Over and over again we see politicians seeking high office with great big old skeletons rattling around in their closets. John Edwards running for president while conducting an affair with Reille Hunter may be the cover story of this week's checkout counter mags but the phenomenon is nothing new:
Sen. David Vitter is still in the Senate and intending to run for reelection even though soliciting a prostitute is illegal and the diapers thing is just plain weird.
Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham had to leave office after his sweetheart real estate deal with a lobbyist came to light. He's now serving time.
Sen. John Ensign is still in office after an affair with an employee's wife and a 6 figure payoff from his parents to keep the affair quiet. Seems like the payoff was a waste of money.
The unsealing of Jack Ryan's divorce records in Illinois cleared the field for Barack Obama to become a Senator and ended Ryan's own career.
The list of politicians who have run for office with a skeleton rattling around in their closet is at least a mile long. Some skeletons are just embarrassing and some are actually illegal but all are politically damaging, and in every case the politician is convinced no one will ever open their closet door, no matter how many times it happens to others.
News flash, guys -- and it's mostly guys; very few women are hit by political scandal: the press may have turned a blind eye for the likes of FDR and Ike and JFK and even Strom Thurmond, but you are not them. Times have changed, as Bill Clinton can attest. Today information moves at a rate unimaginable in 1992 let alone 1962 and with Facebook and Twitter, every third person is a papparazi. So whatever the embarrassing (or outright criminal) secret, if more than one person on the planet is in the know (Loretta did Troy King a favor; inflatables can't talk) it's bound to come out, and probably at the worst possible time.
Ugly little secrets may be safe at the lower levels of government but with every step on the ladder, the lights are brighter and the magnifying glasses stronger. Whether it's naked Twister photos, divorce records you thought would never see the light of day, an illegitimate child, a disillusioned lover (either sex) or a financial deal that's too good to be legit, if you're seeking truly high office like POTUS, Senate, Congress, or Governor, if your opponent doesn't find it, the press will.
On balance, that's a good thing for democracy, because a public servant with an unmentionable secret is a public servant vulnerable to undue pressure in office, and the temptation to act in his own rather than the public interest. Or one who may have to deal with the distraction of a messy scandal while in office, to the detriment of job performance, as in Bill Clinton's second term, or Guy Hunt's.
Back to the original question, why do people with big secrets run for office anyway? Ego. Convinced they are the best person for the job. Certain their secret will never emerge. And just plain banking on the press being too shorthanded to ferret them out and the electorate being too stupid or too apathetic to notice when they do.
Sometimes it works, but it's prudent to plan for the reveal. We're more forgiving of sins than of coverups -- Edwards would have been far better off to admit everything and ask forgiveness a year ago. Larry Craig should have ditched the wide stance excuse and come clean. That course has certainly worked out well for David Vitter (R, LA) whose political career seems fine despite admitting conduct that is both illegal and embarrassing.
One-time presidential hopeful said to be readying statement after DNA tests By Guy Adams in Los Angeles
Sunday, 16 August 2009
First, he was caught cheating on his cancer-stricken wife. Then, he was forced to make a grovelling apology on national TV. Now John Edwards is set to complete a spectacular fall from grace by confessing that he has fathered an 18-month-old love child...
...Edwards is said by US television networks to have decided to come clean after court-ordered DNA tests revealed his paternity.
National Enquirer? No, national news. Frankly, John, I think you should keep your crestfallen mug off the tube this time.
We know all about it already, and parading yourself through the media will not help anyone's cause except the GOP's. Frankly, Democrats have enough to deal with now without a media blitz focusing on your private life.
We aren't priests. We can't grant you absolution, even if we were so inclined. Keep your private stuff private, apologize to your wife, provide for the child, and STFU.
disclaimer: the opinions expressed are in no way to be construed as the opinions of LiA, the Democratic Party, or anything but my own two cents.
Next week will mark the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I didn't want the occasion to be lost in all the hoopla over the Democratic National Convention so I'm blogging about it now,
I hope and pray Senator Barack Obama and the other Democratic politicians remind America not only of the failures of "heck of a job" Bush and his side kick Brownie, but about the poverty the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina exposed. Writer Earl Omari Hutchinson makes note of the fact the subject of poverty is absent from the vocabularies off the Presidential candidates.
