Leaving aside all the falderal about John Edwards’ $400 and $1250 haircuts, beneath Edwards’ posturing about poverty there may be a subtle – and powerful – political point.

While Edwards pirouettes through Mississippi, New Orleans and Appalachia with reporters in tow, his stance on poverty is providing a positive window-dressing that allows him to talk about something else entirely. Two Americas. And his message isn’t about poverty, or just poverty; it’s about the middle class getting poorer as the rich get richer.

Virginia Senator Jim Webb used this theme forcefully in his campaign last year by pointing out salaries for corporate CEOs have skyrocketed a gagillion times over the last decade while middle class income has been stagnant. Other Democrats have picked up on the same theme, saying the average family’s purchasing power today is the lowest since the Great Depression.

Make no mistake: This is a powerful message. It resonates with Democrats. With the middle class. And Independents.

Over the last twenty years the ‘us versus them’ rhetoric hasn’t fared well politically. But with middle class families feeling the pinch of rising gas prices and healthcare costs, seeing Republicans marching in lock step with oil companies and pharmaceutical conglomerates has political teeth.

The point’s simple. Politically, Edwards may not really (or primarily) be talking to the poor about poverty. He may be talking to middle class families and they may be listening. After all, it worked for Jim Webb.

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