Edwards Announces Road to One America Tour

The first thing I want you to know is that the Edwards campaign included local bloggers, along with more traditional media outlets, on a conference call with Edwards' Campaign Manager, David Bonior today. Yes, right along with the Washington Post, Fox News, Gannett and others, local bloggers were invited to participate, and that was very cool.(Thanks to Jon Flack for sending over the information.)

The purpose was for Bonior to announce that on July 16th, 17th and 18th, Sen. Edwards will lead the "Road to One America Tour." His plan to reduced poverty by 12 million in ten years and end poverty in thirty years will be the focus as Edwards begins in New Orleans and travels to eight different states, visiting some of the most poverty stricken communities in the United States. None of the states included are early primary states, and for the three days of the tour, Sen. Edwards will do the unthinkable in the world of Presidential politics: he will not do any fundraising events.

Bonior pointed out that poverty is not a new issue for Edwards, saying, "This will be the center part of his life, for the rest of his life." He pointed to Edwards' investment in the Center for Poverty at The University of North Carolina, his personal participation in more than 180 union organizing events and his work on projects like "College for Everyone" as examples of Edwards action on poverty. Edwards has said that if you're working in America today, you ought not be working for poverty wages. We all know the grim statistics on poverty. One in eight Americans live in poverty. (In Georgia, one in five children live in poverty.) During these three days, Edwards will seek to put a face on poverty. As he has said, statistics don't go to bed hungry at night-people do.

It occurs to me that campaign financial disclosures are due on July 15th, so while the pundits are busy with the money race, Edwards will be telling quite a different story about what's really at stake in this election.





This is cross-posted at Tondees Tavern.

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