Edwards Radicalizes Anti-Corporate Pitch

Dubuque, Iowa - Amid a heavy snow storm Friday afternoon, an overflow crowd of several hundred supporters bundled into a meeting hall in this economically battered town to hear candidate John Edwards escalate his closing campaign message of opposing "corporate greed" and denounce what he called a "small group of profiteers" dominating American life.

"Everything about America is threatened today...this is an epic struggle for the future of America," Edwards told the cheering crowd. "Corporate greed and the very powerful use their money to control Washington and this corrupting influence is destroying the middle class."

While all of the presidential campaigns have refocused to some degree on foreign policy in the wake of the murder of Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto, Edwards is keeping his message of economic fairness front and center during the final week of campaigning here. "We will defeat greed and fear - and strike a blow for working people, for those with no voice, for those Washington has ignored too long." Edwards made no mention of the Pakistani crisis in his newly re-tooled stump speech.

While Edwards has consistently campaigned on an economically populist program, his speech today in Dubuque was marked by a noticeable ratcheting up and radicalization of his critique of corporate wealth and power.

"Why on earth would we expect the corporate powers and their lobbyists, who make billions by selling out the middle-class, to just give up their power because we ask them nicely?" Edwards asked. He made no mention of rivals Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton in today's speech; in the past, he has slammed Clinton for being too indebted to powerful Washington lobbies.

Edwards is in the midst of a final 38-county push to win next Thursday's Iowa caucuses. Even his own supporters will concede that taking Iowa is a do-or-die must for a campaign running third in national polls, but in a virtual dead heat in the Hawkeye State with rivals Clinton and Obama.

Nestled on the gritty Illinois border, Dubuque has been hit hard by the collapse in American manufacturing jobs and offers itself as a perfect venue for Edwards' message of economic fairness. The local Flexsteel plant has lost about two-thirds of its 800 jobs over the past decade. Paper maker Georgia Pacific, another big employer in town, has also been hit hard by job exports.

"Iowa has lost twice as many jobs to unfair trade deals than it's won in the so-called technological revolution," Edwards adviser Dave "Mudcat" Saunders told the HuffPost before today's event started. "What kind of revolution is that?" Saunders said Edwards would stay on his message of opposing "unchecked greed" and that it was a theme that resonated deeply throughout the state.

Check out the rest of HuffPost's Iowa coverage.

Comments

[BurgersandFries]

If Edwards really wanted to take on corruption he'd get rid of the Fed. But since he's part of the CFR and in their pocket, he won't... so the government will continue to use our money to pay massive amounts of interest on money they could print themselves! Absolutely criminal.

Vote Ron Pault

http://republicanforaday.com/

[Boadicea]

I can only laugh at Edwards at this point.

He thinks he's going to be King Edward if he wins. He's going to take away congress's health care! LOL! Impossible, but it sounds good to the netroots he's pandering to.

And now he's promising to ban lobbyists? LOL! He has no idea about the separation of powers at all.

He'll say anything at this point, make any promise. But there is absolutely NO EVIDENCE whatsoever in his legislative record to indicate that he could get even the legal promises accomplished, let alone the illegal ones.

[Listen2me]

Mr. Edwards should have fought harder in 2004 when that election was stolen. Because it wasn't stolen just from Mr. Kerry and himself, but also from the American people.

And if he wants my support now, I want to hear him talking about black-box voting machines, about GOP caging operations, and about the US attorneys using their offices to rig the political system---and most of all, about former Governor of Alabama, Don Sigelman (sp?) framed and flung into prison by Karl Rove and associates---and now kept incommmunicado. An American Dreyfus case!

[GGinSC]

John Edwards is the best hope for our country and the worst nightmare of the Republicans and business-as-usual in DC. Go Edwards!

