With all this talk of polls lately, I wanted to take a break from that and look at which candidate we have that will truly take on the status-quo and bring about real change in Washington. Many of us believe our government has been taken over by big-monied special interests. We further believe that this government is much more responsive to these "big spenders" than to us, the American people. I believe that even if we switch parties in the White House, real change will never come until we elect a leader who understands our government has been rigged, and will clean up the mess left after decades of damage.
Case in point, in the 90s even though we controlled the White House, our main accomplishments during this time were NAFTA and Welfare Reform, a couple of far-right talking points. So, while we got NAFTA and Welfare Reform, corporate welfare and outsourcing of high-paying American jobs to exploit virtual foreign slave labor have continued.
What good is it as John Edwards says to replace corporate Republicans with corporate Democrats? As a Democrat I hate to admit such things as corporate Democrats exist, but just look at the poor performance of this Congress. Yes, corporate Democrats within our own party have blocked Progressive change unapologetically. To really change our country we simply must nominate a leader who realizes this, and will stand up for what we believe in and not cave to corporate pressure.
In my mind John Edwards is the one candidate who will do this. He is the one candidate who doesn't have a "primary" mode and a "general" mode. He is standing up with Progressive vision and policy proposals and fighting for them proudly. He realizes our party has had little true representation in Washington during the last twenty years and is determined to change this. He will not stab us in the back when nominated.
I ask any Democrat who will answer, just what has all this compromise and giving up of our core beliefs in the spirit of "bi-partisanship" brought us? When did the last horrible Repug Congress ever compromise with us? When has this administration- the worst in history, ever reached out to our side of the aisle for ideas and any kind of Compromise? NEVER!!
Trying to compromise and reaching out to Republicans have given independents and many Democrats as well as Republicans the vision they have of our party as a bunch of spineless wimps. They believe we will not stand for what we believe in because frankly we haven't. I for one believe that our vision for America holds much more promise than any other, and am not ashamed to shout it from the rooftops. Why should we give up fighting for true Democracy in our country?
John Edwards understands this and feels the frustrations of all of us who are called "left-wing loons" for trying to bring sanity and compassion to our country. He is not afraid to fight the status-quo, which is why he is unmercifully vilified in the press. He is a threat to the America they have helped build and will not give up easily.
The only problem is while this America may work fine for them, the rich and powerful, it does not work for many millions of Americans. Ask the millions like me who have no healthcare about that. Ask the millions like me who are working harder and longer and recieving a smaller and smaller portion of the American dream about that. The sad fact is that the basis of Edwards message both in 04 and this year is true, their are Two Americas one for the rich and powerful and one for the rest of us. The other side is going to fight us tooth and nail not to have One America again because even many Democrats have profitted hugely from the divide.
We must fight these people to ensure that America once again is the land of opportunity for everyone, and not just an elitist society like the one that has been created. Edwards is the one to do this, and I want to point out some of the recent ways he has proposed to create One America once more.
First, Edwards believes in the unions and knows they have for generations been a stalwart that attempts to ensure workers get a fair shake. He has committed himself to helping them in that fight:
"Right now, our public jobs programs send job seekers into low-wage jobs and do nothing to help build the middle class. I have a plan called Training Works to connect hard-working Americans to smart training for good-paying, union jobs that actually exist," Edwards said at the Carpenters International Training Center.
This has not been overlooked by many union leaders:
"The Carpenters Union chose Edwards as the candidate with the best chance of winning the White House and the person who will best represent hard-working families," Carpenters Union International General President Doug McCarron said.
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
He understands that we simply must fight for our country and ordinary Americans against powerful corporations:
"In America, we have a grand social compact – anyone who is willing to work hard and do the right thing should have the opportunity to share in our nation's prosperity," said Edwards. "But our social compact is falling apart. The statistics say our economy is growing, but the truth is, it's only growing at the top. While corporate profits climb and the wealth of the very wealthiest grows, instead of protecting the compact of equal opportunity and shared prosperity, Washington protects corporate profits and hoards prosperity.
"We don't need any more empty promises. We need to restore one promise – the promise of America, the social compact that built the greatest economy in the world. It takes strength to say 'no' to the lobbyists and special interests – but I will never compromise my principles for the sake of politics. I believe if we stand together we can change this country and restore the social compact, moving us ever closer to the America of our ideals."
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
The very soul of our nation and the freedoms it was founded on are at stake.
