3 months ago, I was disappointed with the Edwards Campaign. Now, I am not, and am predicting that he will wrap up the Democratic nomination. Here's why.
I also use this post to segue (bait and switch, actually) into a plea for Edwards to use the student loan issue to his advantage, since no other candidates have as of yet.
When Kerry Selected Edwards for the 2004 race, the "Two America's" Theme disappeared from his speeches. Huge mistake. This was the one thing that got him anywhere in the first place. God knows it wasn't his pedigree as a trial lawyer (or debater, as was evidenced in clash with Cheney where he was WAY too polite). In my view, this cost them the election.
When he announced his candidacy this cycle, the "Two Americas" remained largely absent from the campaign. This was a mistake, and I'm sure he was informed of this by many would be supporters (such as myself). Now that he has made the strategic decision to bring it back, I am fully confident that he will make it through the primaries, and dominate the general.
Here's why:
- There ARE Two Americas (Duh)
- He is not a sitting member of Congress, but has both congressional and presidential campaign experience.
- He has done the hard work in Iowa and New Hampshire
- No Baggage
- He has really good people working for him, like James Kvaal,Joe Trippi, et al.
One quick piece of advice: There is ONE industry in the United States more lacking in consumer protections than any other in our nation's history: The Student Loan industry. There are no bankruptcy protections, its illegal to refinance the debt under better terms (although there are lenders out there willing to give better deals), no statutes of limitations on the debt, and more than half the market is controlled by the owners of Sallie Mae (Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, SM). Sallie Mae often brags that its record profits are due to penalties and fees. "Gotcha Capitalism" at it's worst (to use a phrase from Bob Sullivan of MSNBC). Decent Citizens are now killing themselves, fleeing the country, and living like illegal immigrants...all for the sake of corporate profit, and big, mean government.
To date, no presidential candidate has publicly called for the reinstatement of standard consumer protections in this industry (although Hillary Clinton has put some attractive language in her Borrower Bill of Rights). Dick Durbin gets it, but he's not running (which is too bad, frankly).
This is the perfect way to appeal to the millions of Americans who have fallen prey to this uniquely hideous form of "Gotcha Capitalism", and millions more who have yet to realize the trap they are about to fall into.
Before I start rambling, I will end with a story I received from a Student Loan victim's brother in Maryland:
"...I am writing to tell my sister's story. She is no longer with us...She took her life a year ago.
My sister was the first in our family to attend college. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University and did really well for awhile. In her early 30s, she became ill (breast cancer) and was unable to work. I am not sure how she was paying her loans, but I know the student loan representatives were hounding her. I spoke with several on her behalf and little if anything was ever accomplished.
My sister was out of work for a very long time as "chemo" made her very ill. She was repeatedly called by student loan representatives even when told how ill she was.
I do not want to go into a great deal of detail, but I will say that my sister took her life as she said she simply did not want to live anymore. What is interesting is that my sister was not terminally ill. Her cancer was in stage 2...and her prognosis were very good.
What ultimately led to my sister's death is the way she was repeatedly hounded by collection agencies regarding her student loans. I wrote to a Maryland Senator myself and stated that something has to be done about this. People are being penalized for going after their dreams of becoming educated. Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture?
My sister's life has been an inspiration to me. I have decided to go back to school. I promised her that I would not obtain any student loans...I am doing it the old fashion way....I am working 3 jobs to finance my education. I will be somewhere in my early 40s when I finish, but at least I won't have to be concerned about being literally worried to death over student loans....
Anyone out there listening?