing I'm most excited about is the possiblity of getting Edwards back out there to talk about things like health care in a way that doesn't blemish the Obama administration or progressives in general.