Edwards Evening News-Helping Others Edition

Good Evening. I am Benny, the Guest Anchor and our regular Wed night anchor is off, due to an earlier day assignment.  Here's the news.

First story: Today, John Edwards was all over the place both virtually and physically.   The Moveon.org results, as reported by Okmichican13 earlier on the DK, show that Moveon viewers saw that Edwards illustrated strong movements for tackling Global Warming.  Here's part of what the diarist reported this morning.

We should not be building another coal-fired plant
We should be willing to conserve and be patriotic something than war.

Next, Sheet Metals Association in Las Vegas

Taylor Marsh who has a great radio show and a progressive blog, went to see John Edwards on the stump.  She saw something for the first time that many Edwards supporters have reported:

But it was when audience members asked questions that something different happened between the candidate and the people that I haven't seen so far from any other candidate. The equanimity and empathy between the candidate and the people was palpable. One woman stood and told the story of her mother who was in danger of getting cancer, but couldn't get the preventative care required to stop her situation from getting worse. When Edwards responded, you could see the woman's mother sitting next to her wiping tears from her eyes. Edwards' voice modulated and the answer he gave took on a much different tone, quieter, more personal. Then he began speaking about Elizabeth Edwards, saying she addresses the issue much better, but that they don't have to worry about what the woman's mother is going through, because they have the best health care available. Prevention must be a part of universal health care, said Edwards. It's the moral thing to do, but also the most cost effective. It really was one of those moments when the candidate did more than just give a sound bite, but actually revealed his humanity.

Whether it was the personal health crisis or talking about the minimum wage, Edwards' ability to hear and respond to the audience, to engage and reach out to them was remarkable. It was also more than a politician looking for votes. Edwards seems to have the ability to touch people. It's the empathy quotient, which was in full view today. I hadn't covered Edwards on the stump before, though I'd covered his appearance at the health care forum, but today's town hall was personal between the people and Mr. Edwards.

Read more of TM(as Taylor Marsh) is known to her readers.

Different Story

Hedge Fund Management

This is what Edwards had to say, being a brief geo-political advisor to a Wall Street firm, about the investments that we need from all folks of the investment and non-investment sectors, especially hedge fund executives.

"You want to know what I mean by Two Americas? A tax code that lets hedge fund and private equity managers making hundreds of millions a year pay taxes at a lower rate than their secretaries is wrong. Building One America means getting rid of loopholes like the one that lets these investment advisers treat most of their compensation as capital gains. Carried interest is compensation for work, and it should be taxed like other pay.

"I applaud Representatives Rangel and Levin for introducing legislation to end this abuse. These leaders are not just talking about economic fairness - they're trying to do something about it. And I congratulate Senators Baucus and Grassley for introducing a bill to close another loophole that lets publicly-traded hedge funds and private equity funds avoid corporate taxes."

I respect John Edwards doing what he could to talk with hedge fund executives and with our world leaders in general.  He's in the Buffet camp.

Next story..Women in our Political Process

Elizabeth Edwards, a DK, DU, and MyDD blogger, as well as other places, had a good liner about why she thinks JRE is a good one to vote for POTUS:
"We need to make certain that our schools our meeting our children's needs," Edwards said. "Teachers do not go into teaching for the big bucks. They go in because they want to make a difference in young people's lives and we need to be assisting them rather than punishing them for making that effort."

Edwards reminded voters of her husband's campaign to eliminate poverty. And added this:

If all the candidates, Edwards said her husband was the most electable, which is why, she added, conservative pundits such as Ann Coulter have been so strident in attacking him. Edwards also accused other Democratic campaigns of spreading negative views of Edwards, although she declined to name any one specific.

The only other Democratic candidate she specifically referred to was Hillary Clinton. Edwards said some people have asked her why she would urge women voters to not support Clinton.
"As it turns out, on the issues most important to women, John is the best candidate," she said. "I'm for the promotion of all women. I'm not just for the promotion of one of us."

Our Fifth and last big story tonight: Lady Bird Johnson Is Dead
Our next greatest first lady after Eleanor Roosevelt has passed on at the age of 94.  Here's what John Edwards campaign expressed in their condolences:

"Elizabeth and I join the nation in mourning the loss of Lady Bird Johnson. Mrs. Johnson helped lead the country through a difficult time and brought grace and dignity to the White House and everywhere she went. Our prayers and deepest sympathies go out to her family during this difficult time."

I agree, but this Kossack is a native Texan.  I recall that my parents were somewhat disgruntled with Johnson the President in his civil rights views; they told me what he believed but more imporant, they were unhappy about the war.  But they were for him, even they quibbled with him.
However, I know that my mom appreciated Lady Bird's ideas and later all Texans, loved the wildflowers program in which they beautified the roads.   And they make us appreciate Al Gore in having plants everywhere to absorb CO2.
Good thing.  We will miss LBJ--the wildflower First Lady.

And that's news tonight.