On the heels of Monday night’s Democratic presidential debate, John Edwards launched a new television ad on Tuesday to run in South Carolina, challenging his Democratic opponents on accepting lobbyist money—an issue that has become the touchstone of the former North Carolina senator’s grassroots campaign.

The 30-second ad, titled “What Happened,” begins with side-by-side images of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on the screen. The announcer says: “One gets more money than anyone from drug companies. The other one takes more money than anyone from Washington lobbyists. What’s happened to the Democratic Party?”

As the pictures changes to images of Edwards speaking before large crowds and mingling with supporters, the narrator continues: “The only one who’s never taken a dime from PACs or Washington lobbyists, who knows we’ve been ignored too long, who knows that rebuilding the middle class is more important than politics—our John Edwards. The only one.”

Edwards has centered his campaign on the principle of “taking back America.” He reasons that one cannot reduce the power of lobbyists who control Washington if he or she is accepting their money. While campaigning in Iowa in December, Edwards announced he would ban all corporate lobbyists and individuals who have lobbied for foreign governments from working in his administration, if elected.

In an attempt to make a comeback in a state he won during the 2004 primary election, Edwards will embark on a two-day “Back Roads, Back Home Barnstorm” of South Carolina on Wednesday, targeting small towns and rural communities in the hopes that his populist message will resonate among rural voters. During Monday night’s debate, Edwards argued that he is the only Democratic candidate who can “go everywhere and compete head-to-head” with the Republican nominee, including in places like the rural South—a demographic, he said, the Democrats cannot afford to lose in the general election.

“We can’t concede places like South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Missouri,” Edwards said.

“We always do well in Chicago, or New York, or Los Angeles, Seattle. We do well in the big urban areas. The question is: Are we competitive in the rural areas, in the tougher places for Democrats to compete?”

John McCain says he supports today’s interest rate cut by the Fed. He thinks lower interest rates and lower taxes are important in getting the economy back on track.

But McCain is cool to the idea of tax rebate checks. The Bush administration is said to be considering rebates of $800 per person as part of an economic stimulus package.

McCain has voiced doubts repeatedly at campaign events in the last week or so. Here’s a sample, from a rally last week in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
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McCain’s economic advisor, Doug Holtz-Eakin, says it might be months before rebate checks are issued– past a timely window. But he says if the checks could be timely, well-targeted and temporary… and if no other viable option were on the table… then the Senator might endorse the idea.

McCain always insists that any economic strategy should include cutting spending. Some reporters and economists have challenged that theory because less spending takes money out of circulation.

Senator Obama does not have frequent media availabilities with his traveling press corps, so sometimes intrepid reporters have to find a way to get close enough to throw a question to the senator at events. That’s what the New York Times’ Jeff Zeleny did Tuesday in Greenwood, South Carolina. Zeleny and several other reporters stood near the ropeline, where Obama greeted voters following his rally.

Zeleny, who has intermittently covered Obama since 2004, lobbed a question as Obama signed autographs for supporters. “Are you allowing President Clinton to get into your head?”

Obama grinned. “I am trying to make sure that his statements by him are answered. Don’t you think that’s important?” He turned back to sign more Obama signs. Zeleny followed up. “Don’t try cheap stunts like that - come on, Jeff. You’re better than that,” Obama replied.

Zeleny responded that it was his job to ask him questions and noted we haven’t had an opportunity to do so in awhile. Obama continued shaking hands with voters.  He came back over to the group of reporters and TV cameras and said, “I will [answer] your question, though. You allowed to talk off the record for a second?” The TV cameras filmed and Zeleny gestured to all the cameras. “It’s hard to do. But I’ll talk, at some point I’ll [answer] your question.”

Obama greeted another voter and then turned back. “But my suspicion is I think the other side must be rattled if they’re continually saying false things about us.” Obama then disappeared behind a curtain.

Watch some of the exchange here:

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Barack Obama returned to Greenwood, South Carolina, today to hold a rally. But this isn’t just any town in South Carolina – it’s the home of Edith Childs. Childs has been a staple in Obama’s stump speech all across Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and beyond. Obama often uses his Greenwood tale to rally voters into believing that one voice can make a difference.

