At its worst, John Edwards’ shtick verges on hokey populism — he signs emails to supporters “Your friend, John” — so it’s disappointing but not surprising that he sent this patronizing email to his list last week:

For the past two years, we’ve worked together to build an America
that lives up to its promise — one where we all share in prosperity
at home and one that shows real moral leadership around the world.

I’m proud of our successes fighting poverty, supporting working
families, and standing up for what we believe.

Now, we have a big decision to make — and I do mean we.

I’m getting ready to take this effort to the next level – to bring
Americans together in all fifty states to tackle the big challenges
facing our country, from poverty and lack of health care, to energy
and global warming.

But this is our effort, and we can only succeed if we’re all in it
together. So before I make a final decision, I need to hear from you:
Are you ready?

Talk about faux responsiveness. Does anyone think Edwards is going to decide not to run because of what his supporters will say? Of course not. The New York Times confirms that Edwards has already decided to run in an article today:

Mr. Edwards, who is arguably the most Web-savvy candidate in the ’08 race to date, is using Thursday’s event to try to gin up his supporters via the Internet. He sent out an e-mail message earlier this week, saying he was on the verge of making a decision that his aides say has, in fact, already been made.

This kind of hucksterism reinforces the stereotype of Edwards as a pandering ex-personal injury lawyer. In a race in which the top two Democratic candidates (Clinton and Obama) are brilliant graduates of elite law schools, it’s not an appealing perception.