John Edwards Campaigns in LA

Anyone who thinks John Edwards is a loser and should take his marbles and go back to North Carolina apparently was not at the Edwards' rally in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday.

Is this why the campaign played "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" during the pre-rally warm-up?

It seems a lot of voters here have the impression, however misguided and dumb, that the guy's a serious candidate for president. Who knew? And that the race for the Democratic nomination isn't over. Who are these starry-eyed dreamers anyway? Haven't they been following the news, with its all-Hillary, all-Barack coverage all the time?

But back to the rally, which took place downtown at the Southern California Public Service Workers' headquarters. In a parking lot. Yes, it couldn't have been less glamorous, but that was the point. As Jason Gomez, a Latino sanitation worker and former Teamsters member in his 30s said of Edwards, "So many of the candidates don't seem like they're representing the people. He's the people's guy. He's the man for me."

"What I like about John Edwards is he has a union background from the womb to the tomb," Clara Brisco, a middle-aged African-American woman and longterm care worker told me. Brisco was waving an "Edwards for President" sign. And she'd driven all the way from her home in Long Beach to hear him speak. "He's all over my house," she laughed of his campaign signs.

More than 1000 supporters stood in the warm noonday sun waiting for Edwards, who arrived from a campaign event in Nevada nearly 40 minutes late. When he did breeze in, smiling his million-dollar smile, stopping to shake hands as he pushed toward the stage, they applauded and cheered. It was truly an Edwards kind of crowd: home health care workers, carpenters and electricians, working families and elderly people. Many came in jeans and T-shirts. About the only people in suits were LA City Councilman Richard Alarcon and LA City Councilwoman Janice Hahn.

For Edwards it was the perfect stage in which to deliver his hard-driving populist message. A parking lot in the shadow of some of the city's biggest corporations.

Like his audience, Edwards dressed down for the occasion in dark blue shirt and jeans. If you watched the Nevada debate, he emphasized much of what he said there. His humble beginnings as the son of a mill worker. The sacrifices of his father so he could attend college. Corporate greed. The subprime mortgage crisis. The 47 million Americans without health insurance. His vow to pull the troops out of Iraq his first year as president. The little girl named Natalie who needed a liver transplant but died because her father's insurance company wouldn't cover it.

And, of course, his credentials as the "change" candidate.

Hmm. I guess we're going to be hearing that word a lot before Super Tuesday.

"There's only one candidate who's never taken a dime from a special interest lobbyist or a PAC," said Edwards to big applause.

And, really, they did seem wild about him. Even Shelli Sloan, who got so fed up with the Democrats eight years ago that she became an Independent. "He has so much more energy than Obama or Clinton," gushed the 46-year-old café owner.

So. Why, I kept thinking the whole time I was listening to Edwards, is he not winning more labor endorsements? If he's fighting for the middle-class, why aren't they fighting for him? This seems the fundamental paradox of his candidacy. He didn't get the Culinary Workers in Nevada. Then this week in Los Angeles he lost another prized endorsement: the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, a group that represents more than 800,000 workers. They also went for Obama, even though Edwards pitched in during their hotel strike a few years ago.

What gives? Is it that key labor organizations have given up on him? That they want a sure thing? That they prefer Obama's message of unity to Edwards' message of taking no prisoners? That they just really want to elect the nation's first black president?

As for Hillary, even as Edwards was speaking, she was just across the freeway. Trying to rack up another major endorsement: the Los Angeles Times.

But Edwards isn't giving up. "I am an underdog campaign, but this is where you come in," he said in closing, his voice rising. "You can help us here in California, help a grassroots movement that spreads across this state, that spreads across this country. When that tidal wave of change is finished, we will be able to look our children in eye and say, 'We did for our you what our parents did for us.'"

And with that it was over, and Edwards began signing autographs and people crowded the stage, snapping photos of him on their cell phones.

"You're going to win, John!" a man shouted out.

Comments

[Rosanneofpgh]

I find it hard to believe that so many middle class people refuse to vote for John Edwards. He is the only candidate who cares about us. He came up from our ranks. He wants all of us to have the same opportunities that he had.

The only way we can ever get ahead is to get rid of the big corporations lackeys and vote for John Edwards. All you people who think that hilary and obama have your best interests at heart, take a look at their corporate donors. Are you really naive enough to think that the corporations wont want their preqs from their bought and paid for puppets?? If you are, I have a bridge Id like to sell you.

Vote for the candidate who care about YOU and your family. If hilary or obama win the dem nomination, prepare yourselves for another 4-8 years of rethug misrule. Dont say I didnt warn you.

[BirdsEatCats]

I happen to agree with everything that Edwards says, I just have trouble believing that he means it.
It just 'feels' to me as if he's decided that he might get elected by telling the truth about how corrupt the system is, but it's as cynical as any argument put forth by a slimeball lawyer.
When I hear about him giving pro bono representation to workers in actions over workplace safety and unionization issues, I'll start thinking he's sincere.

[adamNsteve]

Sen. Feingold says of Obama:

"The one that is the most problematic is (John) Edwards, who voted for the Patriot Act, campaigns against it. Voted for No Child Left Behind, campaigns against it. Voted for the China trade deal, campaigns against it. Voted for the Iraq war ¦ He uses my voting record exactly as his platform, even though he had the opposite voting record."