[leftbehind2000]

Originally I was smitten by Obama. I thought he was the person who could bring the nation back. But as the campaign has gone on, and with every debate, and every statement he's made, I've become less and less convinced that he was ready. Hell, I'm no longer even sure he stands for the things I originally thought he did. Still, I would love to see him be the V.P. and then the President in 2016.

The more I've read and listened and studied each candidate's platforms, the more I've determined that Edwards is the person to get us there.

I was admittedly a late arriver to the party as far as Edwards goes. I was not impressed with Edwards in 2004. I thought his sunny message a bit naive. I hated his stance on the Iraq war and on the Patriot Act. So I pretty much discounted him in the early going this time around.

But the more I read, and the more I hear the things Edwards says, the stronger my conviction becomes that he is the right person to be president. I believe he has matured as a person, admitted mistakes and is ready to lead.

Edwards is the only person in my opinion who can dig us out after the 8 years of Bush. He is passionate, earnest, and represents the ideals that are important to me as a progressive Democrat.

If Edwards is true to his word, he'll be the only real populist Democratic president in the last..what...30 years?

We're looking at an ever-widening chasm between the haves and have nots. We are in dire need of a president who will fight for the people; who has the courage to do what might not always be popular, and certainly not what is convenient; and who possesses the energy and charisma to get it done.

We need an FDR or RFK.

I don't know for sure yet if Edwards is such a person, but I'm hoping so. There really isn't a good alternative.

[Irish1139]

Please tell me what kind of a person builds a 25,000 sq. foot house and why. Edwards only has three children. I have a husband and two children and our dream house is 2,000 sq. ft. After we had it built and moved in, I thought I lived in a mansion. Now that the nest is empty, the house is too big and I want a smaller house because I am tired of cleaning such a big house.

I often imagine what I would do with $1,000,000 and building a big house is not one of the options. There are so many other worthwhile things I would do and the options do not enrich me in any way. I don't understand people like the Edwards. There are things in life much more important than living in a 25,000 sq. ft. house and I prefer someone who understands where I am coming from.

I envy Oprah her money because she can give it away and change people's lives. The joy this must bring to her knowing she changed the direction of someone life--to me that is the ultimate high.

I wish Edwards could reign in the corporations but I don't know how he is going to do that. He says he is going to take their power away from them. How? Who is going to allow this to happen. Certainly not the Republicans, Wall Street or the stockholders. Does he really think he has a chance to make the corporations care about the middle class? That is such a pipe dream. I can't believe people are actually falling for his rhetoric.

[lorca]

John Edwards's message is appealing because I think it relates to the public's sense that the economy is increasingly driven by interests and forces beyond their control. The sense that they're getting screwed. But the thing is, he doesn't really paint a picture of what sort of order he envisions will take the place of the current one. Once he socks it to the special interests and the big corporations, then what? Are the jobs suddenly going to return to Dubuque? I kinda doubt it. It's well and good to want to take on the outsized influence that corporate interests have on government policy (although the cynic in me wonders if this can be a fruitful fight in this day and age), but you also must define an economic vision for the world we live in now. I don't think Edwards has really done that.

[ashabot]

Good for him. Otherwise, the silence is deafening. Corporate takeover is at the base of it all. Fascism.

[Lucere]

Partisan candidates with strong messages increase voter turnout and Democratic victories are almost always dependent upon high voter turnout.

Increase the partisanship, increase the turnout
and you will increase the chances of Democrats winning.

It's a really a numbers game pure and simple.

[olephart]

CNN just had a discussion on the economy and who best represents Americans' concerns. Bill Schneider told us that Hillary on the Democratic side would be the best candidate to run on economic issues. No policies, issues or candidate's statements were mentioned; only his endorsement of Hillary. Even the few people who try to get information from supposedly reputable sources are treated like mushrooms. Is it any wonder that we keep getting Corporate Whores as our only choices? They keep running the Clinton/Obama match up as the only game in town and Edwards is thrown in as an after thought. Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich et. al. may as well be standing in empty fields addressing cornstalks as far as the MSM is concerned. The most amusing story is Huckabee. The Right Wing has created an Evangelical Frankenstein and the MSM doesn't know what to do with him. Thirty five years ago people got zoned out on Qualudes, now all you have to do is turn on the Cable News.

