Has John Edwards' Moment Arrived? - Time

i think it has...he was the clear winner of the last debate, especially on DU, i think Edwards has opened a critical new front of attack against the front runner...trust and integrity, and in the process sidelined Obama IMO.

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1679953,00.html



A pitch perfect debate performance, key union endorsements and a bold new television ad campaign: Could this be the moment that presidential candidate John Edwards finally gets some momentum?

Edwards' campaign has seen a surge of online support of late, often a barometer of how well any candidate is doing. They've raised $500,000 in the last two weeks over the Internet, $200,000 of it the day after the Philadelphia debate, at which Edwards was by most accounts the clear winner. Even more importantly, the campaign says 40% of recent donors were new to the campaign. The cash infusion comes on the heels of a series of important union endorsements for Edwards, who trails in overall fundraising behind both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama by more than $50 million. Edwards has won support from seven Iowa unions — a huge boon to the campaign because it effectively shuts out Obama from bringing in any outside organized labor support. Obama has no Iowa union endorsements; Hillary leads the field with eight.

...But his real target was frontrunner Hillary Clinton. And he hit his mark — forcing the former first lady to essentially defend lobbyists as "real Americans."

In the months since he has continued to pound away on that point, adding to it his criticism of her refusal to apologize for her Iraq war vote (Edwards long ago asked for forgiveness on that same vote) and her support last month of a resolution calling on President Bush to label as terrorists the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. He has also come out swinging on other policy matters — voicing his opposition this week to a bipartisan bill to limit greenhouse gas emissions, which he says doesn't go far enough, as well as to the Peru Free Trade Agreement before Congress right now. He's also proposed legislation that would ban for two years the advertising of new drugs, and also supports a West Point-like academy for teachers and a plan to limit security contracting in Iraq.

Edwards "has been drawing very clear contrasts and defining the choice that voters face in the campaign, but it's crystallized in the last few weeks," says Mark Kornblau, senior communications adviser to Edwards. "He's been doing so more forcefully than anybody on either side of the race. Still, delivering the message took a cumulative effect to where people are paying attention."

He may not be perfect but he hits all the right notes for me.

working their asses off to keep him from getting more traction! In case it's hasn't been noticed, most of the polls taken here at DU generally show he has the most support. Check out the ActBlue site and see how many have donated to him! He's in the lead!

But when you have the likes of Chuck Schumer and Rahm Emmanuel working against you, climbing the mountain is not only difficult, but there are many on top throwing boulders down upon you!!

WTF?

Hillary has been the MSM ordained 'frontrunner' for so long, and people have not really been paying attention to the other candidates YET --but as Edwards begins to run TV/Radio/Media ads (these are something new)people are beginning to sit up and take notice.

IF Hillary stumbles and comes in 3rd in Iowa, and Edwards surges to WIN in Iowa, we are looking at the classic confrontation between the 'frontrunner' trying to 'hang on' versus the candidate with 'momentum.'

I think Edwards has played a very strategic hand, and he is a contender against a candidate backed by huge corporate/business special interests.

against clinton, he defending the poor and working people...she lobbyists and multi-national corporations, he admitting he was wrong on IWR, and learning the right lessons...she being obstinate and learning the wrong lessons...etc.

his opening about how could she be the candidate of change if she defends a broken rigged system in washington DC that is corrupt, and not ending combat missions were broadsides indeed.

he forced clinton to respond to him...first time she has ever done that.