1. Go hide in a cave or a distant island for at least a year. the public needs some time and space to not hear or see anything about John Edwards.
2. Since Edwards is a wealthy man, he doesn’t have to worry about working for a living. he needs to spend his time doing volunteer work that is seen as purely altruistic. Disgraced Watergate felon Chuck Colson rehabilitated his name by working for 35 years in a prison ministry. Bill Clinton improved his post-impeachment reputation with the last decade of working on global initiatives, and aiding people in need. Even disgraced former governor has become a respected pundit and TV host after a brief time in the wilderness.
3. Edwards must be seen as doing things that tangibly help poor people–that was the message of so much of his political career. He can’t switch now to, say, environmental causes. That would seem authentic; and the last thing Edwards needs to do is give more ammunition to critics who already doubt his authenticity.
4. Once Edwards does re-emerge in the public spotlight, he must learn to ignore his critics and simply focus on doing good works. If he does this long enough, he can drown out the current sea of bad impressions people have of him with positive messages instead.
Prediction: I don’t think Edwards will be able to rehabilitate his image to the point of winning elective office again, but I do think that he can re-gain a net positive image and go on to be seen as a leading influential public figure on the American stage.
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