IowaPolitics.com BlogWatch

On January 3, 2008, roughly 240,000 Iowans attended Democratic precinct caucuses, and at least 90,000 of them ended up in Barack Obama's corner. However we felt about Obama during the primaries or the general election campaign, whatever we think about his substantive and symbolic actions since the election, we can all agree that he would not be taking the oath of office tomorrow if Iowa caucus-goers had put him in third place, or even a distant second. I started writing this diary several times last year. I kept abandoning it because emotions were so raw on Democratic blogs that I felt the piece would only ignite a flamewar. Since more than a year has passed, I decided to try one more time. I do not mean to start an argument or pretend that I have all the answers. I just enjoy thinking about counterfactual history. ... When I asked former staffers and volunteers an open-ended question about what might have changed the outcome in Iowa, nine times out of ten the first thing people brought up was the failure to anticipate how large the voter universe would be. Howard Dean's new-voter strategy had flopped, and most experienced hands assumed that Obama's would fail too.

Labels: Barack_Obama, Hillary_Clinton, John_Edwards

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack says the revelation of two-time
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' infidelity has
destroyed the North Carolinian's career. And it won't be easily
forgiven in a public sense, Vilsack, a Democrat, said in an interview
during a fund-raiser for 5th District congressional candidate Rob
Hubler at Crossroads Bistro in Carroll. "It's extraordinarily
disappointing," Vilsack said. "His public career, I suspect, has been
damaged irreparably -- as it should." In an interview with ABC News
and in a subsequent statement, Edwards admitted to having an affair
with a former New York City socialite who shot videos for his
campaign.

Labels: John_Edwards, Tom_Vilsack

A top aide to Hillary Clinton says if revelations about John Edwards'
extramarital affair had come out before the Iowa caucuses, Hillary
Clinton would be the presumptive nominee today. That's impossible to
definitively answer, of course. But a caucus night survey indicates
that most Edwards caucus goers had a second choice other than Clinton,
and his absence would likely have meant a bigger Iowa win for Barack
Obama. "I believe we would have won Iowa, and Clinton today would
therefore have been the nominee," if Edwards had dropped out before
Iowa, former Clinton Communications Director Howard Wolfson told ABC
News.

Labels: Hillary_Clinton, John_Edwards

"I would anticipate that this will help Obama's case with what has
been his weakest area lately -- working-class white voters," Dave
Redlawsk told Iowa Independent when he learned of John Edwards'
anticipated endorsement of Barack Obama. Redlawsk is both a University
of Iowa political science professor and a national delegate for
Edwards. Several sources reported Wednesday afternoon that Edwards is
expected to endorse Obama tonight at a Grand Rapids, Mich., joint
appearance. "At the same time, it probably makes no real difference at
this point in the primary campaign," Redlawsk added. "I would expect
Edwards to campaign actively for whoever was the nominee in any case."

Labels: Barack_Obama, John_Edwards

John Edwards is out of the race. Surprised? He stuck it out long
enough to make it through Florida. Why? Would the bills have been too
high with too little return for him to stay in the race to compete in
Tsunami Tuesday on Feb. 5th. Surely his endorsement will now be the
most talked about/sought after voice of support around Democratic
circles. It's difficult, dare I say, almost impossible, to see him
endorsing Clinton. But will he go out in public to say he's an Obama
guy now? If he doesn't, will that effectively help Clinton? Edwards
would never tell me he HAD to win the Iowa Caucuses. But I never
bought it.

Labels: John_Edwards, Rudy_Giuliani

As John Edwards' campaign is seemingly being pushed to the sidelines,
I have got to ask, who will stick up for the majority of Americans who
are suffering from economic injustice? Is it the American way to stick
our heads in the sand and ignore the millions of Americans who are
without insurance, without jobs or with jobs with diminished futures,
with houses that are likely to be repossessed and public assistance
that is rapidly eroding? It can be said that John Edwards may be the
wrong messenger to tell this story, after all, he is not in that boat.
But at least he is telling the truth about what really matters in our
great nation.

Labels: John_Edwards

Barack Obama is sitting pretty ten days before the Nevada caucuses,
having snagged the endorsements of the Nevada chapter of the Service
Employees International Union as well as the Culinary workers and
their parent union, UNITE HERE. UNITE HERE is the first national union
to endorse Obama. In September, the national SEIU was very close to
endorsing Edwards, but backed off and left the decision to state
chapters. Since then, 11 state chapters of the SEIU have backed
Edwards, and four or five have backed Obama.

Labels: Barack_Obama, John_Edwards

Earlier today someone called asking for my husband (mispronouncing his
name). I offered to take a message, and she said she'd call back
later. She called back during dinner. We took the call, and once he
realized what kind of poll it was, my husband put it on speakerphone
so that I could listen. After the jump I've put the questions as
closely as we can remember them... Are you a registered Democrat? Yes.
How certain are you that you will participate in the Iowa caucuses on
January 3 (range of answers provided).

Labels: Barack_Obama, John_Edwards, polling

With the Iowa Caucuses now a mere eight days away, it is certain that
we will receive many more phone calls like the one we received on
Christmas Eve that begins with - Them: Hi, I'm Suzy Sunshine and I'm a
volunteer for Senator Parasite. Do you know who you'll be caucusing
for? Me: John Edwards Them: John Edwards? Did you know that Senator
Parasite is for free chocolate and eternal youth? John Edwards voted
against free chocolate. Me: Well, that is something to consider, but
I'm still committed to John Edwards. Them: Can you tell me why?

