Is the reason Edwards' "two Americas" theme isn't working because unemployment is low and incomes are rising?

Question

Anyone else think the reason his message isn't getting traction is because it's not true?

I mean, I know it's not true, the data shows that, and there are mountains of it - but is the inaccuracy of his message the reason his campaign is fagging out?

The "financial divide" is for the most part like the "height divide" between 1st and 12th graders.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1229294/posts
http://www.nytimes.com/specials/downsize/21cox.html
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1988/05/art1full.pdf
http://www.frbsf.org/econrsrch/wklyltr/el97-07.html#winners
http://www.dallasfed.org/fed/annual/1999p/ar95.html
http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/25/pf/record_millionaires/index.htm?cnn=yes
http://money.cnn.com/2005/09/28/news/economy/millionaire_survey/index.htm?cnn=yes
http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/28/news/economy/millionaires/?cnn=yes
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Labor/bg1773.cfm

"Most of that data is a lie anyway, because the unemployment statistics only check on those who are currently drawing benefits"

Um, no, that's not true, unemployment has NOTHING to do with unemployment benefits.

http://www.bls.gov/cps/uiclaims.htm

But again - YOU COULD HAVE LOOKED THIS UP INSTEAD OF PULLING A FALSE ASSERTION OUT OF YOUR ---. What is UP with that? WHY do people just MAKE STUFF UP?

bananas the number of reservists in Iraq is what, 50,000? They will go back to their jobs, and even if that pushes 50,000 temps out that brings unemployment up to..... OH MY GOD 4.75% RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!!!

Jeremiah when you IMPORT 20 MILLION POOR PEOPLE, ILLEGALLY ALONE, OVER A 25 YEAR PERIOD, YES, YOU WILL STILL HAVE POOR PEOPLE.

Joshcrime: "In other words, your statistics are a farce" - - So, for Libs, FACTS are just a farce, their own made up world view is the "truth"

No - the "truth" is nothing but the aggregate of the FACTS.

Jeremiah all the poor people are not illegal but almost all the illegals are poor - - when you import three quarters of a million to a million poor people just illegally alone every year, and the poverty level goes up in line with the total population increase, it's simple math - people are moving up, just being replaced with imported poor people.

YES there is domestic poverty, I never said there wasn't - but look at the trend over the last 25 years, it's amazing - - - almost all of the migration from the middle class has been UP.

There is a glut just below middle class - between 1.25x and 2x the poverty level - - - blue collar households not moving up - - - - but that's because that's not where the job growth is, the job growth is in the white collar world.

Blueridge I KNOW how you repeat lie after lie - - - you take a Census Bureau statement that the job growth is in the "service sector" and you tell people that means "low-wage service jobs" when in fact service sector means almost everything other than mining, construction, manufacturing. I'm a banker - that's in the service sector. Computer programmers, research scientists, healthcare professionals - that's service sector.

And the growth over the last 5, 10 and 25 years has been in technology and health care.

"Those statistics are damned lies."
Yeah univee - if the facts refute your conclusion, just ignore them. You go, Lib!

Answer 1

Let me quote the Great One Mark Levin:

"Now John Edwards says there are two Americas. And he's right. There are. His house and everybody elses."

Answer 2

amazing how the libs can put down something that's staring them right in the face lol. the numbers just don't lie no matter how much they want them to. they just can't stand it that Bush's tax cuts have helped spur our economy. And yes the top 1% got the biggest tax cuts but maybe that's because the top 1% pay over 30% of our tax burden. The bottom 20% pay 2%. According to the beauau of labor statistics we are consistantly at all time unemployment lows. Pay raises across the board are up by 28 cents an hour in the last few months. Yes we have a large defieciet government is too damn big and needs to be trimmed down! But in spite of a war and sone costly natural castastraphies the deficiet is being paid back almost twice as fast as first predicted. How can that be if we have a negative growth economy? Truth is our economy is in good shape because Bush let people do what they do best and got government out of the way the best he could. He let us keep and spend more of our hard earned money consumer spending is up the stock market just went over 14k! If a lib were in the white house with these numbers they would be shouting his praises from the rooftops. Oh well it is their nature to live in doom and gloom and won't be happy until they tax us into poverty and we become a 3rd world nation. Then we will all be equally miserable lol

Answer 3

Oh my God. I just read Joshcrime's answer, and every assertion is false!

The Census Bureau keeps track of historical real household income. "Real" meaning after the effects of inflation have reduced our purchasing power. The Census Burea data clearly shows all catagories of people (poor, middle class, rich) getting wealthier over 10, 20, 30+ years. There are short term fluctuations, but the longer term trends are up.

Unemployment statistics are NOT drawn from only those who are receiving benefits. They are drawn from household and business surveys. See for yourself at the second link below.

