Posted on 05/05/2002 1:59:19 PM PDT by jern
Observer Washington Bureau
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COLUMBIA - Flanked by his extended family, Sen. John Edwards delivered a speech Saturday morning to a hall full of Democrats, laying out his populist vision of America and taking on President Bush.
The speech capped a weekend spent by Edwards and another Democratic presidential contender, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., at the state party's annual convention.
South Carolina is crucial for whoever wants the Democratic nomination to challenge President Bush in 2004.
It is the nation's third party contest, after Iowa and New Hampshire. In addition, South Carolina will be important because it will indicate whether a candidate has the ability to capture Southern votes, crucial to any Democrat wanting to win the White House.
South Carolina, where Edwards was born and lived before moving with his family to Robbins, N.C., as a boy, is particularly important for Edwards because he could get recognition early by winning in the state even though he's hardly known anywhere else in the country.
Edwards was introduced by South Carolina's longtime junior senator, Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, who pointed out that John C. Calhoun, Strom Thurmond, and even he himself were among S.C. sons who had run for president and failed.
"We got a South Carolinian who can go all the way," Hollings shouted to the cheering crowd. "This fella was born in South Carolina."
The previous night at the annual dinner, Hollings gave an equally laudatory introduction for Kerry, praising Kerry's Vietnam War record.
Edwards' parents and extended family -- many of whom still live in South Carolina -- were seated at the front of the hall beside the stage.
Saying he'd spent his career as a trial lawyer to give voiceless people a voice, Edwards blasted health-care bureaucrats, lobbyists and pharmaceutical companies.
"For 20 years, I walked into the courtroom and fought for the little guy," he said.
He also flexed his muscles for the crowd by taking on Bush, blaming him for a poor economy and a lackluster education system and even blaming him for not doing enough to rebuild Afghanistan.
"Our rural economy is in shambles," Edwards said. "I am here to tell you that the president is not doing anything about it."
After the speech, Edwards left the hall for a private jet that waited to fly him to Michigan for more speeches and fund-raising.
He will return to Washington by this morning in time to make "Meet the Press" for a half-hour interview. It's his first solo appearance on the show and the first time the topic has been strictly John Edwards and his meteoric rise to become one of the most talked-about presidential contenders for 2004 among political activists.
Earlier Saturday morning, Edwards had headlined a $1,000-a-plate breakfast for trial lawyers, who have contributed more than $1 million to Edwards' first Senate race account and his political action committee.
Never mind? LOL Now I feel foolish. AM, would you terribly mind nixing my post above?
Yeah, it took 30 years to destroy our education system and it's Bush's fault that, with a Dem Senate, he hasn't rebuilt it in 15 months.
LOL. I am sure that issue is all the rage in SC.
Once his voting record is known in the South, he will stand about as much chance as Hillary does in carrying southern states in '04.
Unfortunately, the press is behind him because he is as slick as Bubba and as photogenic as JFK.
We're not done bombing the place - are we?
If a more adept FReeper than me wanted to post it up (just the column, without the "Billybob's Say-So," I'd appreciate it. And other Freepers might also.
Somebody has to speak against this boomlet for yet another ethics-challenged lawyer for President of the United States. It's the second link below.
Congressman Billybob
Click here to fight Campaign Finance "Reform/".
Click here for latest: "President John Edwards -- Think About It."
BTW, did you see the Elon University Poll concerning Edwards?
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