Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Upbeat Message Proves To Be a Big Positive in Iowa
By Vanessa Williams
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 20, 2004; Page A01
DES MOINES, Jan. 19 -- Sen. John Edwards, who conspicuously stood apart from the fray and refused to criticize his Democratic rivals, said Monday night that his strong second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses was evidence that "a positive, uplifting message to change America" will resonate in New Hampshire and beyond.
The senator from North Carolina, who had vowed to "shock the world" with his performance here, surged ahead of early front-runners Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, and Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri in the final two weeks of the campaign to finish behind Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts. Edwards said his showing in the caucuses here was the beginning of "a movement to change this country that will sweep across America."
Edwards made fighting for working- and middle-class families a centerpiece of his campaign, a message that also resonated with Iowa voters, many of whom fretted to candidates who campaigned here about the loss of industrial jobs and the struggles of small farmers. Edwards and Kerry drew equally from voters who said the economy and jobs were the most important issues in deciding on a candidate, according to a survey of caucus-goers.
"I came here a year ago with a belief that we could change this country, with a belief that the politics of what was possible, the politics of hope, could overcome the politics of cynicism," Edwards said to a roomful of cheering supporters shortly after 9:30 p.m. Central time at a hotel in downtown Des Moines."
As recently as November, Edwards was polling in single digits in Iowa, but his fortunes changed just after New Year's Day, when he won the endorsement of the Des Moines Register, the state's largest newspaper. In the past week, the crowds at his campaign events grew larger and more enthusiastic, and campaign officials said their offices were flooded with phone calls from people wanting to help.
Edwards, 50, stuck to his basic campaign message, but the renewed energy surrounding his candidacy was obvious. On the stump, he smiled more widely, was more animated and encouraged his audiences to shout back when he asked them if they wanted change in Washington.
In interviews during the past week, most Iowans cited Edwards's optimistic message and praised him for refraining from joining in the internal fighting that dominated the large field of Democratic candidates.
They seemed not to be bothered by Edwards's lack of political experience -- he's served but one term in the Senate -- or his limited exposure to issues of foreign policy and national security.
Instead, most said they were moved by his passionate commitment to address inequities in economics, education and health care and his criticism of President Bush. They also agreed with Edwards's claim that, as a southerner, he was uniquely qualified to compete with Bush for crucial votes in the South.
"The South is not George Bush's back yard, the South is my back yard, and I will beat George Bush in my back yard," he would say, drawing wild cheers from his audiences.
After addressing supporters here, Edwards was scheduled to fly Monday night to New Hampshire, where a spokesman, Colin Van Ostern, said the race "could be as fluid as Iowa was during this past week."
Edwards will split his time Tuesday campaigning there and in South Carolina, whose Feb. 3 primary is the first that Edwards has predicted he will win. That pattern is likely to continue through the week, Van Ostern said, as Edwards tries to build support in New Hampshire without hurting his chances in the first southern primary.
Edwards has a smaller paid staff in New Hampshire than any of the other prominent candidates. "We have relied much more on neighbor-to-neighbor organizing," Van Ostern said, adding that those volunteers organized almost 100 house parties for Edwards in the past 10 days.
So far, however, Edwards has not invested the personal campaign time in New Hampshire that he did in Iowa, and he has yet to receive the kind of newspaper endorsement that triggered his late surge in Iowa.
Retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark, who sat out the Iowa caucuses, has been gaining ground in New Hampshire, and having grown up in Arkansas, he is also expected to do well in the South.
Edwards told reporters Monday night that he was prepared to go head to head with Clark for bragging rights in the region.
"I grew up the in the rural South, I was elected in a tough southern state, and having grown up there and having spent my time in the Senate dealing every single day with the problems that southerners face . . . I'm intimately familiar with these problems and have been working with them every single day, and General Clark comes from a different place," Edwards said.
Some observers also have pointed to Edwards's limited experience in foreign policy and national security issues, but the freshman senator said he was not afraid to stand up to those questions against Clark.
"If I'm not mistaken he's never had a vote cast for him, and running in tough elections is something you learn a great deal from and I've done it. General Clark has his own different kinds of experience."
He also noted that Clark skipped the caucuses while "I didn't walk away. I stayed here and fought."
His remarks about Clark contrasted with his warm praise for Gephardt, whom he praised in his remarks to supporters as "a man I have so much personal respect and affection for, a man who stood up and fought for working people every single day of his life. . . . He deserves to be lifted up by us tonight. We should be proud of what's done."
