Report from Edwards Event Today

I just got home from the John Edwards Townhall Meeting in Des Moines. As a blogger, I was able to attend a pre-meeting with Edwards prior to the Town Hall meeting. There were 11 bloggers there and John came and talked for about 10 min. Chris of Poltical Forecast asked about how Vilsack entering the race affected the Iowa Caucuses. Edwards said that Vilsack is popular and should be, but he feels he knows the caucus goers here pretty well. He answered a couple other questions and then went to get ready for the Townhall meeting. I made my way down to the ground floor of Historical Building. The crowd was huge, with people lined up the staircase and standing on the 2nd floor.

I made my way around the crowd and found myself along the side in the press section. I was in a group of people and was told that we had to move out of the walkway because of firecode. Then one of the volunteers, that I had met earlier, said that I was part of the media (because I was a blogger) and I could stay. That was pretty cool. I had a prime spot on the side of the stage and was just a few feet from O. Kay Henderson of Radio Iowa, Mike Glover of the AP, the KCCI TV Camera, and a reporter from the Des Moines Register. Being part of all the real media reminded me of what Kos said on this YouTube video.

Edwards was introduced and made his way to the stage. I couldn't quite hear what the intro music was, but some was playing (edit: It was Times Like These by the Foo Fighters). Edwards began by asking people to participate and stayed on that theme throughout the event. Edwards said, "We need to bring about the change this country and Iowa needs." He said this cause begins with the grassroots and he wants people to hear our voice and Edwards wants to hear from you. It all depends on engagement and people getting involved. If a person didn't know that Edwards was running for President, they would have thought he was part of some community group asking for its members to volunteer.


Edwards talked about regaining the moral leadership in the world and that begins in Iraq. He said we need to make it clear we aren't staying in Iraq and the best way to do that is by leaving. He stressed that if we want to be moral leaders in the world, we must tell the truth to the world and to the American people. Edwards then said he was wrong for voting for this war, but he is accepting the responsibility for the vote. Bush and Cheney are responsible for the way the war has been handled.

Edwards ended by saying that the power is not in Washington, it is right here. He said, "we have to take the responsibilty. We have to take the action."


It was then time for questions from the audience. I didn't take notes on all of the questions, but he answered questions on Israel, Iran, Renewable Energy, and No Child Left Behind. There were 2 that did stick out. The first was on immigration, an issue that hit central Iowa this month. Edwards said that we have 3 options. First, we can pretend there is no problem. Second, we can try to find 11 million illegal immigrants and deport them. He said these first 2 options aren't resonable and that leaves only one option. We can secure our borders and then find a way that those people here can become citizens. Those immigrants that have been living here and following the laws need a way to become citizens.

The other question that stood out was on the national deficit. Edwards said that the deficit and balancing the budget requires some tough choices. He said that it is about priorities and in the short term his priorities would be on universal health care, renewable energy, poverty, and regaining the moral leadership in the world. He said he isn't going to promise to do this and cut taxes and balance the budget at the same time because that can't be done. This was an honest answer, but I think he could have handled it better. He could have mentioned that if he was president, we would not be spending millions of dollars a day in Iraq. He could have said we could repeal the Bush tax cuts and crack down on corporations that have moved their headquarters overseas.

As I walked into the event, Ed Fallon was there taking tickets and passing out literature. I was surprised to see Ed there because I didn't think he would be get behind a candidate so early. Edwards' them is similar to the theme of Fallon's campaign for Governor in the primary: stressing universal health care and fighting for the underdog. During the event, Ed was sitting right behind the stage. Getting Fallon's support is a big gain for Edwards.


Overall, I was impressed with Edwards' honesty. His answers weren't read from a script. He took his time to think through the questions and then he gave you his best answer. That part was refreshing. Also, his call for action is one needed and one you are not likely to see from other candidates. In the end, if Edwards wins the nomination and becomes President, I don't think he will think he ran a successful campaign if the only thing people do is vote for him.

Edwards walked off the stage while Mellencamp's Our Country and then John Mayer's Waiting for the World to Change played.

**Update**
O Kay Henderson has her recap posted on the Radio Iowa blog. She had the event taped, so has direct quotes.