Today's Rolling Stone article about John Edwards is boldly titled, The Real Liberal: John Edwards is Third in the Polls, But Don't Count Him. I'm glad to see Rolling Stone come out with a good piece on Edwards. The author Dickinson even quotes our very own Kos saying:
"Edwards' proposals go the furthest -- they're like the ideal," says Moulitsas of Daily Kos. "Everybody else is playing it so safe it's dreadful."
I think there's a reason Edwards isn't playing it safe. He has no reason at all to do so. He isn't in the Senate anymore, and my guess is he has the luxury of not having to represent a state's constituency. He's run for President before, and now with the experience of a previous run, he's telling it like it is. I also think his campaign isn't consultant laden like it may have been back in 2004. I think he's trusting his own voice, and not the babbling of another "brilliant" consultant. In trusting his own voice, he's speaking out for the majority of us. His proposals if enacted, by far, will directly help more Americans above and below the poverty line. Don't believe me? Read his proposal on creating a working society on his website. Read his proposals on reining in on mortgage industry, credit card company, and predatory lending abuses. Read his proposals on second chance schools for high school drop outs, his College for Everyone plan, or his UHC proposal. Even if he is successful at enacting just a few of his policies, there's no doubt in my mind Americans will catch a break that they actually notice.
Dickinson's article is not just about Edwards having the boldest, most liberal platform, it's also about his campaign and how the election could play out. This snippet really struck a chord with me:
But counting Edwards out would be a big mistake. Flying below the radar, the former vice-presidential candidate is pulling off a feat that Democratic consultants have long considered impossible: staking out the most progressive platform among the viable candidates while preserving an aura of electability. In head-to-head polling against the likes of Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, Clinton and Obama have managed to post only modest leads. Edwards, by contrast, not only bests every Republican candidate in the race, he trounces them -- by an average of twelve points.
I don't know about you but I want the Democratic nominee to TROUNCE the GOP candidate. I have numerous reasons for wanting a huge victory. I want a real mandate, not a Bush mandate for a POTUS like Edwards. It would give Edwards much more clout amongst Congress to push his proposals like UHC through. I also want a big win because I'm still very skeptical about the e-voting machines. If it's a close race, who knows what will happen. If the polls indicate before election day that it'll be a landslide victory, I doubt anybody is going to attempt to sway the election.
I'd also like to add that if the GOP nominee is Giuliani or Romney, Edwards could be competitive in states that no Democrat has been for decades. His southern charm enables him to talk progressively without seeming liberal. Does that even make sense? Not really, but it doesn't matter, it's about perception with millions of voters. Edwards has a skill that few Democrats possess, he can make an issue be all about the struggle. He can highlight the struggles Americans are having with health care costs, and then tie in his UHC proposal and make it seem like common sense. He can talk about how difficult it is to afford to send kids to college, boast another government program to help fund tuition for low income kids, it doesn't come off as big government, it comes off as common sense. Oh, and the accent does help! If you'd like to read the full article go here:
http://www.rollingstone.com/...
Moving on......
The housing crisis in America has us all shaking in our boots. Predatory mortgages are forcing families to foreclose on homes they have lived in for years. This is just not right. Last year alone 1.2 million American families filed to foreclose on their homes. The slowing housing market and these dreadful predatory mortgages are a huge part of the problem. In lieu of the housing market slowing, Edwards released this statement:
"George Bush may not have noticed it, but everyone else - including the markets - has. We have a housing crisis on our hands. It's time for the president to show real leadership and stop protecting irresponsible lenders. Because of President Bush's failures, millions of American families are at risk of losing their home and everything they've worked for. The president must stop blaming homeowners, and wake up and realize that our nation's economy has been put at severe risk by irresponsible corporations.
"Unlike President Bush, rather than ignore the serious issue of hard-working Americans losing their homes, I have called for a national Home Rescue Fund and bankruptcy reforms to help families prevent foreclosure and get out of toxic loans. And as president, I will enact strong national predatory lending legislation so that this never happens again."
Edwards has a plan to address abusive practices by mortgage companies. Edwards proposes to create a Home Rescue Fund, plans to prohibit the worst kind of abuses like loan flipping, balloon loans, mandatory arbitration clauses, prepayment penalties, and other excessive fees. There's much more to read about Edwards plans to address predatory mortgages go here:
http://johnedwards.com/...
Here's video of local news covering an Edwards Big Change for Small Change event after the AFL-CIO debate in California. The video is a little fuzzy, but it's fun to see local coverage of a campaign event.
If you'd like to donate to the Edwards Campaign, I have set up a fund raising page for his campaign through Act Blue. Since I'm poor and can't afford to donate much myself, I have a personal goal of raising the maximum contribution to his campaign, which is $2,300. As of right now I have been able to raise $180. It's a great start, but by the end of the primary season I'm hoping to reach my goal of $2,300. Anybody want to help make a poor girl feel like a wealthy woman who just donated the maximum amount to a campaign? Go here:
http://actblue.com/...
Thanks everyone, have a great weekend!
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