by Devi Zinzuvadia
Zinzuvadia/Edwards/B1
2/19/04
NARR:
Sen. John Edwards made his entrance on the New York City stage with a spirited rally at Columbia University, which attracted more than 800 students, and what seemed like just as many members of the press. The senator was coasting on a victory of sorts, beating expectations by coming in just 5 percentage points behind Democratic front runner John Kerry in the Wisconsin primary. Edwards wasted no time in reminding the crowd of their role on the March 2 Super Tuesday primary, where more than 1,100 delegates are at play in 10 states, including New York.
TAPE: Edwards
I got a feeling that come March 2, the people of New York are going to have something to say about this. Aren't they?
NARR:
Edwards is hoping that his stance on trade resonates with union members in New York as it did in Wisconsin. Although his campaign has not garnered any serious union endorsements, an ABC News poll confirms that voters respond well to Edwards's claim that NAFTA was a jobs killer. At the rally, Sen. Edwards tried to distinguish himself further from Sen. Kerry, who voted for the trade agreement in 1993 - but Edwards did not go in to great detail other than to say he plans to improve trade and increase employment.
TAPE: Edwards
It's not good enough to serve the interest of shareholders and executives when working people are losing their jobs. If we really believe in honoring work and working people, we have got to change our trade policies in this country.
NARR: The timing of Edwards's new push comes as the Bush administration is reversing itself on their earlier prediction that the economy will add more than 2 and a half million new jobs this year. And then there is the issue of the White House recently calling for outsourcing technology jobs overseas, a proposal which Edwards seized on today.
TAPE: Edwards
The Administration, the White House, said about two weeks ago that the outsourcing of American jobs is a good thing? What planet do these people live on?
NARR:
But will it make a difference? At this point, it seems hard to imagine that Edwards will make it to that match-up with Bush. The count has Edwards holding only one third of the number of delegates that Kerry has. That means, with only 10 days to go, Edwards needs to clean up big in Ohio, Georgia, California and New York in the March 2 primaries. But Edwards presses on, and he does seem to be connecting with New York voters, such as Columbia University Law Student Dave Ziff.
TAPE: Ziff
I think his tax strategy and his plans for health care - I think that the fact that I agree with him on a lot of the issues means that he would have a good chance of beating Bush. And I think that a lot of Americans would agree.
NARR: The numbers would seem to agree as well. In a recent Pew Research Center poll, John Edwards has a 64% approval rating among Democrats, even though a fewer number of voters are familiar with him than with Kerry. Edwards continues his campaign, and hopes to once again confound expectations on Super Tuesday. For Columbia Radio News, I'm Devi Zinzuvadia.