Edwards to Come Under Closer Scrutiny

WASHINGTON (AP) - While John Edwards comes across as articulate and folksy, his lack of political and foreign policy experience could become a liability in the homestretch for the Democratic presidential nomination.

But the North Carolina senator's supporters say he's been underestimated before, and that he has a way of connecting with audiences, particularly with his stump message about the ``two Americas'' for the rich and for everybody else.

A self-made millionaire trial lawyer who projects the image of a common man, Edwards has flown mostly under the political radar as most attention focused first on Howard Dean and then on John Kerry.

But now that the Democratic contest is essentially the two-man race long sought by Edwards, his record and background are sure to come under closer scrutiny.

His detractors argue that he has not done much to define himself beyond an effective but unchanging stump speech, and has sometimes appeared awkward on interview shows and in debates.

Edwards says he won't take money from Washington lobbyists or special-interest groups, but many of his early contributions came from fellow trial lawyers.

After his strong second-place finish Tuesday in Wisconsin's primary, Edwards set his sights on the 10 ``Super Tuesday'' races March 2 that include delegate-rich California, New York and Ohio.

Edwards told reporters Wednesday that his campaign had raised $200,000 in new contributions over the Internet in the hours after his Wisconsin showing.

``What happened in Wisconsin was surprising, even to me,'' he said. Edwards, eager to move forward, challenged Kerry to a series of debates and asserted, ``I think the voters deserve to know the differences between us.''

Even so, Edwards, a youthful-looking 50-year-old, has only won a single primary - his native South Carolina - compared to 15 contests for Kerry.

Former Vermont Gov. Dean, the one-time front-runner, dropped out Wednesday without a single win, leaving Edwards as the only remaining major challenger to Kerry.

Until now, Edwards has boasted of his refusal to engage in negative campaigning - either in his campaign commercials or in the Democratic debates.

``Edwards is going to have to go negative, something he hasn't really wanted to do, to draw a contrast between himself or Kerry on jobs and NAFTA,'' said Doug Schoen, an unaffiliated Democratic consultant who was President Clinton's pollster.

Edwards emphasizes his humble origins as the son of a textile mill worker. But his worth has been estimated at $20 million to $50 million after a lucrative career as a plaintiff's lawyer.

He talks about people who have been left out or behind, but lives in a 13-room, four-story house in the Georgetown section of Washington that he paid $3.8 million for last year - a block from Kerry's home. Edwards also has homes in Raleigh and Wilmington, N.C.

Elected to the Senate in 1998, Edwards chose not to run for a second term, and has no other public service in his resume.

He offers his lack of experience as a plus, asking audiences who would do a better job at changing Washington's ways - a reform-minded newcomer or an entrenched politician.

He frequently talks about his opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Kerry supported, suggesting it has cost many U.S. jobs. Edwards wasn't in the Senate when NAFTA was passed in 1993.

And he rarely mentions a trade-liberalization measure he did vote for, as did Kerry - a 2000 measure giving China elevated trade status. Far more U.S. jobs have been lost to China and other Asian nations than to Mexico or Canada, the countries covered by NAFTA, economists suggest.

On Feb. 3 in South Carolina, Edwards met with leaders of labor unions that supported former presidential rival Dick Gephardt, hoping to secure an endorsement. Teamsters President James P. Hoffa said Edwards told them he regretted his vote in favor of the China trade measure and called it one of his biggest mistakes.

``He's a very impressive man,'' Hoffa told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. ``He has a good record on trade, though he did vote for (the China trade deal) and he admits it was a mistake now.''

Edwards' main campaign theme about ``two Americas'' - one for the rich and powerful and another for everybody else - plays well with audiences.

``The economic set of issues right now is more important than Iraq,'' said Don Fowler, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and longtime South Carolina resident who supports Kerry. ``It's a little surprising to me that Senator Edwards continues to show the level of strength that he has.''

Edwards points to support by independent and Republican voters for his strong showing in Wisconsin - and suggests it shows ``why I'm the best candidate to take on George Bush.''

But even his ``two Americas'' theme could backfire, said Earl Black, a political scientist at Rice University. ``He's talking about a division that I think is going to strike a lot of voters as too simple, with such a large middle class out there and all the complexities of the American economy.''

Missed votes raise ire, questions

9-2-03

By ERIC DYER, Staff Writer
News & Record

When Congress conducts the nation's business this fall, U.S. Sen. John Edwards may not be a regular participant.

He and other presidential hopefuls who serve on Capitol Hill have been missing many roll-call votes as they campaign. Their absences are certain to mount as the race for the Democrats' 2004 nomination kicks into overdrive.

