Edwards is already having an influence. Many commenters at TPM try to ridicule him, but he is setting a righteous example in his concern for the poor. Go ahead talk about hair, he will keep fighting for the have-nots. In this way, he has already won.

This is good - regardless of the order in which events occurred. The competitive environment of the campaign is forcing/encouraging Dem candidates to take more bold and more left-leaning, progressive/liberal stands. Supporters of Obama who have lashed out at Krugman should keep this in mind. Pressure on candidates to formulate truly liberal policies is something valuable, regardless of whether it comes from op-ed writers, the blogosphere, or each other.

Oh look the Senator is already following the lead of the next President.

Edwards drops the gauntlet.....she picks it up....thats how it goes.

How typical of this carpetbagger Clinton.

What has Barack Obama been saying about the minimum wage since the beginning of his campaign last February?

Raise the Minimum Wage: Barack Obama believes that people who work full time should not live in poverty. Before the Democrats took back Congress, the minimum wage had not changed in 10 years. Even though the minimum wage will rise to $7.25 an hour by 2009, the minimum wage's real purchasing power will still be below what it was in 1968. As president, Obama would further raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the EITC to make sure that full-time workers can earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families out of poverty and pay for basic needs such as food, transportation, and housing -- things so many people take for granted.

On the Update

And in typical Hillary fashion of stretching mediocre experience to mythic proportions, introducing minimum wage legislation last year = long record of working for change. Haha, yeah, super long history Hill, just huge. In fact, Hillary, didn't you personally write and introduce the FLSA back in '38 that established a federal minimum wage? Hell, why not take credit for it, it isn't like the MSM is gonna question it.

This makes me think back....

The problem I have with her is the same problem I HAD with Gore in the 2000 election. Calculation. It was to me that they are (were) a machine, with hardly an emotion, and if something works good, or looks good for them, they'll look into it or support it. Thats where I got deceived into supporting Bush over Gore (but Nader I voted for). I like Gore now, a lot though.

When you are that calculated, you seem like you either don't have any personal convictions, or your personal convictions don't matter much to you. With the latter, a Republican (in the eyes of a left-leaning person) isn't much worse.

I like Bill a LOT more since he acts (to me) more like a smart progressive *person* as opposed to a smart progressive *programmed robot*. Only problem is that now he seems to be trying to be apart of the robot.

bridoc.....so cute....so there is no need to set a record on keep the opp. feet to the fire? No need to get the R.Senators and R.Rep.that who are running next cycle that they voted against it? Even that Bush and his boys went against it next cycle....why am I teaching 101 here.

"Well if BHO is soooooo hot on raising the min wage.....where is his bill?????

ALL talk and NO action. "
It'd get vetoed while Bush is in power. A minimum wage bill just got passed months ago. HRC is ALL posture and NO results. What has she done other than draft a failed healthcare policy? You know, that's not really hard. I can fail miserably too. Pretty refreshing once you get used to it!

Good for Sen Clinton. This is not nearly enough to get me to vote for her in the primary, but if the threat she feels from Edwards moves her to do something for the good, I will hardly complain of it. Glad to see yet another happy by-product of Sen Edwards presence in the campaign.

All I need to know about Edwards are his AUMF vote and his embarrassing debate with Cheney in '04.

I agree with RL, Kefa is a great example of what is wrong with so many Hillarybots on here, they are spitting out Hillary-sponsored attacks straight out of the Republican dirty campaigning play book. They don't care to look at her record and character just like they don't care to question what she says about her opponents. In short, they are ignorant and unwilling to question their queen. Hillary is obviously the default, status quo candidate who everyone is slightly familiar with, so people who don't actually care to research issues and candidates for themselves just get stuck on her and spout out misinformation and muck at those who have moved on.

Won't even come to a vote, not in this Senate.

Will the various Dem candidates tell us how they'll break the inevitable GOP filibusters of this and every other progressive measure, even if they win? The Bushies weren't shy about explaining how they'd ram through the nuclear option if they didn't get all their judges.

Besides, this thread should be dicussing differences between Edwards and Billary. Why are you dragging Obama into it? Feeling threatened?

You shouldn't have to be told how great Hillary is. You should just KNOW it. Loser. Now vote for her, or else!

Sheesh

@Jammer--

If not for the "blogosphere" most people would think that the war in Iraq was a good idea and that George W. Bush was forthcoming. Come on!

I say this as a graduate of the University of Missouri's school of journalism, the lazy, useless blather that passes for "serious journalism" in the NYT, WAPO, etc., makes Josh Marshall and his team a national treasure.

As for Edwards and his support for the working class, I don't think it is an act. Someone up the thread said he wasn't saying these same things in 2004. He was, except in a less confrontational way. His entire campaign in 2004 came down to the "Two Americas" motif that he has now built into the "Lets end the game. The system is rigged against you" message. In some ways, Edwards 2004 campaign is Obama's 2008 campaign.

"On Wednesday, John Edwards challenged his rivals to join him in supporting a hike of the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour. Late yesterday, Hillary announced that she'd introduced a bill to accomplish just that[.]"

All-righty then. Guess I'd take that as a yes.

Obama voted present on this one I guess.

This moment was brought to you by the Hillary Clinton "What John Edwards said" Tour 2007-2008

Unless and until the minimum wage, like social security, is automatically linked to inflation and the cost of living any bill such as this necessarily puts us back in the same spot we're in today at some point in time. The minimum wage should be raised to account for inflation over the past 40 years. So, take 1968's minimum wage, translate that into today's dollars, set the rate and tie it to inflation and the cost of living and you don't have to keep going back for eternity asking Republicans and corporate Democrats to raise the minmum every so often. That would be one of the most effective anti-poverty measures any President could take.