[Lucere]

The only Democrats to win the popular vote after 1960 have been Southerners. Why should it be any different now? Yes, Edwards is liberal, but his candidacy would put a number of usually safe GOP states, such as Virginia, into play. Edwards expands the playing field, which is what you want to do to be a strong general-election candidate.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/12/if_mccain_can_rally_to_win_the.html

[Chubbster]

John Edwards whole story is 1) to nurture people's sense of grievance ie "hey, I'm getting screwed" 2) to foster feelings of envy 3) to ramp up jealousy. For Christ's sake he's a trial lawyer! Winning is the issue, not truth. He'll say anything.

[Oldchef]

So telling the truth is radical. Well, I suppose so, it seems many of the other candidates speak in carefully crafted sound bites that say nothing of substance but offend no possible rich contributor. John Edwards has always stood for the People. If he's rich himself now, he got that way fighting corporate interests for the little guys. I spent most of the last ten years telling democratic pollsters that the party needed to go back to being the party of the working man, and Edwards is our last chance this time around for a populist democratic candidate, which the MSM seems determined to deny us. Stories about his haircut get 100 times the airplay as stories about his agenda. They spare no effort at ridiculing his candidacy because their corporate masters are frightened that people might actually vote for a candidate who will fight for us working poor. God bless Edwards, most people who've been as successful as he has been would not be out there getting abused everyday, still fighting for those of us who've been so long ignored by the establishment. Do stories about the other candidates generate anywhere near the number of comments this story has? The people like him, no matter what the MSM says.

[batguano]

John Edwards continues to LEAD on policy matters and not merely respond, as the Dem "front runner" does repeatedly to Edwards (and other's) proposals and policies! John Edwards has done so consistently and continues to be out front in setting forth REAL policy that benefits not only American workers and the "middle class", but our "trading partners" workers as well. He articulates his positions CLEARLY and thoroughly, and doesn't just recite a fork-tongued, fence-straddling mumble of deceit! He is NOT in thrall to corporate interests or the war machine! He has shown and continues to show TRUE VISIONARY LEADERSHIP! John Edwards is showing the ways for progressives and all Americans to win in '08, and is not just another corporate whore to the richest among us! Would the other "Dems" and "Republicans", who make so much money in campaign contributions from the rich and powerful have a tenth as much integrity and leadership qualities as John Edwards! And that means for the so-called "front-runners" who weasel and pander so effectively and consistently!

From trade policy to the environment, from education to health care, from reigning in the greed and abuses of corporations (especially by the depraved Pharmaceutical Company's, who CREATE "conditions" and Diseases" in order to sell their junk drugs for obscene profits!(Our children and seniors especially suffer and are made REALLY ill!) to restoring America's honor around the world, John Edwards (along with some other "unelectable" candidates) is leading the way. We need a person of true vision and integrity to restore our NATIONHOOD and honor, and NOT just another corporate shill! I believe John Edwards is such a person. He deserves our respect and support!

Here is the link to Edwards Oct 29, 2007 speech. Powerful words from Candidate Edwards.
http://johnedwards.com/news/speeches/20071029-moral-test/

[LyricalLexicon]

John Edwards came from a poor family, worked his way through college, became a successful lawyer, and made millions and now people want to attack him for speaking out on populist issues. Poor people can't lift other poor people out of poverty, it takes people with money to do that. Would people prefer he were a pro-business, politics as usual candidate like the republicans? If getting a $400 haircut or having a mansion (which Obama has also) is the biggest scandal they can come up with about Edwards after 4 years in the national spotlight then I am not worried about how he will do against the Republican attack machine in the general election. If there were dirt on Edwards I'm sure it would have been found by now.