Obama’s kicker can run anywhere from five to more than ten minutes, depending on the level of detail he includes. Usually the senator recounts making a promise to a local Greenwood city council member to come visit her town in exchange for her endorsement. As he describes it, he gets into Greenville late after a long day of campaigning. A staffer taps his shoulder to tell him he has to be ready to go by six am because they have to go to Greenville. He wakes up and is more tired than he was when he went to bed. He reads a bad story about himself in the New York Times. It’s raining. His umbrella breaks. He gets wet. They drive and drive and drive to get to Greenwood - which, according to the senator, might just be in the middle of nowhere. Once he gets there, there are only 20 people who showed up - and they all look rained on and not too happy to see him. As he’s shaking hands, he sees a little, older lady wearing a church hat. “Fired up!” she yells. “Ready to go!” Obama is startled. The chant continues. Obama feels upstaged. She continues chanting and the others join in. Suddenly he starts to feel “fired up and ready to go.” Obama and his staff continue to use the phrase. People pick up on it and make T-shirts and signs. The Wall Street Journal writes a story on Childs. Oprah got “fired up” in South Carolina. It’s a phenomenon.

Obama’s traveling press has heard this story several times a day for months now (and can and sometimes do recite it along with him), so most of us were looking forward to this trip to Greenwood and a chance to meet Childs in person. It lived up to our expectations.

Childs, donned in a purple dress, hat and matching purse, watched Obama’s speech in a reserved seat in the gymnasium on the campus of Greenwood’s Lander University, politely clapping at applause lines. As the senator began the story, she stood just off stage, laughing. Senator Obama called her on stage, and, well, take a look:

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Following the event, Childs was swarmed by the press corps. She was asked about her thoughts on race, religion, and even Hillary Clinton. She also corrected a couple of factual mistakes in Obama’s story. There were, in fact, 38 people who turned out to see him - not 20. And, more importantly, she is not in her 60s as Obama describes her. She’s only 59. “But that’s OK. Men can’t tell age, OK? So that’s OK - just like they can’t tell weight!”

Following the fireworks at last night’s Democratic debate in Myrtle Beach, Senator Barack Obama dropped by Broadway Louie’s, a bar and arcade where some Obama supporters gathered to watch what turned out to be a feisty debate. “I thought we had some fun tonight,” he started with a smile. Obama spoke for about 5 minutes and then shook some hands before hopping an hour-long flight to Greenville, SC. Here’s the entire speech:

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On the eve of Martin Luther King Day—just moments before the start of the Democratic presidential debate in South Carolina—John Edwards’ campaign released a letter sent by King’s son, Martin Luther King III, to the former North Carolina senator, praising him for his commitment to end poverty and injustice and calling for all candidates to emulate his initiative.

“I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America,” King wrote. “My dad was a fighter…Keep fighting. My father would be proud.”

Edwards and King held a private meeting at the King Center in Atlanta on Saturday, and though details of that encounter were not disclosed to the press, the two men discussed Dr. King’s legacy and their “shared commitment to fighting poverty,” according to Mark Kornblau, a spokesman for Edwards’ campaign.

In his letter, King addressed the aims of Edwards’ campaign mission: “I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are - a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.”

The letter could not have come at a more opportune time for Edwards, who was asked at the end of Monday night’s debate, “If Dr. Martin Luther King were alive today…why do you think he would or why should he endorse you?”

Without hesitation, Edwards said he has focused his cause on the “two biggest issues that Dr. King stood for, which are the issues of equality and ending poverty in America.”

(more…)

The tone of the Democratic debate lightened when questioner Joe Johns quoted author Toni Morrison, who called Bill Clinton the nation’s first black president. “Do you think Bill Clinton was our first president?” Johns asked as the crowd (and the press file) laughed.

“Well…..” Obama began skeptically. Again, the crowd laughed. “I think Bill Clinton did have an enormous affinity with the African American community and still does - and I think that’s well earned,” he said.

Obama said he had respect for those who grew up in the South during the segregation era, who witnessed the transformation of the region. “Each successive generation can create a different vision of how we have to treat each other, and I think Bill Clinton embodies that, and I think deserves credit for that,” Obama said and the crowd applauded as it seemed the fireworks had subsided.

“Now, I have to say that I would have to investigate more of Bill’s dancing abilities and some of this other stuff before I accurately judge whether he was, in fact, a brother,” Obama said with a grin.