On the third anniversary of the Katrina nightmare, Bush, McCain and Obama will make the ritual pledges to do more to fulfill the largely unfilled promises of rebuilding the Gulf. And to help those still in dire need. But even as they make their pledge, many of the Gulf's poor still remain just as numerous, scattered, dispirited and forgotten. The talk about waging war on poverty, if mentioned at all, will again be just as quickly dropped.
Former Presidential candidate John Edwards made poverty a cornerstone of his campaign which began in the lower ninth ward in New Orleans.
I began my presidential campaign here to remind the country that we, as citizens and as a government, have a moral responsibility to each other, and what we do together matters. We must do better, if we want to live up to the great promise of this country that we all love so much.
It is appropriate that I come here today. It's time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path. We do not know who will take the final steps to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but what we do know is that our Democratic Party will make history. We will be strong, we will be unified, and with our convictions and a little backbone we will take back the White House in November and we'll create hope and opportunity for this country.
NEW ORLEANS August 21, 2008, 01:05 am ET · President Bush said Wednesday that "hope is coming back" to New Orleans with the help of $126 billion in disaster aid poured into the Gulf Coast region over three years after Hurricane Katrina.
It's not about a Hurricane, it's about America. Three years after Katrina, much of the lower ninth ward is still in ruins. Three years after Katrina 40% of the displaced citizens still can't return home. Trouble the Water is a film that is about to be released about Katrina and the failure of our government to help it's citizens. It's not about flooded school buses. It's not about people not evacuating. It's not about Ray Nagin and "Chocolate City", it's about America.
Trouble the Water tells the story of a young New Orleans' couple - trapped by the deadly floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina - who courageously survive the storm and its calamitous aftermath. It chronicles their flight from home and their quest to rebuild their lives and Lower Ninth Ward community. It's a powerful story of community fortitude in the face of adversity, and a look into one of the most defining moments in our recent history. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, Trouble the Water is directed and produced by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, producers of Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine. Danny Glover and Jocelyn Barnes are executive producers.
Below is a trailer for the documentary Trouble the Water. Meet the filmakers here. After you watch the video, spread the word, for some of our fellow Americans Katrina is still going on in New Orleans.
There is a diary on the sidebar excoriating John Edwards as a scumbag. The author is a professional stirrer of the pot and I doubt he ever had much use for John Edwards in the first place.
Personally, I still like and respect Edwards, even though I'm disappointed to learn he's not perfect. None of us is perfect and we all, dig deep now, know that none of us is perfect. I'm not willing to eliminate everyone who has ever committed adultery from public office. There wouldn't be many people left if we did that. The rest of you are free to hold your own opinions, of course.
What I really want to point out is that Elizabeth Edwards (who has been blogging for years) has a diary posted at DKos. In part:
John made a terrible mistake in 2006. The fact that it is a mistake that many others have made before him did not make it any easier for me to hear when he told me what he had done. But he did tell me. And we began a long and painful process in 2006, a process oddly made somewhat easier with my diagnosis in March of 2007. This was our private matter, and I frankly wanted it to be private because as painful as it was I did not want to have to play it out on a public stage as well. Because of a recent string of hurtful and absurd lies in a tabloid publication, because of a picture falsely suggesting that John was spending time with a child it wrongly alleged he had fathered outside our marriage, our private matter could no longer be wholly private.
The pain of the long journey since 2006 was about to be renewed.
John has spoken in a long on-camera interview I hope you watch. Admitting one’s mistakes is a hard thing for anyone to do, and I am proud of the courage John showed by his honesty in the face of shame. The toll on our family of news helicopters over our house and reporters in our driveway is yet unknown. But now the truth is out, and the repair work that began in 2006 will continue. I ask that the public, who expressed concern about the harm John’s conduct has done to us, think also about the real harm that the present voyeurism does and give me and my family the privacy we need at this time.
Meanwhile, a war is breaking out between Russia and Georgia in Ossetia and no one watching TV in America will know about it. Next week when oil prices go up again, we'll all think it's because a former presidential candidate had a brief affair in 2006.
Tomorrow is Sunday and the guests on Face the Nation this week are Sen. John Kerry (Obama supporter) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (McCain supporter).
Let's hope that this week we Democrats can do a better job of reframing/redirecting the conversation when (not if) the GOP revs up their attack machine and takes Sen. Kerry's comments out of context or just plain fabricates something else from them altogether.