[Stand4oneAmerica]

John Edwards is truely the "voice for the voiceless". That voice, our voice, has been squelched by main stream media in an attempt to elevate the campaigns of the two (firsts) that will make the "big story", their political holy grail. The attitude of msm seems to be, screw the American people, we will tell them what they should think. Don't let them put another republican in the White House again, a vote for Obama or Clinton is playing right into there hands. We need a president that will stand up for all of America, and not just for the 1% club.

[ldelp84227]

I wish Edwards was doing better. He seems like a good candidate to me. Get rid of the lobbyist and corporations that are running the country. Hillary and Obama just don't do it for me. Linda

[pastgone]

Here's another vote for John Edwards. Go John Go!

[tbone99]

Why is Edwards pickin on lil' ol" corporations?

ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION, the federal minimum wage has fallen 42% since its peak in 1968.

IF THE $5.15 HOURLY minimum wage had risen at the same rate as CEO compensation since 1990, it would now stand at $23.03.

A MINIMUM WAGE employee who works 40 hours a week for 51 weeks a year goes home with $10,506 BEFORE taxes.

SUCH A WORKER would take 7,000 YEARS to earn Oracle CEO Larry Ellison"s yearly compensation.

THE $17,530 EARNED by the average Wal-Mart employee last year was $1,820 below the poverty line for a family of 4.

Maybe you can explain why people who work more than fulltime can't make enough to survive on , while CEO's need more than they can ever spend in several lifetimes?

[RISEUPAMERICA]

America says "Hell NO! No more status quo!

[pmorlan]

Anyone that hasn't seen the video from the California speech really needs to check it out. This is the best speech I think Edwards has done.

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5574

[Neaguy]

Without JRE as president no meaningful change will occur.

It really is that simple. Big business would not be giving all this money to the two political twins, Obama and Hillary, if they didn't view them as players.

They are "safe" to the interests of corporate power, therefore, no substantial changes in our lives can occur under either of these two corporate Democrats.

You might feel good for awhile, but after that the feeling will change to anger, frustration and contempt.

[rucognizant]

OK, Friendlyiran YOU ARE WAY out of line!
I am in the bottom % income wise. That's because this Admin is cooking the figures on SS as relative to inflated cost of living!
I am smart talented resourceful, experienced, and have run my own business ( successfully) all my life until the Reagan Bush recession of 1990.
Back when Govt. REGULATED things & corporations
paid 33% of the total taxes to the country, my husband's income was sufficient for a family of 4 with something like 50% of it left after expenses, to save, invest, spend on leisure activities ( which people had time for back then).
Now the corporations pay only 13% of the total in this country, the wealthy who don't have to work, got all kinds of tax breaks from Bush, ( as well as a mailing address in the Bahamas or Cayman ISlands), and my town clerk has 1/3 of her income taken from her weekly paycheck, EVERY SINGLE WEEK, leaving her with insuffience funds to pay for the increased oil gas, medical, food costs.
The most outstanding example of malefeasance by corporations, is the factory owner in LAwrence MA, old fashioned business owner....( how quaint) WHen the factory burned down , HE PAID HIS EMPLOYEE'S WAGES WHILE THE FACTORY WAS BEING REBUILT! WHEN IT WAS UP AND RUNNING AGAIN W's first recession, was in progress and he had difficulty in sustaining and had to sell the factory! The EVIL SCHMUCK who bought it; promptly moved it out of the country, except for 3 THREE employees! SO there you have it a brand new building gone to waste! American Integrity down the toilet! A sense of social responsibility a thing of the past.
It was reagan who brought us to this point; so by all mean s vote for Obama who compares himself to Reagan.? Don't claim you weren't warned! If you take the cellphones out of your ears and LISTEN: you can hear what people intend!

[MinerSam]

Maybe he didn't get some endorsements because some voters are well informed.

Edwards WAS A LOBBYIST for a hedge fund. Which is where he lauched his campaign. Money from 100 employees of that Hedge Fund.

He lobbied the Angella Merkel on behalf of his employers just when Germany wanted to make hedge funds more transparent.

And just when it was about to come out (in August) that he had invested $16Million of his $30M in sub prime mortgages under this funds...is when he began his screaming...and all those horrible ads, day after day after day on GE/TV

"Some sy that all we need is a Democrat in the White House. That's a LAA"

Edwards is a desparate man and in insult to any informed person.

But Obama is the George Bush candidate: Arrogant, ignorant, and a liar.

[zz4mula]

I did something very odd. I donated a meager sum to the Edwards fight. I could have used that money for more important needs. But i am starting to realize that it is money well spent. The media is shining up another barrel of rotten apples to America. They did it before. And we bit. The media doesn't have the "He's the guy I would like to sit down and have a beer with" type on this go round. I said it before in such that if Americans want to hand the keys to the whitehouse to any imbecile who they would like to have a beer with, make sure I am not sitting on the next barstool. Because I bet he would lose in a barfight.

[neworleanslady68]

"LA" is the state of Louisiana. Always. The city of Los Angeles is abbreviated "L.A." Perhaps some of you, including this blogger," think Los Angeles is the only "LA," but you're wrong. In fact, the ignorance about this distinction is so bad that one time, the U.S. postal service sent a carpet my grandfather had ordered to Los Angeles instead of Louisiana!

[RadCenter]

If you are the praying type, I hope you all will say a prayer for a miracle in Nevada tomorrow.

America needs John Edwards. Make it happen!