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John Edwards: The Substance of Change
I'm going to try and finish doing these "Substance of..." pieces before New Hampshire, and perhaps publish a round-up, with my own summation. It's Edwards' turn. I didn't do him earlier because I had published a different, very positive piece on him just before the Iowa Caucus, and I wanted to be balanced. For the uninitiated, I will review the candidate's positions from his own website, along with my own analysis. I filter the positions through the prism of my own beliefs, mainly to demonstrate what I believe to be the first real step in deciding for whom to vote, rather than listening to skewed polls, gaffe-and-fluff coverage, nonsense criteria like "electability", and pundits with agendas of their own. As with the other candidates, I'm going to review selected issues from John's online platform, but I encourage you to read all of it. In my summation, I will discuss other factors, but understanding the candidates' positions is paramount to making a sound decision in the voting booth.
There's a lot here, more even than at Barack Obama's website, and there's even an 80 page PDF booklet. Here are what I think are the highlights:
Economic Policy - "Restoring our moral authority means leading by example and making clear that the hard challenges don't frighten us. There is no better opportunity than the challenge of poverty – the great moral issue of our time." -- John Edwards
Some have questioned the wisdom of making poverty his signature issue, and I do think John needs to include in his message, not just the moral imperative, but the fact that poverty costs all of us better lives, and gains us nothing. A nation without poverty is a nation with little crime, less drug abuse, lower healthcare costs, less emergency social spending, and more ability to be a leader in the world.
His anti-poverty plan is comprehensive and sound, centered around building a "Working Society." Job creation, increasing and indexing the minimum wage, supporting unions, reforming housing and lending policy, supporting public education, and supporting families are all parts of his plan to help working people and people working. The Republicans like to say, "A rising tide lifts all boats." Edwards wants to make sure we all have a boat.
Education - "There is nothing more important to our future than our country's schools. We all pay a price when young people who could someday find the cure for AIDS or make a fuel cell work are sitting on a stoop because they didn't get the education they needed." -- John Edwards
Reforming No Child Left Behind is pro forma in all of these platforms. I like that Edwards' focuses on making the standards fairer, rather than just addressing the funding issues that other plans obsess about. He also proposes pay incentives to reward high-performing teachers and schools in needy areas. It's a nifty way to reward merit without weakening unions.
Healthcare - "This is a moral issue. I will stand up to the big drug and insurance companies and guarantee health care for every American, while cutting costs and improving care." -- John Edwards
Forty-seven million Americans lack insurance and families and businesses are struggling to pay skyrocketing premiums. Edwards has proposed a specific plan for truly universal health care that will take on the insurance and drug companies, cover every man, woman, and child in America, and get better care at lower cost.
Edwards' plan is similar to other Democrats' in that it espouses Universal Insurance. Noting again my own objection to that notion, it's the best of what's being offered. A key to Edwards' plan that I haven't seen elsewhere is allowing individuals to band together and negotiate a group rate on a regional basis. This demonstrates that Edwards' familiarity with this issue is deeper than that of the other candidates. Under the other Democrats' model, people can buy into a national plan, like FEHBP (Federal Employee Health Benefits Program), but then they are rated in the larger risk pool, a disadvantage to many.
He also proposes that, after several reforms are enacted, Americans be required to carry health insurance. Again, not my ideal solution, but certainly better than what else is out there.
His plan also addresses increasing America's readiness to respond to a public health crisis, something I haven't seen elsewhere.
Foreign Policy - "We don't need debate; we don't need non-binding resolutions; we need to end this war. In order to get the Iraqi people to take responsibility for their country, we must show them that we are serious about leaving, and the best way to do that is to actually start leaving." -- John Edwards
Edwards supports the immediate withdrawal of 40,000-50,000 troops from Iraq and the complete withdrawal of all combat troops from Iraq within nine to ten months. He correctly identifies regional diplomacy as the key to any stability in Iraq. He also has plans for leading on humanitarian crises like Darfur, and for engaging Iran. Restoring America's moral leadership in the world is key to enlisting aid in pressuring Iran to behave itself, and Edwards, like other Democrats, knows this.