Last week, they managed to monopolize an entire week's news cycle with two bogus focal points: General Clark's comments on Face the Nation last week and then Sen. Obama's comments about Iraq towards weeks end. And now the GOP has boosted up to the A team by shoving McCain's old crew aside and bringing the 2004 Bush/Cheney team (check also this commentary by Frank Rich).
Somehow we must learn how to redirect these false constructs so that we can stay on point with the Obama/Democratic message.
My Dad and I had conversations about Obama's speech late last week. Dad thought it was a good idea for Obama to clarify his position again. However, I was more concerned that the GOP won that round of "made you blink." Once these GOP campaign advisers realize how to take Obama off the message he wants to give for that day, they'll have him and the Dems making news conferences 3 times a day, 5 times a week to "re-explain" our positions. That just can't happen. I'm so frustrated with the Obama advisers who have him do this, because it just plays into the GOPs hands.
Is anyone else similarly frustrated by this? Looking forward to your comments.
Happily, poll numbers (?) don't seem to indicate change in support for Senator Obama.
By the way, if you missed last week's Face the Nation with Gen. Clark and Sen. Lieberman go to www.cbsnews.com and click on the Face the Nation tab at the top of the page. Do the same if you miss tomorrow's program with Senators Kerry and Graham.
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Loved this from Keith Olberman, particularly the John Dean part.
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I'm hoping for a transcript of this, if I don't find it on the internet :)
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TV reporters in AL-02 caught up with Sen. Harri Anne Smith and Rep. Jay Love to ask them about the claims they make in their campaign ads, esepecially with reference to the news conference given by Ronnie Gilley. Check out video stories at www.wtvynews4.com: click on "Political Ad Controversy," and "Love/Smith Tax Ad," on the video player.
I wanted to put BREAKING NEWS in the title, but resisted the urge. John Edwards may be just one more not even a superdelegate breaking for Obama, but his endorsement still carries weight with his supporters, including many working class Americans and union members. This is the only endorsement I've been really interested in since late January when Edwards dropped out and, coincidentally, Joan Baez endorsed Obama.
Not only does this knock Clinton's win in West Virginia out of the news cycle, it might give Obama a boost in Kentucky's primary next week. John Edwards got 7% of the vote in West Virginia yesterday and he's also on the ballot in Kentucky.
Significantly, NARAL also endorsed Obama today. NARAL doesn't get a vote at the Democratic convention, but that endorsement makes Obama's candidacy more palatable to many women who were strong Clinton supporters. Female voters traditionally lean toward Democrats and Obama needs to get women on board to succeed in November. This is an important step in that direction.
None of this means Hillary Clinton's campaign is any more "over" than it was 2 weeks ago or 6 weeks ago -- she won't get out until she's good and ready, probably after the last primary next month -- but these endorsements are another sign that party players know the contest is over and want the Clintons to know that they know it.
Will Al Gore finally endorse soon? He's about the only big name party elder left.
Up until about 12 noon today, I was going to be out of the county for Super Tuesday. No way in hell I could vote and still get to where I needed to be (and back again) while the polls were open. So, I had to apply for an absentee ballot before 5:00 PM on January 31st.
It has been said that "the knowledge that one is to be hanged in a fortnight concentrates the mind wonderfully". I may add that the need to turn in a ballot to choose a Presidential candidate in the most critical election of my lifetime is no slouch in the mind-concentrate department, either.
In other words, it's time to light the candle, or roll back off the pad, as we say in the rocket city.
It's a 47-47 tie between Clinton and Obama according to according to a new SurveyUSA poll of Alabama voters conducted for WKRG-TV Mobile. The poll was in the field Wednesday and Thursday, after the Florida results were known, after Edwards dropped out of the race and before last night's Democratic debate aired.
Of 2000 people contacted, 1783 were registered to vote and they filtered those down to 586 who had either already voted (Mobile and Baldwin counties) or were "certain to vote." 47% of those polled said they would vote for Clinton if the election were held today. The same number said they would vote for Obama, with 5% preferring some other candidate and 2% undecided. The margin of error is +/- 4.1%. In summary:
Older voters back Clinton.
Younger voters back Obama.
White voters back Clinton.
Black voters back Obama.
Moderates back Clinton.
Liberals back Obama.
Pro-choice voters back Clinton.
Pro-life voters back Obama.
Registered Democrats back Clinton.
Independents back Obama.
