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February 03, 2007
Two Americas? No Kidding
Followers of the 2004 presidential election will recall Democratic candidate and eventual vice-presidential nominee John Edwards' frequent speeches about "two Americas" -- one for the haves, and one for everyone else. Using the skills that made him a fabulously successful plaintiff's attorney in North Carolina, Edwards eloquently (if repetitively) lamented the growing divide in American society between a small, very rich upper class that is growing richer, and the rest of the country, which struggles to keep up with exploding expenses for health care, education, housing, and other basic necessities of life.
After the 2004 election, Edwards continued to champion this issue, assuming the directorship of the newly formed Center on Poverty at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. As an announced candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, Edwards has kept his focus on the American economic divide.
Recently discovered information, however, about the new "compound" in which he and his family live, clearly (and perhaps inconveniently) shows to which of the two Americas the Edwards family belongs. 29,000 square feet of residential luxury, complete with basketball and squash courts, two stages, and even rumors of a helipad may serve to undercut Edwards' desire to be perceived as a man of the people.
This news, along with Edwards' attacks on rivals Clinton and Obama, and fresh New Hampshire poll numbers showing him slipping to a distant third there, caps a lousy week for Team Johnny Boy.
Posted by houtopia at February 3, 2007 10:06 PM