Civil Liberties - "We are not the country of Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo. We are not the country of secret surveillance and government behind closed doors. We are Americans, and we're better than that." -- John Edwards
America must do whatever it takes to defeat terrorism, but securing a lasting victory will take moral as well as military strength. President Bush's failure to respect the Constitution and our commitment to the fundamental rule of law has badly damaged our security and our standing in the world. President Bush has sent a message that torture and other human rights violations are acceptable, creating a precedent of disregard for the law that is being exploited by terrorists and repressive governments across the world. We must restore our moral leadership in the world, and we should begin here at home. If we want to spread democracy abroad, we must strengthen democracy in America, including our constitutional freedoms and the rule of law.
Say No to Torture - Ban torture, extraordinary rendition.
Restore Habeas Corpus and Shut Down Guantanamo
Protect Americans' Privacy and Freedom - End warrantless wiretapping, data-mining, and racial profiling, reform the PATRIOT Act.
Defend the Constitution - No more "signing statements", no politicizing the Justice Dept., greater transparency, no immunity for telecomms
This is all good to me, decidedly lacking any Republican-lite equivocation on civil liberties as relates to terrorism.
Energy and Environment - "Our generation must be the one that says, 'we must halt global warming.' Our generation must be the one that says 'yes' to renewable fuels and ends forever our dependence on foreign oil. And our generation must be the one that builds the new energy economy. It won't be easy, but it is time to ask the American people to be patriotic about something other than war." – John Edwards
Wow, there's a lot here, so I'll just highlight 2 things that I liked. First, he ties the issue of energy and environment to the economy. Republicans act like there's no money in new energy, but what they know is, it's just not the money they already have.
Secondly, I like Edwards' rasing of fuel economy standards to 40 miles per gallon by 2016, the most ambitious standard I've seen. I'm tired of hearing automakers cry, when I remember those GEO commercials from the early '90s where they got 60 mpg. Spare me.
Finally, the reason Edwards is my new favorite candidate. He's the only one I've seen address gay and trans issues right in his platform. He took some flack for some gaffe-ish quote about needing to work on feeling comfortable with gays, but the proof of the pudding is in the platform here. Comfy or not, he will protect the rights of LGBTQ Americans. He supports the repeal of DOMA, supports a trans-inclusive ENDA, and Civil Unions.
There's been a narrative going around since Iowa that Obama and Edwards are redundant "change" candidates. My examination belies that. Edwards' policies go farther than Obama's in many respects. Stay tuned for my summation to see if that's a good thing.
Tommy's Mom's Blog, The Lady of Light
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Recent Comments
(Page 1 of 1)Wish Belkin1:01AMJan 6th 2008
Ron Paul for President !!
David S.1:41AMJan 6th 2008
There is much to like about John Edwards. I have no problem with his stance on the issues. They all fall in line with Democrat's principles; poverty and social justice, economics, etc. Edwards populist theme is appealing.
It is unfortunate that the man is just not very electable. It pains me to say that, but it is just how politics works. We all know that it is a popularity contest to an extent; a candidate has to have something more, an "it" quality that is hard to define. Barack Obama has "it" Bill Clinton has "it" Ronald Reagan had "it" that sort of charisma that seems to go beyond the issues. Edwards just does not have that extra appeal. A good man in many ways, but I think he is this generation's Dick Gephardt.
Ashley jo2:34AMJan 6th 2008
Tommy,
Believe-ability is a major problem for him. His plans are detailed and calculated and recalculated. I’ve watched a lot of tape on him….and just do not get that “hey you get me…..you understand…..I believe you will do what you say.” I really compare him as the Dems Huck abee.
For instance in N.O. La.---- Edwards is a majority stockholder of a Co. that owns the mortgages on about 150 homes. The Co. foreclosed on all of the homes. Now some were paying & some were not. Some of the homes had been repaired, destroyed, etc.. But most were paying two mortgages: old plus repairs or new. The ones that were paying the notes (I guess just not fast enough) wrote letters and made calls to John Edwards to lift the foreclosures so their credit would allow continued progress in repairing or rebuilding. They sent him copies of where they had made payments etc. and did not get a response. Then election time comes & John tours New O. La. holding hands and laughing with barefoot kids, touting his poor America speech Etc. However, Edwards cut out the part where he was confronted by these angry homeowners he ignored and cont to ignore.
You know I am not for forcing the rich to help the poor or saying John Edwards even should help them..after all it is his money and his stocks. However, Hypocrisy is my pet peave. Do not spew help the poor if you are not willing to put your actions where your words are directed.
