Obama, Edwards Shift Focus to US Poverty

Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards speaks during a television interview held before he met with area residents, organizers and volunteers of the Remote Area Medical (RAM) Expedition at the Wise County Fairgrounds, Wednesday, July 18, 2007 in Wise, Va. (AP Photo/Wade Payne) (Wade Payne - AP)

After the 2004 presidential election won by George W. Bush, Edwards helped establish a poverty center at the University of North Carolina.

Obama pledged to "retire the phrase 'working poor' in our time." Edwards said he would eliminate poverty within a generation.

Besides trying to one-up each other, each candidate also tried to portray himself as the Washington outsider. Both blamed Washington for failing to help the poor.

"The streets here are close to our capital, but far from the people it represents," Obama said. "They suffer most from a politics that has been tipped in favor of those with the most money, and influence, and power."

Edwards, in an echo of Michael Douglas' signature line from the 1987 movie "Wall Street," said "Washington's response has been `greed is good.'"

Both also said the problem cannot be solved by Washington alone, but families also must be strengthened. Both candidates promised to fight the move of jobs overseas, raise the minimum wage, invest in education and create transitional jobs.

Obama said the first step he would take as president to fight urban poverty would be to expand a program from New York City to 20 cities nationwide. The program, the Harlem Children's Zone, provides training for expectant parents, early childhood education, charter schools, free medical services, meals, crime prevention and job and financial counselors to an entire neighborhood.

He acknowledged that it would cost several billion dollars to expand the program. But he said he would monitor the results and try something else if it did not work. The Obama campaign said his entire anti-poverty agenda will cost about $6 billion a year.

"But we will find the money to find the things that work because we can't afford not to," he said. "Think of it this way _ the Harlem Children's Zone is saving a generation of children for about $46 million a year. That's about what the war in Iraq costs American taxpayers every four hours."

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Associated Press writer Samira Jafari in Prestonburg, Ky., contributed to this report.