Edwards joins presidential race

jlew24asu

I'm so excited to see his cool thumbs up again. he has no chance at the nomination.

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By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer 19 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Former Democratic vice presidential nominee
John Edwards is running for president for a second time, his campaign said Wednesday.
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Edwards plans to formally announce his candidacy Thursday from New Orleans' 9th Ward which is hard hit by Hurricane Katrina. But his campaign got a little ahead of itself Wednesday and announced his intentions online.

"Better a day earlier than a day late," said Jennifer Palmieri, Edwards' adviser.

On the eve of his announcement, Edwards visited the site of his announcement Wednesday for a photo opportunity. He did yard work at home Orelia Tyler, 54, whose home was completely gutted by Hurricane Katrina and is close to being rebuilt.

Edwards' announcement was made in the wake of President Gerald Ford's death and after his campaign accidentally launched his campaign Web site a day early, then shut it back down.

The campaign Web site's logo is "John Edward '08" and its slogan is "Tomorrow begins today."

Edwards did not cancel his plans for a formal announcement because of President Ford's death late Tuesday. He issued a statement saying he was deeply saddened by the news and calling Ford a "true leader."

"He called on us to never lose faith that we can change America," Edwards said.

Taking turns with about 30 young people shoveling loads of dirt in Tyler's backyard, Edwards declined to discuss the campaign, focusing instead on the slow recovery in New Orleans, where whole neighborhoods remain a wasteland.

"Anyone who's not concerned with the rate of recovery is not paying attention," said Edwards. He said finger-pointing is part of the problem and he said the student volunteers he worked with provided an example of what can be accomplished through cooperation.

Edwards arrived promptly at 1:30 p.m., clad in jeans and a khaki work shirt. His aides kept more than two-dozen reporters and photographers at bay as he and the students prepared Tyler's yard for landscaping.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061227/ap_on_el_pr/edwards2008

moeaholic

he's probably the only democrat i'd vote for. but it would also depend on who he'd run against. if he gets the nomination, that is.

jlew24asu

moeaholic wrote:

he's probably the only democrat i'd vote for. but it would also depend on who he'd run against. if he gets the nomination, that is.

he does seem like a very nice guy. and charismatic. I think he would be looking out for americans rather then big business. but we need someone to look out for both. hard to keep the right balance.

miller8966

as long as hillary doesnt get elected, i really dont care who wins the primary

seagoat2

jlew24asu wrote:

I'm so excited to see his cool thumbs up again. he has no chance at the nomination.

We'll see............

jlew24asu

seagoat2 wrote:

We'll see............

you think he can beat obama or hilary?

moeaholic

miller8966 wrote:

as long as hillary doesnt get elected, i really dont care who wins the primary

i don't think enough people would be ready to vote for a female president right now, no matter who it was.

NCfan

jlew24asu wrote:

you think he can beat obama or hilary?

I think Edwards has a chance, a small one, but a chance none-the-less. Back in 04', I had the opportunity to visit with his campain manager, Ed Turlington at Edward's headquaters in Raleigh. He basically explained to my group how it's all about winning the individual primaries. Kind of like a sports season. Right now, it doesn't look like Edwards can win the championship. But if he wins enough individual games, he has a shot of getting there.

He is polling very well in Iowa and South Carolina. If he can build some momentum, you'd be surprised how things could turn out. Not that I want this guy to win, but I do think his heart is in the right place. I may not agree with all his politics, but I do think he is trying to look out for our country and not his own legacy or policital party. He would make a strong running mate for Obama I believe. The only downfall is that both those guys don't have much expereince - but I think our country doesn't care about that right now.

lalalalaaaaaaaa

I really hope I don't have to end up voting for him to keep some psycho republican from winning. Edwards still hasn't said we need to withdraw from Iraq or that the war is wrong as far as I know. And he still tries to convince everyone that all the people in Congress who voted in favor of the war (including him) "made a mistake". Please. They all knew what the war was about from day 1, and most of them (including him) still support it. Read his letters on his website. It's all right there. He talks about removing "the image of an imperialist America from the landscape of Iraq", not withdrawing because the war is wrong. I especially like this part:

"We also need to show Iraq and the world that we will not stay there forever. We've reached the point where the large number of our troops in Iraq hurts, not helps, our goals. Therefore, early next year, after the Iraqi elections, when a new government has been created, we should begin redeployment of a significant number of troops out of Iraq. This should be the beginning of a gradual process to reduce our presence and change the shape of our military's deployment in Iraq. Most of these troops should come from National Guard or Reserve forces."

