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Benjamin Kepple
New Hampshire Union Leader
Sep 5, 2006
MANCHESTER – Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate in 2004, called for greater economic fairness in America yesterday, thrilling an audience of union members who had gathered for their traditional Labor Day breakfast.
Edwards, who represented North Carolina for one term in the Senate, called for eventually raising the federal minimum wage to $7.50 an hour, creating an "Apollo-like program" to move the nation away from its dependence on foreign oil, and forbidding companies from hiring permanent replacements for striking workers. He also again called for the immediate withdrawal of some 40,000 to 50,000 U.S. troops from Iraq, and the remainder in 12 to 18 months.
"I think all of us owe a responsibility to the men and women there now to change course. It's not rocket science: what we're doing now is not working," said Edwards, who is considering whether to make another run for the Presidency. "The best way to show we're going to leave is to actually start leaving."
Edwards' remarks were not generally new, but they certainly hit all the right notes among his audience. More than 400 union members gathered at the Chateau Restaurant on Hanover Street for the New Hampshire AFL-CIO's Labor Day Breakfast, an annual tradition for the union.
The sold-out event was a way for union members to celebrate the holiday, as well as voice their concerns about issues important to them. The day started out with a rally at City Hall Plaza, which attracted a few hundred people an hour before the 9 a.m. breakfast got underway. State AFL-CIO President Mark MacKenzie and others led the slogan-chanting group on a march up Hanover Street to the Chateau, where campaign volunteers and advocacy groups had set up shop.
The breakfast was also a way for those union members to mingle with politicians from all levels of government. Gov. John Lynch was one of those politicians, and he received a hero's welcome from the crowd: a standing ovation and cheers before and after he spoke.
Lynch pledged to work to increase the use of renewable energy in New Hampshire, raise the high school graduation rate, raise the minimum wage and ensure all New Hampshire children had health insurance. He also skillfully highlighted certain accomplishments, such as the repeal of the health-insurance law popularly known as SB 110, and keeping the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard open, in terms which made clear everyone else's contributions.
"I really want New Hampshire to be a place of opportunity for all of our citizens. Working together, I think we've really made a difference in the lives of people in New Hampshire, and the lives of working men and women," Lynch said.
As Lynch did, Edwards focused his remarks mostly on economic issues. When it came to reducing America's dependence on foreign oil, Edwards said Democrats needed to lead the country in a different direction, away from vehicles which got relatively few miles per gallon.
He decried the loss of American manufacturing jobs, and said workers ought be able to join unions through card-check recognition, as opposed to holding a secret ballot election.
He also condemned the fact that 37 million Americans continued to live in poverty, and that some 47 million Americans had no health-insurance coverage.
"We're better than this. America's better than this, and we know it," Edwards said.
Among those attending yesterday's event were Labor Commissioner George Copadis, Employment Security Commissioner Richard Brothers, and several Democratic state senators, including Sen. Lou D'Allesandro, D-Manchester. Also attending were Paul Hodes, who hopes to unseat U.S. Rep. Charles Bass, R-N.H., this fall; as well as state Rep. Jim Craig, D-Manchester, and Carol Shea-Porter, who are among candidates fighting for the Democratic Party's nomination in the First District Congressional race.
Q&A: Educational Disparity
John Edwards answers a question about educational disparity at Hanover Middle School in Hanover, N.H. on September 27, 2007
Paid for by John Edwards for President Contributions to John Edwards for President are not tax-deductible for federal income tax purposes.
© 2006 John Edwards for President, 410 Market Street, Suite 400, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
