As we all know, there have been many calls for John Edwards to drop out of the race, or for his supporters to join the campaign of Barack Obama. As for me, I will continue to support John Edwards. People fail to take into account that there is always hope in politics. I mean so far in this primary we had one
$100 million celebrity candidate lose her inevitability in Iowa, and the second $100 million dollar candidate lose his in New Hampshire. Has that not taught anyone some tough lessons that actually, none of us really know what is going to happen no matter how smart we think we are?
Besides, my last name is Dillon. I come from a long line of Norman-Irish ancestors. My family began 1400 years ago in Lyons, France. On our coat of arms is engraved our family motto in Latin, "Dum Spiro Spero". Translated into English this motto reads, "While I breath I shall hope". Maybe that is why I remain so stubborn in my support.
I am still breathing, and I still hold out hope that Democratic voters are going to wake up and see who is really suppporting the ideals our party was founded on in this primary. I made a statement in one of my diaries defending Edwards decision to stay in this primary, and Edwards supporters decision to stick with what we believe in that many of my fellow Edwards supporters said they liked. It was, "We support John Edwards because John Edwards supports us".
Yes, many of us will hope while we still breath that the American working class will have a champion in the White House. But, such a statement requires some sort of proof on my part, does it not? I mean, what makes the stubborn Edwards supporters like me so sure that that statement is true? In the days before the South Carolina primary I would like to detail some of the reasons why John Edwards supports us, the everyday working American who is falling further and further behind because of the greed of those in the top 1% of our economic caste.
One of the most profound policy proposals put forth by any candidate in this primary on either side of the aisle is the One Democracy Initiative to return Washington to the American people released by Edwards. I want to take some time today to outline this plan that is far past due.
I know many of you have decided on different candidates, but please read these plans with an open mind, and consider them.
First, we have this overview:
When special interests have seized control over Washington, it is no coincidence that regular families face stagnant wages, longer hours at work, and higher costs for health care, energy, and college. Insurance and drug companies block efforts to make health care universal and more affordable. Energy and power companies block efforts to develop renewable energy and improve energy efficiency. Financial institutions block efforts to crack down on predatory lending. Businesses block efforts to give workers a real choice to join a union. Wealthy taxpayers and corporations lobby for special tax breaks while the 37 million Americans living in poverty are not even on the agenda.
John Edwards believes that we can not go on as two Americas with two political systems—one for the insiders who can buy unlimited access to our leaders, and another for the rest of us. Today, he outlined his One Democracy Initiative, which will return the power in Washington to regular Americans by strengthening voting and campaign finance laws and taking on the special influence of lobbyists.
Please consider that last paragraph. Read it again if you must. Is that not what this whole election is about? Think of all the problems that have beset Americans in the last twenty years. Have they not all come about because insiders have been able to buy access to our leaders, and we have not?
I think we all realize that is the case. However, realizing it is only half the battle. We simply must have leaders that don't just talk about "hope" and "change" in generalities, but have broad sweeping plans to bring about the "change" we all need to "hope" for. If you honestly believe there is not much difference in the positions of the top three candidates, please read on.
Edwards goes on to talk on the need of Strengthening the voice of regular Americans:
Voting is perhaps our most important right and the defining right of an American citizen, but only about 55 percent of eligible Americans vote. There are 32 million Americans who are eligible to vote but not registered. No wonder that only 10 percent of Americans believe that people like themselves consistently have a say in their government. [Washington Post, 10/29/2006; Demos, 2005; CBS/N.Y. Times, 2000]
This paragraph should make people wonder why they have called for candidates to drop out and supporters to switch sides after less than 1% of Democrats have had a chance to voice there opinion. We need more people in the process, not less. But how does Edwards propose to fix this problem?