What will ruin the GOP is a Clinton/Obama ticket. Not ideal for me but I think it would be one of the most sweeping victories in history. Her experience and knowledge of back alley Washington with his fresh, young, change message would be hard for the GOP to beat.
Hey, only make that ticket if Romney doesn’t get the nod….okay. LOL.
BRENT7:33AMJan 6th 2008
ASHLEY JO: YOU'LL RIGHT BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HILLARY NEEDS TO BRING OUT AND I FOR ONE LIKE HILLARY AND SUPPORT HER BUT SHE NEEDS TO GET A FIRE IN HER GUT AND GET AN KILLER INSTINCT OR THESE TWO LOVE BIRDS ARE GOING TO EAT HER FOR LUNCH.
Dave7:49AMJan 6th 2008
Edwards has identified some good issues: poverty, trade, etc, but I'm not sure he's the right guy to go after them. His approach seems advesarial to me. He's going to be hated and distrusted by most leaders in the business community. His approach to the problem may reflect his experience as a tort lawyer, i.e. destroy the opposition. I think he and Richardson are the 2 candidates with real "change" issues, Obama and Hillary just want to be President.
Tommy Christopher9:08AMJan 6th 2008
RomneyGirl,
I'm going to address part of what you're saying in my summation. I don't know the details of the mortgage thing. If you have some sourcing, I'd love to check it out.
In these articles I'm doing, I specifically left out anything that wasn't directly in the candidates' platforms. I plan to touch on a few things in the summation, but I'd really like it if people would ignore most of the "Gotcha!" type stuff, even where the Republicans are concerned, because it's usually a distraction from what's important. I'll give you an example. Actually, let me save it for my summation, LOL.
Of course, an Obama/Clinton ticket would be fine, but I'd prefer Obama/Edwards.
Tommy Christopher9:22AMJan 6th 2008
Laura,
thank you for the comment and the articles. I don't discount them entirely, but in fairness, first of all, no candidate has any choice but to hire the "old guard" when it comes to foreign policy advisers, since it's the one area where almost anyone's credibility can be challenged. Once you realize that, it becomes a sad game of hold-your-nose, since America's foreign policy has been a bull in a China shop for a very long time now.
The campaign $, again, it is illustrative, but the article doesn't point out that a factor in those results can also be a natural affinity for a candidate from regular people in an industry and also a regional differential. Chris Dodd, for example, led the board in donations from employees of insurance companies. I supported Dodd, and I work in the insurance industry. Even so, the biggest thing it illustrates for me is that we need publicly financed campaigns.
g023420009:56AMJan 6th 2008
Edwards / Biden is the best ticket for all America, anything less will be as bad as keeping Bush in office forever. America deserves honest men of integrity that will fight for all Americans. Edwards is a true patriot that can make America great, he has the substinance, determination, and will to fight greed, corruption and end the outsourcing of our jobs, His economic, education, health and welfare policies are now being copied by all the candidates. Edwards spoke out months and even years before the others. America needs to think about why are the "Washington Greed, Corruption, Large Corporations and Media" trying to make this a two candidate Democratic race? Edwards is the only one able to win the Presidency from the democratic side, and any republican that is nominated will beat Clinton and/or Obama. Elect someone that cares about America and will make it great for all, John Edwards
pmorlan10:28AMJan 6th 2008
I think it is criminal what the media is doing to Edwards. He beat Clinton fair and square in Iowa and the national media act like it never happened.
Edwards looked great in the debate last night and I really think his performance will help him with NH voters if they saw the debate and if the local media in NH tells the truth about the debate.
On another issue I really would like to see more media outlets call Obama out on his habitual lifting of Edwards talking points. The Boston Globe has started the ball rolling with a piece they did yesterday but this really needs more coverage. Voters need to know that when they listen to Obama there is a very good chance they are hearing Edwards stump speech.
Obama borrows from Edwards
By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff
NASHUA, N.H. -- After beating John Edwards in Iowa on Thursday, Barack Obama has decided to join him -- repeatedly poaching his opponent's themes, language, and even jokes
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/01/obama_borrows_f.html
Bekkah4:00PMJan 6th 2008
The republicans are trying to get Obama nominated. Hey does not even stand a chance of winning against a republican. John Edwards is serious about taking on the oil companies, drug companies and bringing the troops home! He is the most electable and that is why the republican owned news stations keep ignoring him and making it look like he is not worthy.