In other words, we need to improve our image in Iraq, and not worry about actually doing what the Iraqis want. We don't care what the new Iraqi government says about us staying or leaving...we will leave when WE think it's time.

http://johnedwards.com/news/headlines/wp20051113/

soulsinging

jlew24asu wrote:

he does seem like a very nice guy. and charismatic. I think he would be looking out for americans rather then big business. but we need someone to look out for both. hard to keep the right balance.

huh? how do you figure that? i think big business is quite capable of looking out for itself.

soulsinging

miller8966 wrote:

as long as hillary doesnt get elected, i really dont care who wins the primary

what are you talking about? you should be praying for her to get nominated. she'd get slaughtered in a general election and you'd be delighted to watch it.

i hope edwards gets it. hillary would be a train wreck. it's too soon for obama i think. not sure why, just is. ill tell you though... an obama/edwards or edwards/obama ticket could be pretty dynamite. imagine the democrats having TWO charismatic and intelligent candidates in one election?

enharmonic

I will not vote for Edwards. There are better candidates. He didn't even have the juice to beat Kerry for the party nomination the last time around. What has he done in the years since?

soulsinging

enharmonic wrote:

I will not vote for Edwards. There are better candidates. He didn't even have the juice to beat Kerry for the party nomination the last time around. What has he done in the years since?

supported his wife while she battled cancer. the nerve of that guy.

enharmonic

soulsinging wrote:

supported his wife while she battled cancer. the nerve of that guy.

Then he's a great husband. That's great. I don't want him to be my president.

lalalalaaaaaaaa

enharmonic wrote:

Then he's a great husband. That's great. I don't want him to be my president.

Great point. The way people go about voting is sad. They look for charisma..."he seems like a nice guy"..."he seems to be a moral man"..."she speaks well". These qualities have nothing to do with actual issues.

WMA

moeaholic wrote:

i don't think enough people would be ready to vote for a female president right now, no matter who it was.

Probably true in certain parts of the country.

Obama and Hillary have been pushed to the front by the 'right wing media' as the people to look at, probably because they feel it would be best for them.

soulsinging

Saturnal wrote:

Great point. The way people go about voting is sad. They look for charisma..."he seems like a nice guy"..."he seems to be a moral man"..."she speaks well". These qualities have nothing to do with actual issues.

the president does not determine policy. congress enacts the laws. when was the last time a president delivered on the majoriy of his campaign promises?

soulsinging

enharmonic wrote:

Then he's a great husband. That's great. I don't want him to be my president.

who do you want to be your president? ralph nader?

lalalalaaaaaaaa

soulsinging wrote:

the president does not determine policy. congress enacts the laws. when was the last time a president delivered on the majoriy of his campaign promises?

Huh? I was talking about people voting in general, whether it be for senator, president, or mayor. People look more to personal qualities like charisma than the candidate's stand on important issues.

And the president plays a large role in determining policy, especially foreign policy. Congress passes bills. Bills are not laws until the president ok's them. The only way around that is to override a veto which is very difficult. The president and congress are constantly working together on policy.

The Waiting Trophy Man

the problem with running for a second time, for any candidate, is they can't help but be seen as power hungry. not a good perception for voters to have.

markymark550

NCfan wrote:

He is polling very well in Iowa and South Carolina.

He's polling well here mainly because he is from South Carolina. I think he won the last Democratic primary (or was a very close second) just because of his "home roots" strategy - it had nothing to do with his stance on the issues.