Oh-eight (D): End of the poverty tour

Posted: Thursday, July 19, 2007 9:02 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: Democrats, 2008

BIDEN:

The hometown paper in Delaware previews Biden's new book, "Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics."

Reading Joe Klein's latest missive on Biden, it's hard not to think there's a tad of lament in Klein's words about Biden's chances.

CLINTON:

The lawsuit involving Clinton's chief strategist Mark Penn and his former partners has been dropped, the AP says.

Trying to close out the Elizabeth Edwards-Hillary Clinton feud, the Clinton campaign is touting a quote from Edwards adviser Kate Michelman praising the historic nature of Clinton's candidacy.

EDWARDS:

The New York Times on the conclusion of Edwards’ poverty tour yesterday in Prestonburg, KY. “The location was strategic. The last presidential hopeful to visit this town was Robert F. Kennedy, at the end of a 200-mile antipoverty tour of eastern Kentucky nearly 40 years ago, just one month before he formally announced his candidacy. Mr. Edwards, though saying he did not deserve to be compared to Kennedy, whom he described as his political hero, nonetheless sought to link his campaign’s central theme, the elimination of poverty, to work that Kennedy championed.”

And Edwards was in Roanoke last night, where his rural adviser Mudcat Saunders set up an event featuring famous bluegrass singer Ralph Stanley and former Dukes of Hazard supporting star, Ben "Cooter" Jones.

OBAMA:

After introducing his $6 billion poverty plan yesterday, Obama made what seemed to be an indirect jab at rival Edwards. “’This kind of poverty is not an issue I just discovered for the purposes of a campaign, it is the cause that led me to a life of public service almost 25 years ago,’ he said. ‘I was just two years out of college when I first moved to the South Side of Chicago to become a community organizer.’”

During a swing through Florida, Michelle Obama gave a quick interview to the AP and revealed her husband is a "Harry Potter parent," because he's read all six books aloud with their 9-year-old daughter.

She was in Boca Raton to raise money.

In Iowa today, the “Obama for Commander in Chief" tour across the state continues. Retired Iraq veteran Maj. Gen. Scott Gration and Iowa Veterans for Obama make three stops in the Hawkeye State for the Illinois senator.

RICHARDSON:

Bloomberg -- the news organization, not the possible candidate -- profiles Richardson and notes he's counting on a victory in Nevada's caucuses to catapult him.

Just Asking: Why did the Richardson campaign have to put out a press release pumping up former Texas Gov. Mark White's speech to the Young Democrats of America? It’s been a long time since Mark White made news in Texas. He left office in 1987…

And does Richardson know the state tree of Iowa is oak? He should.

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Comments

Joe Klein has spent the last eight years attacking Democrats and boosting Bush/Cheney policies. He's Time magazine's phoney baloney, token "liberal" and I despise him. I do appreciate Biden's foreign policy views, however, as I think just about anyone who has seen Biden on the Meet The Press would agree, he's a sharp cookie.

Amy B Portland, ME (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 9:25 AM)

For a sharp cookie, he is more nuts then sugar. Haven't heard any more about his "mixers" on the weekend, so I guess that is not working. Kind of hard for Richardson to know about trees when he lives in a state that is more sand then trees. Maybe the Clinton's are trying to end the "feud", but Elizabeth will probably get in a few more jabs. A man who's wife seems to have taken over the campaign makes you wonder if this is Hillary VS Elizabeth instead of John. I hope Biden's new book does not have "borrowed" references.

jerry/corpus christi texas (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 9:38 AM)

I believe the down fall of hillary will be her political history, is she running as a dem or repub?

MK,MO (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 9:44 AM)

“’This kind of poverty is not an issue I just discovered for the purposes of a campaign, it is the cause that led me to a life of public service almost 25 years ago,’ he said. ‘I was just two years out of college when I first moved to the South Side of Chicago to become a community organizer.’”

OH BURN!!!!! That's gonna leave a mark LMAO

Dave, Tn (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 9:47 AM)

jerri good gossip about women, lets have cool-aid and tell more gossip.

ladies gossipper (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:10 AM)

Dave, TN. Not sure what part of TN you live in or how long you have lived here, but I was born here, lived in rural Tennessee all my life and poverty is alive and well and growing every day. You only have to go to the local Help Center to see it in action. These are people who have lost their homes because the factory was closed and moved over seas or because they had a health crisis that their insurance did not cover (you know those shisters - the insurance industry - get to pick and choose what kind of care you get and how much they pay on that care while they laugh all the way to the bank with your premium money every week).
Take a drive out of Germantown (Memphis) or Bellemeade/Brentwood (Nashville) and you will see the real Tennessee. $50,000.00 millionairs moving here every week, sure glad I don't owe $400,000.00 on my home or have a car payment.

