Note: I am a volunteer precinct captain for John Edwards in the Des Moines suburbs.
A few weeks ago I wrote a diary about John Edwards' positive message to Iowans in response to the argument that "there is no positive narrative for the Edwards campaign now". I had to laugh as I read some bloggers and pundits claim that Edwards would fade like Dick Gephardt did four years ago because he was "only attacking."
I knew how many undecided voters were still giving Edwards their serious consideration. I knew how strong the campaign's organization was in Iowa. Most important, I knew that DrFrankLives got it right when he said:
He's the best closer ever. he was in the courtroom and he is in campaigns.Just watch.
I'll keep this short tonight, because other diarists have published so many good pieces today about Edwards. Cosbo has a great rundown on the news of the day in tonight's Edwards Evening News Roundup.
RDemocrat's diary about Edwards' positive message is also worth reading.
The Iowa polls are all over the place, and I don't put much stock in them, because it is so difficult to poll the caucuses. That said, when Bill Clinton tells Charlie Rose that Edwards may win Iowa, and Obama criticizes Edwards by name at a campaign stop in Iowa, I suspect that their internal polling is showing a surge for Edwards.
More important from my perspective, Edwards is drawing larger crowds as the campaign winds down in Iowa. Think about that. He has already campaigned in all 99 counties (in 2003 and against this year). It's not as if active Iowa Democrats haven't had a chance to see him before. You can be sure that very few people attending any of the events on Edwards' recent eight-day bus tour through Iowa were there for the novelty of seeing the candidate speak.
These are people who are at the very least giving him their serious consideration, and by all accounts they are giving him an enthusiastic reception.
People who canvassed in Iowa over the weekend, like AlanR and clarkent, found evidence of growing support for Edwards as well. I encourage you to click the links and read those diaries--they are entertaining and informative.
Edwards is peaking at the right time, just before Iowans get together with their friends and relatives during the holidays. He gave a great performance at the Des Moines Register's debate last week, and his television commercials speak to activist Democrats' desire for a candidate who will fight for our values.
I have been saying all year that Edwards would start to pull away as undecided voters made up their minds. Although the race is still tight, I think Edwards is in a great position to shock the political establishment on January 3.
DrFrankLives was right: he is the best closer ever.
P.S.-Last week Robert P posted a moving diary on The year we stole a Christmas tree here. He cross-posted the same piece at Daily Kos (where he blogs as chuckles1). It became the fourth most-recommended post among the 1,876 diaries posted last week, according to "jotter," who keeps track of the "high-impact" diaries at Daily Kos.
Robert's diary also inspired "karateexplosions" to write The Timeline of My Decision, which became the highest-impact diary of the week, recommended by more than 750 Kossacks.
I encourage you to click the links and read those diaries, if you haven't already. They are compelling first-person accounts of how quickly middle-class Americans can find themselves living in poverty.
Many of our presidential candidates talk about this fine line between a middle-class lifestyle and life below the poverty line. For instance, Hillary Clinton's "trap door" ad deals with that kind of economic insecurity, and she used the trap door metaphor in the Des Moines Register-sponsored debate last week.
But ultimately, I feel John Edwards is the candidate best able to address these issues. Not only has he drafted a plan to end poverty within 30 years, a wide-ranging plan to address hunger and food insecurity and a Rural Recovery Act, his own parents occasionally had trouble making ends meet and he has done the most to bring poverty to the public's attention during this campaign.
I don't mean to suggest that other candidates in our field feel less compassion for struggling families. But I think Edwards would invest more of the president's political capital into dealing with poverty.
That turned out to be a long post-script. I look forward to reading your comments.
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