Labels: caucus, John_Edwards

This late afternoon and early evening, I attended a campaign townhall
meeting in Le Mars, IA for former North Carolina Senator John Edwards.
This is about the fourth or fifth time that I've seen Edwards while
he's been here in Iowa this time around, but I can tell you that he
has not started growing on me in any way. I certainly find him not to
espouse very many positions that I believe in, that's for sure. The
event was held in the Plymouth County Historical Museum. Interestingly
enough, this is the third major event held in that building in the
last week. Since the building is the old high school, there is an old
gymnasium there.

Labels: John_Edwards

As I said back when it came out, if Edwards is really limited to the
rules of the public finance system, he is finished. Having only $50
million through mid-August to go up against a Republican candidate
sure to have well over $200 million is a debilitating disadvantage for
the Democrats, and one that can be entirely avoided by supporting one
of the other candidates. However, there have been developments with
the story - not all specifically linked to Edwards. The first is that
it turns out there won't be money to pay for the public financing in
January. Instead, candidates will begin to get payments as tax
receipts come in, and will probably receive their first disbursements
in March, when the nomination will almost certainly have been settled.

Labels: John_Edwards

11:39 and hello from downtown Iowa City. Regular civilian caucusgoers
are just entering the room -- they were lined up to fill the lobby,
but the larger than usual press corps was let in early. Tim Robbins is
Iowa City's second Oscar winning campaigner this year; Barack Obama
sent Forrest Whitaker to the county party barbecue in October. He's
no Oprah, but still Hollywood A list or at least A minus list. Room is
rapidly filling up toward a 200 or so capacity. (My own precinct
caucus Jan. 3 will be in this very room, so I have one small brain
lobe thinking Jan. 3 logistics.)

Labels: John_Edwards

John Edwards stopped in Marshalltown on Monday evening on the first
day of his 8 day bus tour across Iowa. Edwards spoke in front of 154
people at Marshalltown High School. A long time Marshalltown Democrat
and former county chair told me this was the first time a presidential
candidate has come to the High School. This was my 8th time seeing
Sen. Edwards and I noticed some differences tonight compared to past
speeches. First, the message was toned down. A couple months ago the
headlines were about John Edwards being too angry. Tonight, Edwards
took the high road and even joked about the silly campaign antics of
Clinton and Obama arguing about a Kindergarten essay.

Labels: John_Edwards

Barack Obama, John Edwards, and Hillary Clinton have all released caucus training videos for the Iowa Caucuses. Obama has also released a Nevada Caucus training video. Each video has its strengths and weaknesses, and here I'm going to use my subjective rating system and rate each of the three videos in four categories, Creativity, New Media Savvy, Effectiveness and how informative is it. One video, in my opinion, stood out as being the best by far - read below to see which one it was.

Labels: Barack_Obama, caucus, Hillary_Clinton, John_Edwards

... it is right that people haven't made up their minds about where they will hang their hats on caucus night. Think about it, in 2004 Howard Dean had amassed a formidable lead with less than a month to the caucus, now the "surge" seems to be edging farther away from Hillary's camp and more toward Obama's, at least according to the latest polls. What is largely missed in the Clinton/Obama saga is the continued stable support for John Edwards. What people see in Edwards I suspect is a leader who will fight for them and experience in running against the Republicans -- remembering that he was the other half of the ticket that rang up 49% of the popular vote in 2004. I suspect that some, myself included, thought we had the ticket upside down then, and now believe that Edwards will give us our best chance to delineate ourselves from the Republicans who have won the south heavily in past elections.

Labels: John_Edwards

... "I invited all the presidential candidates to come to this," said Dave Loebsack, but he was happy enough to get two contenders for his "birthday" fundraiser Saturday in Cedar Rapids. Joe Biden and John Edwards addressed an ebbing and flowing crowd that averaged 200 to 250. "I haven't decided whether I'm going to endorse anyone or not," Loebsack told Iowa Independent. "I don't know if I'm going to or not, but if I do I'll certainly think about it long and hard. I've been getting a lot of calls from a lot of people, as I'm sure you might imagine." Loebsack, long active in caucus politics before his 2006 election to Congress, supported Bill Bradley in 2000 and Howard Dean in 2004.

Labels: Dave Loebsack, Joe_Biden, John_Edwards

This afternoon and early evening, I attended former North Carolina
Senator John Edwards' "townhall" in Iowa State University's Memorial
Union. I've seen Edwards three or four times this year and I have to
say that his campaign puts on a good show. The crowd was so large that
they had to open up into another room by removing a collapsable wall.
Sitting next to my good friend Jordan Navara, we estimated that there
was approximately 500 people in attendance. Definitely a very solid
crowd for Edwards. His campaign aids are often dressed very similarly
to him in terms of being more casual with the dress shirts and blue
jeans and they often put up gigantic American flags with big vertical
light blue banners displaying "Edwards".

Labels: John_Edwards

John Edwards addressed the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council
Thursday night, focusing on trade issues but touching on several other
global hot spots. 6:03 and Team Edwards is in Serious Speech mode. No
hoopla, few signs, no music. We know this event is finite because some
of the local Edwardians report seeing an MSNBC crew setting up near
this event. Edwards is scheduled for a Keith Olbermann interview
between 7 and 8 Iowa time. Efficient Mark McCullogh hand out the
prepared remarks and an unfortunate blast of feedback starts the
formalities.

