I've been posting here for awhile now, back since 2004, I love this community and I even love the posters who continually disagree with me. I'm an Edwards supporter and have been for years. When I first laid eyes on Edwards is was back in 2002. Many of you are probably thinking why wouldn't I have known him earlier. I'm still pretty young and when he was elected to the Senate in 1998, I was just out of high school, and I wasn't very politically involved. Times have changed. I have become a political activist, a blogger, and have worked tirelessly to convince people that Edwards is the right man for the job. I advocate for Edwards as a volunteer, I have never been paid a dime by the campaign. Although I must admit it would be a joy to be hired by the Edwards Campaign, and it would be an even bigger joy to my depressing bank account. Enough about me, it's time for me to tell you why I support John Edwards.
Over five years ago, I was sick and injured and bedridden from a bad car wreck. Since all I did was lay in bed all day for months on end, I watched t.v. I turned on C-Span to see a politician giving an impassioned speech on the Senate floor. He had a southern drawl and was quite handsome. I thought to myself, "Who is this guy John Edwards"? I did some research over the internet and found out that he was a trial lawyer turned Senator who beat a well financed Republican incumbent in red North Carolina. I was instantly impressed. This guy has obvious charisma, he's southern and he can beat Republicans in redder areas of the U.S. I'm going to be honest with you all, he nearly had me already. At the time Bush was so horrible, all I was thinking about was how we could beat Bush in 2004. I believed Edwards was electable, and I know it sounds crazy but he almost won me over on that alone. Once I did more research on his amazing law career, checked out his work as a juror in the Clinton impeachment hearings, I was in. As Hillary now says, and this is how I felt about Edwards at the time, "I'm in it to win it".
Now, many of you might start to question me since I've told you how easily Edwards got me into his camp. But, he had to keep me there. There were times I nearly defected, writing blogs over at One America Committee challenging his stance on gay marriage, or his opinions about Israel. Believe me, there were times I was upset at some of the decisions Edwards made. The Iraq War Resolution is an obvious one. But, why then did I stay if he upset me at times?
He proved to me that he had my back. Many Democratic Senators have folded and voted in favor of partial birth abortion bans, and even when they represented blue states they have not had the record on a woman's right to choose that Edwards has. While representing red North Carolina, Edwards voted against a partial birth abortion ban five times, for years now he has fully supported a federal freedom of choice act which would protect a woman's right to choose no matter who gets elected to the Senate. He was taking a risk being from a red state and voting the way he did on a woman's right to choose, yet I never see anyone here give him credit for that. I wrote a diary chronicling Edwards incredible record on women's issues if you'd like to read about his record go here:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Edwards Has a Good Record
Many people here argue that since Edwards voted for the IWR and now is against it, he isn't consistant. I think picking one or two votes that he's changed his mind on and calling him inconsistent is dishonest. Every Senator and Representative are bound to make mistakes, it's their whole record that should be examined. I've researched every bill he's co-sponsored and authored, there's one thing that's always consistent, he proposed bills that were meant to help average Americans, poor Americans, and American consumers. He proposed legislation to better fund our public schools, he proposed legislation that would give better access to health care services to rural Americans, he proposed legislation to increase funding for women's shelters, he proposed anti-spyware legislation, he proposed country of origin labeling regulations to help American farmers. Want more? Ok. He proposed legislation to help dislocated workers affected by trade, he proposed legislation to regulate big pharma ads, he proposed legislation to provide affordable rental housing in rural areas, and he proposed legislation to get high schools students involved in community service. Want more? Ok. He co-sponsored several minimum wage increases, co-sponsored the Patients Bill of Rights, and he co-sponsored the employee free choice act. There may be bumps along the road in Edwards voting record, but one thing always remained the same, overall his record proved to me that his intentions were to help people.
Edwards Proposals Will Change My Life
When Bill Clinton was in office he was a compromiser, he passed NAFTA, he passed Don't Ask Don't Tell, he raised taxes, he amazingly sqaushed our deficit, he passed welfare reform, he did a lot of things right down the middle. None of which really affected my life in a positive way. I guess I could give him credit for the housing market which did help my mother However, I have yet to see a President directly affect my life in a positive way. Right now, I live below the poverty line. I am starting to rake up some debt. I'm living with a painful injury that I cannot afford to fix with surgery. I have a horrible insurance policy that doesn't cover anything. I usually work 6 days a week just to make ends meet. I've looked at Edwards proposals and he has the platform that could change my quality of life.
