The New Republic?s Gabriel Sherman takes a look at what John Edwards has been doing here in North Carolina ? and it doesn?t exactly reflect the time-tested strategy of rebuilding a public figure?s reputation after scandal. For example, here?s what happened at the West End Wine Bar in Durham:
A group of Duke public policy grad students had reserved the space to
celebrate the end of the semester at a party they call ?Prom.? Inside, a
DJ mixed dance music, while a scrum of twentysomethings jostled for
drinks. Edwards and his friends turned to leave. Matthew Jentgen, a
28-year-old environmental policy student collecting tickets at the door,
furiously lobbied them to come inside. ?I told him, ?We?re public
policy students, it?d be interesting to have you at the party,?? Jentgen
recently recalled. ?He was looking as if he was wondering if he wanted
to come in or not…. I wore him down, because, eventually, they came
in.?Word that Edwards was at the door coursed through the crowd. Once he
was inside, students came up to snap photos with him. One attendee
recalled that he wore his wedding ring. Edwards lapped up the attention.
?He was graciously taking pictures for thirty minutes,? Jentgen says.
Not everyone was thrilled, though. ?Some people there had worked on his
campaign and were still excited to see him,? Jentgen recalls. ?Others,
obviously, were not.?Edwards stayed for two hours, leaving around midnight. He drank white
wine and light beer, according to multiple attendees. After a while,
Edwards made his way to the dance floor. ?He was kind of uncomfortably
dancing,? Jentgen says. ?He was just happy to be with people who weren?t
going to judge him.? Edwards cut loose, dancing to everything from
salsa to Wreckx-n-Effect?s 1992 rap hit ?Rump Shaker.?
Congratulations ? you now have a wonderful mental image with which to face your Wednesday morning.
