John Edwards for President? for Tuesday, November 27, 2007

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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

NBC Nightly News Interviews John Edwards

Check out this extensive interview with John Edwards conducted earlier tonight by Brian Williams on the NBC Nightly News.

Senator Edwards comes across as mature, seasoned and presidential. He is eloquent and straightforward about the issues and the campaign for president as well as the other candidates.

Why Oprah Won't Help Obama

I agree with Mark Halperin. This is akin to Obama sending Forrest Whitaker to the Johnson County Fair a couple of months ago when I was in town checking out the Edwards Campaign in action. According to this Time Magazine story:

To win the Democratic nomination for President, Barack Obama still needs the same thing he has needed all along - for voters to see him as ready to be commander in chief by January 2009. So now the question is: Will appearing at weekend campaign rallies with Oprah Winfrey help him achieve that goal?

Mark me down as more than a bit skeptical.

...So yes, expect loud, rousing rallies in all three early voting states when Oprah Winfrey comes to town with her friend Barack Obama in early December, with gobs of media attention, raucous crowds, emotion and great pictures. But don't expect those events to do anything productive to allow Obama to get over the biggest hurdle standing between him and the White House. American voters are not looking for a celebrity or talk show sidekick to lead them. Obama is an intelligent and thoughtful potential President, but Winfrey's imprimatur is unlikely to convey those traits to many undecided voters.

In that respect, Winfrey's events might even be - dare it be said - counterproductive.

Obama Tries To Conquer Iowa, Edwards Continues Steady Winning Of Iowans

According to this profile of one Iowa volunteer for Obama in the New York Times (the newspaper that has recently admitted the gross difference in coverage of Sen. Clinton and Obama vs Edwards):

The outcome of the Iowa caucuses, a set of 1,781 precinct meetings to take place across the state on Jan. 3, hinges on creating a strong and loyal person-to-person network. Mr. Steele is among the hundreds of Democratic and Republican campaign aides stationed in Iowa responsible for building — and sustaining — those networks throughout the state’s 99 counties.

...Across the rolling bluffs and the flat plains of his territory, in towns like Defiance and Denison, Honey Creek and Harlan, it is his responsibility to know which caucusgoing Democrats are supporting which candidate.

...When Mr. Obama went to Creston a month later, Mr. Steele arranged a brief one-on-one meeting between the senator and Mr. Knock, who signed on to the campaign soon after.

This month at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Des Moines, the Democratic Party’s marquee event of the year, who was seated at Mr. Obama’s table? Mr. Knock and his wife, Jan. Later, Ms. Knock told her husband that Mr. Obama had “swept her off her feet,” but she remained a committed supporter of former Senator John Edwards

New Zogby Poll: Hillary Trails Republicans, Edwards Leads

According to a Reuters story on the newest poll:

Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton trails five top Republican presidential contenders in general election match-ups, a drop in support from this summer, according to a poll released on Monday.

Clinton's top Democratic rivals, Barack Obama and John Edwards, still lead Republicans in hypothetical match-ups ahead of the November 4, 2008, presidential election, the survey by Zogby Interactive showed.

Clinton, a New York senator who has been at the top of the Democratic pack in national polls in the 2008 race, trails Republican candidates Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, John McCain and Mike Huckabee by three to five percentage points in the direct matches.

In July, Clinton narrowly led McCain, an Arizona senator, and held a five-point lead over former New York Mayor Giuliani, a six-point lead over former Tennessee Sen. Thompson and a 10-point lead over former Massachusetts Gov. Romney.

John Edwards "Born" Ad Running In South Carolina

Here's another great biographical ad from the Edwards Campaign. John Edwards talks about his experience growing up in a working-class family in rural Carolina mill towns. "When the mills closed, I saw first hand how devastating bad government and corporate greed can be," says Edwards. "I'm running for president to do what I've always done -- fight for people like the ones I grew up with against the powerful forces that have corrupted Washington."

Edwards was the first Democratic candidate to air television ads in South Carolina. This is his third new spot in the state.

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