Labels: John_Edwards

This blog has predicted that the top three GOP finishers in the Iowa
caucuses will be Romney, Huckabee, and Giuliani and a new CBS poll
confirms this. Huckabee continues to be the consensus choice for
conservatives not rallying to Romney with Thompson now fading fast.
However, the poll does point out that immigration is the top issue
among GOP caucus attendees. We've already talked about Huckabee's
support for the "dream act"... Romney will probably start talking about
it as well.

Labels: John_Edwards, Mike_Huckabee

Far from the national media, loud music, hoopla and sign wars of last
night's Jefferson-Jackson dinner, John Edwards stepped into a
quintessential Iowa caucus setting Sunday afternoon. A lone acoustic
guitar player was playing Eagles songs at the Eagles Lodge in Iowa
City in front of a bingo board at a fundraiser for two courthouse
officials who've endorsed Edwards - Supervisor Terrence Neuzil and
Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek. Joe Trippi, the Edwards adviser who seems to
be traveling with the candidate more and more lately, notes Barack
Obama's good reviews. "I think most people would agree that Obama and
Edwards did really well," Trippi tells me.

Labels: John_Edwards

I posted this on Daily Kos yesterday and meant to post it here, but
didn't get around to it. Here are my final rankings of the speeches at
the Jefferson Jackson Dinner... 1. Barack Obama - This was the 5th
time seeing Obama in person and he gave the passionate, strong speech
I have heard. Most in attendance would say he was one of the best and
the press, including David Yepsen, declared him the winner too. 2.
John Edwards - Led off the night with a riproaring speech that fired
up the crowd. However, he was probably hurt by going first on a long
night of speeches. He didn't get the media bump, but the 9,000 likely
caucus goers left impressed with Edwards.

Labels: Barack_Obama, John_Edwards

Labels: Barack_Obama, Bill_Richardson, Chet_Culver, Chris_Dodd, Hillary_Clinton, IDP, Joe_Biden, John_Edwards, Tom_Harkin

An oft-overlooked interest group in Iowa that could have an important
impact on the Democratic Iowa Caucuses is Caucus4Priorities, the
political endorsement arm of Iowans for Sensible Priorities. The
group, founded and bankrolled by Ben and Jerry (of Ben & Jerry's ice
cream fame), has had a visible presence here this campaign cycle for
longer than any other group. More than 10,000 Iowans have signed
pledges to only caucus for candidates who support "sensible
priorities," which means cutting pentagon spending to pay for domestic
programs like health care and education. Those 10,000 caucus goers
could comprise between 5% and 10% of the Democratic electorate.

Labels: John_Edwards

Last night's Democratic Debate in Philadelphia provided the most
dialogue. Along with the YouTube Debate, this one was the best debate
so far this election. Here are my thoughts on the winners and losers
of the debate... Winners: Chris Dodd - He seemed the most presidential
and stressed his leadership and experience. He successfully drew
distinctions with Clinton and questioned her electability without
sounding like he was on the attack. He mentioned the need for public
financing of campaigns. John Edwards - He pressed Clinton all night on
her double talk on numerous issues and stayed on message. He made
strong points against the culture of Washington dominated by lobbyists
and special interests and tied that to Clinton's campaign. He had a
great line about Hillary's vote on Iran.

Labels: Chris_Dodd, John_Edwards

Former Sen. John Edwards was midway through his speech inside a
crowded firehouse here last week when audience member Eunice McCarty
nudged the man sitting next to her. He was a Republican, and McCarty
wanted him to know he had just been caught at a Democratic
presidential candidate's event. The man didn't applaud much, but at
least he paid attention, she said. "After all the things, they may be
willing to listen at least," she figured. In this far-flung,
northwestern corner of Iowa, it's "almost kind of scary" to be
anything but a Republican, she said. Lyon County, which touches South
Dakota and Minnesota, gave President Bush 78 percent of the vote in
2004. It's part of the big, red, rural block that Bush used to eke out
the narrowest of victories in the Hawkeye State that year.

Labels: John_Edwards

I sat in on a conference call hosted by the John Edwards campaign
yesterday. The purpose of the call was to trumpet Edwards' winning the
endorsement of the Iowa chapter of the SEIU, comprised of about 2,000
members statewide. Among the participants were national campaign
manager and former congressman David Bonior, communications director
Chris Kofinis, Iowa state director Jennifer O'Malley-Dillon, and other
senior staff. After detailed expository remarks about the importance
of gaining the endorsement of the SEIU's Iowa chapter, and hinting at
additional endorsements to follow later in the day (indeed, nine more
SEIU state chapters followed the Iowa chapter's lead in endorsing
Edwards before the day was out), the Edwards staff threw the call open to Q&A.

Labels: John_Edwards

John Edwards picked up the endorsement of the Iowa branch of the
local Service Employees International Union (SEIU) at a Monday event
at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. That much
was expected, but Edwards also rolled out the endorsement of SEIU
locals in several other states. The national union did not endorse
because Edwards did not reach a 60% threshold required by union rules.
I liveblogged this over at Iowa Independent, here it is again: 4:53
and with a little assist I'm live at the UIowa's Eckstein Medical
Research Lab for the Iowa SEIU endorsement of John Edwards.