Union Baby, Tennessee (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:13 AM)

With it such a slow news time where was the the end of senseless deaths tour by old Teddy K. Yesterday was the 35 anniverary of him taking Mary Jo swimming.

He could have gone back to the spot and did a reenactment for the cameras. Showed how he tried so hard to save her, being drunk had nothing to do with his lame effort. He could have followed the path of him running home to daddy so a story and cover up could be planned.

What a non great day in history. Hopefully he was haunted by it last night.

RIP Mary Jo

Alan in Phx (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:20 AM)

Alan digs one up from 35 years ago! Am I bid 40 years? 45? Who'll gimme 50???

Buzz (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:48 AM)

Union Baby I don't know what political affiliation you have, but you sound like an old school Democrat. I hope they get back to their roots and show what representing 'Blue collar folk' is all about...and not stock options, unbalanced tax breaks, and corporate interests.

CJ (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:55 AM)

Good grief, Alan. I imagine Laura Bush thinks about the young man she killed when she ran a stop sign as a teenager, but it would be stupid to dredge that up just to score some kind of partisan point. A car accident is a car accident.

Amy B Portland, ME (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:56 AM)

Poor Laura, the stepford First Lady also has dirty laundry .. i guess the GOP world is not as perfect as Jerry might think ...

Ricardo in California (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:13 AM)

Boy did I strike a nerve! Lighten up people, the comment was to induce thought and perspective. All this over hyped candidate crap is nothing but wasted ink. Fatigue is setting in for all these folks and I am glad that I do not live in Iowa. It must be a pain in the ass to have candidates around all the time doing their staged photo ops.

Oh Amy by the way Laura did not run away from the scene, did not have a powerful daddy to cover her back side and is truely remorsefull about it. A car accident is a car accident, but it turns into negligent manslaughter when you run and hide.
This was not about political points as I am an Ind. it was about history.

Alan in Phx (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:28 AM)

--->>> Boy did I strike a nerve! Lighten up people, the comment was to induce thought and perspective.

And you thought you would find that here because?

Gil Brandt, Oshkosh, WI (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:48 AM)

Mary Jo was a family friend of the Kennedy's..she worked for his brother Bobby. Given their history you don't think Ted isn't remorseful to this very day? I just don't think it is relevant as a political topic anymore but for some reason pundits/cynics love to stab old wounds. I heard talk radio drive that very topic into the ground a few weeks ago, i think during his son's incident. IMO it is in the hands of a higher power now.

CJ (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:59 AM)

Now this one was a mistake by Obama. Save your jabs for the frontrunner, not the candidate whose supporters you are hoping shift over to you should he not appear viable come Iowa, lol. In all fairness, it may not have been a jab at Edwards, but given the timing all of Edwards supporters are going to have a hard time believing that.

Paul Miller, Woodbridge, VA (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 12:12 PM)

The Clinton campaign is answering a criticism from John Edwards' wife with a complimentary quote from someone else working for Edwards? That kinda goes into the "huh?" category.

Paul Miller, Woodbridge, VA (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 12:15 PM)

Obama is great, but he should know better when it comes to Edwards and poverty. This isn't something John Edwards just happened upon. Oh well.

Gary, Des Moines, IA (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 12:23 PM)

Alan in Phx: Yeah, and George W. Bush was stopped for DUI in Maine some 30 years ago, and he had a Daddy who got him into the National Guard in order to avoid Vietnam, what's your point?

Amy B Portland, ME (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 12:48 PM)

Jerry is so dreamy.

What?!? (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 1:28 PM)

I don't need Joe Klein to tell me about Joe Biden. Biden told me all I wanted to know in the first debate. He is not running for President! He wants to be Secretary of State in the Hillary administration. That is when I decided to back Obama. At least he is running for President.

Robet Stelling (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 1:53 PM)

Amy your anger at Bush is irrational. Bush's DUI did not kill anybody. Second he was in the Guard, unlike Clinton who fled to England. His unit was not called up to Vietnam, he had no control over that, neither did his dad who not president at that time.

The point was to remember an event in history that today would make him totally unelectable and should have then.

