John Edwards sounds populist themes in speech [mega-barf]

Durham Herald-Sun [Durham, N.C.] ^ | May 29, 2003 | BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer

[Constitution Day]

John Edwards sounds populist themes in speech

By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer
May 29, 2003   8:43 am

SAN FRANCISCO -- Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards sounded a populist critique of President Bush's economic policies Wednesday, attacking the $350 billion tax cut just signed into law and vowing to invest instead in education and targeted tax relief for middle-class Americans.

"The president should not, today, be celebrating passage of tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the country," Edwards told the Bar Association of San Francisco, "when at the same time he has fought against providing help to working families, providing tax relief to working families, trying to make available unemployment coverage for over a million Americans who have lost jobs or have no jobs through absolutely no fault of their own."

Edwards, who made millions as a trial lawyer before running for the U.S. Senate from North Carolina in 1998, cast himself as a political everyman, the son of a mill worker who grew up in rural America and understands the problems of working people struggling to make ends meet.

"I come from a really different background than President Bush," Edwards said. "He has not spent 30 seconds since he was elected to the White House thinking about people like my dad -- thinking about people who worked in that mill with my father."

Edwards stuck largely to populist themes throughout his remarks, while making occasional nods to his audience -- most of whom live in the famously liberal San Francisco Bay Area. He warned that "a woman's right to choose is in jeopardy every single day the president is in the White House," and reaffirmed his support for legislation to prevent discrimination against gays and lesbians, and extend benefits to same sex domestic partners.

Still, Edwards cautioned the audience that despite the importance of California to any Democratic presidential candidate's electoral vote calculus, the party would not win the White House without carrying at least a few Southern and rural states.

"We cannot treat the rest of America as a place we fly over between New York to California," he said.

While Edwards has made many fund raising trips to California since launching his presidential bid, the speech was one of his first major public events in this politically active area.

"I think he knows he needs to prove himself," said Martha Whetstone, executive director of the Bar Association.

Republicans, who have repeatedly cited Edwards' history as a trial lawyer when calling for tort reform legislation, were quick to pounce on his appearance before this group.

"It's not surprising that Sen. Edwards is so at ease with this crowd since he is bought and paid for by trial lawyers," said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt.

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[Constitution Day]

What a pantload!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Was Edwards included in Iowa Governor Vilsack's top three list the other day ?

[Constitution Day]

Indexing to Edwards Watch...

[milan]

Who's John Edwards?

[Constitution Day]

I don't know what you mean, sorry. (I'm from NC)

[Constitution Day]

LOL. I wish he was STILL an unknown.

[ken5050]

Can you give us an update on the local rumors at to whether or not he refiles for Senator...I understand that NC allows him to run for both..but seeing as he's already pretty unpopular back home..if he refiled for the Senate without giving up the WH, that'd pretty much be the kiss of death....

[Russ]

"He has not spent 30 seconds since he was elected to the White House thinking about people like my dad..."

1. How do you, Sen. Edwards, know what the President has been thinking about?

2. He was elected to the office of Preisdent, not the White House. The White House is his residence, stupid!

3. And you, Senator Edwards, have not spent 30 seconds thinking period!

Now I feel better!!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The governor of Iowa was discussing the first in the nation Iowa caucuces. He said Gephart, Kerry and one other candidate were the front runners. I don't remember hearing Edwards' name in the guv's list.

[Constitution Day]

Can you give us an update on the local rumors at to whether or not he refiles for Senator...

I have no idea. How about you, Howlin?

[Constitution Day]

I don't remember hearing Edwards' name in the guv's list.

Not surprising. I think his poll #s are in the single digits.

[Capt. Jake]

Hey Edwards-You are a multi-millionaire. Take care of your dad yourself. Don't rely on government, i.e. the rest of us, to do what you should do.

[Howlin]

He warned that "a woman's right to choose is in jeopardy every single day the president is in the White House," and reaffirmed his support for legislation to prevent discrimination against gays and lesbians, and extend benefits to same sex domestic partners.

Write that down; it will be very useful when Mr. Edwards slinks back to NC begging us to let him keep his job.

[Howlin]

3. And you, Senator Edwards, have not spent 30 seconds thinking period!

One place HE hasn't spent 30 seconds in the last year is North Carolina.

[lwd]

"We cannot treat the rest of America as a place we fly over between New York to California," he said.

New York and California? What ever happened to North Carolina? This guy is pathetic.

[Howlin]

I believe he has until January to decide to file for the Senate; that being said, I did hear something about a date in November being a date to watch because it was the last date for file for some primary. I can't remember right now what the entire report says. Maybe I can find it.

[Howlin]

I did hear on Jerry Agar that his "friends" think he will run for one or the other, but not both; for whatever THAT is worth.

[Constitution Day]

Thanks! I haven't been able to listen to Agar lately and I knew you would know something.

[Mamzelle]

Still think this may be the guy we have to beat--he engenders in me the same kind of ick-factor that Clinton did...that, "Nobody could take this goon seriously" that I had to eat, later.