Edwards Will Fight For Universal Health Care
Everyday I wake up with a stuck jaw. It's painful, gives me headaches, face aches, and it constantly feels like two huge holes have been dug out of the sides of my head. I can't go running, or do other physical activities because my jaw is unstable. And, in case you were wondering, kissing sucks for me. The surgery I need costs 20,000. No insurance policy will cover it. The best policy out there will only cover half. Did I mention it takes a year to recover from the type of surgery I need? Did I mention it's a pre-existing condition and even if I could afford half the cost it doesn't even matter? Under Edwards UHC program, the fact that my injury is a pre-existing condition won't matter. Under the government program, my employer will have to either cover me, or pay into a pool where someone with my little income will be covered. It's been very clear to me that Edwards will not stop fighting for UHC as long as he is POTUS. I find comfort with an Edwards candidacy because of his determination to pass UHC for all Americans.
Raising the Minimum Wage to $9.50 an Hour
Right now I make less an hour then what Edwards will raise the minimum wage to. Edwards plans to raise the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by the year 2012. That alone will affect so many people in this country. Many people have no clue what 50 cents extra an hour could do for some families. I know. I know how it feels to have an extra $20 a week. It could mean paying a bill on time and making sure dinner is on the table.
Edwards is the Only Viable Candidate Calling for a Ban on DRE Voting Machines
I don't trust the machines. I am one of those people who truly believe that both 2000 and 2004 were rigged elections. It's no wonder that this is one of my big issues, we can't afford to have another election taken away from us. I'm surprised that more Democrats are not for banning these machines. I'm surprised that the farthest they'll go is to call for a paper trail. That's not enough. Both John and Elizabeth both recognize that the biggest problem we face today in regards to election reform is the hackable machines. Elizabeth also said that as first lady one of her top priorities will be to eliminate black box voting.
Reining in on Credit Card Company Abuses
I found out not too long after I got my first credit card, that these companies were out to get me. If I sent my bill on time, but didn't give the mailman at least 7-10 business days to get the bill to them, I was looking at a $40 late fee. Edwards has a plan to reinstate the 10 day grace period on late fees. I've also heard horror stories about how credit card companies will raise the interest rate on past purchases. Edwards will ban that practice.
Energy Policy and Green Collar Jobs
Edwards has a bold energy policy that will cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, a plan to create 50,000 green collar jobs a year, not to mention helping poor African countries get involved in bio-fuels as a way to help alleviate poverty and help the environment. My mother has just finished building her green house. I would like to buy a house some day and install solar panels and do every green renovation I could imagine. The problem is that the green building field is too small. It was difficult for my mom to find experienced green builders etc. and it was a lot more expensive to build green. Edwards plan will expand the industry. He is taking the large steps necessary to bring the prices down, create a whole new indsutry in America, and help save the environment all at once.
Edwards Views on Terrorism and Foreign Policy
I have longed for a candidate to speak out about how we can't beat the ideology with military might. Edwards gets this. He's coined the phrase, "We need to use tools other than bombs". Edwards realizes that we have to win people over again. Edwards realizes that the best way to fight the terrorist ideology is to make the United States a compassionate leader again. Edwards wants to build a bridge with Iran rather then alienate them by acting like a bully. Edwards has a clear exit strategy from Iraq, and does not leave large holes for large numbers of contingent forces to stay behind. If that weren't enough, Edwards came out with a proposal to create CITO, Counterterrorism Intelligence Treaty Organization. His proposal to create CITO alone won a friend of mine over. He told me he was so impressed with Edwards ideas to fight terrorism and the creation of a real interconnected intel operation between countries made it official. He's in the Edwards camp now.
Now that you have seen the reasons why Edwards is my choice, I need to point out one more thing. Edwards will win in 2008. If we nominate Edwards, he will competitive in the south, he will help the downticket races, and this is the best time for a landslide. We progressives need a real mandate if we want a chance to have UHC implemented. We need a real mandate if we want to seriously invest in alternatives. I want a mandate, and I think the only candidate out there that could deliver us that big of a win is John Edwards. Here's a great diary by be inspired showing an average of head to head polls in battleground states. It shows what I've always believed, that Edwards is the most electable. Here it is in case you missed it yesterday:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Thanks for reading, and before you go, I'd like to ask you to donate to the Edwards Campaign. Edwards doesn't need the money that Hillary and Obama rake in. He just needs enough to keep his campaign going. I've set up a fund raising page for Edwards via Act Blue. I'm trying to reach my personal goal of raising $2,300 for Edwards. Will you help me meet my goal? Please give whatever you can:
http://actblue.com/...
Thanks for coming by!