by Nicholas Beaudrot of Electoral Math
I became a dyed-in-the-wool John Edwards supporter shortly after he published this essay on poverty at TPM Cafe immediately following hurricane Katrina. Of course, he's been talking about poverty since 2003, but this was his chance to remind us all that "poverty is everywhere", even if we try to ignore it by living in the right neighborhoods and shopping and the right stores. He also talks about poverty using the language of right and wrong, something we don't hear enough of.
Last month the WSJ ran a story (Tribune version) that Fortress Investments, the publicly traded private equity firm (?) where Edwards worked in 2005 and part of 2006, held investments in firms that were threatening Louisiana residents with foreclosure. It would be nigh impossible for Edwards to follow every individual investment the company made, but when informed of the SNAFU, he promised to correct the problem and move on. This Friday, Edwards announced that in addition to divesting from investments in subprime lenders, he helped set up a non-profit to aid Louisiana homeowners. Score one for the little guy.
