So far Edwards is my favorite of the 08 prospects. I'm still holding out hope for Gore but in the meantime, I am interested in anything and everything Edwards says. He was great on George Stephanopoulos on Sunday and there are a few other things I'm liking right now.
1. He is anti-war and while he hasn't always been so firmly committed to this position, he doesn't really have a voting record for people to attack during the primary. As I have said (many times), I have no problem with people who have flip flopped on the war--mainly, I don't think people had accurate information or time to make a fully informed decision (for that I blame the Bushies--DUH). What I care about now is that (a) they know the U.S. occupation is a mistake (which Hillary just. won't. admit.) and (b) they are committed to a exit plan. That is where Edwards is right now.
2. In New Orleans he uttered this phrase which is BRILLIANT "We need to ask Americans to be willing to be patriotic about something beyond war." YES! YES WE DO! THANK YOU. I would also add that Americans need to sacrifice things that are unrelated to war. We are asked to sacrifice our men and women BUT not our SUV's. Something is eff'd up here...PATRIOTISM and SACRIFICE are buzz words that the American people respond to. Why not tap into those morals for something other than militarism?! Edwards is on the right track with this idea...
3. AND he has a lot of great ideas to get behind. He loves himself some environment and he wants to save it....oh...and there's the UNIVERSAL health care. WOOT WOOT! I've always had a soft spot for Edward's "two Americas." He takes on poverty and I truly believe that he cares about underprivileged Americans. Thank you!
4. Ok...and there is his lovely, intelligent, VERY accessible wife. I LOVE HER. LOVE! HER!
4. Ok...and there is his lovely, intelligent, VERY accessible wife. I LOVE HER. LOVE! HER!
5. He uses the Internet VERY well...this will be key in 08. I have lots of ideas for him so if he would like to hire me as his blog consultant, I would be very interested. But so far, he has rocked the virtual world.
6. Ok...I am bothered by a couple things too. First, his inability to shake the ambulance chaser label. We all know that he isn't to blame for malpractice fees but that is an easy characterization for the mainstream media and the GOP to make. Could be a problem. I also used to sigh loudly about his position on gay marriage. He has waffled in the past. He still favors unions/partner benefits BUT is honest about his feelings on marriage--that he doesn't know. Sure, I'd like for him to be there with me and fully support gay marriage. BUT I like that he says he is working on it. And I like that he admits he is still figuring things out. It shows he is thoughtful and authentic. The only thing dogmatism shows is ignorance...
So yeah....I'm excited to see what he does in the next year or so. I'm also really excited that he is encouraging people to TAKE ACTION NOW. He doesn't want to wait until 08. Instead, he wants to start making a difference now. Thank GOD. Thank GOD for someone who is doing something.
Labels: politics
4 Comments:
Kristen,
But woulden't you say someone that was against the war all along has better judgement than those who thought it was a grand idea?
Also...didn't we nominate someone in 2004 who voted for the war in good faith and then in retrospect thought it was a bad idea and could not present a clear impression of his views in the election? I think you supported him in the primaries too. . .
Sure...someone who was against the war all along would be great assuming they agreed with me on all the other issues as well...;) But there aren't that many Dem's out there who can claim that.
And you are totally right about Kerry...I did support him AND he couldn't articulate his position. However, his loss had little to do with his initial pro-war stance. Instead, it had to do with poor campaigning, poor personality and his delayed agenda. Also, the anti war message wasn't resonating with the public in 04.
But if you remember...I was anti-war then as well...I jsut thought he was our best option. PLUS...I really do think he was a good candidate, he just couldn't connect with the American people.
I would not support Kerry in the primaries of 08.
Kristen,
You should know that you and Obama would politically make out with possible under-the-shirt action.
To anyone who says that we are not ready for a black President I must raise the question: When will we be ready?
If Obama decided not to run in 2008, and he ran in 2012 or 2016 maybe the pundits collectively say, "okay, NOW where ready for a black President."
DT
As always, Dave, you have a way with words! I don't know about second base, but you're correct that I do like him. I had an e-mail exchange about Obama yesterday with a friend. This is what I said:
Well....first, I will support Obama if he is the nominee. I don't *dislike* him. But I just don't feel it is his time. Arguably he has just as much "experience" as Edwards except Edwards has the advantage of being a white male. I think we have more of a shot of having a woman president (although probably not HIllary) before we have a black one (and the representation in Congress proves this). I would like to give the American people more credit (I really would) but I just can't see a black man whose name is already getting mixed up with OSAMA being elected. I just don't see him as a viable, electable candidate. And...I really do like Edwards. I liked him a lot in 04 as well.
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There is no "right" time when we will be ready...but just like all major social change, there are times when the public is more primed than others. I view Obama like I view gay marriage...pretty soon it won't be "that big of a deal" but the American people aren't there yet.
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