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

[SandyDoc]

"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."

Here, let me help you with this paragraph. You could provide clarity by writing it this way:

While the other candidates pander to the fear-mongering of the Republicans, John Edwards continued to speak truth to power on behalf of the middle class in America.

[Tellmethetruth]

For those who would like to do a bit more study before deciding, here is what Joe Biden has written on Huffington Post in the past few months.

Joe Biden on Pakistan

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-biden/a-new-approach-to-pakista_b_71733.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-biden/we-need-a-pakistan-policy_b_71399.html

Joe Biden on CIA tapes

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-biden/special-counsel-needed-to_b_77692.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/10/biden-calls-for-special-c_n_76044.html

Joe Biden on Iran and Impeachment of Bush

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-biden/meeting-the-iranian-chall_b_75628.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/11/30/biden-to-bush-bomb-iran-_n_74778.html

[letsmakesense]

Edwards is a member of the CFR so he is not to be trusted but at least he is telling it like it is concerning how the elites are usurping the middle class. I thank him for that. Ron Paul08

[Wrong2bRight]

A group of enlightened democrats should run the government and all the corporations and businesses of this nation.

[godlessclif]

The MSM feels anyone who thinks corporations are not supposed to overcharge, mislead and cheat their customers, underpay overwork and abuse their employees in dangerous jobs with no health insurance and steal pension money while defrauding both creditors and stockholders is some sort of radical godless communist.

[tjmax116]

I,can't believe Americans haven't had enough. Eight years of a corrupt corporate whore Clinton,NAFTA pardons etc Followed by lying super secret Bush. We thought by putting the CEO's in charge things would run well. A big mistake.

[amanda85]

Telling the truth is "radical" in good ol' USofA...

[Irons]

Radicalizes???? LOL.

[williamg]

If you were wondering who has donated those large batches of money to the pro-edwards 527, this article I have linked is a must read. Edwards has found his own little sneaky way to skirt campaign laws.


http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2007/12/28/527_group_supportive_of_edward_1.html#more

[Boadicea]

Edwards appears to me to be an angry little man with a sense of entitlement.

He's outraged that a woman and a black man have dared to challenge his right, as the designated southern white male Democrat, with Hair and a silver tongue, to the presidency.

His only mode of operation is attack.

[WorkingClass]

The Democrats have two really strong candidates in Edwards and Richardson. So why do they go chasing after Obama and Clinton? Because the corporate media told them to. Bhaaa a a a a

[tbone99]

Who of the front runners is talking about this but Edwards? Who is willing to take on the top 1% while millions are homeless, foreclosed upon and working 2 or 3 jobs to get by. Maybe he won't be able to make it perfect but at least he's willing to start a conversation about it.Folks we don't have to assume the battle has been won and we've lost---this could be a call to action.

In March of 2007, the New York Times reported :

"Income inequality grew significantly in 2005, with the top 1 percent of Americans - those with incomes that year of more than $348,000 - receiving their largest share of national income since 1928 ... "

In 2005, studies substantiated that total income in the U.S. rose, but for the bottom 90 per cent, it dropped. The richest 1 per cent of Americans owned more than the bottom 90 per cent. Since that report, the wealth gap has continued to widen.

The AFL-CIO reported on the job loss and joblessness crisis during the Bush administration: "The nation has lost jobs in 25 of the 31 months that President Bush has been in office, making for the worst jobs record at this point in a presidency of any administration since Herbert Hoover."

Additionally, the study's author reports: "Startlingly, almost half (45 percent) of black children whose parents were solidly middle class end up falling to the bottom of the income distribution, compared to only 16 percent of white children."

[THEINSULTEDANDINJURED]

Count-ry
Where all are not counted

Wealth
Concentrated
Like yellow pee

What do the rest do
with this golden sludge?

[andyboy]

I would probably listen closer of I heard John was intent on rolling back NAFTA, CAFTA or GATT. Or even ANYTHING specific.

Will John stop the deregulation of Utilities? What's John's plan for keeping us safe from hazardous imports from our vampirish trading partner China?

Not to sound haughty but John doesn't have a clue how to win an election.

He's making a huge mistake in not taking the opportunity to show resolve on fighting terror after Bhutto's murder.

These are fundamentals. Meat and Potatoes.

Which causes me to wonder if John thinks he can win just because he's a white guy.

[freespeach]

As a Kucinich supporter who has some respect for Richardson and Dodd only......this is a breath of fresh air.

To what extent Edwards would go to reel in corporate power is debatable. So what?

It is still very refreshing to hear someone talk honestly about this issue.

As for huffpo and the ridiculous use of "radicalizes" to describe truth telling....Sad, lame, and not surprising.

For those progressives who are telling the DLC rats to piss off as a result of their loyal service to corporate America....well done!
Edwards is clearly listening.

Let the progressive voices be heard in 2008.
No Hillary, no Obama, no DLC controlled stooges!

Corporate America killed the Republican party years ago.
Their efforts to do the same to the Democrats through the dirty DLC just took a hit.
Edwards needs to do a helluvalot more to win me over, but this is a great start.