Regular church goers back Obama.
Less-regular church goers back Clinton.
Obama beats Hillary Clinton in every age group except voters over 65 and I think that's a key discriminator in terms of which candidate can attract a wave of new, young voters to the Democratic party, helping to revitalize the Democratic coalition. Having said that, I'm not at all pleased with the degree of polarization along race and gender lines. Maybe that's inevitable in a year when two historically disenfranchised groups each have a standard bearer with a legitimate chance to win the presidency, but it won't happen if Dems can't unite behind the eventual nominee.
This chart from Pollster.com illustrates that support for Obama in Alabama has been on the rise for the last 2 months. Click the link to see a list of Alabama polls. Notice the wide variation from poll to poll -- the only one that counts is the big one next Tuesday.
My mother and I traveled to Nashville to see John Edwards speak at the USW hall - and we weren't disappointed.
Addressing an overflow crowd of 500, Edwards outlined his main campaign themes: ending poverty, strengthening the middle class, universal health care, and ending the war in Iraq.
He got good coverage in the Nashville Tennessean as well as from the local TV stations.
Even though the front-loaded primary schedule - particularly Super Tuesday - is stressing the candidates and draining campaign resources, it's great to see the candidates reaching out to the smaller states and media markets that often get ignored by major media. It's been a long time since our area has been such a candidate rich environment.
Thank heavens everyone's done with South Carolina, Iowa, and New Hampshire. Now the other states can finally get some attention!
Barack Obama will be in Birmingham tomorrow - Sunday -
Members of the public may also RSVP online for a free ticket via email at www.barackobama.com beginning at 1:00 PM Thursday.
Local Ticket info: Obama for America - Huntsville 2227 Drake Ave SW Building 27 Huntsville, AL 35805 703-554-2158 9 AM-9 PM
and John Edwards will be in Chattanooga and Nashville on Monday. There may be Alabama events later in the week, but see him while he's just a short drive from North Alabama!
What: Special Event with John Edwards When: Monday, January 28, 11:15 a.m. Where: IBEW Local 175 3922 Volunteer Drive Chattanooga, Tennessee
What: Special Event with John Edwards When: Monday, January 28, 1:30 p.m. Where: Steelworkers Headquarters 3340 Perimeter Hill Drive Nashville, Tennessee
If you can attend, please take a moment to RSVP here:
Is there a racial and sexist subtext to John Edwards assertion made at the CNN/CBC debate that he is the only candidate that can go anywhere in the country and compete against John McCain?
The only thing I would say -- and I think it has nothing to do with race and gender. Let me be really clear about that. It's amazing now that being the white male...is different...is being able to go everywhere in America and campaign and to compete -- and I . . . I think I can go everywhere and compete head-to-head with John McCain.
Francis L. Holland seems to think so. He also believes it's the same kind of racist sexist rhetoric the Republicans are going to use against Democrats in the fall.
Obama began hisquest by telling us this wasn't white America, or black America, it was the UNITED States of America. John Edwards talks about the TWO America's, the haves and the have nots. So which one is it, or are they one in the same?
Here is an email I got from the Edwards campaign. I thought it might interest a few of you.
Dear Jon,
This past Saturday, while in Atlanta, John Edwards had a private meeting with Martin Luther King, III -- the eldest son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today -- Martin Luther King Day -- John received a letter from Martin Luther King, III as a follow-up to that meeting. You can read it below.
I hope you will take a moment to read this wonderful call from Dr. King's son urging John to stay in the race -- and to continue fighting to eliminate injustice in America today.
Like Dr. King, John believes passionately that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." That is why he will continue to speak out, without fear or favor, on the issue of economic justice in America.
During tonight's presidential debate, you could see John doing exactly what Martin Luther King, III urged him to do: framing the issues of health care and the economy as a struggle for justice.
And as the other two candidates bickered over who's right and who's wrong, it was John who cut through the fracas and asked, "This kind of squabbling, how many kids is this going to get health care? We have to understand this is not about us personally."
That's why he will fight on to the Democratic Convention and to the nomination, ignoring the pundits who want this to be little more than a two-candidate race, continuing to lead with an agenda that does "not blur lines or obscure the truth."
I hope you will continue to stand by John as he fights for an agenda of bold change, economic justice and providing a voice for those Americans that would otherwise be voiceless. Your support sustains John as he campaigns across this country.