[Constitution Day]

he engenders in me the same kind of ick-factor that Clinton did...that, "Nobody could take this goon seriously" that I had to eat, later.

I feel the same way.
Lots of people see him as an empty suit, but I think he is very smart, very determined and very dangerous.

We underestimate him at this nation's peril.

[gonewt]

Edwards is a joke. The guy hasn't spent 30 seconds thinking about his OWN constituents. Instead, he's been running for president & doing whatever he can to further the lawyers' grip on our society.

[ken5050]

FWIW, I don't think he wants to run for the Senate again...look, he'll spend the next 4 years in the Judiciary Committee, fighting against Bush's nominees....not much fun....but if he withdraws..it virtually gives the seat to the GOP..which then means that the Dems have zewro hope of retaking the Senate, not that they really do, but it will really hurt the Dems in their fund raising and ability to recruit candidates in other races....it's the same with Hollings....he's not running...he's retiring...now he's playing out this charade with his "wife" in public..because once he announces his retirement..the seat is automatically GOP...not that's it's a given that he could even hold it.....and that would also impact Dem fund raising and candidate recruitment...

[kenmor]

John Edwards and Bernie Sanders are both from the same mold.

[milan]

I have to say, I haven't really seen much of the democrat jokers on TV. They really don't have a candidate that is standing out. Good!

[JohnnyZ]

Vilsack's Top Three were Gephardt, Kerry, and Dean.

Although Holy Joe Lieberman has been on a roll lately. Edwards, not so much. :)

[Eric in the Ozarks]

What ? No Bisignano's

[jagrmeister]

Edwards is a faux populist who has made millions bankrupting honest businesses with trumped-up charges. He is a shady trial lawyer who has few if any political accomplishments. He has no vision for America but an excess of demagougery which is not populism as much as it is the language that accompanies socialism.

[jagrmeister]

Edwards is a faux populist who has made millions bankrupting honest businesses with trumped-up charges. He is a shady trial lawyer who has few if any political accomplishments. He has no vision for America but an excess of demagougery which is not populism as much as it is the language that accompanies socialism.

[jagrmeister]

One more thing: America was not made great by lawyers. Certainly not personal-injury trial lawyers. There are a lot of hard working entrepreneurs, who put their heart and soul into making the world a better place, who filed Chapter 7 because of Edwards. Lawyers tear down, they do not create. Edwards is a millionaire who lives in a mansion built on the blood, sweat, and tears of the American entrepreneur.

[mabelkitty]

"Populist" another phrase meaning "Tell the people what they want to hear, whether you mean it or not"

[lugsoul]

Remember that you said that the next time you hold up the Founding Fathers for reverence. More than a couple of them were lawyers. Ditto Lincoln.

[jagrmeister]

This is where paying attention to the post matters. Notice I referenced personal injury lawyers: Lincoln was not an ambulance-chaser.

[lugsoul]

At least be intellectually honest. You referenced trial lawyers as a subset of those who did not make America great. The set was lawyers. "America was not made great by lawyers." Your words. If you want to claim that you were limiting your contention to your later reference, do a little research and tell me about how lawyers in the colonies were divided up into specialties and practiced in narrow fields. Or even in Lincoln's time. Are you now going to claim that Lincoln didn't handle any tort cases? A little research will show how obviously incorrect that assertion is.

A simple truth - you can't have a nation of laws without lawyers. If you don't like the rule of law, lawyers are quite troublesome.

[yoe]

Did he say anything new? Tax cut for the rich...wrong!
Invest in education...we have!
"...reaffirmed his support for legislation to prevent discrimination against gays and lesbians, and extend benefits to same sex domestic partners......blahblahblahblah........

John Edwards the trial lawyer and that folks is the end of the story!

[jagrmeister]

Is it asking too much for you to think critically when reading a post? I was referencing Edwards, who is a personal injury trial lawyer. Lincoln was not a personal injury lawyer. I don't know what the nature of such lawyers were a hundred years ago, but today they appear in sleazy television ads during the day so that the lazy can sue their former employers and get rich overnight. No, America was not made great by lawyers carrying out their trade; Lincoln did not make his mark on America in the legal profession, but as a statesman. Lastly, I find your little syllogism on law and lawyers rather humorous. Lawyers do not navigate through the thicket of laws to discern the truth, they exploit loopholes to bring justice to the wealthiest client. A system of arbitration ought to be set up that equals the playing field and minimized abuse of the court system.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

"The president should not, today, be celebrating passage of tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the country,"

Edwards, who made millions as a trial lawyer before running for the U.S. Senate from North Carolina in 1998,

TYPICAL RAT HYPOCRISY

[lugsoul]

"Lawyers do not navigate through the thicket of laws to discern the truth, they exploit loopholes to bring justice to the wealthiest client"

Are you again referring only to some subset of lawyers that you don't identify? Or is this statement generally applicable, as written?

You have no room to urge critical thought on anyone. You have so little understanding of our justice system that it is not worth debating what you think is wrong with it. But let me give you a little hint - lawyers do not decide cases. Judges decide some, juries decided some. If you have a problem with the decisions made by our judicial system, perhaps you should start with the decision-makers.