Labels: John_Edwards

John Edwards won the backing of Friends of the Earth Action, the San
Francisco-based political arm of Friends of the Earth. In endorsing
Edwards, the president of Friends of the Earth Action, Brent
Blackwelder, said he was particularly impressed by how early in the
campaign Edwards laid out proposals to reduce carbon emissions by 80
percent by 2050, push for a global climate change treaty and create 1
million new jobs by investing in clean, renewable energy. Edwards has
pushed other candidates to either match or improve upon his ideas,
said Blackwelder, who announced the endorsement with Edwards at a
house party in Dover.

Labels: John_Edwards

Adam B. at Daily Kos has a very good post on what accepting public
financing means for John Edwards. I am going to try to summarize and
correct where I think he is wrong. He is a lawyer and I am not, but I
still think I'm correct. 1. The overall expenditure cap for Edwards
will theoretically be a little over $42 million. He can also spend up
to 20% on top of that ($8.5 million or thereabouts) for fundraising
expenses. The definition of fundraising expenses is pretty broad, so
he would certainly max that number out, giving him an effective cap of
maybe $51 million. Any money he spends on legal stuff (compliance,
etc.) doesn't count at all. 2. His Iowa maximum expenditure is
theoretically going to be around $1.5 million.

Labels: John_Edwards

In August, before the Daily Kos convention, John Edwards walked the
line with striking hotel workers in Chicago. With 73,000 of the UAW
striking against General Motors, the question is, will Edwards join
them too? Earlier this month in Des Moines Edwards is quoted as having
said, ``I want to be the president who walks down the White House lawn
and says the word union, who walks down the White House lawn and makes
certain that America understands the importance of the organized labor
movement in the history of America.'' Edwards also said he has shown
his support for labor and ``over 200 times over the past few years I
have walked picket lines, worked personally in organizing campaigns,
worked with employers to get them to open the process of union
organizing in their personal business.''

Labels: John_Edwards

Labels: Bill_Richardson, Chris_Dodd, Hillary_Clinton, Joe_Biden, John_Edwards

Iowa women make up one-third of a newly announced committee within the John Edwards for President campaign. "I am pleased to announce today
our campaign's Statewide Steering Committee," Edwards said in a
prepared statement. "They are a widely respected group of leaders from
law enforcement to labor to education. They include elected officials,
party activists, community leaders and others who share my commitment
to real change and are ready to go to work to make it happen." The
list, touted by the campaign as reflecting the "diversity and depth"
of their organizational support in Iowa, contains the names of 74
Democratic party officials and activists -- 24 of them women. Looking
down the list, however, newly aligned supporters are a rarity. That
being said, the Edwards campaign is hardly the first to recycle
supporter names from previous announcements, endorsements and
committee formations.

Labels: John_Edwards

The John Edwards campaign announced today their statewide leadership
committee that includes some current State Legislators. Many of these
are news to me. Keith Kreiman, State Senator, Bloomfield, Davis
County. Geri Huser, State Representative, Des Moines, Polk County. Wes
Whitead, State Representative, Sioux City, Woodbury County. Kurt
Swaim, State Representative, Bloomfield, Davis County. Ro Foege, State
Representative, Mount Vernon, Linn County. Art Staed, State
Representative, Cedar Rapids, Linn County. Andrew Wenthe, State
Representative, Hawkeye, Fayette County.

Labels: John_Edwards

Former Sen. John Edwards threw down the gauntlet to reporters riding his campaign bus in central Iowa on Monday. He and his wife, Elizabeth Edwards, were talking about how they've learned to keep campaign speeches short here in the Hawkeye State, because in Iowa, the "real meat" of the meet-and-greet sessions comes in the question-and-answer periods. ... So the challenge was issued. Could the reporters come up with something original? We tried -- starting with a co-questioner who wanted to know if the senator had a habit of being late. (They had started the day more than an hour late that morning, but the senator and the inquiring mind disagreed about whether it was a regular thing.) Keep reading to see other attempts at asking something new.

Labels: John_Edwards

On Saturday Elizabeth Edwards dropped by the Democratic State Central
Committee meeting in Des Moines to thank Iowa Democrats for their hard
work and attention to the issues. "We want to applaud you for all the
work you do because it is important for us," Edwards said. "The work
you do is particularly important to the Edwards campaign because you
help people find ways to be informed." In addition to patting local
activists on the back, she provided an update on the status of the
campaign in Iowa. "It helps to have been here before and it helps to
know the process," Edwards said. "You don't spend time dancing around
in Iowa. This is an organization state. I'm really pleased that John
has 99 county chairs in addition to 99 rural county chairs. I'm not
sure of the exact numbers on caucus chairs, but I know that we are
doing well there as well." The Edwards Campaign, she says, is working
to bring currently uninvolved citizens to the process.

Labels: John_Edwards

The CNN/YouTube debate had an interesting format with some good
questions from the public (and a few clunkers) and more sparks between
the candidates that earlier debates, particularly on the war. Hop over
to Iowa Independent's comments section for more live insights from
Dien Judge, T.M. Lindsey, Lynda Waddington and Ben Weyl. 8:19 My
biggest surprise of the night: Obama's nuclear power remarks. Edwards
had the best candidate video: getting a laugh with the haircut
reference, then turning it around to mock the mockery and ask what's
really important. Worst: Kucinich for repeating TEXT PEACE TEXT PEACE
TEXT PEACE way too many times. 8:11 CNN says their focus group calls
the leaders Obama, Biden, Edwards in that order. The pundits liked
Clinton's tough answer on the "would you talk to the dictators"
question.

