Politics | Barack Obama Obama Flexes Populist Muscle in Iowa Illinois senator pursues John Edwards' base By Wesley Oliver Posted Dec 30, 2007 5:18 AM CST Copied Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., has been discussing job outsourcing and his own working-class background to appeal to working-class voters, the Los Angeles Times reports. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) (Associated Press) Watch your back, John Edwards: Barack Obama is targeting your Iowa base of working-class voters. Folksy stump speeches have bolstered Edwards in the weeks leading up to Thursday’s caucuses—but now Obama hopes to catch some of that populist wave by shifting away from his mantra of bipartisanship, reports the Los Angeles Times. Obama's prior emphasis on rising above partisanship was said to appeal to upper-income voters and independents. His strategy now includes attacks on job outsourcing and Edwards’ populist credentials, as well as vignettes of his own modest upbringing. The new tactic comes as a recent poll shows Edwards moving from third to first among likely Iowa Dem voters with household incomes under $40,000. Read These Next New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Iran's supreme leader makes first public comments since ceasefire. Man accused of killing his daughters might be dead. Her blood isn't compatible with anyone else's. Report an error