Sunny Side Up
DES MOINES, IOWA -- If there was ever any doubt as to whether John Edwards has shifted from "angry" mode to "sunny" mode, look at excerpts from a speech he's expected to deliver today in Des Moines to kick off his 8-day bus tour through Iowa.
In the speech entitled, "America Rising," Edwards weaves his personal family history - something he's incorporated into his stump speech since the visit to his childhood home in South Carolina last week - with ways America can "rise up" against its challenges today.
"My dad worked in those mills for 36 years, my mom worked too - all of them for one reason - to give us a chance to rise up and have a better life," says Edwards, according to the excerpts provided by the campaign. "That's the greatness of America - the promise that every generation will give its children the chance to rise higher, dream bigger, live greater."
Yes, as is consistent with his speeches to date in this election, Edwards rails against "indifferent, irresponsible corporations" and "powerful" and "wealthy" interests. But it's clear that the tone of today's speech is meant to be less angry and to resurrect the bright, optimistic tone that guided Edwards toward a surprising second place showing in the 2004 Iowa caucuses.