More From Yesterday

Yesterday, besides attending the PLAN kickoff, I also attended the annual Warren G. Magnuson awards put on by our state Democratic Party.

Democratic activists were honored for their work on behalf of the party, and the Governor's legal defense team was commended for their truly superhuman effort in defending Governor Christine Gregoire's gubernatorial victory last autumn.

We heard from Senator John Edwards (it was the second time I heard him speak yesterday) and Senator Maria Cantwell, who pledged to be tough with Bush's Supreme Court nominee John Roberts.

Sadly, we didn't get to see Governor Christine Gregoire or Senator Patty Murray there. But pretty much everyone else did make an appearance!

Edwards' appearance in Seattle generated quite a bit of press. Alex Fryer of the Seattle Times had an article this morning:

In Seattle yesterday, Edwards addressed a public-policy coalition, a low-income housing group and a state Democratic banquet.

Today, the one-term senator is expected to speak to a union rally of security guards at Westlake Park.

The Seattle tour follows similar visits Edwards has made in recent weeks to Michigan, Maine and, of course, New Hampshire, which hosts the first presidential primary in 2008.

Edwards is director of the Center of Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an academic think tank.

He hit the road about six months ago to bring the issue to audiences across the country, he said yesterday.

[...]

in a speech to the Progressive Legislative Action Network at Pier 66 yesterday, Edwards said poverty would resonate louder if politicians did a better job of championing the poor, who are mostly working women with children.

"These are the people the American people would embrace if they just heard their stories," Edwards said.

As for the polls that indicate little interest in the topic, Edwards retorted: "That's our [Democrats'] job, isn't it? Our job is not to follow, it is to lead. Our job is to show the country where it needs to go."

Edwards said he had no idea whether poverty would become a major concern to voters next year, or in 2008.

And he said he didn't care.

"I work on poverty because I think it's the right thing to do. I don't think there's any way to predict what the leading issue will be in the next two to four years."

The Seattle Times wasn't alone. The P-I's Neil Modie had an article, too:

He [Edwards] spoke to the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle, addressed a kickoff luncheon of a newly formed national organization that will give policy research support to progressive state legislators, and keynoted the state Democratic Party's annual Warren G. Magnuson Awards ceremony.

He spoke later last night at a private, $1,000-a-head fund-raising reception in Medina for Sen. Maria Cantwell's 2006 re-election campaign. And today he addresses a Westlake Plaza rally at 2:30 p.m. in support of the Service Employees International Union's drive to unionize the security guard industry.

The goal of Edwards' One America, to strengthen the Democratic Party from the grass roots up, is nearly identical to the stated goal of Keeping America's Promise, Kerry's new PAC.

The Massachusetts senator and former presidential nominee comes to Seattle Friday to address the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. It is meeting during the National Conference of State Legislatures.

And yesterday's AP article was also picked up nationwide and locally - in the Olympian, and in some 39 other news outlets - including the Washington Post and Miami Herald.

A Google news search for "Progressive Legislative Action Network" turned up 93 results, mostly AP. That's pretty good coverage.

Yesterday I also forgot to mention that the Nation's John Nichols did a great piece on PLAN which you can read here. The article was being widely distributed yesterday at the conference.