a true North Carolina accent, I think

I was able to attend MTV/Myspace's first Presidential Dialogue today with John Edwards. It was incredibly interesting to be in a fairly intimate gathering (a few hundred people) and listening to Edwards candidly answer questions from UNH students.

When he started answering the first question, I immediately noticed his strong North Carolina accent. Well, I thought it sounded strong. My roommate lived in North Carolina until a year ago, and when she watched the videos on-line of Edwards speaking, she actually thought his accent was not very strong. She says there are some people where she used to live who she can hardly understand due to their accent! But to me, who hears southern accents only occasionally, I thought John Edwards sounded completely foreign.

Either way, I think that his accent came through more than if he were speaking to the U.S. Senate. It was recorded to be on MTV, but initially it was just him speaking to a bunch of college kids in a small studio. The atmosphere was very casual; Edwards and the male moderator were both dressed in jeans, and people laughed and applauded when they felt inclined to do so. Because of this relaxed feeling, I think Edwards was able to speak more candidly than if were reading a prepared speech. His speech was more instinctual than formal, saying "y'all" and "I" as "Ah", and this definitely made a difference in how I perceived him. By being able to see the laid-back John Edwards, I think I can now make a more informed decision when I vote next year.