| The Edwards Campaign: What Went Wrong?
No campaign ever fails for just one reason. Some say the frightened corporate media torpedoed Edwards. Some say Edwards, a sleek rich cat himself, was the wrong messenger. He just wasn't believable. His populist message seemed invented out of thin air to save a failing election bid. All true — but perhaps not crucial. In the past, wealthy politicians have invented populist messages and done quite well, despite media opposition. I suspect the critical failing in the Edwards campaign was the way they framed their message. In their frame, America was divided into a small elite of winners and a vast populace of losers. Now it was time for the losers to fight back and even the score. That frame was a huge gamble. It depended on voters seeing themselves not just as ordinary little guys but as losers: insignificant forgotten people, pushed to the margins of society, neglected by the people who really matter.
Coos Bay man shoots self; found after trailer fire
Yellow tape is set up around a mobile home Saturday morning, as Coos Bay firefighters mop up a fire and turn over the scene to law enforcement. Firefighters were called to 63610 Andrews Road in Bunker Hill to the home and found it fully engulfed in flames. Inside, they found the body of a man and according to Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier, the fire was caused by arson and the man likely committed suicide.-World Photo by Lou Sennick .
Painting found in trash sells for 1 mln dlrs
I saw it on the sidewalk among black plastic garbage bags," she told AFP ahead of the sale. "I passed my way and had my coffee, but a voice inside kept telling me to go back and take the painting. So I stopped reading my book and I went back and took the painting, which had a very bad frame but was in perfect condition." The work, with bold strokes of red, purple and yellow, was bought in 1977 by a Texas couple who put it in storage while they moved house. They noticed the painting was missing in 1987 when picking up their belongings at the warehouse. Where the painting went for the next 16 years remains a mystery, but for several months after discovering it, Gibson kept it on the wall in her apartment. Tipped off by a friend that the painting could be valuable, Gibson started investigating only to find on the Internet that the work had been featured on US television show "The Antiques Roadshow" in a segment on missing paintings.
Currituck to help Camden fight OLF
CURRITUCK — Currituck County will join neighboring Camden County's legal fight to keep the U.S. Navy from picking a local site for a pilot training field. The Board of Commissioners on Monday night did not commit to a dollar figure, but instructed the county manager and county attorney to sit down with Camden officials to work out a resolution of support. "I think it's really the most significant thing that has ever come before this county, really," Commissioner Gene Gregory said Monday night. "I don't think this county has ever faced anything that would be as devastating to it as if this (Navy airfield) would locate here." The Navy has embarked upon a 30-month study of the suitability of five sites for an outlying landing field that would be used by Navy pilots to train for takeoffs and landings on carriers.
Comment: Gates may join Camden OLF fight
Even with the 15 percent discount Poyner & Spruill is offering, Camden's legal costs are expected to be high. Officials say the individual lawyers' fees will range from $190 an hour to $315 an hour. One official said the counties' legal battle could cost in excess of $500,000, but Camden officials have cautioned that it's too early to say how much the final bill could be. Camden plans to pay its share of Poyner & Spruill's fees from the county's $4 million reserve fund. Gates, which has a reserve fund of only $906,610, will have a tougher time paying legal fees. Gates was considering hiring a law firm on its own, but Pierce said he sees the advantage to joining forces with Camden. If Gates agrees to join Camden's fight, the counties are expected to split the cost 50-50.
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