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Sen. Edwards Announces White House Run
AP
| 1/02/03
| REBECCA MILLER
Posted on 01/01/2003 11:16:22 PM PST by kattracks
RALEIGH, N.C., Jan 02, 2003 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Democratic Sen. John Edwards will run for president in 2004, telling guests at a party at his home Wednesday he will form an exploratory committee. The first-term senator from North Carolina told about 200 friends he will announce his plans publicly Thursday, said Walter Dellinger, a former U.S. solicitor general who attended the New Year's Day party. Edwards' guests gathered in his back yard while the senator thanked them for their support during his time in the Senate and in "what I'm going to do next." As he spoke, a loud cheer went up. "John was talking about where he wants to lead the country," Ed Turlington, a former state Democratic party executive director, said afterward in describing the announcement. "He asked for our support. Our answer was yes." Edwards' announcement gives him the jump on several of his colleagues in Congress who are also expected to join the Democratic field in 2004. Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry are already running, and associates expect Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt to announce he's running within the next week. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman is leaning toward a run, though he hasn't set a timetable for his decision. Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle is still talking with supporters with a plan to decide by mid-January, and Florida Sen. Bob Graham has said he will decide this month. Edwards, 49, a millionaire former trial lawyer, has spent months making the rounds at Democratic functions in Iowa, New Hampshire and elsewhere. Standing with his youngest children, 2-year-old son Jack and 4-year-old Emma Claire, Edwards said before the party started that his family was uppermost in his mind as he considered whether to run. "I've been thinking about North Carolina and the nation and what effect it's going to have on my family," he said. He is scheduled to appear on NBC's "Today" show Thursday morning to make his announcement official. He also has two fund-raisers scheduled for Saturday in Raleigh. Edwards would be up for Senate re-election in 2004, a factor that had to be weighed in making a decision on the presidential race. Edwards' move toward a run has drawn a lot of attention. He was an early hit with Democratic activists who saw him as telegenic and able to connect with voters. The last three Democratic presidents - Lyndon Johnson of Texas, Jimmy Carter of Georgia and Bill Clinton of Arkansas - have been from the South. Edwards grew up as the son of a textile mill employee, born in South Carolina but spending his teenage years in Robbins, N.C. He became a successful trial lawyer in Raleigh, winning personal injury cases against big companies and amassing a fortune of $14 million. --- Associated Press writers Ron Fournier in Washington and Scott Mooneyham in Raleigh contributed to this report. --- On the Net: Edwards' Senate Web site: http://edwards.senate.gov By REBECCA MILLER Associated Press Writer Copyright 2003 Associated Press, All rights reserved |
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TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: edwardswatch; investingstocks; moose; northcarolina; oldnorthstate; unhelpful
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To: snooter55
He was interviewed on Fox News today and ... oh, by the way, somebody has a sense of humor ... they have shown the clip of Mara Liaison drooling over him about 50 times ..
Anyway, somebody asked him about the fact that North Carolina voters are not in favor of his run, and he said, "oh, that's because they want me to stay as their Senator."
Bwahaaaa!
101
posted on
01/02/2003 9:53:19 AM PST
by
altura
To: PJ-Comix
You know, PJ, I think maybe ...
Well, you know, I believe you are right ...
PJ, you know, I'm pretty sure you are right, if I could recall.
102
posted on
01/02/2003 9:55:08 AM PST
by
altura
To: NCLaw441
He was just asked about a tax cut on FNN.
You will be amazed at his answer. He is in favor of tax help for the "middle-class" but not for the rich.
I pray for the day that some reporter will ask one of these bozos what they mean by middle-class?
Both my children pay huge taxes and they are certainly middle class, but I imagine that Edwards would push them on up into the richest Americans category and tax them some more. It's so ridiculous!
What an idiot he sounded like. And he's not that cute, either.
103
posted on
01/02/2003 10:01:27 AM PST
by
altura
To: AmishDude
AmishDude... they want a woman for VP in 2004. It'll be Hillary.
The dems want Kerry for the nomination. He looks like Abe Lincoln w/o the beard.
If you put Edwards next to Hillary, she looks like his aunt! It doesn't work.
Dems are a dog and pony show... no substance, all fluff.
104
posted on
01/02/2003 10:01:37 AM PST
by
johnny7
To: altura
"oh, that's because they want me to stay as their Senator."Good one, Johnny! I bet you've got a million of 'em.
THIS North Carolinian wants him to go, and the sooner the better!
FRegards...
CD
To: cyncooper; null and void
He declared that the clintons back Edwards and that he is considered a potential running mate for hillary. I don't think it's safe to have Hillary as a running mate
Hey Nully .. care to share your theory on this??
106
posted on
01/02/2003 10:02:01 AM PST
by
Mo1
To: Mo1
Hillary as VP.....are you suggesting that her co-president would commit Arkancide? :-)
Only in Arkansas......would a gunshot to the back of the head be ruled suicide and getting run over by a train be called 'natural causes'.
107
posted on
01/02/2003 10:07:17 AM PST
by
wbill
To: chimera
I have to agree with the gist of what you're saying about politicians.
But I will politely disagree with your assertion that George H. W. Bush was a good, decent man. To me, he was and always will be the epitome of an insincere, disappointing politician. He wasn't at the same level as Bill Clinton, for instance, but I just feel he let us down, and didn't really believe in what he claimed to stand for. His son is a politician, too, of course, but he has a much higher degree of sincerity and decency.
