Edwards Gains Strength in Indiana

[JohnLocke]

Edwards Gains Strength in Indiana
John Edwards for President
Friday, May 11, 2007
----
Chapel Hill, North Carolina – As Senator John Edwards' presidential campaign continues to gain support across the country, more than 30 Democratic leaders from Indiana came out in support of Edwards and his vision to transform America. Among those endorsing Edwards for president are Indiana House of Representatives Majority Leader Russ Stillwell and former Indiana Democratic Party Chairs Robin Winston and Ann DeLaney.
"As a third generation coal miner, I understand the challenges facing America's working families," said Stilwell. "Between caring for elderly parents, paying their bills and educating their children, working men and women struggle to make ends meet. John Edwards understands the choices facing Hoosier workers as they strive to provide for their families. I am proud to join other Democrats in supporting John Edwards for President because I know he will work to make the American dream a reality for all of us."
Winston endorsed Edwards saying, "John Edwards embodies the spirit of our party. He has plans to address the issues that matter to Hoosier families—plans to provide universal health care, create a new energy economy, strengthen our middle class and protect our country. Senator Edwards reminds me of the best of our Midwest values and will help move Indiana and our nation forward."
DeLaney said, "I think that John Edwards is uniquely qualified in this very dangerous time to lead our country. He shares the values of Hoosiers and understands the challenges facing the middle class. I enthusiastically endorse his candidacy."
The Indiana Democrats endorsing Edwards for president are:

*Ann DeLaney, former Indiana Democratic Party Chairperson
*Robin Winston, former Indiana Democratic Party Chairperson
*Russ Stilwell, Majority Leader, Indiana House of Representatives
*Dennie Oxley House Majority Whip
*State Representative Terri Austin
*State Representative Terry Goodin
*State Representative Sheila Klinker
*State Representative Robert Kuzman
*State Representative Linda Lawson
*State Representative Scott Pelath
*Nancy Michael, Mayor of Greencastle
*D. William (Bill) Moreau, Jr. Former Chief of Staff to Governor Evan Bayh
*Shaw Friedman, 2004 Dean for America Indiana coordinator, General Chairman of the Donnelly for Congress (IN-02), former LaPorte *County Democratic Chair, and former Legal Counsel, Indiana Democratic Party
*Mike Jones 9th Congressional District Chair
*Marjorie Warnick, 3rd Congressional District Democratic Vice Chair
*Mary Lou Terrell, 8th Congressional District Vice Chair former Indiana Democratic Party Vice Chair
*Tom O'Donnell Business Manager IBEW Local 481
*Brian Williams former Political Director Indiana Democratic Party
*Mark Owen, former Vanderburgh County Democratic Chair
*Greg Hahn, Legal Counsel, Marion County Democratic Party and attorney
*Terry Burns, Marion County Democratic Party Communications Director
*Elizabeth (Beth) White, Marion County Clerk
*Bruce Kehoe, partner in Kehoe and Willingham
*Edward DeLaney, community activist
*Laura Michaels, local businesswoman
*David Galvin, political activist
*John Wilcox, political activist
*Ehren Bingaman, political activist
*Kate Sweeney-Bell, political activist
*Amanda Lawson, political activist
*Patty Yount, political activist

http://johnedwards.com/news/headlines/20070511-indiana/

[MannyGoldstein]

1. The Iraq War And 'Free' Trade Are The Spirit Of Our Party?

Along with both screw-the-little-guy bankruptcy bills, and both 'Patriot' Acts?

Sorry, I must have accidentally surfed to republicanunderground.com.

[JohnLocke]

2. Maybe you should try

Smearunderground.com?

By the way, the part of the Patriot Act he wrote was the sunset provision.

[venable]

6. good point, John Locke

what say you, Manny, to that - Edwards contribution to the Patriot Act was the sunset provision. Can you take a moment out to admire that? I'll be waiting.

[venable]

5. if you don't see how his proposals are the heart of the party

then I don't think you have the same party hopes that I do.

Take a good look at his positions, and tell me that he is not the heart of the party. Take a good, honest look, please.

[MannyGoldstein]

7. I'm A Voting Record Kinda Guy

I've live through enough politicians to have seen that that while rhetoric may change, voting patterns and other actions rarely change.

[1932]

10. Wasn't the knock on Edwards that he had the most liberal voting record in Senate

in his last two years when he started running for president rather than for NC senate?

