John Edwards, against a colorful backdrop of supporters on the stage of the Opstead Auditorium at City High, made an impassioned speech promising "hope" for those who need health care and "hell" for insurance and "big pharma" lobbyists and Washington politicians who stand in the way of universal health care in front of an auditorium full of supporters and curious undecided potential caucus-goers.
With the crowd suitably warmed up by Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt (with help from Iowa legends Greg Brown and Bo Ramsey, as well as Iris DeMent on a splendid version of John Prine's "Angel from Montgomery"), Edwards was welcomed by an over-capacity crowd that overfilled the auditorium. "Elizabeth sends her love" he said to the crowd and then went on to explain how his stand on the war in Iraq, health care, global warming, and campaign financing differed from his Democratic caucus competitors, saying Iowans "ought to know where I stand" as they deliberate who to support in January.
A number of the audience asked questions ranging from his stand on global warming and public education to how he made decisions. Edwards said that he listened to people on all side of an issue to educate himself and believed that, unlike President Bush, he would decide based on what was best for the people, rather than politically expedient as his litmus test.
Edwards, Browne, and Raitt were scheduled to be in Cedar Rapids to conclude a day trip of Iowa which brought them to Davenport and Iowa City.
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