As Edwards spoke through a bullhorn, one supporter yelled, “You got my vote, John.”
Striking writer Cynthia Greenberg plans to support Barack Obama but said Edwards’ stop could help him in the polls.
“I’m not an Edwards supporter, but I’ve talked to so many people who said they are going to vote for him because of this,” she said.
Some bristled at the notion that Edwards’ stop deflected attention away from the strike and toward his campaign, while others thought it would help their cause.
“I don’t think it distracts us,” writer Scott Saltzburg said. “Having him here at an event like this helps to rally us.”
On Nov. 5, television and film writers from the Writers Guild of America went on strike after negotiations over royalty payments for DVD sales and a new pay structure for Internet media broke down.
Partly as a result of high-profile visitors like Edwards, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers may be losing the public-relations battle, a recent survey found.
The Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business released a poll Thursday that found nearly two out of three Americans side with the writers. Just 4% side with the producers, the survey found.
“We’re surprised that the level of support is so high,” said David Smith, an economist with Pepperdine who spearheaded the survey. “The writers have gotten the public on their side and have had a good campaign to get their message out through the media. Actors and celebrities have helped the cause.”
Sarah Silverman, star of “The Sarah Silverman Program” on Comedy Central, also joined the strikers at NBC. As she waved a sign that read, “AMPTP: I Really Hate You Right Now,” Silverman was shadowed by cameras and reporters.
