Opinion: Too much off the top?

John Edwards just can’t get a break. In 2004, he ran a very convincing “Two Americas” campaign, highlighting the differences between those who have and those who have not. It is true that there are many in our nation which do not enjoy the American Dream and struggle just to make it through the day, and Mr. Edwards deserves a lot of credit for his work in this field. And though he yielded to John Kerry, and eventually signed up to be his Vice Presidential candidate in a failed run for the White House, he is back continuing his efforts to fight for the poor. Unfortunately, someone is doing their best to shatter Edwards’s image as a man sympathetic to the poor.

That person is John Edwards. Yes, that is right. Just when you think Edwards has captured the camera with his smile and message about how the poor needs the support of the masses, he is besieged by his efforts to improve his own position in life. Many of you might remember the video of Edwards sitting in front of a video camera adjusting his hair before a presentation. There are even versions of the video with the song “I Feel Pretty” from the musical West Side Story. Now we have his favorite hair stylist talking to the media how he charges Mr. Edwards anywhere from $400 to $1000 dollars per cut. Not really the frugal spending habits of a man championing for the rights of those that make less than the cost of his haircut in a month.

Then there is his stint at the Hedge Fund. Was he working there to improve his own financial position, or to learn about the impact of the financial markets on the poor? According to Edwards, “It was primarily to learn, but making money was a good thing, too.” That is probably the best answer he could give while trying to salvage his political image (a dash of truth does help from time to time). But not to be outdone, any financial gain from the hedge fund job was easily trumped by the discovery made by Odyssey Marine Research. Uncovering a sunken treasure worth $500 Million was a great discovery, but so was the discovery that John Edwards owns a 10% stake in OMR. 10% of $500 Million is … a lot, especially for the champion of the poor.

Can Edwards ever get a break? Can a man be the champion of the poor while also improving their own financial position? Of course they can, unless you are running for political office. Every time the media covers something about Edwards which would actually be good news for us (I for one wouldn’t mind owning a stake in OMR), Edwards takes a hit in the polls. And at the rate his is trending right now, he might not carry enough states in the early rounds of the primaries to earn the Democratic nomination. If that is the case, maybe he should take a lesson from Bill Gates (who also suffered negative media attention for making money) and enter the private business and work for the poor while putting his investment earnings to good use. Who knows, a little “ACTA NON VERBA” (translation: Deeds, not words) before a 2012 run might do him a lot of good, since it will show that he is willing to give up his own personal gains for those that really need it. Just a suggestion…