Edwards: 'We Have a Fight'
Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) was more than 50 minutes late to a scheduled event at the high school cafeteria which was filled to capacity. Edwards spoke to a second room filled with people prior to walking into the cafeteria.
He spoke for about twenty-five minutes, delivering a stump speech completely focused on domestic policy and on his underdog status.
"They told me we couldn't do it, but we did it," he said, referring to his second-place finish in Iowa behind Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.)
Edwards' message struck a populist tone; he spoke extensively about how the middle class is being squeezed by powerful interests in Washington, including the pharmaceutical, insurance, gas and oil lobbies.
"Haven't we found that enough is enough?" he asked.
Edwards delivered a thinly veiled attack on Obama's intention to bring all parties involved to a big table: "I dont think they'll sit at a table and voluntarily give their power away."
Edwards' aides emphaized how he was far outspent in the contest, and questioned the effectiveness of the spending.
"In Iowa, Obama got 17 delegates, we got 16 and Hillary got 15," said Joe Trippi, a chief adviser to the Edwards campaign. "Was all that extra spending worth the one delegate?"
Students were unimpressed by Edwards message. A voice poll taken on one bus after the rally found no new supporters of the Edwards campaign.
No students said they were Edwards supporters going in, either.
"The speech was lacking a certain pizzazz that you would think a former trial lawyer would have," said Nick Bond, a junior and president of the College Democrats.
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