Democratic Debate: Winners and Losers
WashingtonPost.com, 7.24.07
WINNERS
John Edwards: In the first three debates, the former North Carolina senator really struggled to distinguish himself. Last night, he found his voice. Edwards ' outrage on a variety of issues -- most notably the inability to solve the health care crisis in the country -- came through loud and clear. And, while traditionally voters don't like angry candidates, the Democratic electorate is in a decidedly feisty mood and Edwards' emotion seemed to fit the night. In an election campaign in which every candidate is fighting for the change label, Edwards made a compelling case as to why his life experience and willingness to propose bold solutions made him the right choice for voters looking to make a clean break with business as usual in Washington. His performance for the first 118 minutes of the debate was enough to overcome the foible of criticizing the jacket Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) was wearing. Why do that?
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The Nights and Days of Elizabeth Edwards
The Wall Street Journal, 7.21.07
To spend time with the 58-year-old Mrs. Edwards -- on vacation with her family, at campaign stops, aboard the campaign plane -- is to witness flashes of courage and humor, awkward and exhausting moments, and an unprecedented mingling of private trauma and public policy.
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Edwards Ends Poverty Tour by Broadening His Theme
New York Times, 7.18.07
Senator John Edwards wrapped up his three-day poverty tour Wednesday in this village deep in Appalachia, and suggested that the “two Americas” theme of his Democratic presidential campaign was an appeal for help not just for the poor, but also for all working Americans bypassed by the nation’s prosperity.

“He reminds me so much of John Kennedy,” said Debbie Blevins, 54, a former bus driver from a coal-mining family. “I agree 100 percent with him, and I do think he can become president.”
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Can Poverty Define John Edwards?
TIME Magazine, 7.18.07
No other candidate is talking about poverty the way Edwards does — at length and to the exclusion of all other subjects for three long days. From time to time he tries to link the problems of the poor to the vulnerability of the middle class at large, touting, for instance, his plan for universal health care. "It's not just about the poor," he says in one speech during the tour. "Everybody's at risk. Everybody's vulnerable."
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Edwards to talk with Culinary union reps in Las Vegas
KESQ News (Palm Springs, Coachella Valley), 7.18.07
Edwards is due in Las Vegas to meet with representatives of the powerful Culinary Workers Union. . . The union represents about 60,000 cooks, waiters, housekeepers and other service workers in Nevada.
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Edwards Increases His Money in the Bank
The Gaurdian, 7.15.07
Edwards increased his cash on hand this quarter despite a drop in contributions for his presidential nomination campaign, according to financial reports he was to file Sunday.

In a preview of his filing, the Edwards campaign reported $12 million in the bank for the primary elections, an increase of more than $2 million over his cash on hand at the end of March.
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Mrs. Edwards stumps in Reno for her husband
The Reno Gazette, 7.15.07
Before a parking-lot crowd of 200 supporters today in Reno, Elizabeth Edwards took a couple of swipes at her husband’s opponents for the Democratic nomination for president, criticizing their health-care plans as inadequate. Edwards said her husband, former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., was the first in the field to vow health insurance coverage for every American.
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John Edwards road-tests poverty theme
Los Angeles Times, 7.13.07
Seeking to regain his political footing, White House hopeful John Edwards is pursuing a road less traveled: a three-day, eight-state tour through pockets of urban and rural poverty.

Edwards insists that "people do care" about those less fortunate and believe government has a role, even a responsibility, to help those who cannot help themselves. They just have to be asked.

 "I think the best measure is not a poll," the Democrat said Thursday, "but the way Americans responded when a hurricane hit New Orleans. They made contributions. They volunteered."
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On Global Warming, MoveOn Voters Pick Edwards
New York Times, 7.11.07
In a recent virtual town hall meeting on climate change with the Democratic presidential candidates sponsored by MoveOn.org, former Senator John Edwards renewed his call to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States by 80 percent by 2050 and said that his plan for getting there was the “most aggressive” of any of his opponents.

His stance evidently struck a chord with participants in a straw poll….. Mr. Edwards won the poll, getting about 33 percent of the vote.
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Health care issue dominates Edwards visit to Las Vegas union hall
Las Vegas Sun,  7.11.07
"My universal health care plan covers all the things you're talking about," Edwards said. "No one would ever have to worry about preventive care."

Edwards, who declared himself "proud to be here in a union hall," drew frequent applause with promises to use the "bully pulpit" of the presidency to take on health insurance companies and pharmaceutical manufacturers and cure what he called "a dysfunctional health care system."
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Presidential Candidate John Edwards Answers Questions on Science
WIRED, 7.10.07
Edwards begins by saying that "science is the key to innovation in the American economy," listing the internet, GPS, biotechnology, and even smart bombs as examples. He says raising fuel-efficiency standards to 40 mpg by 2016 and investing in renewable energies (e.g., wind, solar, biofuels) will help us reduce our greenhouse emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050.
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Edwards’ Electability Edge
Rolling Stone, 6.20.07
If Democrats are looking for a safer bet to take back the Oval office, Edwards the silver tongued Southern senator looks like a winner from this poll data…  especially if he’s fortunate to run against another flip flopper from Massachusetts.
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Edwards describes plans for cheaper, universal healthcare
Los Angeles Times, 6.15.07
He would overhaul medical patent law and require health care companies to spend 85% of premiums on patients.

"Dealing with the healthcare crisis is about more than just about coverage," Edwards said. "Our healthcare system is entirely too expensive. We put more money into healthcare than any country in the industrialized world, and we get one of the worst products out in the other end."
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Edwards Stands Out On Health Care Debate
The Nation, 3.24.07
Edwards' plan, first unveiled earlier this year, calls for an expansion of both public and private health plans, forces employers to either provide health care or pay into a fund that does, mandates individuals to buy insurance and offers government subsidies for families with incomes of up to $80k who can't afford it.
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Edwards On UCLA Campus
UCLA Radio, 3.5.07
So Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards showed up on campus today to speak in the very collegiate-looking Kerkhoff patio behind the coffee house, surrounded on three sides by Kerkhoff’s sandstone balconies and on the fourth by the several hundred students that turned out, with Moore’s brick main entrance behind them. Toss in the “magic hour” dusk lighting, and you’ve got yourself a beautiful photo opp. Love or hate the populist politics, you gotta hand it to the Edwards campaign — they know what they’re doing.
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"…. Edwards concrete progressive proposals coupled with a passionate and eloquent message won him many converts on the California Convention floor - including possibly myself." … "While I have not made a firm decision and my opinions may change between now and February 2008, I am now more likely to support John Edwards because he was both passionate and substantive. Delegates who were still at the Convention felt the same way, as the Edwards campaign table ran out of stickers within minutes after his speech."
Paul Hogarth, California Progress Report

"...Former Sen. John Edwards trails Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in most Democratic primary polls, but he gave a display Sunday of his potential to move up. His speech was among the best received at the California Democratic Party Convention over the weekend." …… "More importantly, Edwards dispensed with the life-story part of the speech heard from others the previous day and used that time to drill deeper into issues. The specificity made him sound better versed and more prepared to enact change. Closer scrutiny and comparison of the top three candidates could serve Edwards well in the months ahead."
Martin Wisckol, Orange County Register

"...Edwards, who entered the hall to a pounding hip-hop rhythm and took more than five minutes to work his way from a side entrance to the stage, received one of the strongest receptions of the weekend after delivering perhaps the widest-ranging speech. His remarks touched on race relations, environmental issues, AIDS in Africa and genocide in Darfur."
Mark Barabak and Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times