Harkin Taps Edwards to Headline Fundraiser

[cal04]

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin has picked 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards as the headline speaker for his annual steak fry next month, a Democratic strategist said.

One of the Democratic Party's biggest events, the fundraiser will provide Edwards with a chance to speak to thousands of activists as he considers another run for the party's nomination, Democratic strategist Jeff Link told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Harkin was scheduled to make the formal announcement on Wednesday. This year's steak fry was scheduled for Sept. 18 at the Warren County Fairgrounds. Harkin throws the steak fry every September, both to raise money and to keep his political organization polished.

Past speakers at the fundraising events have included former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore and Democratic political strategist James Carville. Since the 2004 election, Edwards has made repeated trips to Iowa, where precinct caucuses will likely launch the nominating season. He's made it clear he's looking at making a second run for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, is scheduled to speak in Waterloo this week at the annual convention of the Iowa Federation of Labor.

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-harkin-steak-fry,0,1487160.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

[welshTerrier2]

1. Edwards is also the keynote speaker at the "PLAN" kickoff

PLAN is a newly formed progressive organization that seems to believe that a progressive movement needs to be built at the state level ...

it's interesting that they asked Edwards to be the keynote speaker at their kickoff event ...

here's some info about PLAN:

source: http://www.progressivestates.org/about/

PROGRESSIVE: First and foremost, PLAN is progressive -- we believe in equal opportunity for all citizens and protecting individual liberties. These beliefs have many different models in different states -- but they are all part of the progressive agenda that PLAN will work to support.

LEGISLATIVE: PLAN will focus on state policy. State policymakers and local grassroots membership organizations offer progressives an untapped resource to advance our shared agenda. First and foremost, PLAN will focus its energies on state legislators and legislatures, who often lack resources to effectively fight for the progressive agenda. We will also work with Governors, Secretaries of State, Attorneys General, and other state policymakers to bring progressive ideas to fruition.

ACTION: PLAN is not just about coming up with policies in a vacuum -- it is about making those policies a reality by working with locally-grown advocacy organizations to wage high-profile issue campaigns. The goal is not just good ideas -- it is policy victories.

NETWORK: If "all politics are local," then PLAN must work closely with the local organizations that are the keys to success. That means PLAN will spend considerable resources building coalitions of disparate progressive grassroots organizations at the state level who are critical to turning progressive policies into state law. Why re-invent the wheel by trying to build a whole new grassroots organization, when hundreds of local grassroots organizations already exist? PLAN will tap into this existing infrastructure and help these organizations effect change.

[Hidden Stillness]

2. Sounds Like Real Democrats Again

Wow, I hope this signals a real change of direction for the official Party, at least here. Tom Harkin is one of the true greats, of course, but the prospect of the fundraiser attraction going from "D"LC types to John Edwards, after addressing a labor group, then this official Democratic event, is exciting to think about. I hope they get the meaning of it. Don't give us "D"LC slogans about how "Democrats are too liberal for America" when the very problem is that our country is being destroyed by arch-conservatives. We need more like Harkin and Edwards.

[FreedomAngel82]

3. So true

I think people are getting tired of republicans and republican-lite's. Just look at the latest polls. We need to be the democratic party that was around with FDR or JFK.

[welshTerrier2]

4. Message to Edwards

it is time to call for withdrawal from Iraq ... a majority of the country understands that the "mission" has failed ...

the elections in Iraq were corrupt ... we're fighting to stabilize a government that was largely put in place to serve as a puppet to the US ... the Iraqis are no closer to being able to defend themselves than they were a year ago ... the country is a cauldron of HELL and things are very, very rapidly getting worse ... there is no progress and there is no hope as long as the US remains ...

please lead the charge in the Party to get us out of this nightmare and let whatever events occur in Iraq unfold without US interference ... regardless of the intentions of some in the US, we cannot do anything but maintain the status quo ... even if we succeeded, and we won't, the only result would have been more US imperialism in the region ...

we went there on a lie; the motives for going were truly criminal; and the evidence of our failure could not be clearer ... i don't know why so many Democrats continue to preach the "stability" mantra ... it's beyond crazy with bush in the WH ... it just doesn't make any sense ...

it's time for our foreign policy to genuinely reflect America's soul ... real leadership, and real leaders, should require that we fight for that ...

if you're going to try to grab the reins of power, this, and your two Americas theme, should sit at the core of your campaign ...

[Armstead]

5. Good to see Edwards is aligning with liberals and progressives

He was kind of a DLC type before the recent election. I'm hoping he saw the light and makes that step into the Land of the Left.

That, and a little more edge, and he could be a real contender.