In the meantime, please take a few minutes to read the letter below from Martin Luther King, III that so eloquently expresses why John is running.
Sincerely,
--David Bonior National Campaign Manager, John Edwards for President January 21, 2008
January 20, 2008
The Honorable John R. Edwards 410 Market Street Suite 400 Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Dear Senator Edwards:
It was good meeting with you yesterday and discussing my father's legacy. On the day when the nation will honor my father, I wanted to follow up with a personal note.
There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of back and forth in the political arena over my father's legacy. It is a commentary on the breadth and depth of his impact that so many people want to claim his legacy. I am concerned that we do not blur the lines and obscure the truth about what he stood for: speaking up for justice for those who have no voice.
I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are - a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.
You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system. They don't have lobbyists in Washington and they don't get to go to lunch with members of Congress. Speaking up for them is not politically convenient. But, it is the right thing to do.
I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign. I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America.
From our conversation yesterday, I know this is personal for you. I know you know what it means to come from nothing. I know you know what it means to get the opportunities you need to build a better life. And, I know you know that injustice is alive and well in America, because millions of people will never get the same opportunities you had.
I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives.
So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father's words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.
Everyone seems to get vicious when you put a podium in front of them. Wow, this was a fiery debate tonight. Some good issues came up and everybody got a least a couple of licks in.
I am not really sure yet who won. But I feel it is a toss up between Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. Edwards is the one I remember the most. His story about the lady warning her children not to tell about their lack of heat for fear that Child Protective Services would take them away was emotional and moving. I deliberately didn't take notes tonight or listen to after debate prattle by the Corporate News Network pundits so that I could better gauge whose message I most remember. That would definitely be John Edwards. He was clear and concise and I think I better understand what he would do as President.
I am still not sure that anyone on the stage understands the feeling of desperation that many of us feel. My wife was laid off and we fell into the trap of using a credit card to stay caught up. We are still struggling and suffering through and will for years to come.
Do any of the candidates really know what it is like to be afraid when the phone rings that it is a creditor calling? Do any of the candidates understand the feeling of watching credit points you spent a lifetime accumulating slowly melt away while you struggle to gather grocery and gas money? The terrible thing is we are not that bad off. There are so many people out there that are worse off and have no hope of even getting the opportunity of struggling and suffering through. It is a class war that we face now. John Edwards understands that and is the only one talking about it. He alluded to it tonight and the debate quickly moved on. The last thing corporate America wants is for the masses to realize that it is not just about black and white and brown anymore. It is about the rich and the poor and the steadily growing chasm between the two. Who do you think will ultimately bail out and pay for the collapsing economy? Go look in the mirror my fellow poor and middle class citizens, it will be us as usual.
I grew up pretty damn poor. We had clothes and shoes but most often they were hand-me-downs. We had food but I remember my mother crying and worrying about how we would buy groceries and be able to pay the other bills. Even as a kid I remember it and it affected me. I didn't understand all the nuances of the problem but I could see what it did to my mom and that was directly transmitted to me. I cannot remember a stretch of more than a few months that we did not struggle with basic necessities. And we simply did not go to the doctor, dentist or optometrist unless absolutely necessary. I had hoped to avoid any of this with my family and for the most part I have. My children have far more than I ever imagined. This state seems brittle though. I often feel that we are balanced on a sharp tip and any sudden shift will send us plunging down. I want a President that can provide at least a ledge for me to stand on instead of just a tiny point. Tonight it was John Edwards that was building that ledge.
Edwards was attacked for his China vote and the bankruptcy bill he voted for and it was implied that a President needed to make the right choices the first time. It seems to me to that whoever is elected will make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. The most important aspect of your mistake is what you learn from it. Edwards recognizes, admits and seems to have learned from his mistakes. I am not so sure about the others. To sum it up, in my opinion the debate tonight goes to Edwards.
Susie posted a wonderful thing that David wrote. Go read it at one of those links.
Are we such a pitiful tool for change? We're waiting for leaders. We need to be the leaders or at least to be dragging the leaders, kicking and screaming, to the kind of change America needs.
Contemplate this before you urge John Edwards' supporters to ditch him now and back your candidate, or complain that Edwards is keeping Obama from walking away with the nomination.
