[John Edwards] rails against poverty

from The Mercury News

EX-SENATOR WEIGHING '08 PRESIDENTIAL BID

By Mike Zapler

MediaNews Sacramento Bureau

Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards told a gathering in downtown San Jose on Saturday that eradicating poverty is ``the great moral cause'' facing the nation and that he is ``strongly considering'' a second bid for the White House, in 2008.

``We have 37 million Americans who wake up every single day worried about feeding and clothing their children,'' the former Democratic vice presidential candidate told 2,000 health care union members at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. ``How can that be in the United States of America? How can that be in the richest nation on the face of the planet?''

Edwards spoke at length about poverty during the 2004 race, decrying what he called the ``two Americas'' -- one comfortable and well-off, the other struggling to get by.

In the two years since he and Sen. John Kerry lost their bid for the White House, Edwards has made reducing poverty the focus of his professional and political life. He launched a center on poverty at the University of North Carolina and is speaking to audiences across the country about the issue.

Edwards also has worked since the election to bolster his already strong relationship with unions. On Saturday he called labor a crucial ally in the fight against poverty and said the nation should reform laws to boost union membership.

Edwards found a receptive audience at the San Jose gathering, where leaders of the United Healthcare Workers union gathered for an annual conference. He said the nation needs to enact universal health coverage, raise the national minimum wage and provide vouchers to allow poor families to move into better neighborhoods.

Edwards also said that six years of Republican control in Washington has hurt America's standing abroad. It's tragic, Edwards said, that the country has done nothing to stop genocide in Africa.

``Where is America?'' Edwards asked. ``America is better than this. The world needs to know that we care about humanity.''

Later Saturday, Edwards joined Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides for a campaign rally at the Booker T. Washington Community Center in San Francisco. Angelides got a boost from Edwards in his attempt to link his opponent, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, to President Bush, who is deeply unpopular in California.

``I watched, in a very personal way, Arnold Schwarzenegger campaign with George Bush in 2004,'' Edwards said, eliciting hisses from the crowd.

Schwarzenegger did campaign for Bush in 2004 but has parted ways with the president on several issues, including stem-cell research and global warming.

Edwards predicted in San Jose that the country is ready to accept his call to tackle poverty.

``There's a hunger in America, a hunger to be inspired,'' Edwards said. ``People are looking for something big and important, something bigger than their own self-interest.''

In an interview with the Mercury News after his speech, Edwards said he is ``strongly considering'' a bid for president in 2008, adding that it would take something unexpected, such as a family illness, to dissuade him. His wife, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with breast cancer after the 2004 race, but Edwards reported she is doing well.

He said his focus on poverty is a matter of principle for him, dismissing the notion that it might be a difficult issue with which to galvanize the country.

``I don't think the test should be whether somebody can rally people to a political campaign,'' Edwards said. ``The test should be whether someone running for president actually believes in these issues.''