JOHN EDWARDS CONTINUES FATTENING HIS ROLES AT THE EXPENSE OF COLLEGE STUDENTS
"John Edwards brings his hypocritical message to California's South Bay Area today at the continued expense of college students - first, at UC Davis at a cost of $55,000 and today on the heels of a Trustee decision last month to raise student tuition fees for the fifth time in six years. At a time when California's CSU students have seen their tuition increase by 92% since 2001, Edwards asks cash-strapped students to pull out their checkbooks to help fatten his political rolls.
"From charging large fees to speak on the 'great moral issue' of poverty to his blatant profiteering from sales of 'End the War' merchandise, Edwards has further revealed himself to Californians and Americans as a shameless politician.
"It is doubtful that eliciting contributions from some of the neediest in our society will do anything but add to the hypocrisy of Edwards' 'tough on poverty, man of the people' message."
Hector M. Barajas, Communications Director, California Republican Party
Edwards To Charge Students $15 To Watch Speech At SJSU
(John Edwards "Small Change for Big Change" Event Page, http://johnedwards.com/events/20070531-smallchange, Accessed 5/30/07)
CSU Fees Have Increased 94% Since 2001-02 School Year
"Since the 2001-02 school year, undergraduate tuition has climbed 92 percent at UC's campuses and 94 percent at CSU's schools." (Tanya Schevitz and Jim Doyle, "UC, CSU Reach Again For Students' Wallets," San Francisco Chronicle, 3/15/2007)
Edwards Charged $55,000 To Speak On Poverty In America
"The candidate charged a whopping $55,000 to speak at to a crowd of 1,787 the taxpayer-funded University of California at Davis on Jan. 9, 2006..." (Carla Marinucci, "Edwards Charges $55,000 To Speak To UC Davis Students About Poverty," SFGate's Politics Blog, www.sfgate.com, 5/21/07)
Edwards' $55,000 UC Davis Speech Topic: "Poverty, The Great Moral Issue Facing America." (Carla Marinucci, "Edwards Charges $55,000 To Speak To UC Davis Students About Poverty," SFGate's Politics Blog, www.sfgate.com, 5/21/07)
Edwards' Military Policy Has Turned Ending The War In Iraq Into A Money-Making Campaign Scheme:
The Politico's Ben Smith: "Edwards Supporters, For Instance, Are Regularly Informed That They Should Stop The War By Making Out A Check To John Edwards For President." (Ben Smith, "War And Politics In Obama's Canvass," The Politico's "Democrats '08 Blog," www.politico.com, 5/19/07)
The Edwards Campaign Is Selling T-Shirts And Bumper Stickers To Help "End The War." David Bonior, Edwards' Campaign Manager: "I remember when it seemed like there was nothing we as individuals could do to help bring an end to the war in Iraq. But times have changed. ... First you can order a free 'Support the troops. End the war.' bumper sticker. ... Or, if you're able to chip in $20 to cover production, shipping and handling, we'll also send you a 'Support the troops. End the war.' t-shirt." (John Edwards For President, "Show Your Patriotism Proudly," Press Release, 5/17/07)
