Wall Street Journal: Edwards, Trailing Rivals, Holds Sway Over Party's Agenda

[Sapphire Blue]

Wall Street Journal: Edwards, Trailing Rivals, Holds Sway Over Party's Agenda
By CHRISTOPHER COOPER
July 20, 2007; Page A5

NEW ORLEANS -- John Edwards may be stuck in third place in the polls and fund raising in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. But the populist seems to be playing an outsized role in driving the terms of the party's debate -- generally to the left -- on everything from Iraq to health care.

This week, the former North Carolina senator has made his most prominent bid yet to place the oft-ignored issue of poverty prominently on the 2008 agenda, with a four-day tour of some of the most run-down parts of the South and Midwest, beginning with his sixth trip this campaign to this city, devastated by Hurricane Katrina. He has talked about the issue more than any of his rivals, and was the first to craft a "poverty" plank in his platform.

About the time Mr. Edwards announced plans for his tour, one of his better-positioned rivals, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, posted a poverty plan on his Website. Mr. Edwards ended his tour -- wending through a poultry plant and an industrial neighborhood hit by factory closing -- Wednesday in Kentucky. On that day, Mr. Obama delivered a major speech on the subject in Washington, D.C.

(snip)

It is the essence of Mr. Edwards's strategy for winning the nomination: to come from the left, and win over the party activists who tend to dominate the early primaries and caucuses. Other candidates, notably front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton, have tended to take a more cautious tack, in an attempt to preserve their ability to appeal to the middle should they ultimately win the nomination. But with little to lose, Mr. Edwards seems to feel freer to address issues that might alienate the party and business establishment. Just as former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean pushed the Democrats toward more staunch opposition of the Iraq war four years ago, Mr. Edwards seems to be having a big impact on forcing the pack to follow his agenda.

(snip)

Still, on issue after issue, Mr. Edwards has been the first to stake out where the party's consensus message seems to end up.

On Iraq, Mr. Edwards led the tack to the political left, apologizing early for his 2002 vote to authorize the war, pressing Congress to cut off money for the conflict and demanding an immediate exit for U.S. troops. Mr. Edwards's stance put tremendous pressure on Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton to vote against a recent funding measure, which they did, somewhat quietly. In March, Mr. Edwards laid out a detailed policy on revamping health care, calling for universal coverage -- and a business tax to pay for it. The next month, Mr. Obama put out his own proposal to dramatically expand coverage for the uninsured.

On taxing hedge funds and private-equity firms, the leading Democrats remained silent until last week, when Mr. Edwards complained that the current rules allow fund managers to pay taxes "at a lower rate than their secretaries." Within a few days, Sens. Clinton and Obama both said they back legislation that would raise those taxes.


Continued @ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118489677980072602.html?mod=politics_primary_hs

[Catchawave]

1. Nice WSJ article on Elizabeth also:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118497843234573633.html?mod=home_we_banner_left

[hfojvt]

2. Kick for the agenda

it is more important than the person. I hope Edwards keeps working on it, regardless of who wins the nomination. I think it is awesome that he has kept on the 'Two Americas' theme since the 2000 campaign.

[Sapphire Blue]

3. Yes, it really is the agenda, and that's why I support Edwards so strongly.

I'm thankful that he is pushing the issues & that the others are following his lead!

Edwards has been working on it since the last election, and, whether or not he wins the nomination this time, I'm sure that he will keep walking the walk... it's much more than a campaign issue to him. As he says, it's the cause of his life.