In order to put a human face on American poverty, John Edwards is opening his mansion to public showings for the underprivileged, where they’ll be served a sit-down home cooked meal, receive a health-screening, a chance to enjoy the swimming pool and other recreational facilities and a get a hairc . . . . What? Oh. Strike that.
Can JRE pull off a JFK, or an RFK (asks Politico chief political writer Mike Allen, who is sharing guestblogging duties while Ben is on vacation)? John Edwards plans to announce Monday that he’ll take a break from fund-raising and campaigning in early-voting states next week for a three-day, eight-state, 12-city “Road to One America†tour aimed at calling attention to poverty in the deep South, the Mississippi Delta, Appalachia and the Rust Belt. The campaign points out that none of the states he’ll visit has an early 2008 primary, and says Edwards won’t be doing rallies.
Instead, TV viewers will see Edwards in coal country, Edwards in a factory, Edwards on a farm, Edwards in a struggling neighborhood, Edwards in a school, Edwards in a health care clinic. “It’s an effort to show the rest of the country how 37 million Americans live their lives in poverty every single day,†an Edwards aide said. “It’s not only their workplaces — it’s their homes and the places they get health care.â€Â
The photogenic swing is reminiscent of John F. Kennedy’s repeated coal-country campaigning before the West Virginia primary of 1960. His overwhelming victory ended Catholicism as an issue in the campaign and brought national attention to Appalachian poverty. Twenty-eight years later, Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis donned a hard hat and overalls for an hour-long tour of a West Virginia coal mine.
Somehow I don’t see Elizabeth accompanying John on this trip. She doesn’t like to get too close to “those” people, you know, ask their neighbor.
Eh. He’ll never match Mike Rowe.
Twenty-eight years later, Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis donned a hard hat and overalls for an hour-long tour of a West Virginia coal mine.
Yeah, and that worked out well.
Running hard for another shot at VP, I see.
You’re right. I prefer my rich presidential candidates pretend poor people do not exist.
Yep. Nothing grotesque about Edwards, I see. Doofus.
Edwards charges $55,000 to speak to UC Davis students about poverty
With all apologies to fans of “Firefly ” (of which I’m one), a glance into david’s diary:
“Dear Diary;
Today I was a pompous ass. Today, like many days, I vented my anger and bitterness at all things conservative on PW without a single, coherent thought.
It was the best day evah!”
Shorter
DaveDavid: Mommy!Ah. He’s hoping Kerry makes another run!
dick, er, david: Only someone with as thick a skull as your own would be oblivious to the irony of a multi-millionaire shyster representing The Little Guy. Edwards could feed a whole 3rd-world country with his annual grooming budget, alone. If he really wanted to end poverty, he would endow every university in Mississippi–he can afford to.
Actually, this latest bit of political theatre is rich with satirical possibilities. I hope it will inspire Jeff to new heights.