Paul Krugman writes:
Rich liberals who claim they'll help America's less fortunate are phonies.
Let me give you one example- a Democrat who said he'd work on behalf of workers and the poor. He even said he'd take on Big Business. But the truth is that while he was saying those things, he was living in a big house and had a pretty lavish summer home, too. His favorite recreation, sailing, was incredibly elitist. And he didn't talk like a regular guy.
Clearly, this politician wasn't authentic. His name? Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Krugman goes on to write that "there's nothing inauthentic about calling for higher taxes on the rich while being rich yourself. If anything, it't to your credit if you advocate policies that will hurt your own financial position. But the news media seems to find it deeply disturbing that John Edwards talks about fighting poverty while living in a big house."
Krugman sees through the smokescreen thrown up by the media. The first black candidate, the first woman candidate, those stories sell, especially if the press pits one against the other. But a rich guy who is passionate about eliminating poverty?? Nah! Boring...
He also addresses the bigger picture that, like FDR, Edwards is committed to finding answers to the biggest problems facing this nation, and to making those answers become reality. Much like FDR, Edwards has plans for rural recovery, healthcare, helping the middle class and eliminating poverty. John Edwards clearly understands the need to get the poor and the middle class back on their feet, much like Franklin Roosevelt did 70 years ago.
In his column Krugman took on the "authenticity" of Hillary, Fred Thompson and Rudy noting that Hillary's chief strategist, fired once by Al Gore, is head of a public relations firm that helps corporations fight union organizing drives. Thompson, who spent 18 years working as a highly paid lobbyist, wearing expensive suits and driving a Lincoln Continental, remade himself into an "authentic" good ole boy for his Senate run, driving a red pickup while wearing jeans and a work shirt. Rudy, the "authentic" antiterrorist candidate, was reviled by the NYC firemen for providing them with faulty radios pre 911 and spending the day on TV.
Krugman's point is well taken. He notes that talk of authenticity lets the press put down candidates they don't like or praise those they do, with no relationship to what the candidates actually say or do.
Further, he states that questions about a candidate shouldn't be whether he or she is "authentic". They should be about motives, and whose interests would be served if elected.
When FDR was elected our nation rose out of the ashes of the Great Depression thanks to the TVA, WPA, CCC and other programs initiated by him to help our citizens find work and to restore their pride. When John Edwards is elected president, he'll do much the same by instituting his plans for healthcare, rural recovery, eliminating poverty, college for everyone, among his many other progressive initiatives.
Now more than ever we need another FDR and we've got him. His name is John Edwards.
Author's note: I read this in my newspaper and it is available on NYT Select, which I don't have. For those who do, here is the link:
http://select.nytimes.com/...