John Edwards and the 2008 Presidential Election

Former North Carolina Senator and vice presidential candidate John Edwards made the most of his presidential coming out party at the end of December. The press conference used to announce his 2008 presidential bid was set in front of a New Orleans home that Edwards was helping restore for a family returning to the resurrected city. Edwards not only utilized the proper theatrics in grabbing America's attention about his candidacy but said everything necessary to please Democratic party activists. One of only three announced candidates in a potentially crowded Democratic field, Edwards laid down the gauntlet for all Americans by calling them to action. His "Two Americas" stump speech, once thought of as folksy if not entirely unworkable, now resonates in light of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.

Before continuing, I must defend Senator Edwards' use of New Orleans as a backdrop for his announcement. While some will say Edwards is exploiting the plight of poor New Orleans residents for his own political gains, his extensive work on poverty over the last two years makes it a perfect setting for his populist candidacy. As director of the Center of Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina, Edwards has been active in advocating new approaches to the elimination of poverty in one of the most prosperous nations in the world. The use of storm torn New Orleans, whose poverty was exposed following Katrina, is only fitting and not inappropriate.

John Edwards, former North Carolina senator and vice presidential candidate.

Credit: John Edwards for President

Copyright: John Edwards for President