L.A. Times: In shifting focus to Edwards, Obama acknowledges that Edwards poses a major threat

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards speaks to voters at a town hall meeting at the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa. (Scott Olson / Getty Images) December 28, 2007

CLINTON, IOWA -- He knocks CEOs who "dump" employee pensions while "pocketing bonuses." He laments Maytag workers who "labored all their lives only to see their jobs shipped overseas." He recalls humble beginnings and says his experience is "rooted in the lives of the people."

That kind of hard-driving populism has formed the core of John Edwards' campaign for president. But those words have come this week from Barack Obama -- one of Edwards' chief rivals for the Democratic nomination -- who has recalibrated his campaign to appeal to working-class voters before Thursday's caucuses.

But Obama faces a balancing act. His previous theme of bridging partisan divides plays well among politically moderate independent voters, who could prove decisive in New Hampshire's Jan. 8 primary. But a Democratic caucus in Iowa -- an agricultural and manufacturing state -- requires a more partisan, working-class appeal. Strategists believe Obama must win at least one of those states, if not both, to remain viable for the nomination.

In shifting his focus to Edwards, Obama in effect is acknowledging that Edwards poses a major threat. In recent weeks, Edwards has been gaining ground among the same undecided middle- and working-class voters that Obama was hoping to attract.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-dems29dec29,1,7339205.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&ctrack=1&cset=true

[msongs]

1. sad to hear that one democrat thinks another democrat is a threat. are those exact words? nt

[Amerigo Vespucci]

2. They're the words of the person who wrote the L.A. Times piece...

...and I agree with it.