With Hillary Clinton nudging ahead in Nevada, right now Edwards dropping out would be absolutely devastating to the Obama campaign If Clinton won Nevada, and Edwards dropped out, Illinois and Georgia might be the only two remaining states where Obama would have an advantage. Barring a spectacular Clinton collapse, the campaign would be all but over. Clinton's advantage would be insurmountable.
Obama's only chance in this campaign is if Edwards stays in the race through February 5th, and stays in the double-digits in just about every state through February 5th. If Obama can put together a string of victories from January 19th through February 5th, he might be able to compete with Clinton one on one. Right now, however, he can't do that. So, if you are an Obama supporter pissed at Edwards for staying in the campaign, or frustrated that Edwards has maintained large support online, remember this: if Edwards drops out, or sees his poll numbers collapse before February 5th, this campaign is over. If you don't believe me, just look at the difference between the two Nevada polls were Edwards is strong (Clinton and Obama are tied in those polls) and the two Nevada polls where Edwards is weak (Clinton leads a 7.5% lead in those two polls). Right now, unless he wins Nevada, Edwards is functionally acting as a spoiler to Clinton, and in favor of Obama. If he does well between now and February 5th, Obama might be strong enough to challenge Clinton one-on-one. However, he isn't strong enough yet, and he needs help from Edwards to get him to that point.
So let the democratic process continue, all the way to the convention if need be.
Well, the Rupert Murdoch Ministry of Propaganda is on the offensive again. This time the guns are aimed at John Edwards. I can't believe Fox News has the audacity to accuse someone of talking "before all the facts are in."
Murdoch's corporate buddies must be pretty damn scared of Edwards. Maybe they should start to get afraid of the mass of people that John Edwards' views represent. He is only the mouthpiece of a growing movement in America and it is not going to go away even if John Edwards does.
"It is not clear at all that Cigna is to blame here," Kelly scolded. "And for John Edwards to make it a campaign issue before all the facts are in makes him sound more like the med-mal [medical malpractice] lawyer he was for years, and less like a presidential candidate."
Well, knock me over with a feather -- John Edwards is the Democrat most feared by the corporate elite. Since he doesn't take money from lobbyists or PACs -- never has, never will -- he's the one candidate they can't buy. As President, he would make decisions based on what's best for the American People, not the Corporate stockholders. Aside: No one is trying to take away the rights of stockholders, but they are only a subset of the larger population and shouldn't get special, privileged treatment by our servants in Washington.
Ask corporate lobbyists which presidential contender is most feared by their clients and the answer is almost always the same -- Democrat John Edwards.
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"The lobbyists and special interests who abuse the system in Washington have good reason to fear John Edwards.
"Once he is president, the interests of middle class families will never again take a back seat to corporate greed in Washington," said campaign spokesman Eric Schultz.
Open attacks on the business elite are seldom heard from mainstream White House candidates in America, despite skyrocketing CEO pay, rising income inequality, and a torrent of scandals in corporate boardrooms and on Wall Street.
About 4pm on Thursday, the Edwards office in Davenport went from barely organized chaos to total chaos. We had a sudden influx of last-minute people asking for literature, and a horde of precinct captains coming in for their kits (signs, stickers, literature, etc. for the caucus).
I took this photo on Wednesday afternoon.
Then, just as suddenly, about 4:30, the place was empty and the staff started getting ready to head to their assigned locations.
We were assigned to Precinct 74 in Davenport, and had the address of one person needing a ride to the caucus location. After picking her up, we arrived at the Kirkwood center about 6:20. And it was PACKED already!
People stood in line 40 minutes just to sign in to get into the caucus room.
We've been in Iowa since December 31st, and the whole caucus scene is absolutely amazing!
My daughter and I arrived on New Year's Eve after flying into Chicago, renting a car, and driving on very slick, snowy roads to Davenport, Iowa. The 2 1/2 hour trip in good weather took 4 hours and 20 minutes. My hands and arms were sore Wednesday morning - probably from the death grip I kept on the steering wheel for hours.
On January 1, we started off the New Year right - working to make John Edwards the next president!
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Over and over again we see politicians seeking high office with great big old skeletons rattling around in their closets. 
Next week will mark the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I didn't want the occasion to be lost in all the hoopla over the Democratic National Convention so I'm blogging about it now,
I wanted to put BREAKING NEWS in the title, but resisted the urge. 
My mother and I traveled to Nashville to see John Edwards speak at the USW hall - and we weren't disappointed.