The Obama campaign released a new ad today, airing nationally on CNN and MSNBC - pretty innocuous except that it will hit airwaves in Florida (as well as 49 other states). Because Democrats signed a pledge sponsored by the DNC promising they would not campaign in the Sunshine State after Florida pushed its primary up against the DNC’s wishes. The state was stripped of delegates and Democrats vowed not to campaign there.The Clinton campaign picked up on the Obama ad and pounced, saying on a conference call this was a violation of the pledge and that Clinton would now consider campaigning in Florida in retaliation.

“Both national cable networks told us it would be impossible for us to run advertising nationally that excluded only Florida.  For that reason we consulted with the South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler who told us unequivocally she did not consider this to be in violation of pledge made to the early states,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said in response.

The Obama campaign then arranged its own conference call with campaign manager, David Plouffe, who said he believes the Clinton campaign has been looking for a way to break their own pledge not to compete in Florida. This seemingly small window was their opportunity and is part of a pattern of “playing outside the lines” on the part of the Clinton campaign. As evidence, Plouffe cited previous incidents in Nevada, when Clinton precinct captains allegedly tried to shut caucus sites early, and Iowa, where the Clinton campaign didn’t approve of Obama encouraging out of state students to caucus. This type of behavior, Plouffe said, shows that Clinton is willing to “win at all costs.”

The Obama campaign will not campaign in Florida - even if Clinton does. This campaign is about delegates, and Florida has none.

In an editorial board meeting with a Reno, Nevada, newspaper last week, Senator Barack Obama said what turned out to be ammunition for rival campaigns. “Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not, and a way that Bill Clinton did not,” Obama told the newspaper. “I think it’s fair to say that the Republicans were the party of ideas for a pretty long chunk of time there over the last 10 to 15 years in the sense that they were challenging conventional wisdom.”

Both John Edwards and the Clinton campaign used these comments to make it clear that they, good Democrats, did not approve of Ronald Reagan’s policies. “I would never use Ronald Reagan as an example of change,” Edwards told the Associated Press. His campaign later put out a statement. “The breadth of change Ronald Reagan brought was crippling for millions of Americans, with the two worst recessions since the Depression, a complete disregard for the rights of American labor, and tax cuts that lined the pockets of the richest Americans at the expense of fiscal sanity and the well-being of the most vulnerable in our society,” said Edwards campaign manager David Bonior.

The Clinton campaign dispatched surrogates to respond. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) wondered, “I would like to know what Republican ideas he thinks are great ideas.” Brown then listed Reagan-supported plans to privatize Social Security and abolish the National Education Association as well as provide tax breaks to the rich. President Clinton also weighed in, saying Obama “said that since 1992, the Republicans have had all the good ideas. So now it turns out you can choose between somebody who thinks thinks our ideas are better, or the Republicans had all the good ideas.”

Today Senator Obama responded to their criticisms at his Columbia, South Carolina rally, saying his statements have been mischaracterized - just another Washinton “trick.”

“I didn’t’ say I liked Ronald Reagan’s policies,” Obama explained. “What I said was that was the kind of working majority we need to form in order to move a progressive agenda forward. So when I see, you know, Senator Clinton or President Clinton distort my words, say somehow that I was saying Republican (sic) the only ones who had good ideas since 1980 – then that is not a way to move the debate forward. That is not a way to help the American people. And I am not running for president just to become president – I’m running to help the American people and move the debate forward. I’m not willing to say or do anything just to win an election, because when you start operating that way, you lose the trust of the American people and we need trust if we’re going to build the kind of country that all of us want for our children and our grandchildren.”

Obama told the crowd that Reagan “was able to tap into the discontent of the American people and he was able to get Democrats to vote Republican – they were called Reagan Democrats.” This skill of bridging party divides is one that Obama admits he hopes to emulate. “We as Democrats right now, should tap into the discontent of Republicans. I want some Obama Republicans!”

Seems like the Obama campaign has been thinking about this - or at least they came up with a snazzy name for these Obama Republicans: “Obamacans.”

Everyone goes after the leader.

John McCain says he’s been under attack from other candidates since his poll numbers started climbing in December. A day after winning the SC primary, McCain took a shot at Rudy Giuliani. The former mayor has been campaigning in Florida, criticizing the Senator’s record on taxes.

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McCain admits that it’s a whole new ballgame now. The Senator shines in the town hall format, sometimes getting into heated debates with voters. He held more than a hundred town halls in New Hampshire, and quite a few in South Carolina.

But now there are too many states and too little time to rely solely on face-to-face contact with voters.

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