By Vanessa Williams
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 20, 2004; Page A01
DES MOINES, Jan. 19 -- Sen. John Edwards, who conspicuously stood apart from the fray and refused to criticize his Democratic rivals, said Monday night that his strong second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses was evidence that "a positive, uplifting message to change America" will resonate in New Hampshire and beyond.
The senator from North Carolina, who had vowed to "shock the world" with his performance here, surged ahead of early front-runners Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, and Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri in the final two weeks of the campaign to finish behind Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts. Edwards said his showing in the caucuses here was the beginning of "a movement to change this country that will sweep across America."
Edwards made fighting for working- and middle-class families a centerpiece of his campaign, a message that also resonated with Iowa voters, many of whom fretted to candidates who campaigned here about the loss of industrial jobs and the struggles of small farmers. Edwards and Kerry drew equally from voters who said the economy and jobs were the most important issues in deciding on a candidate, according to a survey of caucus-goers.
"I came here a year ago with a belief that we could change this country, with a belief that the politics of what was possible, the politics of hope, could overcome the politics of cynicism," Edwards said to a roomful of cheering supporters shortly after 9:30 p.m. Central time at a hotel in downtown Des Moines."
As recently as November, Edwards was polling in single digits in Iowa, but his fortunes changed just after New Year's Day, when he won the endorsement of the Des Moines Register, the state's largest newspaper. In the past week, the crowds at his campaign events grew larger and more enthusiastic, and campaign officials said their offices were flooded with phone calls from people wanting to help.
Edwards, 50, stuck to his basic campaign message, but the renewed energy surrounding his candidacy was obvious. On the stump, he smiled more widely, was more animated and encouraged his audiences to shout back when he asked them if they wanted change in Washington.
In interviews during the past week, most Iowans cited Edwards's optimistic message and praised him for refraining from joining in the internal fighting that dominated the large field of Democratic candidates.
They seemed not to be bothered by Edwards's lack of political experience -- he's served but one term in the Senate -- or his limited exposure to issues of foreign policy and national security.
Instead, most said they were moved by his passionate commitment to address inequities in economics, education and health care and his criticism of President Bush. They also agreed with Edwards's claim that, as a southerner, he was uniquely qualified to compete with Bush for crucial votes in the South.
"The South is not George Bush's back yard, the South is my back yard, and I will beat George Bush in my back yard," he would say, drawing wild cheers from his audiences.
After addressing supporters here, Edwards was scheduled to fly Monday night to New Hampshire, where a spokesman, Colin Van Ostern, said the race "could be as fluid as Iowa was during this past week."
Edwards will split his time Tuesday campaigning there and in South Carolina, whose Feb. 3 primary is the first that Edwards has predicted he will win. That pattern is likely to continue through the week, Van Ostern said, as Edwards tries to build support in New Hampshire without hurting his chances in the first southern primary.
Edwards has a smaller paid staff in New Hampshire than any of the other prominent candidates. "We have relied much more on neighbor-to-neighbor organizing," Van Ostern said, adding that those volunteers organized almost 100 house parties for Edwards in the past 10 days.
So far, however, Edwards has not invested the personal campaign time in New Hampshire that he did in Iowa, and he has yet to receive the kind of newspaper endorsement that triggered his late surge in Iowa.
Retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark, who sat out the Iowa caucuses, has been gaining ground in New Hampshire, and having grown up in Arkansas, he is also expected to do well in the South.
Edwards told reporters Monday night that he was prepared to go head to head with Clark for bragging rights in the region.
"I grew up the in the rural South, I was elected in a tough southern state, and having grown up there and having spent my time in the Senate dealing every single day with the problems that southerners face . . . I'm intimately familiar with these problems and have been working with them every single day, and General Clark comes from a different place," Edwards said.
Some observers also have pointed to Edwards's limited experience in foreign policy and national security issues, but the freshman senator said he was not afraid to stand up to those questions against Clark.
"If I'm not mistaken he's never had a vote cast for him, and running in tough elections is something you learn a great deal from and I've done it. General Clark has his own different kinds of experience."
He also noted that Clark skipped the caucuses while "I didn't walk away. I stayed here and fought."
His remarks about Clark contrasted with his warm praise for Gephardt, whom he praised in his remarks to supporters as "a man I have so much personal respect and affection for, a man who stood up and fought for working people every single day of his life. . . . He deserves to be lifted up by us tonight. We should be proud of what's done."
Comments:
Post a Comment