Labels: Barack_Obama, John_Edwards

Former Sen. John Edwards might be leading most Democratic polls in
Iowa, but you wouldn't know it from all the biggest headlines over the
past couple of weeks. Since the 4th of July holiday week, the Iowa
limelight has been dominated by the two national front-runners: Sens.
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. Clinton and Obama practically
chased each other around the state that week, wandered off for a few
days, then returned this week to give dueling speeches at almost the
same time, just a few blocks apart in Des Moines. The Clinton-Obama
rivalry is all anybody has been talking about. But what about Edwards?
Remember him? He still leads the polls here. Right? Edwards slipped
into northwest Iowa on Thursday night for a forum inside a jam-packed
public library in Fort Dodge… It was less than 100 yards from where
singer Paul Simon performed a concert last week for his pal, Sen.
Chris Dodd.

Labels: John_Edwards

I participated in a live blog sponsored by the Rocky Mountain News of the Democratic Forum. Also participating were fellow Iowans John Deeth and Essential Estrogen. Here were my thoughts I wrote... The winners were John Edwards and Chris Dodd. Dodd was energetic and really stressed education. As a teacher and member of the ISEA and NEA, Dodd is very credible when it comes to education. He very well respected among educators and might just have the answer to the mess that is NCLB. About Education Dodd said… I'm proud of the fact that I was called the Senator of the Decade by the national Head Start Association. I have walked the walk on these issues. Dodd and Biden were both fired up, however Biden sounded angry, while Dodd was on message and highlighted his experience. John Edwards hit the first question out of the park. He was able to condense his entire two America's theme into that answer and it was well received by the crowd. Edwards didn't stop there. The questions really played right into the issues Edwards is campaigning on and he did very well connecting to the audience. I think Hillary Clinton held her own and definitely did not hurt herself.

Labels: Chris_Dodd, John_Edwards

With only five days remaining until the FEC's QRF-Day (that's
Quarterly Report Filing Day for those of you who don't have the
campaign finance lingo "down"), it appears the John Edwards campaign
is concerned about its war-chest intake. The Edwards' campaign set a
$9 million goal for this quarter, but as of yesterday, they're $2
million shy of their mark. To help soften the blow on QRF-Day, the
Edwards campaign has been sending out messages that blame the
Washington establishment and their media pawns (including the New York
Times) for John's fund-raising woes. Strike 1: "Obscene Money Game or
Policies that Matter?" (e-mail message received on Jun. 23 from Joe
Trippi, the Edwards' Campaign). 'But while thousands of people are
building up this campaign, the Washington establishment is trying to
write us out of the race. And their reason? They say it's MONEY - they
don't think we are raising an obscene enough amount. But the truth is,
they don't want people to hear what John Edwards is saying, because it
will mean the end of big money's stranglehold over our government.'
Strike 2: "Haircuts and Hatchet Jobs."

Labels: John_Edwards

An Iowa City event which had drawn a great deal of national attention has been partially postponed to allow presidential hopefuls who are also U.S. senators to travel back to the beltway for debate on a bill. The Iowa Professional Fire Fighters State Convention was to host presidential hopefuls Tuesday and Wednesday. Gov. Bill Richarson, Sen. Barack Obama, former Sen. John Edwards, Sen. Chris Dodd and Sen. Hillary Clinton confirmed they would be in attendance. Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden was also scheduled to appear and represent his father, Sen. Joe Biden. There was also speculation that Pres. Bill Clinton would appear beside his wife for the event. The fire fighters have decided to postpone this portion of their convention when it was learned the event conflicted with debate on the Employee Free Choice Act.

Labels: Barack_Obama, Bill_Richardson, Chris_Dodd, Hillary_Clinton, Joe_Biden, John_Edwards

John Edwards called for a halt on coal-fired power plants in Marshalltown, where a proposed $1 billion, 600 mw coal-fired power plant is being proposed by Alliant Energy. Edwards said... "...we need to use coal sequestration technology and not build anymore coal plants until this technology is available." I assumed Edwards was not informed about the proposed power plant in town when I first heard this comment. However, after the event, I overheard a local reporter ask if Edwards was aware of Alliant's proposed coal-fired power plant. Edwards said he doesn't believe in changing his position based on what town he is speaking in. This makes me think Edwards knew about the plant was once again taking a principled stand on the issue.

Labels: John_Edwards

I saw Edwards in December of 2003 when he made a campaign stop in Primghar, IA. I would have to say that the Edwards of 2007 is nothing like the Edwards of 2003. In 2003, he maybe could have passed, once in awhile, for the 'moderate' title he got then from the media. Now, there is absolutely nothing 'moderate' about him. He's perhaps the most liberal 'credible' candidate in the group. Perhaps only Gravel and Kucinich are more out there (but they really aren't even credible). ... Edwards would ultimately like the government to become nearly, if not all, involved in health care and energy issues. He said that America produces one of the worst health care products in the world. When he produces these sorts of incredible statements, you obviously have to first wonder what box he has been living in, and then wonder if he really thinks America is a third world country. Last I checked, there are thousands of people trying to get into this country for operations because they aren't getting the kind of care from their rationed government run bureaucratic mess of a health care system.

