Edwards planning a major policy address on poverty tomorrow (1/30) in New Orleans

Hi friends!

Please see the story below on John Edwards planning a major policy address on poverty tomorrow (1/30) as well as him volunteering on the Habitat for Humanity project at the Musicians' Village in New Orleans. Some find this perplexing for him to do. We call it good strategic politics!!! Neither Sen.'s Obama or Clinton did NOT address the fact that President Bush's State of the Union did not cover this issue!

Do they not care about this issue? John Edwards DOES!

Musicians' Village
4000 North Roman Street (Intersection of Roman and Bartholomew)
New Orleans, LA

Please click the link below to RSVP for the event!

http://www.johnedwards.com/events/rsvp/20080130-neworleans


Thanks for reading! ~~Diane :)


Edwards Nixes Campaign Stops for Speech
By Charles Babington, January 29th

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards canceled campaign events in Alabama and North Dakota to make a "major policy address on poverty" Wednesday in New Orleans, where he launched his presidential bid 13 months ago.

Campaign officials said Edwards, who has trailed Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama in recent primaries, does not plan to end his candidacy and will reschedule the two dropped trips. Nonetheless, people close to the campaign said Tuesday's announcement caught them off guard, and some found it perplexing.

In a news release, the Edwards campaign called poverty "the great moral issue of our time." In recent days, it said, "national discussion of important issues like ending poverty has given way to sniping and personal attacks between the two front-runner candidates. Ending poverty and fighting for the middle class is the cause of John Edwards' life — and he will urge the nation to refocus on this important issue."

Democratic activists have openly speculated that the former North Carolina senator may have to leave the race soon because he has been unable to keep pace with Obama and Clinton in gaining votes, media attention and fundraising. After narrowly edging Clinton for second place in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, Edwards has fared poorly. On Saturday, he finished a distant third in his native South Carolina, whose primary he won in 2004.

Some people close to the campaign said Edwards was disappointed that poverty got little mention in Democratic reactions to President Bush's State of the Union address Monday, and he sees the New Orleans speech as a chance to refocus attention on the problem. These people, who were not authorized to speak on the record, said they had no indication that Edwards planned to leave the race.

The insiders said Edwards continues to raise money at a respectable pace, although not at the level of Clinton and Obama.

The Edwards campaign said he will attend Thursday's Democratic debate in Los Angeles. After speaking in New Orleans on Wednesday, the news release said, Edwards "will volunteer on the Habitat for Humanity project at the Musicians' Village" and then fly to Atlanta to address a Georgia Democratic Party dinner.

Georgia, Alabama and North Dakota are among 22 states holding Democratic primaries or caucuses on Feb. 5.

Edwards campaigned Tuesday in Jefferson City, Mo. He told a small crowd that he wants universal health care, a quick end to the Iraq war and economic policies geared toward helping the working and middle classes.