The Daily Background

The Times:

Like Bill Clinton and Jesse Jackson before him, Mr. Edwards nearly always runs late while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination. He routinely begins events more than 45 minutes or even an hour past the scheduled starting time, keeping dozens or, lately, hundreds of people in jam-packed rooms awaiting his entrance.
[…]
And while most people who come out to see him are willing to endure some delays, his habit of lateness has alienated others, some of whom say it is just plain rude.

The Des Moines Register dinged Mr. Edwards last month with the headline “Edwards Is Late, Students Wait.” The article noted that he had not only been late for that high school gathering but also kept supporters waiting for 45 minutes in a “cold, damp wind” at an event a week earlier, tardiness that was explained by a campaign aide who said the candidate had been spending time with his parents, who were traveling with him.

Mr. Edwards has been ribbed about his habit in public, sometimes by people whose endorsement he is studiously courting. On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, he was scheduled to appear in New Hampshire alongside a Democratic congresswoman from the state, Carol Shea-Porter. He kept Ms. Shea-Porter, and a patient crowd, waiting for more than 40 minutes.

Shea-Porter later endorsed Barack Obama (like New Hampshire’s other Congressman, Paul Hodes).

Filed under: Z-TDB Blog