Labels: John_Edwards

Chris Bowers has the numbers on the Democratic side at MyDD: Iowa, May 30, 1,238 likely caucus goers, MoE 2.7%. No trendlines. Edwards: 31; Clinton: 17; Obama: 17 ... I don't know whether Clinton and Obama are really that far back in Iowa, but I think it's fair to say that the recent ARG poll showing Clinton 31, Edwards 26 and Obama 11 was an outlier. ... I imagine that Obama does quite well among the "only have a cell phone" crowd, so polls may be understating his support. But if I were Obama, I would fire the scheduler who put him at a west-coast fundraiser instead of in Cedar Rapids on Saturday night. That was a crazy decision. He's rolling in money and is probably going to outraise Clinton in the second quarter. He's trailing in the Iowa polls and should have taken that opportunity to make the sale with party activists. Ordinary voters won't care a bit about who came to the Hall of Fame dinner. But every one of the 1,000 people who attended can probably influence at least a dozen friends and neighbors.

Labels: Barack_Obama, Hillary_Clinton, IDP, John_Edwards

... He stayed on the same theme as Elizabeth and said it is not enough to say we support the troops. America must policies that truly support. He then layed out four things he would do to support our troops. First, when our soldiers return he would assess their needs, so we can help them transition back into civilian life. Second, we should have dedicated funding for the VA, so they have the health care they need. Third, we must support the families and narrow the gap in civilian pay and military pay. Finally, we must make sure our soldiers get educational support, job training, and help them with student loans if they need it.

Labels: John_Edwards

... John Edwards continues to lead in Iowa, Obama and Clinton are basically tied for 2nd. The big news is Bill Richardson's jump to 10% in the poll. Richardson has been running TV ads for awhile now and they are playing well. I hope this Richardson motivation to make a greater effort in Iowa. The people I talk to are interested in Richardson, but want more information on on him. Chris Dodd is not catching on, which is a shame. He has taken some strong progressive positions, including supporting the Feingold-Reid bill last week. He is getting out polled by Kucinich and Gravel who haven't even campaigned here.

Labels: Barack_Obama, Bill_Richardson, Chris_Dodd, Dennis_Kucinich, Hillary_Clinton, John_Edwards, Mike_Gravel

... Heading into questions. ... Kay Henderson -- Do you admit to having an advantage in this debate because you do not have to cast a vote in the Senate while your colleague do? Senator -- No. I'm a candidate for the President of the U.S. and I'll be held responsible for every stance I take. Our we doing everything in our power to bring this conflict to an end. ... Mary Ray from Dubuque Telegraph Herald -- Republican candidates coming through Iowa have said the November election was not about war... how can you or other Dems specifically point to something which says those elections were about the war. Senator -- This isn't a guess... I was campaigning and heard it. People are very frustrated with a bull-headed president who refused to change course. It wasn't just Iraq, but it was a significant part of it. Also wanted bold changes in other areas -- healthcare, Katrina, globla warming -- but Iraq was at the top of the list.

Labels: John_Edwards

... HOT: John Edwards: I've been calling him the likely nominee for some time now, but it's probably time to back off that. I think he's running a better campaign than he ran in 2004, and he's been the first out of the gate with specific proposals on issues, including a very specific health care plan. ... On the downside, I think the early spotlight is shooting some holes in his image. ... (HOT) Barack Obama: He draws huge crowds wherever he goes, he's charismatic and he seems to be able to run a campaign on broad themes without anyone asking him why he's not specific on anything. ... But, I don't think he's prepared to be Chief Executive. I think he lacks the experience. The fact that he's entirely non-specific on issues means I have no idea what I agree with him on. ... WARM Chris Dodd: He jumped into the upper half of my list by being the first to advocate for public financing of campaigns in the debate. ... I'm glad he's running in Iowa, but he feels like more of a "I have something to add to the conversation" candidate than a true contender. (WARM) Bill Richardson: He brings incredible foreign policy experience to the race. He may be the last presidential candidate in my lifetime to bring 4 Nobel Prize nominations to the table. He's the only candidate in the race from farther west than Illinois. He might also be the only candidate that doesn't scare the crap out of the NRA. However, his admission that he hadn't advocated for the firing of the Attorney General because Alberto Gonzales is Hispanic was flatly racist, and there's no excuse for it. ... COLD: Joe Biden ... Hillary Clinton ... She's putting a happy face on her years of controversy and blaming them on "sticking up for her beliefs," which is partially true. She's got enormously huge money and the capacity to out-advertise any of her opponents 2-to-1. ... I'm a firm believer that voters should never choose a candidate just because they can beat the Republicans, but there's an argument to be made that there's no way she could beat a Republican.

Labels: Barack_Obama, Bill_Richardson, Chris_Dodd, Hillary_Clinton, Joe_Biden, John_Edwards

Just back from watching the debate with JCDems chair Brian Flaherty who says, in chairmanly neutrality, that everyone did great and he wants to hear more health care. The rest of the thoughts are mine in blogger-ly snarkiness. Joe Biden had a great night and Brian Williams knew it; by the end of the debate he was going to Biden more and more and Dodd and Richardson less. And in the post-debate interviews, Biden was in What I'll Do As President mode (well, Secretary of State maybe) while Dodd was begging for consideration and Richardson (who looked disappointed) was giving the answer he should have given to one of the debate questions. My favorite sequence was the "elephant in the room" round early in the debate when Williams asked about perceived weaknesses and character flaws. (Someone missed an opportunity to chuckle at the question with an air of "this is so ridiculous it's beneath me, but as you insist on asking, I have nothing to hide.") Edwards did well with his response to a $400 haircut question, which served as the launch pad for some Everyone Should Have The Opportunity I've Had and Son Of A Millworker stories including one I hadn't heard before of having to leave a restaurant without ordering because his dad couldn't afford anything on the menu.