Well first, you give them a greater voice:
Create a Citizen Congress: Most Americans can only exert significant influence on Washington by voting every two or four years. Despite the growth of communications technology, most voters are no closer to Washington policymakers than they were hundreds of years ago. Edwards believes in the wisdom of the American people and the power of deliberation. Every two years, he will ask 1 million citizens nationwide to participate in Citizen Congresses combining local town halls with the latest technology to create true national discussions, unfiltered by interest groups. Americans will discuss the challenges and trade-offs facing our country and offer advisory opinions to leaders. Part of an emerging movement to continue the democratic process between elections, citizen-centered projects have given ordinary people a voice in designs for the World Trade Center memorial, the redevelopment of New Orleans, health care reform in California and local issues in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. [Ackerman and Fishkin, 2004; November 5th Coalition, 2007; AmericaSpeaks, 2007]
I think this is an excellent idea. We need to stimulate as many people as possible to think they are part of the process. If they feel they are being heard, they will naturally want to participate. The need for this is shown daily by the Congress we all invested in, and worked our fingers to the bone for, who now refuse to listen to us and do the will of the American people. Maybe a wake-up call and some citizens advice is needed.
This next proposal is desperately needed nationwide:
Reform Election Laws: America ought to set an example with the most trustworthy, inclusive and secure election system in the world. But recent elections have exposed major flaws, from insecure voting machines to laws and practices that disenfranchise citizens. Edwards will reform election laws to increase voter participation, promote fair elections, and enfranchise more Americans by:
Unless you have lived under a rock for the last eight years, surely you know that this statement is true. Edwards goes on to detail how he would solve the problem:
Protecting the vote: Edwards will secure Americans' voting rights by requiring the use of paper ballots verified by voters. Voting machines will ensure access for people with disabilities and foreign-language speakers, use transparent and publicly accountable open-source software, and be verified by mandatory audits.
PAPER BALLOTS!! Is that not what we have all been screaming for since 2000? Is that not what we need to ensure the validity of the process? Well, if you support a paper trail, and ensuring that every vote is counted fairly, John Edwards supports you!! He moves on:
Expanding voting rights and participation: Because election-day registration is a proven way to raise voter turnout, Edwards will require it for federal elections and encourage states to offer no-excuse absentee voting. He will support the right of Washington, D.C. residents to have voting representation in Congress and expand the rights of ex-prisoners who have served their time to vote in federal elections. Ending voter intimidation and suppression: Edwards will enact a new law making intentional interference with the right to vote a federal offense and providing tough penalties for political parties, officials and individuals. He will establish a Department of Justice task force to investigate patterns of dirty election tricks nationwide. He will also eliminate concerns over the partisan administration of elections by prohibiting chief state election officials from publicly supporting federal candidates. [Demos, 2006; Brennan Center and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, 2007]
Please Democrats, read this paragraph again!!! If these plans had been enacted at the time, the concerns and the fraud in FL in 2000 and OH and NC in 2004 could have been largely avoided. If you support ending voter fraud, intimidation, and disputed elections, well, John Edwwards suppports you!!
Now Edwards addresses the media, which has been worse than disgraceful in this primary, the last two Presidential elections, and the runup to the Iraq War:
Promote Open and Democratic Media: The media is essential to democratic engagement, but it is now dominated by a few powerful corporate interests, and two-thirds of all independently-owned newspapers have shut down since 1975. Eight business conglomerates control the majority of media content in America. The result is a poorer democracy, with a few loud corporate voices drowning out independent perspectives and local participation. Edwards will strengthen rules against highly concentrated media ownership and define robust public interest obligations for digital broadcasters, a task 12 years overdue. He will promote citizens' full democratic participation online by achieving univeral broadband access by 2010 and protecting the net neutrality rules that prohibit the selective degradation or blocking of access to certain web sites or services. [Free Press, 2006]
Well, this certainly explains the media blackout of Edwards, and the creation of two celebrity candidates to drown out Edwards message. Please read this paragraph again too. If you support a fair media that isn't controlled by corporate hacks, John Edwards definately supports you. Our media is a complete disgrace, and needs a wake-up call!!
