BRISTOL, Tenn. – North Carolina senator and presidential hopeful John Edwards arrived at the YWCA in Bristol to a crowd of supporters, on-lookers and Democratic faithful Friday.
Edwards arrived from a trek across Southwest Virginia, including an early stop at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
Edwards and Wesley Clark were crisscrossing each other’s paths in order to garner southern electoral votes, which they believe could land one of them a position as a serious contender to front-runner Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.
Clark went on the offensive earlier Friday in Cookeville, saying that “(Edwards) voted in favor of corporate subsidies and against veterans benefits … so what you’re looking at in me is an outsider.”
He said that Edwards voted three times against veterans’ health care benefits.
In response to questions by reporters on whether he remembered the three votes called in question by Clark, Edwards replied, “Do you remember every single vote?”
When the North Carolina senator arrived in Bristol, he found a crowd willing to applaud his populist message for the blue collar American.
Edwards entered to the music of John Mellencamp’s “I Was Born in a Small Town” to an anxious crowd of 500.
He gave his “Two Americas” speech, in which he talks about one America for special interest and one for the rest.
“There are two public school systems,” Edwards said. “One for special interests and one for you.”
This drew loud applause, especially as many Bristol educators were in attendance along with a vast amount of college students, including Angela Wilson, an ETSU graduate student in education.
“He’s young, positive, optimistic – he’s everything I want in a president,” said Wilson.
“He is the exact opposite of everything we have right now.”
In response to the North American Free Trade Agreement, Edwards pointed to 96,000 jobs lost from its aftermath.
“It used to be said to buy American,” he said. “But I want to hire American.”
Albert Lester of Johnson City believes that a jobless recovery is a real fact of life for people these days.
“I agree with his fair trade as opposed to free trade,” said Lester. “Because the economy may be coming back, but jobs aren’t.”
Social issues and civil liberties also were major talking points for Edwards.
“The South is divided by race. The ugly face of segregation has reared its head in the past,” said Edwards. “The South has a responsibility to ensure economic and educational equality.
“We need judges that enforce civil liberties.”
Tim Carpenter, an African-American from Pennington Gap, Va., said race is an issue for him, but he is more concerned about the Democrats’ weakness on the gay marriage issue.
“Gay marriage is something you don’t talk about in the Bible Belt,” said Carpenter. “I’m afraid the Massachusetts court rulings are going hurt us.”
The crossfire between the Democratic candidates does not phase Carpenter at all.
“The bickering has no impact on me. If anything it makes us stronger,” he said.
In order for Edwards to mount a successful challenge to front runner John Kerry, he will have to pull in the undecided voters, and there were several in attendance Friday to see if Edwards was going to be their candidate.
First term Sullivan County Commissioner Garth Blackburn said he is trying to choose but he still has an interest in all the possible Democratic candidates.
“I’m interested in all of the Democratic nominees,” Blackburn said.
“I would like to get to know Edwards on a more personal basis and hear some views he may not express on TV.”
A view expressed by many supporters Friday was the need to have a Southern candidate for president.
Since the last successful presidential candidate from the north was the charismatic, John F. Kennedy, some supporters are wary of the another Michael Dukakis-type candidate.
“He kind of reminds me of John Kennedy,” said Kay Edwards, a retired postmaster from Southwest Virginia.
“He’s from our part of the world, and I believe he would be more for our interests in this area,” she said.
Edwards said if he was given the chance, he would take the White House from Bush.
Discontented Republicans showed up as well to see if Edwards New Democrat style suited them.
“I’m a Bush supporter, but now I’m not because I’m mad at him,” said Julie Little, a mother of three.
“I’m mad at Bush for spending way too much money. He’s getting a little too liberal for me.”
Edwards told the audience that the South was his backyard, not George Bush’s.
But Edwards said that he did not necessarily need a victory in either Tennessee or Virginia to win. Tennessee and Virginia voters head to the polls on Tuesday.
Some believe that a sure win for either Clark or Edwards in both states could send one or the other packing.

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