Well, we have something a little different tonight.
Ladylib and I collaborated on an early news edition and meet and greet. A meet and greet is what some people call "community building." Basically, we hang out and talk a little about ourselves and why John Edwards is our choice. It is okay if you have not yet chosen John Edwards. You can still come by and chat. But we may tell you why we think you should choose John Edwards.
In this edition, I will discuss a few Edwards news stories and then give you a trapdoor link into the other diary to hang out and talk. Daily Kos is a big house, with lots of rooms and secret passages. We will explore one tonight.
First, after the fold, the news.
Our first story tonight is about workers struggling to form a union. So which candidate is there trying to help? You got it: John Edwards:
Edwards Pressures Smithfield CEO for Union Recognition
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Democratic presidential prospect John Edwards is throwing his weight behind labor activists who are trying to pressure the world's largest hog slaughterhouse into recognizing a union without an employee vote.
Edwards, in a letter to Smithfield Foods CEO Larry Pope, urged the company to remain neutral during an organizing campaign at the Smithfield Packing Co. plant in Tar Heel. Smithfield executives have said they would support a secret-ballot vote, but union leaders argue the company won't allow a fair election.
"I hope and expect that you will protect the right of your workers in North Carolina and across the country to form a union and bargain collectively," Edwards wrote in the letter dated Monday and released by his campaign Wednesday.
More of the story here:
Edwards Stands with Organized Labor
Our second story is one near and dear to parents and college students:
In response to recent scandals over colleges' ties to student lenders, Senator John Edwards today called for fundamental reform of the student loan programs:
"The point of guaranteed student loans is to guarantee that students can afford college, not guarantee that banks get immense profits. But it's not working the way it should. Bankers are racking up huge profits, students are facing increasingly large debts, and colleges are stuck in a conflict of interest.
"We need to fix the student loan program to take banks - which are just an expensive middleman - out of the process, and focus on making sure young people aren't crushed by debt by the time they leave college. We should make all loans directly from the Education Department, like a quarter of college loans are already. This one step would free up more than $6 billion a year that could be reinvested in making college more affordable. It would also let students know that college officials have their best interests at heart."
snip
Edwards has long supported the Direct Student Loan program, which makes loans from the federal government and serves about a quarter of students today. In 2003, Edwards asked the U.S. Department of Education to enforce federal laws against lenders paying colleges to increase their loan volume. At the time, the department postponed action in deference to an industry attempt at self-regulation."
More on this story here:
Student Loans
I worked my way through college, but had to take out a lot of loans for my family and me (I had a two year old daughter then) to live on in law school. It took 15 years to pay them off and I made life choices based on the need for a certain income to pay them off. Anyone who can do the work should be able to attend college in this nation without a huge load of debt when they leave. John Edwards wants to make that happen.
Our final story involves a large contributor ($50,000) to the Swift Boat ads against John Kerry who Bush made an ambassador in a recess appointment today. John Edwards today issued the following statement in response to President Bush's recess appointment of Sam Fox to be the United States Ambassador to Belgium:
"It was appalling when President Bush attempted to repay the financial patron of the 'Swift Boat veterans' with a diplomatic assignment. It is unconscionable that he now seals the deal with a recess appointment after it was clear Sam Fox could not be confirmed.
"Senator Kerry was right to lead the fight that led to the withdrawal of the nomination, and he is correct in saying that 'Our country would be stronger if this Administration spent more time getting body armor for our soldiers in Iraq than it did helping their powerful friends.' This contemptible end run around the Senate is an affront to the veterans whose honor Fox paid to smear."
Swift Boat Ambassador
That's just a few of the news stories involving John Edwards today.
I want to thank Ladylib for her help with this diary and her drafting of the diary into which you are about to step into through the trap door. She did a GREAT job today. LadyLib and I will rotate doing The Edwards News Roundup on weeknights. Sally in San Francisco indicated she may help on weeknights. Teamwork! That how we'll all win.
Please recommend this diary and step through the link in the first comment. You will be teleported into Ladylib's meet and greet diary at no extra change. Bring yourself and we'll all have a fun time.
Oh, and GO JOHN EDWARDS!!!