Edwards skipped 38 -- or about a third -- of the 119 tallies cast during June and July, according to Senate records.

"I try to look at the votes and see what looks like it's important not only for North Carolina but also the country, and try to be there for those votes," Edwards said in an interview about his attendance rate.

The senator added that he believed his constituents ultimately benefit from the time he spends running for president: "It is important for the perspective of North Carolinians to be in the national debate."

Presidential bids require candidates to devote many days on the road raising money and courting voters in pivotal political battleground states such as New Hampshire and Iowa.

Edwards' absences hardly are an issue in the presidential race but could cost him support among North Carolinians should he seek a second Senate term next year, which appears increasingly unlikely although he has not yet ruled it out. He narrowly won the seat in 1998.

Gayle Siegert cast her ballot for Edwards but now is angry.

The Greensboro resident, whose 55-year-old husband flies for Southwest Airlines, was particularly incensed when the state's senior senator missed a vote in June that would have raised the mandatory retirement age for pilots from 60 to 65. The motion failed 44-52.

Siegert said even though Edwards' vote alone would not have changed the outcome, she still was "livid" he was absent.

"He is my connection to the government," Siegert said. "I, in good faith, voted for Senator Edwards to represent me and my family on bills. But what is he interested in? He's interested in himself."

The same day it voted on the retirement legislation, the Senate killed an amendment that critics argued was needed to prevent oil drilling off the North Carolina shore. Edwards, campaigning in Tennessee at the time, caught flak back home for being absent.

Edwards skips 90% of votes this month
Yet he misses fewer Senate votes than rivals

By JOHN WAGNER, Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON -- How much have Sen. John Edwards' presidential ambitions affected his current job? Here's one yardstick: This month, he has made more trips to early nominating states than to the Senate floor.
Edwards, a North Carolina Democrat, has missed 38 of the 42 roll-call votes since the U.S. Senate returned from its August recess.
related

Voting record

democrats debate

All 10 Democratic candidates -- including U.S. Sen. John Edwards and the latest entrant, retired Gen. Wesley Clark -- are scheduled to take part in a two-hour debate today, sponsored by CNBC and The Wall Street Journal, focusing on the economy and other financial issues.

4 p.m. live on CNBC

9 p.m. rebroadcast on MSNBC

His record is hardly unusual for a presidential candidate. In fact, it is better than the three other Senate Democrats in the race.

But Republican critics have seized upon his absences to argue that Edwards -- who announced this month that he won't seek re-election to the Senate -- should go ahead and step down.

"The best way to serve the people of North Carolina if you can't be here to cast your votes ... is to give up your seat," said U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, a Farmville Republican. "If he's not going to meet his senatorial duties, he should let someone else do that. "

In a brief interview Wednesday, Edwards said that he plans to serve out his term and that his attention to North Carolina issues has not waned.

"I'm always thinking about and working for North Carolina," said Edwards, who spent much of Wednesday raising money and prepping for a Democratic presidential debate today . "I'm able to keep up with what's happening."

Edwards and his aides also argue that his voting record is a poor gauge of his involvement in Senate business. As an example, they cited a spending bill passed last week. Though Edwards missed the vote -- it came on the day of his formal presidential announcement in Robbins -- the legislation contained more than $67 million for North Carolina harbor, waterway and beach projects. Money for many of those was secured by Edwards and his aides behind the scenes, they said.

The last time Edwards voted on the Senate floor was Sept. 10, on an amendment affecting workers' legal rights to overtime pay.

Democratic leaders went to great lengths to schedule the vote on the morning after a presidential debate in Baltimore so that the four presidential candidates in the Senate could make it.

Edwards and his aides argue that none of the floor votes he missed would have turned out differently had he been present. He said he has canceled several campaign events to return to Washington for votes crucial to North Carolina. The most recent were on a pair of trade deals in late July.

Edwards is still in good standing with environmental organizations and other supporters, although he missed a few votes on issues they care about.

"Obviously, though, the pressure for him to be elsewhere is going to increase, not decrease," said Molly Diggins, director of the North Carolina chapter of the Sierra Club. "So it remains to be seen whether he'll be able to do as good a job for North Carolina in the Senate as he has been doing."

Off the Senate floor, aides say, the work of Edwards' office has largely been unaffected by his presidential run.

In addition to his office in Washington, Edwards operates five offices in North Carolina. They primarily help constituents get services from the federal government: veterans' benefits, expedited passports, missing welfare checks and so forth.

The work of those 15 employees -- and another five who handle constituent cases from Washington -- has continued. In fact, the number of cases they handle each month has jumped by about one-third over last year, according to statistics kept by the office.