Presidents are not kings and he has not done one thing that the congress has not gone along with. I am not enamoured with W in all aspects, but he is our President and come 01/09 we will have another.

Alan in Phx (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 2:23 PM)

I will take Joe Biden as president or VP or even better
Secetary of State! He is the balls!

HOT DAM (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 2:31 PM)

Johnny sure knows poverty. That's why he went to work for the hedge fund at $650k per quarter, to "learn more about it".

A bigger hypocrite I've yet to see--and I lived in Massachusetts for 30 years.

Bruce in NV (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 2:31 PM)

Bruce,Bruce,Brucie, Did you forget ROAMANEY?
Remember he stopped by now again to raise fees and such..you know the guy who went all over running for prez when he was the FREE gov of Ma.
RING a bell? Been gone awhile from Ma.?
HE is a flip flopping HYPOCRITE! Freaking rich too.

H P Boston (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 3:20 PM)

Alan in Phx (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 2:23 PM)

Normally I don't respond to such posts and you are wrong on so many things, I can hardly bear it.

However, I do have to set you straight on one thing.

George W. Bush did not "serve" in ANY sense of the word. He signed up for the service and showed up only to play with the airplanes. Others in his unit called him the "poster boy soldier". That is a term of great contempt which is why I am always so surprised when he is portrayed as being supported by the military.

I know this because I know some of those people in that unit. I really don't know what happened to Dan Rather's info on this except it was probably met with Karl Rove's paper shredder.

Independent, Texas (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 3:23 PM)

%%% Given their history you don't think Ted isn't remorseful to this very day?

Remorseful? Yes. Accountable? No.

%%% I just don't think it is relevant as a political topic anymore but for some reason pundits/cynics love to stab old wounds.

It is what they do. It is done to both/all sides of the political spectrum too. Examples:

Clinton to England
Bush II to the National Guard
Kerry to Cambodia/Laos
Gore is a robot/greenie/fatty/scientist
Hillary with Whitewater records
Bush I to France for secret talks
Reagan is dumb (ed: as a fox)
Biden copies others
Reagan is asleep (ed: resting his eyes)
Obama was on drugs
Reagan is in Bed Time for Bonzo (ed: bad choice on that one)
Edwards has nice hair
Giulani has a bad comb-over
Romney is Morman (BOOO!)
Nader is nuts (this one might be true)
Perot is a weird little guy (this one is true)

Might be best to ignore it all.

Simon Tribe (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 4:07 PM)

"This kind of poverty is not an issue I just discovered for the purposes of a campaign." Oh come on, Obama, you moved to the South Side of Chicago with its poverty in the first place so's you'd have a solid victimologist political base.

TJ (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 4:21 PM)

Ind in tx, you are wrong on this for sure. I said he was in the guard I did not say served. Had his unit been called he would have had to go or go to the brig. And get over Rove would you, he is not the puppet master of the world, your smarter than that.

Alan in Phx (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 4:47 PM)

If memory serves me correctly, none of the National Guard units were called up to go to Viet Nam; the draft provided all the manpower that was needed. The Guard was the perfect place in which to avoid the draft, because they knew they'd never be exposed to combat in Viet Nam. Because of this, admission to the Guard was very selective and hard to come by, with waiting lists and all that. Unless, of course, your a rich kid with a politically connected father (congressman) who could get the Lt. Gov. to pull strings for his son (gwb). I've often wondered who got bumped off the list because of gwb and got drafted, and what happened to him. That's how bush got into the ANG, and once in he didn't even come close to fulfilling his obligation. Alan is just plain wrong about that, but he is right when he says Rove is not the puppet master of the world. He's the puppet master of the hundred million or so people who voted for bush, and still support him.

Scott in South Texas (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 8:46 PM)

I'd say it was likely an honest mistake by Obama's part.

When he says. "This kind of poverty is not an issue I just discovered for the purposes of a campaign..."

I think here he's talking to people who don't know him, and he wanted to let them know his past because people might think he's just all talk and no action. I really don't think he's targeting this as a jab at Edwards, suggesting that Edwards is just doing this for campaigning.

He said something that can come out two different ways in different circumstances. For any candidate, favorable or not, we should be careful not to suddenly all jump on one side.

Obama won't try to hurt Edwards; Obama needs Edwards to win Iowa for the sake of having Hillary not win it.

Jeff Morgan, Austin, TX (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:00 PM)

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