For those of you who think all the new jobs are low wage McDonald's type jobs, think again. An analysis of the changes in the job markets over the last year show about 350k manufacturing and construction jobs lost with average wages of $15 to $20 per hour. But you'll find about 1.3 million new jobs at wages of $18 or more. About another 500k are low end jobs at $10 - 13 per hour. Still, about a million more Americans have high wages jobs as of this July, than had them last July. See link #3, second chart for the analysis.

Answer 4

They , unemployment has improved but the type of jobs and incomes has not been good. The economical situation for most people was better in the 90's, and the situation is getting worse and worse as banks are having to deal with more and more defaults. I don't think John Edwards is doing that well because I don't think people trust him. He is after all a trial lawyer, a pretty boy and doesn't present himself well. He is also running against some pretty tough opponents. On the other hand he is still doing far better than McCain, Romney and the rest of the right wing circus. But he wont win the nomination. More than likely hillary will win that.

Answer 5

It's because being poor is unpopular and makes for bad TV. War is exciting, political discourse is interesting, health care is expensive. Who cares about the poor? Most of them don't vote anyway. And they are poor, so how can they make big campaign contributions? The only people making more money now than 6 years ago don't need to make more money. I think Edwards is a better choice between Hillary and Obama, not because he's a white guy, but cause I don't trust Hillary and I don't know where Obama really stands. Edwards was talking about the poor when he was the running mate for Kerry, he has stayed on message about something he cares about. And don't give me that garbage about a $400 haircut, everyone on TV spends too much on how they look.

Answer 6

No message of "two Americas" will work in the long run. Reason is simple: everyone has the same opportunity to better themselves and their lives in this country.

Liberals can try to suppress the innate human quality to seek improvement and betterment. But it will only work for so long. Eventually human instinct will kick in. Socialism, communism, dictatorships, totalitarianism, all fail because they underestimate the inevitable human desire for personal freedom and the opportunity to control their own lives.

So, yes, you can tell someone they can't achieve success on their own. You can tell people that someone is holding them down. You can tell people its ok to blame other people for their status, or lack of, in life. You can do all those things. But eventually that person is going see someone who accomplished success, improved themselves and bettered their life without you and that is when the fan gets dirty.

This not an indictment of liberalism. It's a warning.

Ultimately that's the difference between Republicans and Democrats, Conservatism and Liberalism. Republicans tell you that you are capable of doing what you want, just go do it. Democrats tell you that you are not capable of doing what you want, and you need their help to survive.

Answer 7

It's not working because he holds no credibility, not because unemployment is low and incomes are rising.

He does not have a true understanding of the less fortunate.

Even with rising incomes for some not all. Not everyone is getting these nice huge raises. The money that people make today does not spend the same as it did years ago.

Gas costs more, food does, the rising costs of goods is increasing more then rising incomes.

Answer 8

Those statistics are damned lies.

Unemployment is a complex issue. The truth unspoken is that many people who lost their jobs in the last decade had to settle WAY down in salary in their new jobs. Our nations rate of job production is at a near all-time low, and what jobs are being produced are mostly BS service jobs, no real salary or benefits.

And as far as your inflation statistics. Who is kidding who?

The cost of a college education is a good hallmark of real inflation. You can look that up: it has never cost so much to get into the workforce in the first place, and once you get there, in debt from your student loans, you have about a five year window of opportunity before you are downsized and younger workers are brought in for lower pay.

The Republican economy lies need to be called where they stand.

Answer 9

Just travel to any major city in the US and you will indeed see that we are a very divided society, socioeconomically speaking. All of our major cities have large numbers of poor people. Where are you living?

EDIT: I think you are exaggerating a bit. Are all those poor people illegal? Not hardly. I get the sense that you have little or no experience in the big cities in the US. Of course, if you want to see poverty, you can also travel to many rural parts of Kentucky, West Virginia, etc..

Answer 10

Last time I looked at data from the census bureau (yes I looked it up myself), I saw income adjusted for inflation was actually getting lower. This was a couple of months ago. Do you have any independent sources to back up your assumption that incomes are in fact rising?

Answer 11

Jesus Christ almighty!

How do you people DO it? I mean, REALLY? How do you DO that?

Get up day after day, repeat lie after lie after lie....and still go on?

"Unemployment" is NOT down. That stat you guys love to throw around is totally bogus.The "jobs" you're so proud of are menial, McDonald's type service jobs. Many, Many people now have to hold down TWO jobs to make ends meet. HIgh-paying jobs are being outsourced, and bush is on record as BEING PROUD OF THAT.

INCOMES ARE NOT RISING. How can you live with yourself?
REAL VALUE of the dollar is declining.


GOD it is amazing.