Edwards goes on to address another concern for those of us who want true Democracy, reforming campaign finance:
The system for financing American elections is rigged to amplify the influence of powerful and wealthy individuals as both donors and candidates. Facing increasingly expensive campaigns, politicians have become dependent on wealthy supporters. Even while governing, they must raise thousands of dollars a day. The average cost of successful congressional races has doubled since 1990 to $1 million for House races and $8 million for Senate races. The best-financed candidates won in over 90 percent of races in 2004. [CRP, 2004 and 2007]
I worked for a Congressional candidate who told me that he refused to believe that it all boils down to who has the most money on election day. Unfortunately, as shown by this paragraph candidates like that want to serve the public instead of padding their pockets lose over 90% of the time. Edwards has real plans to change this system:
Reform Presidential Campaign Finance Laws to Empower Small Donors: Analysts believe that we are on track to spend a $1 billion on the 2008 presidential election. Few top-tier presidential candidates accept public financing, and candidates rely on wealthy, well-connected "bundlers" to help them raise tens of millions of dollars. The Internet has enabled a boom in small donations from regular people, but wealthy donors and bundlers still supplied nearly 80 percent of dollars contributed to candidates in the first quarter of 2007. Edwards will create a new Grassroots Presidential Financing System to empower regular Americans in a potentially universal public financing system. It will match small donations under $100 by eight to one, making two $100 donations as valuable to a campaign as a single $1,000 donation. (Each $100 donation would receive an $800 match, making them worth $900 each. The $1,000 donation would also receive an $800 match and be worth $1,800.) Edwards will also reduce the maximum contribution from $2,300 to $1,000 per person to better reflect the incomes of most Americans and update the campaign spending limits to attract all candidates into the system. [N.Y. Times, 1/23/07; CFI, 2007]
Now I know our two $100 million candidates won't like this proposal, but to those of us who have not much to give, this plan is genius. It is far past time that working Americans are as important to the Presidential candidates as the big money donors in both parties. If you support working Americans being as important as the rich and powerful in our process, then John Edwards supports you!!
Edwards then goes on to address the problems in Congressional elections:
Provide Full Public Financing in Congressional Campaigns: There is no public financing for congressional races, favoring candidates who are incumbents, have personal wealth, or have strong support from the wealthy and their corporate interests. Edwards will create full public financing for House and Senate races. Candidates who raise a certain number of $5 contributions will receive equal public financing and air time, while additional "fair fight" funds will help candidates facing self-financed campaigns and independent expenditures. States with these models—like Maine and Arizona—have reported more political accountability and candidates from more diverse backgrounds. [Brennan Center et al, 2007]
Now, you need not look further than our Congress that we worked so hard for and elected in 2006 to see the glaring need for this plan that Edwards has proposed. Under this plan, our members of Congress would know that they damn well better fight for their constituents or someone who wants to will be sending them home. Under this system, average Americans would be able to do their civic duty and serve our nation and their neighbors in the Congress, just like our fore-fathers envisioned. If you support a Congress that serves their constituents,, and not big money donors then John Edwards DEFINATELY supports you.
Next, Edwards remarks on the power of Corporations in the process:
Make Corporations Accountable: Corporations cannot give to federal campaigns, but can and do donate anonymously to independent 527 groups, politically active trade associations, state and local candidates, and state parties. The costs are often passed on to shareholders, workers, and customers. Edwards will require corporations to disclose all political spending and activity. [CPA, 2007]
If you believe that shareholders, workers, and customers shouldn't have to pay to support politicians that don't share their values, then John Edwards supports you!!
Now, as the only candidate left standing that has never taken a red cent from lobbyists, Edwards addresses their power in our government:
Over the past few administrations, influencing our government has grown into a big business that employs a mass of lobbyists and lawyers. Lobbying expenditures totaled $5.1 billion during the last Congress. The number of Washington lobbyists has tripled in the past 10 years to almost 36,000—more than 60 for every member of Congress. The greed and corruption possible under the new regime of lobbyist influence was brought home by the short, corrupt, and very lucrative career of Jack Abramoff. Regular families are outnumbered: between 1998 and 2005, for example, the Chamber of Commerce spent more than $200 million on lobbying, eight times more than the AFL-CIO. As corporate influence in Washington has grown, so has government spending, driving some of the highest economic growth in the nation around the nation's capital. [CRP, 2007; Senate Office of Public Records, 2006; Washington Post, 3/29/06; CPI, 2005; Galbraith and Hale, 2006]
We should all agree that this is a huge problem. However, it is John Edwards who supports us in ending this problem with real ideas, and not "hopeful" rhetoric:
Take on the Lobbyists' Power with a Constitutional Line-Item Veto: Winning earmarks for their clients – transferring government money directly to certain institutions and interests – is the bread and butter of Washington lobbyists. The lobbyist who pioneered the use of earmarks, Gerald Cassidy, earned a fortune that exceeds $125 million. His earmarks helped start what the Washington Post called "the lobbying boom" and establish "a system of interdependence between lobbyists and Congress that thrives today." To put an end to the rampant abuse of earmarks, Edwards will enact a new form of line-item veto – "expedited rescission" – that would allow the president to single out pork spending provisions in bills and send them back to Congress for required up or down votes. Congress could earmark money only by going on the record in support of each special-interest provision, one by one. Edwards will minimize the risk that the president will abuse the process by allowing only one package of rescissions per bill and requiring the president to spend the funds if Congress reaffirms them. [Washington Post, 4/8/2007]
Now this is an excellent idea. While I was opposed to the line-item veto as it was proposed before, this plan insures it accomplishes what it is supposed to, and more importantly guards against Presidential abuse. Say what you will, but this plan is pure genius!!
