Ellington

Time is reporting: "A new wave of Republican attack ads is coming this week, but this time their target is the No. 2 man on the Democratic ticket, John Edwards. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the November Fund, a new 527 group dedicated to attacking Edwards, a former plaintiffs' lawyer, and 'lawsuit abuse,' will this week launch an ad campaign that portrays him as a cause of the crisis in the medical system. [...] The November Fund, started in August by former GOP Senator Bill Brock and former Ronald Reagan White House aide Craig Fuller, begins running TV ads (which can't, by law, mention Edwards' name) and newspaper and direct-mail pieces (which can) in four states this week. [...] The Fund won't have to disclose its funding sources or how much it has raised until Friday, but Brock said the group had more than $5 million "last time I looked," starting with $500,000 from the Chamber.

"Edwards has always defended his work by saying he stood up for the little guy against big business and doctors who commit malpractice. His clients were almost all sympathetic figures, and he won more than $200 million for them. And there ís no assurance the new ads will turn voters against him. A Gallup poll in July found that 67% thought that Edwards' experience as a trial lawyer would be a strength, not a weakness."