Sunday, Oct. 21, 2007 | 12:54 p.m.
John Edwards entered the United Brotherhood of Carpenters International Training Center in Las Vegas Saturday ready for battle.
In a blistering speech before the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, Edwards pledged to strengthen the American labor movement, seeking to draw a sharp distinction between him and what he called "a crowd of corporate Democrats" running for president.
"I want to be the president of the United States who walks out on the White House lawn and is not afraid to say the word 'union,' " Edwards told a crowd estimated by organizers at 600-plus.
"I will explain what it's meant to the building and security of the middle class, to the economic security of the country."
Edwards, a former North Carolina senator and vice presidential nominee, entered the union hall to the sounds of blue-collar bard Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run " and spoke against the backdrop of an enormous American flag.
Edwards has courted labor more aggressively than any of his Democratic rivals, and it is a critical part of his campaign strategy, particularly in Nevada, where nearly 14 percent of workers belong to unions.
Labor is expected to drive turnout in a state that is playing a major role in presidential primary politics for the first time. Unions could counter voter uncertainty surrounding Nevada's caucuses, wherein party members show up at a specific time and place and must publicly voice their support for a candidate.
Although hard-core activists have caucused for decades, turnout has been abysmal. Most Nevadans are accustomed to primaries, which involve early and absentee voting.
The endorsement last month of the Carpenters union , which claims more than 12,000 members in Nevada, was a gift to the Edwards campaign, which has moved some local staffers to Iowa.
In his speech, Edwards vowed to renegotiate trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, eliminate tax breaks for companies that take their operations overseas and create 1 million "green collar" jobs related to renewable energy.
Edwards also pledged to enact the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for unions to organize, and pursue federal protection for striking workers, preventing replacement workers from crossing picket lines.
But his biggest applause was reserved for a direct swipe at Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton - and her husband's presidency.
"In the 1990s, we didn't get universal health care, which is what we needed," Edwards said. "We got NAFTA, which is what we didn't need." Those lines brought hundreds of carpenters to their feet.
Edwards then followed with a promise to achieve universal health care, threatening to strip members of Congress and the administration of their own health care coverage if his package is not passed by July 2009. Edwards has said his plan would cost from $90 billion to $120 billion, which he would pay for by eliminating the Bush tax cuts for those making more than $200,000 a year.
Afterward, Edwards told reporters he would submit "very public" health care legislation to Congress complete with a timeline and campaign for it in the districts of members who oppose it. "There has to be time pressure," Edwards said. "We can't have two or three months for this legislation to meander its way through Congress."
In his speech, Edwards, the son of a Southern mill worker who became a successful trial lawyer, painted himself as the candidate most attuned to the struggles of working families. "I grew up in mill towns and mill villages all across the South," he said. "I watched my father forced to train the college-educated man who would take his job. I saw what happened when the mill in my town closed."
Edwards also met with Service Employees International Union members here. The union, which represents more than 16,000 health care and public service workers in the state, is expected to be one of the big players in the January caucuses. Clinton is set to meet with members today, and the union could make its pick before the month is out, according to its Web site.
Last month, the union's national board, which represents nearly 1.9 million workers, voted to leave it up to state councils to decide whom to endorse. State councils representing half of the union's membership have endorsed Edwards.
Edwards' Las Vegas visit comes amid his campaign's effort to tout his electability. Edwards has lost ground in polls in some early primary and caucus states, including Iowa and Nevada, and political observers saw his decision to accept public financing last month as a sign of a troubled campaign.
In response, the campaign has responded with its own polling showing Edwards to be the most competitive in head-to-head matchups with Republican candidates, and testimonials from a bevy of legislative leaders from red and swing states who argue that Edwards can bring their states into the Democratic column.
Electability was a key factor in the Carpenters' endorsement.
"He's the only Democrat who can get elected in 2008," said Doug McCarron, the international union's general president.
Asked about his standing in the polls, Edwards said, "I know what they showed in 2003. I haven't met President Dean yet. I'm not sure he took office."
And then: "Once we vote, it won't be an auction. It will be an election."
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