Edwards continues:
Prohibit Lobbyists from Giving or Raising Campaign Cash: Today, lobbyists approach politicians with campaign checks in one hand and wish lists in the other. Federally registered lobbyists gave over $23 million in the 2006 campaign. Edwards has never taken a dime from federal lobbyists or PACs.
Edwards goes on to detail how to solve this out of control problem:
Ending lobbyist campaign contributions: Lobbyists should be able to make their cases on the merits, not by influencing politicians with donations. Edwards will prohibit all federal candidates from accepting campaign contributions from federal lobbyists.
Stopping lobbyists from bundling: Lobbyists solicit donations from others and direct them towards candidates to maximize their impact, a practice known as bundling. Edwards has never allowed any lobbyists to bundle donations for him. As president he will ban federal lobbyists from bundling for federal candidates. [CRP, 2007]
Next, Edwards addresses the fact that so many former politicians use the revolving door between office and lobbying as a sort of new "retirement plan":
Cashing in on government connections has become a new retirement plan for Washington politicians. Nearly 250 former members of Congress and agency heads registered as federal lobbyists between 1998 and 2004.
John Edwards proposes to stop this problem by:
Banning top government officials from becoming lobbyists: Edwards will restore the Clinton-era executive order barring appointees from lobbying their former colleagues for five years, created by President Clinton but rescinded in his last days. He will also enact it by statute so that no president can revoke it and expand the definition of prohibited lobbying to include directing strategy on lobbying campaigns, not just making direct contact with officials.
And:
Banning lobbyists from taking top government jobs: In today's Washington, corporate lobbyists don't just lobby public officials, they often become them. Edwards will bar individuals who acted as federal lobbyists in the preceding two years from taking senior executive jobs with responsibility for the subject areas on which they lobbied. [Center for Public Integrity, 2006; Washington Post, 12/29/00]
Edwards next adresses lobbyist disclosure:
Expose Lobbyist Contacts to Sunlight: Recent legislation expands disclosures of lobbying activity, but still delays information by three months and doesn't provide enough detail to expose the real chains of influence. John Edwards will require lobbyists to disclose within 48 hours which federal office candidates, members, staff and executive officials they met with, which legislative or regulatory items they discussed, and any contributions made or raised for that official. Lobbyists will also have to disclose prior employment by the government or a contractor and any close relationship to a current member of Congress, staff member, or executive branch employee.
Prohibit Executive Branch Employees from Accepting Corporate Gifts: From March 2006 to April 2007, corporations and trade groups paid for more than 200 trips for executives of agencies that regulated or did business with them. Edwards will prohibit all executive branch officials and staff from accepting gifts and travel from lobbyists or their employers. [USA Today, 8/23/07]
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
Now, a lot is being made of "Change we can believe in". But ask yourself right now, is change brought about by a lot of big talk, or is it brought about by solid policy proposals backed up by the courage and conviction to truly fight for what you believe with more than speeches and talking points?
I think you will find that if you base your decision on more than talking points and MSM framing and actually look at what the candidates are proposing that you will stop asking us to jump ship and give up the fight for what we believe in and join us in supporting the ONLY change candidate in this race, John Edwards!!
While I breath, I will hope that this fight continues.
Despite what you hear there is only ONE change candidate in this race. Please help us by supporting real change for all Americans, and not just rumors of change here:
https://www.johnedwards.com/...
South Carolina is a place for hope: