Is it me or is it just that Elizabeth Edwards is destined to become the next and future best first lady ever?
I attended a book signing for Elizabeth Edwards's new memoir, Saving Graces, on Tuesday night in New York City and I taped the whole thing. She spoke to all of us in attendance briefly about the why and the what of the book and then she took questions until she was asked to stop. Mrs. Edwards stuck around for about an hour and a half as the 200 or so in attendance waited patiently in line for a signature and a moment.
And boy did she ever have her moments on Tuesday, especially during the signings after the remarks. Follow me below the fold for the video of Mrs. Edwards in New York City.
Video: Elizabeth Edwards in NY - Part 1 (6:49)
As I'm walking through this huge bookstore, I'm thinking that what the world needs now is another book, right? But this is a book that I wrote really because I felt that I had to because I wanted to communicate something that I really felt was important... That is how important it is, in times of struggle, to really have built relationships on which you can rely.
We all have, and this is true in each one of our communities throughout the country and throughout the world, obligations to one another. Those obligations come in really big ways when we need to take care of people in great need and they come in little ways when we need to treat each other with dignity and respect.
Respect, dignity, the value of connection and community - those were the big themes in Mrs. Edwards's remarks on Tuesday night.
Although Saving Graces is a deeply personal memoir of life so far for our favorite Elizabeth, the themes that run through the book seem to transcend politics on the one hand and inform our politics immensely on the other hand. What Mrs. Edwards writes about in her book seems to be the more human side of the same kinds of values that draw me to progressive "causes" and politics in the first place. I don't want to live alone in my life and I don't want to live in the kind of country where everyone is on their own. But enough politics, this is an Elizabath diary and I don't want it sullied by politics even though I'm the sullier.
Mrs. Edwards gives us a few specific reasons why she wrote the book. One of them was a real shock to me, but in retrospect it was so very Elizabeth. She talks about Jacqueline Onassis as the brave, dignified and stoic woman that she was. I always considered Mrs. Onassis a national treasure, as does Mrs. Edwards, but Mrs. Onassis was also a product of her times. Mrs. Edwards tells us that she wanted to "model another way of grieving in the book." Jackie-O never expressed her pain and grief in a public way. In the book Mrs. Edwards bears her soul and shows us the raw pain and anguish that she started going through once her son, Lucius Wade Edwards, died. Is that smart politically? Personally? I don't know, but Mrs. Edwards feels that she had to write the book. She has that obligation to give something back and she wrote this book, in part, for people like her that grieve the way she does.
Video: Elizabeth Edwards in NY - Part 2 (9:40)
In this clip, Mrs. Edwards reads two passages from the book. The first is about being a mother recounting the time that she bags Wade and his friends for joyriding without a license and tries to impart some wisdom to the young men. In the second she reads us a letter she wrote to a member of an online grieving community. Don't miss this clip, it was a stunning letter to read in the book and it's even more eloquent to hear her read it in person.
Video: Elizabeth Edwards in NY - Part 3 (7:42)
The Q & A starts in this clip. This is one of the best clips of the night and touches on Mrs. Edwards's life growing up military as the daughter of a career Naval Aviator. She describes how close-knit these communities are.
It was like living in a very small town only no one went home to see their Grandmothers. Everyone stayed in this environment. What you developed was an unbelievably closely knit group of people who shared the same frustrations with not having any idea what the fashions were, not having a hometown and having the same fears about our fathers. In those days all of them were just fathers who working in a dangerous time and a dangerous place.
Interestingly enough she's adding dates for Military bases to her book tour. They've got her at Andrews Air Force base tomorrow and they also have her going to a base out in Tacoma for the Seattle appearance. Awesome! A real Democrat rolling in for a book signing and probably by popular demand to boot, but this diary is not political, right?
