WP, Robinson: Pitch Perfect for Iowa? Edwards Finds That Rage Can Resonate

Pitch Perfect for Iowa?
Edwards Finds That Rage Can Resonate
By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, January 1, 2008; Page A11

If you had seen John Edwards perform Saturday at the public library in the pretty little town of Washington about 45 minutes south of here, you'd understand how he made all that money as a trial lawyer. The man knows how to deliver a closing argument. He projected confidence. He made eye contact. He skillfully used rhetorical strategies -- repetition, illustration, simplification, more repetition -- to imprint the minds of the jury, I mean the audience, with his narrative of ordinary Americans in an "epic fight" against "special interests" and "corporate greed." He lingered to shake hands in the overflow crowd that filled the hallway and stretched down the stairs. He flashed his halogen-bright smile.

The buzz in Iowa is that Edwards, for months eclipsed by front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, is mounting a significant eleventh-hour surge. His poll numbers are up, his crowds are full of energy and fervor, and at this point few would be surprised if he were the winner of Thursday night's nominating caucuses. No one would be surprised if he finished third, either. Obama's crowds are bigger, Clinton's can be louder, and decisive numbers of voters remain undecided....

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...at the moment it is Edwards who is framing the discussion with his pledge to be confrontational and uncompromising in defense of the poor and the middle class. He tells audiences that "these people" -- the reference is often nonspecific but generally refers to corporate America -- are killing the American dream. "These people have an iron grip on your democracy," he told his audience Saturday. "I don't believe these people are going to give up anything without a fight."

His policy proposals aren't that different from those of his opponents. What really sets the three candidates apart is tone. Edwards, in the tradition of effective populist campaigners, has found words to express the feeling of being used and abused by powerful forces that need to be cut down to size.

For months, it seemed as if Iowans had to choose between inspiration and pragmatism. It turns out that many wanted to hear some righteous anger as well.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/31/AR2007123101664.html?nav=hcmodule

He clearly has been intrigued by Obama's campaign and its possibilities - so this is very interesting that he would write so favorably about Edwards.