To: wbill
Would you take the chance with her as a running mate??
109
posted on
01/02/2003 10:09:45 AM PST
by
Mo1
To: altura
I pray for the day that some reporter will ask one of these bozos what they mean by middle-class? That is a very good question that a lamestream media reporter will never ask and a Rat will never answer. They will not answer it because they want to define "middle class" however they want to define it to achieve their aim of being elected to office.
Remember what the Rats and Clinton did back in '93 when they ran everything and rammed their tax increases through? Basically, it ended up being something like everyone earning about $20K a year or more was classified as "the rich" and got gigged for more taxes. The Rats are nothing if not expert practitioners of class envy/warfare. It becomes the have-nots against the have-gots, and the have-gots against the have-got-mores. Just pit everyone against everyone else and when the dust settles the Rats stand at the top of the debris pile.
110
posted on
01/02/2003 10:12:45 AM PST
by
chimera
To: johnny7
AmishDude... they want a woman for VP in 2004. It'll be Hillary.Hillary will second-fiddle to noone. I don't think they want a woman as VP. Shades of 1984.
The dems want Kerry for the nomination. He looks like Abe Lincoln w/o the beard.
This is true, but long after the war had taken its toll on Abe. I think the Dem powers that be want Kerry. He'll bring out the base for the lower offices on the ticket. Each Dem candidate needs something to make them appear moderate. All Edwards has is that he is from North Carolina (seriously!). Kerry has his war record, which still isn't going to be great with the whole medal-throwing incident.
Dems are a dog and pony show... no substance, all fluff.
I agree. I still think Edwards is gunning for VP, but Kerry would likely pick a minority. The only good choice would be Harold Ford, Jr. from Tennessee, but he's too young (born in May 1970). Look for an hispanic. Probably a nobody from the House.
To: Constitution Day
Oh Good Grief ..
I just saw a clip on Fox News of Ewards out side a white house ...
They are trying to make Edwards look like another RFK
How many kids does Edwards have??
112
posted on
01/02/2003 10:18:00 AM PST
by
Mo1
To: ihatemyalarmclock
Edwards gives me flashbacks. I swear to God he has Glen Campbell's 1969 hair.
ihatemyalarmclock..YOU NAILED IT !!!
113
posted on
01/02/2003 10:21:20 AM PST
by
Neenah
To: No Dems 2004
I agree that GWH Bush was certainly not an ideal choice for conservatives as a President or candidate, I think basically he is an honest person, at least moreso than any Rat out there. He served his country honorably in the military and in public service, and had some record of achievement while in office, kicking Saddam out of Kuwait while the Rats did nothing but whine and wring their hands. But he did too much of the go-along-to-get-along bit with the Rats and they stabbed him in the back for it the first chance they got. That the sheeple threw him out for a piece of scumwad like Clinton speaks more of the decadence and laziness of the electorate than any attribute of Clinton or shortcoming of Bush I.
114
posted on
01/02/2003 10:22:13 AM PST
by
chimera
To: Mo1
Yes...that is his million dollar house in Raleigh. Not to be confused with the new multi million dollar house he just bought in DC (and some do not think he will run for Senator again...HA!). And don't forget the house on Figure 8 Island....an EXCLUSIVE community at the beach....
He has three living children and one son who died a couple of years ago in an auto accident....
To: kattracks
Don't
IRREGULAR people need a "champion"?
(Aren't a lot of old people "irregular"?)
That "regular people need a champion" sounds like a typical trial lawyer TV commercial script!
To: Mo1
Per
WRAL in Raleigh:
EDWARDS INFO
- AGE-BIRTH DATE: 49; June 10, 1953
- EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree, N.C. State University; law degree, UNC-Chapel Hill
- EXPERIENCE: Trial lawyer in Nashville, Tenn., and in Raleigh, N.C., for more than 20 years; elected to Senate in 1998.
- FAMILY: Wife, Elizabeth Anania Edwards; three children. They lost teenage son Wade in 1996 in a traffic accident. Edwards wears an Outward Bound pin on his suit coat constantly in honor of his son.
- QUOTE: "People are hungry for new ideas to solve problems they have in their lives."
To: JohnHuang2
You may not remember 20+ years ago when a completely unknown governor from a relatively insignificant Southern state threw his hat into the ring. The press said, "Jimmy who?" in response. No one took his candidacy seriously. But "Jimmy Who?" Carter was elected and showed the world what an idiot he truly is while trying to single-handedly destroy the country.
Then, in 1992, a completely unknown governor from a relatively insignificant Southern state threw his hat into the ring. For the first few months of the campaign it looked as if there were no way that he could win because he had such high negatives. No one took his candidacy seriously. But slick willie went on to win and then get re-elected.
Never underestimate someone with charisma and the backing of the press. Conservatives are only in office until they lose sight of what's important, which happens soon after they get in office, usually.
To: Constitution Day; AlwaysLurking; PJ-Comix
AlwaysLurking...YOU NAILED IT !!
119
posted on
01/02/2003 10:36:58 AM PST
by
Neenah
To: webstersII
I'd be a lot more worried about Edwards if he were governor of North Carolina. Clinton and Carter were both governors and had executive experience. Edwards has no such experience.
120
posted on
01/02/2003 10:41:48 AM PST
by
mwl1
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