There's some snappy repartee between the Edwardses at the event on Tuesday night in this clip. This is part where John Edwards mentions Karl Rove, a fact that I alluded to in yesterday's teaser diary. Hold onto your hats kids, it sent her a "get well" card after the election. I don't know about you but that makes me slightly nauseous. Karl Rove sending Mrs. Edwards a "get well soon" card. Puke. Okay that's it for politics in this diary. Swear.
Video: Elizabeth Edwards in NY - Part 4 (9:06)
I don't think that I have any extra strength, honestly. And I'm not trying to be self-deprecating here. I ask people for help when I nee it... John... my family... And I find that people, actually, don't mind it. They feel good reaching out and helping someone else. You have to think about it as if you're giving someone a gift. [So many] of us contributed when Katrina decimated the Gulf Coast. And we felt good about the people receiving the benefits of our gifts who were blessed by them, but the truth is that we felt good as well.
It's because I have woven this safety net that I am able to appear strong to you, but it's only because of the people who hold me up.
Did you know that Mrs. Edwards was Queen of the e-mail list? It seems that whatever comes down the pike can be turned into a tool to reinforce what you already do. By that I mean, something like the internet can be turned into a tool for establishing connections with other people and maintaining a virtual community if you're so inclined. Mrs. Edwards is so inclined. She's not just a smart beauty married to a pol out there banging away day after day for the cause. She reaches out because it's just her nature. She can't help herself. All I can say is, get them into the White House and let the healing begin. The whole nation has been traumatized by the current politics of this country.
We need some Elizabeth.
Video: Elizabeth Edwards in NY - Part 5 (6:13)
Elizabeth is asked about her faith in this clip. Yup, she takes on the Big Guy here. The question was a great one because the context for these remarks is the death of her son and how that informs her faith. The attendee asked how she struggled with her belief in God after Wade dies. Mrs. Edwards discusses the dynamics in the online communities that she participated in, each person came to the group with their own belief system and struggled with the question: Does God intervene and if not then why not?
Video: Elizabeth Edwards: The Cure for Politics (2:12)
A young woman, pictured here on the left, comes up to get her book signed and asks, "why don't you run for office?"
Naturally, Mrs. Edwards gets this question a lot since she is Elizabeth Edwards after all. Her response is usually something like, "I got it out of my system in high school." Here it is on tape. I guess Prom could do that to a person. Also in this clip are two cancer survivors who came out to see her last night as well.
Video: Elizabeth Edwards: The Crowd (6:43)
Direct quote from this clip, "First of all she has the most beautiful voice... Christine Lavin has the best arms in show business. She speaks to me." This was a really funny part of the signing after the remarks. A woman comes up to her to give her a Christine Lavin CD and Mrs. Edwards just goes off. Jennifer Palmieri cues Mrs. Edwards to keep the line moving in an ever so genteel way, and Mrs. Edwards replies, "sorry, so sorry, but I'm working on my connections here".
Tonight Mrs Edwards will be in DC:
Thursday, October 5th, 2006
Washington, DC
7:00 PM
Olsson's Books & Records
418 7th St., NW (between D & E Streets)
Washington, DC 20004
202-638-7610
The rest of the tour dates can be found here. Looks like there are lots of stops and more being added daily. So far the tour is all over NC; Iowa of course; Georgia twice; Minnesota twice; Chicago; all over California; Seattle and interestingly enough she's adding dates for Military bases. They've got her at Andrews Air Force base on Friday and that's a new one. They also have her going to a base out in Tacoma for the Seattle appearance.
She is after all the daughter of a career Naval Aviator, Vince Anania, and the next and best first lady ever.
Previous Vlogs:
Guerrilla Vlogger: People Powered Media - Edwards, Lamont and Deval Patrick
Guerrilla Vlogger: Meet Deval Patrick
Guerrilla Vlogger: Lamont and Edwards in New Haven
Guerrilla Vlogger: Patriotism for something more than War
Guerrilla Vlogger: WakeUp Wal-Mart assignment
Guerrilla Campaign, Iowa w/YouTube video
See you out there...