[MannyGoldstein]

11. I Strongly Doubt It

Perhaps, like Mrs. Clinton, he voted Left on all of the less-important legislation, so he can claim an X% liberal record. However, and again like Mrs. Clinton, he voted Right for the BIG issues - for example, he voted for the second awful bankruptcy bill, and the second "Patriot" Act, both of which (I'm pretty certain) were towards the end of his term. These are both pieces of far-right legislation. Even Mrs. Clinton claims she wouldn't have voted for the second bankruptcy bill (she missed the vote because of Mr. Clinton's surgery).

[1932]

12. That's actually true.

And it wasn't unimportant legislation.

Those two bills were NOT the biggest bills of his six years in the senate.

Edwards was already one of the most liberal southern democrats (and voted more unlike the other sentator from his state than any other senator) and then became the second most liberal senator based on 14 votes that were selected as significant votes.

[MannyGoldstein]

13. Reference Please?

I'd appreciate being turned around on this.

[venable]

14. Manny, here's a comprehensive list, including his liberal ranking

try this one: http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:nI_CiezSVTwJ:www.ontheissues.org/John_Edwards.htm+John+Edwards+Voting+Record&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox-a


You'll find many positions, and down at the bottom you'll see a political sprectrum chart.

Edwards is the most liberal of the candidates (I haven't checked Kucinich, so he may be more to the left).

It's a good site.

[MannyGoldstein]

17. That Algorithm is Easily Gamed

Edwards and Clinton vote Right for the important votes - IWR, 'Patriot' Act, etc., while voting 'Left' for lesser legislation. Thus they can show up Left when ALL votes are tallied, but they can tell the Right that they voted their way on the important stuff.

[polichick]

29. Talk about having it both ways!

Guess that's why the idea of term limits is so important ~ as long as they're always looking toward the next election, they'll always be playing politics.

[dave_p]

20. Iran? Israel/Palestine?

On some matters he seems not to the left at all.

Overall, you'll find Kucinich a good deal more to the left.

[1932]

16. Here you go.

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0204/022704nj1.htm


http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_27_18/ai_90114128/pg_3

[MannyGoldstein]

18. The First of These Agrees With Me

"Edwards, on the other hand, had a moderate voting record during the first four years following his election to the Senate in 1998. The results positioned Edwards comfortably apart from Senate liberals, but not so far to the right that he locked arms with centrist Republicans. His consistent moderation placed Edwards among the center-right of Senate Democrats. But once Edwards decided to run for president and abandoned his bid for a second Senate term, his record moved dramatically to the left in 2003."

A "moderate voting record" in recent years is actually far Right by historical standards.

I'll take a look at the second when I get a chance.

[1932]

21. And his voting record changed...which is the point in my post above.

Read your post again and my response to it.

If you're a "voting record kind of guy," you have to take into account the voting record.

His changed to match his rhetoric, so, according to your calculus, you should love him now.

But I suspect that you're really a "consistency" kind of guy, right, so you don't like him because he became more liberal, right?

[venable]

15. HRC and Obama rank as moderates, Edwards as a Liberal/Populist

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:nI_CiezSVTwJ:www.ontheissues.org/John_Edwards.htm+John+Edwards+Voting+Record&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox-a

you can find it here. (posted below on this thread, also)

[1932]

22. And they have the advantage of not being from NC

[jcrew2001]

40. where's Obama's record?

He doesn't have any. which is good for Obama imo.

[jcrew2001]

39. Only Republicans care about the stock market and economy

so you're saying the Dem platform is only concerned with socialism?

[JNelson6563]

3. Quite a list

I'd love to see a Dem win Indiana in 08! :toast:

Julie

[skipos]

4. Clinton didn't even come close to winning IN in 92 and 96

Though we won every state around it. I have often wondered why IN is so much more red that other states in the midwest. There are some progressive folks there, but maybe too many leftovers from the KKK days? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Jackson

[IndianaGreen]

9. We are red because of the winner take all way in which electoral votes are awarded

We must either abolish the undemocratic Electoral College, or apportion a state's electoral votes according to the popular vote. Bill Clinton did extremely well in 1996 in Indiana in the popular vote, but those of us that voted for him were disenfranchised by the archaic and undemocratic winner-take-all Electoral College.

[jcrew2001]

25. Why didn't Gore pick Bayh as VP in 2000?

would Bayh have helped win the state?

[IndianaGreen]

26. Someone wanted that Lieberman scum on the Democratic ticket

Indiana was suffering from Clinton fatigue, and Bush carried the state with a larger than normal margin.