Labels: Barack_Obama, Hillary_Clinton, Joe_Biden, John_Edwards

Here is a run down of our conversations with candidates in the month of April so far: Senator Dodd at a Forum on International Relations hosted by U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy: Question: Our country needs solid leadership and a candidate that is willing to commitment to changing our direction of foreign policy. Eisenhower warned in 1953 to be aware of the military industrial complex and the weakness it would create in our country and around the world. Over 50 years later, our country spends more on its military than the rest of the world combined yet social needs remain unmet. If elected, would you support making our country stronger by eliminating $60 billion in Pentagon waste and investing that money in domestic priorities? Response: He agreed that the current budget is not preparing to our country to fight what we need here at home. The Senator di d mention Cold War era weapons and the need to use of diplomacy. He mentioned that it is not about line item rather it's about a sense of balance. It's not about the $60 billion figure but about what makes sense. He further stated that our country needs leadership that is positive and to lead by example in order to strengthen our foreign relations.

Labels: Bill_Richardson, Chris_Dodd, John_Edwards, Mitt_Romney

He wants the IRS to compile all of the information on you and just send you a refund check or a bill come tax time ... he complains that people don't know how to do their taxes, yet he's going to send them their tax bill/refund and count on them to know whether it's accurate or not? They're going to just assume (there's that word again) that the IRS wouldn't possibly screw them over and sign it and send it back. Which is what the left wants people to do, really. Just shut up and pay what they tell you to pay. ... The current system, as even a lefty at Ezra Klein points out, is designed to make paying taxes an afterthought. You don't see or feel the income being literally picked from your pocket, because you never had it in your hands in the first place. Oh, you see the deductions on your paystub, but that's about it. You never feel the impact of having a chunk of your money being taken from you. Which is a major reason why tax cuts do so much to pump up an economy. All of a sudden, people think they're making more, so they spend it. They're not making any more than they were, they're just keeping more of it in their pocket, rather than send it off to the tax man.

Labels: John_Edwards, taxes

For the full context of the line of questioning for Ohio Congressman/2004 Democratic presidential candidate/2008 Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, refer to this previous post. The condensed version if 2004 Kucinich backer Ed Fallon (the 2006 Democratic candidate for governor) is "doing what Dennis said to do" and backing a more "viable" candidate in 2008. So, when I had a chance to interview Kucinich this morning in the statehouse press room, I opened with Fallon's assertion. Henderson: "I've run into a lot of former Kucinich supporters at Edwards event and in fact, one person who you may know, Ed Fallon, said he was just doing what Dennis said to do, and that's go to a more viable candidate -- referring to deal with Edwards on Caucus..."

Labels: Dennis_Kucinich, John_Edwards

I'm feeling sucker-punched, and disappointed in presidential hopeful John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth. After their heart-touching press conference where they announced the return of Elizabeth's cancer, they had my admiration for their grit and devotion to a cause greater than themselves. But since, they have solicited sympathy emails on John's campaign site, and then used the email addresses of the tens of thousands who responded for their hit-up-for-money list. Some say it's just a good fund-raising strategy. I say it doesn't pass the smell test. Just makes them another of the shameless money-grubbing pack.... knocks them off of their new-found high ground. And, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) finally released the numbers for his campaign's haul in the first quarter of the year..... $25 million. Obama is treading on the heels of Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) supposedly unmatchable money-raising machine that spewed-out a lower-than-expectations $26 million.

Labels: John_Edwards

... I purposely did not want to support anyone this early in the cycle, but there is something about John Edwards that makes me believe he is the real deal. Maybe it is the way he has made fighting poverty a centerpiece to his campaign. Maybe it is his populist message. Maybe it is the way he handles extremely difficult things with integrity, like the decision to keeping running despite his wife's health issues ... at the end of the day, what I ask myself is, does he demonstrate a depth of character and could he handle the rigors of being president? This is what I hang my hat on. When it all comes down to it, we need a president we can trust to do the right thing and won't wither when a tough decision crosses his desk. I think John Edwards is worth my support.

Labels: John_Edwards

... I had expected to talk with Senator Edwards Tuesday night during a house party in Indianola. But just two hours before the wine and cheese party was scheduled to start, the Senator called the host to say he had to cancel. Edwards said his wife got some unexpected news from the doctor following her checkup earlier in the day and he had to fly back home right away. Edwards' campaign seemed to have a different spin on what was transpiring. A release said Mrs. Edwards just had a routine followup appointment scheduled for Wednesday and that the Senator wanted to be with her, since he usually accompanies her to the doctor. ... Let's hope all the worry is unneeded. Let's hope Mrs. Edwards breast cancer isn't back. Let's hope we don't have to watch the Senator halt his campaign while his wife gets treatment. Let's hope everything is really o.k. Let's hope.

