With poverty tour, Edwards emphasizes morality over politics

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN/Reuters: Mon July 16, 2007
With poverty tour, Edwards emphasizes morality over politics


John Edwards answers questions at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in New Orlean's Ninth Ward Sunday.

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (Reuters) -- Hurting in opinion polls and haunted by charges of lavish personal spending, Democrat John Edwards took his presidential campaign on Monday to some of the most impoverished parts of the country.

With America's poor the crux of his campaign, the former vice presidential candidate launched an eight-state tour in New Orleans, a city that exposed U.S. poverty to a global audience following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

His focus on poverty challenges his top Democratic rivals, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and enables Edwards to present himself as a leader with a cause bigger than his own ambition, analysts said.

"This is not a political strategy. This is a huge moral issue facing America," Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina and the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee, said in New Orleans late on Sunday.

Edwards is third among Democrats in national opinion polls ahead of the November 2008 elections, behind leader Clinton of New York and Obama of Illinois. But he is strong in the crucial early-voting state of Iowa, where he leads many state polls....

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/16/politics.edwards.reut/index.html

[saltpoint]

1. I love this campaign swing he's doing. I love it in substance and in style.

It's necessary and it's compelling.

You can't rebuild a broken society unless you show you're able to renew its virtues. Bush abandoned U.S. citizens in New Orleans. Here's Edwards, showing Bush how to be a leader.

Excellent, excellent campaign by John Edwards.

[waiting for hope]

2. He is a leader - on so many levels.

I admire how he gets to the root of the problem, and then gives solutions and steps to correct or change. His "Green Collar" initiative is the best yet.

[saltpoint]

3. Recommended. Also that's a terrific photograph of John Edwards.

[jsamuel]

4. people do agree with the emphasis on morality

[waiting for hope]

5. Kick...

[KillCapitalism]

6. A sad reflection of our society right here with this quote...

"But analysts said his strategy could backfire in a country where many voters see poverty as due to bad individual choices and for many middle class voters it is not a core issue."

:mad:

What we have to do is change people's mindset of blaming the victim. This should be a core issue to the middle class since many are only a few paychecks away from poverty.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

7. Thanks for posting. It is refreshing to see a prez candidate stand up for the poor nt

[Colobo]

8. Congrats to John- The guy is on a mission. A crusader for the poor.

Gotta admire him.