[jcrew2001]

27. Do you think if Bayh is VP in 2008, we can carry IN?

and are there any issues that may prevent Bayh from being on the ticket or hurting the Dem chances nationally?

It seems like he would be a logical choice to pick up Ohio and Indiana.

[IndianaGreen]

28. As long as the Dems don't nominate someone that will scare people

I think that Indiana will be in play. As to Bayh, he might help marginally in Indiana. Ohio has far more electoral votes than Indiana, and it is the real prize.

[jcrew2001]

32. I think Edwards/Bayh is a guaranteed winner in the General Election

nt.

[IndianaGreen]

34. I would prefer a woman or a minority as VP, but Bayh will do fine

Edwards will do good in Indiana as would Wes Clark, had he chosen to run.

[jcrew2001]

38. If Edwards is the nominee, he wouldn't benefit much from

Hillary or Obama -he'll need an 'experienced' Senator to enhance the ticket.

I feel its too late for Clark to win the nominee, but if he does enter, he'll likely try to get VP, if he wants it. I'm very surprised he's delaying, its not smart politics.

[IndianaGreen]

41. I don't think Clark is going to run, and neither is Gore.

The Democratic field is pretty much set.

[jcrew2001]

45. Gore is okay, but he picked Lieberman as VP and

that shows a serious error cuz Liebs sucks.

[IndianaGreen]

8. Ann DeLaney, an attorney, was also very strong on LGBT rights

If she backs Edwards, you know that it is because he is more reliable on LGBT issues than the other top tier candidates.

My USWA comrades in northern Indiana are also leaning towards Edwards, who is seen as strongly pro-labour.

[salin]

19. I would guess that two things would come into play

per increase in Edwards support in Indiana:

1) there is still a strand of poppulism that resonates around the state; and (sadly to say)

2) among non-urban (or U town) democrats there is still a bit of old fashioned racism and sexism in play - if not outright, then in terms of perception of electability (that is - if not personally held, the belief that a woman or an African American couldn't get enough votes to win.

[IndianaGreen]

24. Hillary is not liked because of her triangulating the issues and the perception

(which may be factual) that she will bring all the corruption and the distractions of the previous Clinton Administration. Remember that NAFTA hurt our state really bad, and Hillary is part of that NAFTA/neoliberal crowd that has lined the pockets of the corporations at the expense of the working class.

Hillary is just not trusted by many Democrats in here. OTOH, Obama is well liked but there is that experience thingy, and the fact that he hasn't articulated an economic policy that is distinguishable from Hillary's.

Of course we got those that will vote GOP because of their DNA or religious beliefs, no matter who we nominate for President.

[salin]

42. Things will have to get a LOT worse before, at the presidential level,

this state votes blue. Someday, I do believe it will happen again, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

[jcrew2001]

44. Nah, if Bayh is on the ticket, IN will go blue

of course Edwards didn't help NC, but Bayh was a popular governor.

[jcrew2001]

23. IMO Bayh will be the VP nominee

unless Clark accepts. Clinton, Obama, won't be VP because they won't help win swing states. Edwards has been VP in 2004. The other option is Richardson. Does anyone know why Bayh wasn't VP in 2000 for Gore - too young perhaps?

[Indy_Dem_Defender]

30. He was in the Senate 2 years at that time

Indiana would have went to Gore if Bayh would have been VP candidate, I don't think he would have had an impact ahywhere else though, because he wasn't nationally known.

[jcrew2001]

31. Wasnt' he your Governor for 2 terms?

He would have turned Ohio and Indiana and Missouri and Tennessee to Gore IMO.

[Indy_Dem_Defender]

36. 2 Term Governor

I'm not a big Bayh supporter, but if he was governor of Indiana right now (and I wouldn't have this green sign on my post either) he would have been in a better position to run for president then as a US senator. If Hillary is the democratic nomination, I'd bet money he will be her running mate in the general election.

[jcrew2001]

46. I think Hillar will pick Clark if he accepts

it will be better for her image.

[jcrew2001]

33. So Gore would win IN and then the GE

Lieberman didn't help win anything. Gore lost Tenn and NH, which would have given him the GE.

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jcrew2001]

37. Rich guys like Kerry, or Poor guys like Bill Clinton?

Most politicians are wealthy, you may say they are running because of ego, but they can just as easily retire. Its an unfair unsessment to judge someone just because they have succeeded in their profession and have earned their wealth like Edwards, instead of inheriting it like GWB.

[JNelson6563]

43. Wow!

You get today's "Heathers" award! Oy. Or, more accurately, meoooow!

Julie