Laura6:03PMJan 6th 2008
Hi,
I appreciate this article, and several others you have written. Great! Thought you might want to take a look at the following article that just ran in Democracy Now, about who is advising the candidates. Here is the link to the D.N. page: http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/3/vote_for_change_atrocity_linked_us
Also DailyKos did a temendous job tracking donations from big biz: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/2/134545/8905
1-4-Romney7:58PMJan 6th 2008
Tommy,
I do not have any links….. I watched all of this on two programs. I think the first program I watched was on A&E where they interviewed N.O residents, showed their returned letters, and gave some facts about Edwards involvement with the company etc.. It was shortly after Katrina about two yrs ago. BUT there was an MSNB C special with basically the same info only at the time he was making a political ad in N.O . I really don’t know if HE ever aired that ad or not…but MSNBC showed the rough cuts of the ad during the special.
From what I remember - he then made a big press release that he was going to not be a consultant for the Co anymore …..but then MSNBC reported he was still a major stock holder in the Co. through his wifes name.
The media might have spun all the he said she said gotcha elements and I do not really pay much attention to the gotcha part. They had facts showing what my problem was: They showed the foreclosure warnings posted on the doors with Edwards Co signing it. Then they showed Edwards worked as a consultant. Then they showed he was a major stock holder-(wifes name) & they showed Edwards coming to N.O touting “poor America”.
My Problem: Either shut up and keep your money and influence to yourself OR tout “poor” but do something about it. If he has the “do as I say not as I do “ attitude on this then he will most likely have it on other issues that have a deeper political root--like healthcare etc.
Tommy Christopher8:08PMJan 6th 2008
RG, you have to watch out for that kind of "journalism", especially when it's isolated in character, and the subject is a ripe target. I will find out what I can about it, but often, there is a reasonable explanation.
I stated in a much earlier piece that I don't care for that kind of thing even when it's wielded against conservatives, e.g. Dick Clark in "Bowling for Columbine". There's a fine line, though, as I did think Charlton Heston was fair game.
If a public figure is confronted about something they really didn't realize, it can be unwise for them to comment until they check what they're being told. Also, there are ethics rules that can prevent government officials from divesting when they otherwise might have. I don't know if that's the case with Edwards here, but I'd like to before I would print a story like that. My instinct, since there aren't many stories out there like this on him, is that there's less here than you think.
Pete9:50PMJan 6th 2008
Early polling showed John Edwards was consistently far behind Hillary and Obama. In an effort to get political traction and move his campaign forward John Edwards went far far off into left field.
Most of Edwards positions appeal to the 9/11 was an inside job, fire can't melt steel, World Trade # 7 was brought down by gov't explosives, all is lost in Iraq, the 'War on Terror' is a "Bumper Sticker Slogan", General "Betray Us" contingent of the Democratic party.
Obama and his charisma has collected the anti-Hillary vote in Iowa. Those high polling negative are coming home to roost for Hillary.
I am sure Hillary will do better in the gimme gimme gimme, whats in it for me Industrial States.
Once the party that bellowed "Ask not what your country can do for you; but what you can do for your country" is now the party of bright ideas we can't afford (her admission) like $500 baby bonds and socialized medicine. These will pay (literally) big dividends for Hillary.
Edwards, besides the "Two Americas" $400 haircut bazillion square foot mansion in N.C. believeabilty double standard, he has strayed to far left to be a viable nationwide canidate.
Bekkah9:25AMJan 7th 2008
http://www.tucc.org/about.htm this is really scary. this is Barrack Hussein Obama's church. They will not even allow a white person to join the congregation. this is scary.I am shocked and I bet most people do not know about this.
Dorothe1:41AMJan 8th 2008
What is Edwards plan about the Immigration problem right now? All other candidates seem to address it, however poorly. But Edwards has nothing on his website about it.
Sharon10:16PMJan 25th 2008
John Edwards thinks he being very subtle about his comments that never say or mean anything.
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Kitty12:53AMJan 6th 2008
EDWARDS WAS A COMPLETE EMBARRASSMENT AT TONIGHT'S DEBATE as he tried to hump Obama's leg to the finish line while successfully encouraging a very naive Obama into swift boating Hillary.
The truth is Hillary was 100% correct when she noted that Obama who swears by his record of consistency has often flip flopped on important issues in Congress... if anyone would actually do their homework.
Did we learn NOTHING from the Bush disaster???