On poverty:

• 63% of Americans worry that they could themselves become poor.
• 97% think that it is important to decrease or eliminate poverty in the United States
• 90% of the public said that it is important for the federal government to ensure that all poor people have health coverage
• 91% believe that health care should be guaranteed to all children
• 31% said the responsibility to end poverty lies with the federal government
• 29% said it is the task of "everyone -- the general public" to reduce poverty
• 17% assigned the task to the poor themselves

Seven out of ten Americans polled believe there are more poor people today than a year ago. Would John Edward's "two Americas" populist message be better received now than in 2004? Katrina shined a light on a poverty problem that many Americans had turned a blind eye to. But would the Democrats be shooting themselves in the foot to adopt a economic-populist message now? How long can national security be the deciding factor in elections? How long should it be?