Edwards uses labor issue to trap Hillary in Iowa

John Edwards is sitting on a political gold mine.  Yesterday, as John Edwards attended a rally with union workers, the owner of Standard Ready Mix was seen carrying a 'Hillary for President' sign, spotlighting what John Edwards thinks is a fundamental difference between himself and the former First lady.  On one hand, you have Edwards being supported by the labor movement; and on the other, Hillary a fan favorite of corporate America.

Edwards heard about the sign and commented:

"Cute, that's cute."

The rally was a lot more confrontational than it was supposed to be.  After the speech, striking workers apparently got into a confrontation with that same owner in the parking lot:

Andrew Garlinghouse, Union Member, "I went to move my car because Iheard he was down there hassling people. I went to move it and he saidthat'll be 20-dollars to get your car out of my lot. I told him I'm notpaying you 20-dollars, I'm going to get my car out of here... and hepushed me."

Edwards will use this bitter divide to underscore the difference between himself and Hillary.  Today, he harped on that message again, this time in Chicago, even criticizing Bill Clinton for pushing through NAFTA:

"For far too long, presidents from both parties have entered into tradeagreements, agreements like NAFTA, promising that they would createmillions of new jobs and enrich communities," he said. "Instead, toomany of these agreements have cost jobs and devastated towns andcommunities across this country."

   Edwards' remarks come a day before he will share a stage with Hillary Clintonand other Democratic candidates at an AFL-CIO forum in Chicago in whichthe White House hopefuls will make their appeal to labor.

Edwards said the trade deal "did not serve the interests of regularworkers. It included unprecedented rights for corporate investors, butno labor or environmental protections in the core text. And over thepast 15 years, we have seen the growing inequality in the UnitedStates, and Mexico and in Canada."

Edwards also touched on the opinion that unrestrained free trade has a negative effect on public safety -- using the China pet food and toothpaste scandals as examples.

Again, this is exactly the kind of battle that John Edwards wants.  He is framing it as a battle between labor and corporations, with Hillary on the side of corporations.  Iowa has a strong labor vote, although definitely not as strong as decades ago.  In 2004, Dick Gephardt found that out the hard way.  As we enter the fall quarter, Edwards will need to expand his following beyond just union loyalists and netroots supporters.  However, for the time being, this battle is good for him and Obama because it paints Hillary as the corporate face of the Democratic Party.