Edwards Talks Education, With an Eye on 2004

As wounded Democrats ponder their midterm election losses and the reemergence of their 2000 presidential nominee, Sen. John Edwards offered an education plan on Thursday, reminding the party that he, too, is weighing a run for the White House in 2004.

The first-term North Carolinian proposed new spending to improve high schools, raise teacher quality and open doors to college -- including a guarantee of free tuition for students in their first year at public universities and community colleges.

He also criticized President Bush for failing to put enough money behind a new school reform law and for embracing voucher subsidies to private schools. Bush, he said, “walked away from education reform.”

Edwards added: “We can give kids competition and choice within our accountable public system.”

His speech at the University of Maryland followed remarks in recent weeks on the economy and foreign policy, helping Edwards stay visible among likely and possible contenders jockeying for position in Al Gore’s shadow.

Edwards, 49, has established himself, at least among party insiders, as a prolific fund-raiser and a fresh face to be taken seriously.

But he must also show that he has the substance and the savvy to emerge from a pack of hopefuls that could seek the nomination to oppose Bush, whether or not Gore runs.

The former vice president is blitzing the media this month, for the first time since his defeat, but has said that he will not decide on another candidacy until after the holidays.

That is about the same timetable Edwards has set for himself. When asked whether Gore’s decision would affect his own, Edwards said: “No, absolutely not.”

Because his Senate term ends in two years, Edwards also must decide whether to seek reelection.

At least three other Democratic senators are mulling presidential runs: John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut and Tom Daschle of South Dakota. Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri has stepped down as House minority leader as he considers a candidacy. Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has already said that he will run.

Edwards’ rivals on Capitol Hill have far more experience than he does, limiting his stature on the legislative stage.

“There’s three things that matter in the Senate -- seniority, seniority, seniority,” said Duke University political scientist Michael C. Munger. “He doesn’t have any of them.”

What Edwards does have is a distinct geographic identity as a southern Democrat. Gore, of Tennessee, also could make that claim -- but he lost his home state, and the region, in 2000.

The last three Democratic presidents came from the old Confederacy: Bill Clinton of Arkansas, Jimmy Carter of Georgia and Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas.

Edwards cannot rely on geography alone. The fight for the Democratic nomination will kick off in Iowa and New Hampshire and require candidates to generate enthusiasm among the faithful -- and generally liberal -- voters who turn out for the early caucuses and primaries.

In his speeches, Edwards has sought positions that appeal to core Democrats while keeping a foot in the moderate wing.

On foreign policy on Oct. 7, he supported Bush’s drive for a resolution to authorize military force against Iraq but backed more foreign aid and criticized the president for “gratuitous unilateralism.”

On the economy on Nov. 12, he accused Democrats of seeking to spend too much and Republicans of kowtowing to corporate interests. He called for delaying tax cuts scheduled to kick in in coming years for couples who earn more than $200,000 a year.

On education Thursday, Edwards aligned himself firmly against private school vouchers. That is Democratic orthodoxy. He also complained that many teachers in the nation’s lowest-performing schools are overworked and underpaid, statements likely to be greeted favorably by union members.

But he supported public charter schools as reform laboratories, and extra aid to districts that allow parents to enroll their children in a public school of their choice.

And he called for tenure reform to ensure that teachers who fail to meet minimum standards can be removed. Those steps are not universally popular among teacher unions.

To help public schools attract teachers where they are most needed, Edwards proposed to pay tuition for college students who commit to teach for five years in low-performing districts. He also urged an additional $3 billion a year to help raise salaries for teachers in challenging jobs and additional aid to promote smaller high schools.

To help college students, he proposed a full subsidy for the first year of tuition at public universities or community colleges -- in exchange for a student’s commitment to do community service work. And he called on colleges to end admission systems that grant preferences to early applicants and to children of alumni.

Edwards, a former trial lawyer and son of a textile mill supervisor, used his own background to emphasize his points.

“For me, this is not an abstraction,” Edwards said. “My parents didn’t go to college.” But he earned a bachelor’s degree at North Carolina State University and a law degree at the University of North Carolina, both with honors.

“Without that combination of support from loving parents, terrific teachers and public schools at every level, I would never be standing here today,” he said.