Labels: John_Edwards

After the Edwards campaign released its list of "senior Iowa staff" the other day, I thought it might be prudent to discuss how each campaign's staff is shaping up. Their differing approaches are interesting, at least, and they could make a difference by the time the caucuses come around next January. First up, the Obama campaign has been doing quite a bit of hiring over the last month. ... Some have compared Obama's staff to Howard Dean's from four years ago, because it seems to include an unusual number of ideologically motivated young people, many of whom have never worked a caucus before. ... Next, the Edwards campaign has staffed all or most of its key positions as well, and has begun hiring field organizers. In contrast to Obama's staff, most of Edwards's staff so far have Iowa political experience ... And finally, Hillary Clinton's campaign has been a bit slower to announce their hiring decisions here, but those whom they have hired have impressive resumes.

Labels: Barack_Obama, Hillary_Clinton, John_Edwards

While speaking in Clinton last weekend, Sen. Obama made an off-hand comment (or at least that's what Lyn thought it to be at the time) about Iowa people wanting to grill all the Presidential hopefuls before making up their minds. He went on to add that he knew we all wanted to hear what "good-looking" Sen. John Edwards had to say. ... Paige arranged to be in attendance at the Senator's stop the next day in Burlington and there heard him use basically the same strange statements, but with a twist: This time Edwards was referred to as "cute." ... The core, however, of what we find offensive in the comment is Obama seems to believe Iowans -- arguably the most politically attentive and issue-driven people on the planet -- are swayed by a person's physical appearance, good or bad.

Labels: Barack_Obama, John_Edwards

Today John Edwards announced that his presidential campaign will aim to be carbon neutral. As the email the campaign sent out explains, "In February, Governor Tom Vilsack announced he would be the first presidential candidate to plan a carbon neutral campaign. Edwards shares his commitment to protecting our environment and reducing our carbon footprint." Edwards is angling to fill the "Vilsack Vacuum," only weeks after Vilsack announced he would drop out of the campaign. He is trying to recruit as many former Vilsack supporters as possible at this point, and this was one of the Vilsack campaign's more novel ideas — although the Vilsack folks seemed to want to use it more for fund raising than anything else.

Labels: John_Edwards, Tom_Vilsack

... Edwards spoke about 15 mintues about health care and then opened it up for questions. Edwards did very well in this setting. He was asked about a wide range of topics, answered honestly, and threw in a joke here and there. ... The next question was on immigration and was the most interesting exchange of the day. The man began asking if Edwards considered himself a politician or American first saying that everyone is playing politics and not doing what is right for the country. Then he started asking about immigration. All in all, the man spoke for a couple minutes before Edwards could answer. When Edwards responded, he said that maybe the man should be running, which drew laughter from the audience and the man asking the question. The man responded by saying that he would rather work to get Edwards elected. This type of exchange would not have been able to take place in a larger venue, like the ones Obama and Hillary have had here, or Edwards' announcement in Des Moines in December. It is these exchanges that make the Iowa Caucuses unique and helps Iowans really get to know the candidates.

Labels: John_Edwards

The ripple effect of "The Blue Scare" has begun in Iowa, and the presidential hopefuls are naming names. First Vilsack named names, and now that's he's dropped out of the race, John Edwards is naming the names of those previously named by Vilsack. Naming names is catching on and the Blue Menace is lurking behind every political corner in Iowa (or five if you buy into Jim Nussle's conspiratorial fifth corner theory), waiting to pounce upon unsuspecting Democrat caucus goers. ... before you sign anything and commit your support to a presidential candidate, keep in mind that you may be "outed" in the future if your candidate decides to name names. Although, should you waver on your support and/or cross over to the dark side, you may be subpoenaed by the Iowa Democratic Party on Un-Democratic Activities:

Labels: John_Edwards, Tom_Vilsack

John Edwards, a former U.S. Senator from North Carolina and the 2004 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate, will bring his 2008 presidential campaign to Sioux City March 9. Edwards had visited Sioux City in 2006 while mulling a second run for president and now will visit the city as a bona fide candidate. ... I strongly recall a few Northwest Iowa Democrats describing in spring 2004 how if the Iowa caucuses had been held a few weeks later, Edwards might have won. They said his momentum was building in January 2004, and with a bit more time might have pulled ahead in Iowa — and it might have resulted in Edwards being at the top of the ticket that fall.

Labels: John_Edwards

John Edwards recently sent out the first mailing of the 2008 primary season to 70,000 Iowans. The mailing includes a detailed description of his health care plan and a DVD (found here) that describes the plan. The video is quite effective though it's unclear how many of the 70,000 people who received it will actually watch it. However, it is a clear sign of how serious Edwards takes Iowa and also of the emphasis that he is placing on health care. It also gives away his campaign strategy.

Labels: John_Edwards

In the perpetual "War on Bloggers" it looks like the Edwards' Campaign had its first political casualties: Amanda Marcotte (formerly of Pandagon) and Melissa McEwan (Shakespeare's Sister). A virtual vigil for the fallen bloggers has been scheduled for 5 'o'clock, blogsphere time. In honor of their brave blogspheric sacrifices, Political Fallout has established the "Duh" Award, which will honor people, politicians, groups, political factions, or any other entity whose actions merit a "Duh, what were you thinking?"* response from any member of the blogsphere community. Another factor that will be considered during the "Duh" Award vetting process is how the candidate responded to the controversy, especially if the nominee acts genuinely surprised.

Labels: John_Edwards