I TOLD YOU SO: As I’ve been saying, calling John Edwards a “trial lawyer” may fire up the base, but it’s not a recipe for swinging undecided voters:

Having been a trial lawyer does not appear to be a significant problem for Edwards. 35% say this makes them more favorable to Edwards compared to 28% who say less favorable. Even more striking, 55% say that his trial lawyer experience shows that Edwards fights for the average person against big companies, while only 26% say that his trial lawyering contributed to the frivolous lawsuit problem. Seventy-nine percent of Democrats, 54% of Independents, and 32% of Republicans say that Edwards litigator background shows that he is someone who fights for the average person.

It’s going to take more than repeated invocations of “John Edwards is a sleazy trial lawyer” if the Republicans want to turn people against him.