As in other Senate offices, the staff also handles most day-to-day work on legislative issues. While on the road, Edwards said he "stays in contact constantly" with his staff, providing direction where needed.

Edwards' voting record at the committee level has not been affected much by his presidential run, aides say.

Though members must be present to vote on the floor, Senate rules allow them to designate a colleague to announce their vote in committee. Edwards now does that routinely.

"For everyday issues, it's not too disruptive to be absent," said Andrew Taylor, a political science professor at N.C. State University who has spent time working on the Hill. "But it can be much harder to move your own agenda. ... That's the business that tends to get neglected."

Don't forget this gem:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/956379/posts

Edwards late with property taxes 9 times
newsandobserver.com ^ | 1 August 2003 | By JOHN WAGNER AND BRUCE SICELOFF, Staff Writers

Posted on 08/01/2003 8:28:27 AM CDT by defeat_the_dem_igods

Over the past 15 years, Sen. John Edwards has been delinquent nine times on property taxes owed on his homes and automobiles, most recently on a house his family owns in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington.

Edwards, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, paid $11,092.46 to the District of Columbia on Thursday to settle a property-tax bill that was four months late. Jennifer Palmieri, Edwards' campaign spokeswoman , said the family never received a bill for the Georgetown property, which they bought in December for $3.8 million but have not moved into and no longer plan to occupy. The bill was paid after the campaign was questioned by a reporter from The Washington Times, which published a story Thursday.

In a brief interview, Edwards acknowledged Thursday that he had been late on his taxes on some occasions.

Neither he nor his campaign staff offered an explanation.

"I've always paid my taxes," Edwards said shortly after leaving a town-hall-style meeting with constituents. "My taxes have been paid in full, and I take personal responsibility for any time that bills have been paid late."

Edwards, a former trial lawyer, holds assets of at least $12 million, according to his most recently filed Senate disclosure form.

In addition to the recent episode in Washington, Edwards has been late enough paying taxes to accrue penalties once on his family's residence in Raleigh and twice on a beach property on Figure Eight Island. Since 1995, Edwards and his wife have been delinquent five times paying county taxes on vehicles they own.

Republicans were quick to seize on the revelations. The Republican parties in North Carolina and South Carolina, an early presidential primary state, fired off statements accusing Edwards of hypocrisy.

"You know, all those 'regular people' that John Edwards claims to represent in his run for the presidency pay THEIR taxes," wrote Linda Daves , the interim chairwoman of the N.C. Republican Party. "Simply unbelievable."

In the District of Columbia, property taxes are due twice a year, on March 31 and Sept. 15. The first time the Edwardses were due to pay taxes on their Georgetown house was March 31. The home's assessed value is nearly $2 million .

The family's bill was $9,562.46, but it grew to $11,092.46 after penalties and interest.

The family plans to sell the property, Palmieri said. While in Washington, the Edwardses live in a house they are renting in the northwestern section of the city.

North Carolina property taxes are due Sept. 1, but payments are not delinquent and penalties are not assessed until the first business day on or after Jan. 5.

Wake County revenue director Emmett D. Curl said about 85 percent of payments arrive in the last two weeks of December and the first week of January. About 4 percent arrive after January, he said.

The Edwardses' delinquent payments, received in January or later in North Carolina, were :

* Once on their Raleigh house on Alleghany Drive, now assessed at $987,091. In 1995, they were charged $111.21 in penalties for late payment of their 1994 tax bill. The bill was paid Feb. 1, 1995, 27 days after the delinquency date.

* Twice on their beach property on Figure Eight Island in New Hanover County, now assessed at $1,033,410. The 1988 bill was paid more than two months after the delinquency date, on March 26, 1989, with penalties and fees of $23.26. At the time, there was not yet a house on the property. The bill for 1992, after the house had been built, was paid three weeks late, on Jan. 29, 1993, with a penalty of $54.13.

* Five times on automobiles owned jointly by the couple. Two bills were paid March 22, 1995, more than two months late, on a 1989 Mitsubishi and a 1991 Acura. A payment Nov. 13, 2001, on a 1994 GMC arrived 12 days after the delinquency date.

Delinquent payments were received for a 1998 Buick on June 12, 2002, about six weeks late; and for a 1998 Volvo on April 8, 2002, five weeks late. The amounts of late penalties were not available.

TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; Politics/Elections; US: North Carolina; Click to Add Topic
KEYWORDS: 2004; EDWARDS; EDWARDSWATCH; Click to Add Keyword

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The family's bill was $9,562.46, but it grew to $11,092.46 after penalties and interest.

To the Dems, would you want Opie to handle 'your' money?

1 posted on 08/01/2003 8:28:28 AM CDT by defeat_the_dem_igods
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