John Edwards...just like "us"???
Recent Headlines Threaten Edwards' Main Campaign Theme
From The San Francisco Chronicle
Carla Marinucci
May 23, 2007
Democrat John Edwards has eloquently established his credentials as an advocate for the poor with a presidential campaign focused on the devastating effects of poverty in America. But the former North Carolina senator's populist drive has hit a series of troubling land mines: a pair of $400 haircuts, a $500,000 paycheck from a hedge fund, and now a $55,000 payday for a speech on poverty to students at UC Davis.
The problem now facing the Democratic presidential candidate is whether the pileup of headlines, including the latest regarding hefty fees from university speeches reported Monday by The Chronicle, threatens to obliterate Edwards' dominant campaign theme. The former senator, who has been portrayed as the champion of the poor and the son of a humble mill worker, now faces the possibility that voters will have a different image: that of a millionaire trial lawyer who talks one way and lives another. ...
"It's outrageous. He's trying to come off as Mr. Populist and Mr. 'I'm trying to help the poor,' and he charges $55,000 for a speaking fee? That's ridiculous,'' says Dick Rosengarten, Los Angeles-based publisher of the California Political Week newsletter. "Combined with the haircut, who's in charge of this guy's campaign? What are they thinking?'' ...
Edwards' political troubles began after revelations that his campaign paid $400 for a haircut, prompting GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee to quip that Democrats are "spending more than John Edwards in a beauty shop.'' Edwards also was rapped for his work for a hedge fund -- an investment seen as catering to the super rich -- and his $500,000 salary.
The criticism intensified Tuesday as conservative bloggers, commentators and opponents jumped on Edwards for charging $55,000 for a 2006 speech at UC Davis. Critics said the speech about poverty before a mostly student audience of 1,787 -- who were charged more than $17 a ticket -- challenges Edwards' campaign message and raises questions about the candidate's judgment.
Democratic strategist Kam Kuwata said the incidents suggest sloppy message control and a tendency toward being tone deaf in the campaign -- something Edwards must address immediately before it causes irreparable harm among voters in the early Democratic primaries and caucuses. ...
But Republicans insist that Edwards, a multimillionaire former trial lawyer, is especially vulnerable because he's crafted his campaign around themes of education and poverty -- while making more than $285,000 last year speaking to college students.
"It's not like it's Exxon,'' said Patrick Dorinson, a California Republican media strategist. "The message is: 'I'm going to talk to you about poverty -- and thanks for the check.' ''
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