Quote of the Day 7/27

"This stuff's not an accident. Nobody in this room should think this is an accident. You know, I'm out there speaking up for universal healthcare, ending this war in Iraq, speaking up for the poor. They want to shut me up. That's what this is about. 'Let's distract from people who don't have health care coverage. Let's distract from people who can't feed their children.... Let's talk about this silly frivolous nothing stuff so that America won't pay attention.'

They will never silence me. Never.

If we don't stand up to these people, if we don't fight em, if we don't beat them, they're going to continue to control this country. Thye're going to control the media. They're going to control what's being said. They do not want to hear us talking about health care for everybody... You think these people who make $100 million a year want to pay their fair share of taxes? That's what they hire all them lobbyists for in Washington DC."

John Edwards speaking before a crowd of what looks to be mostly blue- haired ladies in Iowa, where he currently leads in polls and has staked his campaign's future.

As Ben Smith points out at his blog for the Politico, there's really no mention of who "they" are. Mr. Smith has a better account of the speech here. I could criticize Edwards for using scare- tactics, but this is what campaigning is. Just like Hillary Clinton is playing the embattled woman card to her advantage (see below post), Edwards is trying to use the BS stories about his hair to his.

Who's to say both aren't right? Edwards does have the most populist message out there, he also has the most comprehensive plan for universal health care.

Either way, though, the speech comes off as either manipulative or paranoid, and maybe even delusional (are "they" responsible for Edward's poor polling numbers and fundraising, too?).