Edwards takes campaign to tiny Columbus, Ky., winner of online contest

Far more than the 229 residents of Columbus, Ky., greeted presidential candidate John Edwards when he made a campaign stop in the Western Kentucky town on the Mississippi River today. "At least 1,500 people showed up," reports Jose antonio Vargas of The Washington Post. "As unlikely as it seems, this event in the heart of rural America was the result of online grass-roots organizing."

Earlier this year, the Web site Eventful.com had hosted a contest to decide the location of such a stop, and native Shawn Dixon rallied support to help the the town grab 1,817 votes and take the prize. "I think people in the western part of the state and rural America really pulled together to have their voice heard on a national level," Dixon told the Lexington Herald-Leader in July. Dixon made the trip back to Columbus from New York City where he is attending law school.

Edwards spoke at Columbus-Belmont State Park, which is built on a Civil War site known as the "Gibraltar of the West" due to its location on the Mississippi River. In speaking to the crowd, Edwards downplayed recent fundraising and polling numbers that had him well behind his opponents, The Associated Press reports. He said stops such as this one showed his concern for rural America. "Electability goes way beyond money," he said. "My campaign will not be limited to New York and Los Angeles and Chicago." (Read more)

The editorial page of the nearest daily newspaper, The Paducah Sun, posted the cartoon at right a list of 10 snarky questions for Edwards, starting with one about his new mansion and ending with, "You say there are two Americas, 'one for wealthy insiders and one for everyone else.' Question: Could we live in your America for a day?" (Read more)