John Edwards has my vote. There's a lot of diaries coming out now in support of John Edwards and I want to add mine to the list since we are now just 18 days out from the Iowa Caucuses.
I support John Edwards because I hear the truth when he says he'll fight the corporate interests in Washington DC. I believe him. And apparently a lot of other people believe him too. In fact, that's the very reason why the Des Moines Register(DMR) didn't endorse him. They said as much.
The job requires a president who not only understands the changes needed to move the country forward but also possesses the discipline and skill to navigate the reality of the resistant Washington power structure to get things done.
(emphasis added)
But John Edwards has a clear answer for that. He says if negotiating with this "resistant Washington power structure" worked, then we'd already have UHC. We'd already have an energy policy that had higher MPG fuel efficiency standards, and we'd already be taking bold measures to reduce our carbon footprint and greenhouse gasses. We'd already have trade policies that benefited the American worker at least as much as the corporate bottom line. But we don't. Our current policies are lopsided heavily in favor of the energy corporations and insurance industry. And our trade policies heavily favor the corporate bottom line over the American worker. I hear John Edwards make these statments and I hear the truth.
Moreover, I believe John Edwards will fight for us, for me.
How can anyone not see and hear the truth in these statements? Think it's just rhetoric? It's not. John Edwards has a history of walking into courtrooms and fighting these same corporate entities and winning. Why do you think they are so frightened of him? The rhetoric is coming from the other candidates. Americans voted in Nov '06 for change. So far, all we've gotten is the same scared tired "go along to get along" impotent tactics from our new Democratic majorities. We control congress now, and no one in congress, running for president, is currently Leading a Fight for real bold change.
Speaking of rhetoric, here's what the Des Moines Register said about Clinton in their glowing endorsement of her:
Her record in the Senate belies those images. Today, she’s widely praised for working across the aisle with Sam Brownback, Lindsey Graham and other Republicans.
Well I'm happy to here about the praise she's been receiving for working across the table with Sam Brownback and Lindsey Graham, but I can't see how my life has changed for the better or even one iota, for all of her hard work. But at least she's been personally praised. So I guess she benefited somehow. What did she work hard at with Lindsey and Sam I wonder? I repeat, nothing has changed.
And if you're wondering about that lead in sentence about her record in the sentate belieing those images, here's what preceded that:
Unfortunately, for many Americans, perceptions of Clinton, now 60, remain stuck in a 1990s time warp. She’s regarded as the one who fumbled health-care reform as a key policy adviser to her husband, President Bill Clinton, or as a driving force in the bitter standoff between the "Clinton machine" and the "vast right-wing conspiracy."
At least the DMR admits that it's unfortunate that many Americans have a negative perception of Clinton. Can you say "electability"?
Personally, I don't understand why all Democrats aren't supporting John Edwards. What it is that people want? Do Clinton & Obama supporters just want Obama or Clinton to be president no matter what? Or do they want absolute real change?
Real change is not going to happen if you sit these corporate interests at the table and negotiate with them. Incremental change may happen, but nothing substantial. Nothing that's going to have "life changing" consequences for real working class Americans.
I believe John Edwards will fight tooth and nail for real change and I believe he'll win that fight as president. That's why I'm voting for John Edwards.