He understands with clarity the moral test of our generation and is determined to change things:
This presidential campaign is a perfect example of how our politics is awash with money. I have raised more money up to this point than any Democratic candidate raised last time in the presidential campaign -- $30 million. And, I did it without taking a dime from any Washington lobbyist or any special interest PAC.
I saw the chase for campaign money at any cost by the frontrunner in this race -- and I did not join it -- because the cost to our nation and our children is not worth the hollow victory of any candidate. Being called president while powerful interests really run things is not the same as being free to lead this nation as president of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. If protecting the current established structure in Washington is in your interest, then I am not your candidate. I ran for president four years ago -- yes, in part out of personal ambition -- but also with a deep desire to stand for working people like my father and mother -- who no matter how hard things were for our family, always worked even harder to make things better for us.
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
He understands you can't bring about change while pandering to the special interests that block it:
"The Democratic debate on Tuesday was a defining moment in this election. From my perspective it is important for the next president of the United States to be honest and sincere and trust-worthy given what's happened with Bush over the last seven years. Instead of straight talk, there was a lot of doubletalk in the debate from Senator Clinton on some of the most important issues facing the American people.
"In this election, it is important for voters to know what choices they have. I don't think you can be a candidate for change and say you are going to bring about change and then defend lobbyists and a broken system. Those things just don't go together.
"If you want to be the candidate of change you have to have the strength to say no to the Washington lobbyists' money and the courage to tell the truth about why the system is broken and why it doesn't work for regular Americans.
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
He fights for the family farmer over big corporate interests:
"I will never forget rural America -- it's part of who I am," said Edwards. "I am running for president to bring attention to the struggles of rural America, which are too often ignored by Washington. But I don't talk about family farming because of nostalgia. I talk about it because the corporate greed that's killing the family farm is hurting America. These farms and the men and women who work them don't have a hundred lobbyists in Washington. They depend on what small towns in America have always depended on – Americans standing up for each other.
"The farm bill is critically important to rural America, but today instead of serving the interests of family farms, big corporate farms receive the bulk of the subsidies. Corporate farms buy up land, consolidate farming operations, drive up the price of land and rents, contribute to overproduction, stifle innovation, and squeeze out smaller and younger farmers. It's time to put fair payment limits on farm subsidies to ensure that we're helping family farmers instead of lining the pockets of big agribusiness."
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
He believes in equality under the law for all of us, a principle that this country was founded on:
"We all want universal health care – but just having a plan is not enough," Edwards said. "We've seen plans fail before in Congress, and they will again unless we have a new approach. We have to be willing to take on the drug companies, insurance companies, and their Washington lobbyists who killed reform last time. But if you're defending the system, taking money from their lobbyists and giving them a seat at the table, reform is just not going to happen."
On the first day of Edwards' administration, he will submit legislation that ends health care coverage for the president, all members of Congress, and all senior political appointees in the legislative and executive branches of government on July 20th, 2009 -- unless Congress has enacted universal health care reform.
Edwards will require Congress to pass universal health insurance that meets four principles: (1) It must be truly universal; (2) Anyone who has health care must be able to keep it and pay less for it; (3) Anyone who doesn't have health care must get it, with help if they can't afford it; (4) Doctors and patients, not insurance companies and HMOs, must have control of health care decisions.
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
He continues to fight for everyday Americans with more than talking points, but with concrete vision and policy proposals:
"The broken system in Washington has forgotten America's families for too long," said Edwards. "In the past generation, an unprecedented number of women have taken jobs outside the home, changing the face of the American workforce. But while two-thirds of mothers are now working, it has never been harder for American workers to balance the needs of their jobs and their families.
"No parent should have to go back to work before their newborn is old enough to go into child care or to lose their job if their child needs to go to the emergency room. Millions of families cannot afford to take unpaid time off, but only 8 percent of American workers have access to paid family leave. The vast majority of countries in the world offer paid leave – it is long past time that America made sure that paid leave is there for every worker."
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
The way I see it we can either continue to roll over and not fight for what we believe in. John Edwards is THE candidate who will do this. He tried to compromise before, and realized the futility in it. He has come full circle and wants to represent us in carrying on the vision left behind to our party from JFK, and RFK and not shy away from it. We want our party to have a backbone and Edwards has become the candidate that gives us a chance to attain one. Nothing is more important in this primary than sending word to the American people that we, as Democrats can once again be depended on to fight for what we believe in, truth, justice and the American way. Won't you join us in this Moral test of our generation and nominate John Edwards? Our party, country, and the world need you!!!