|
John
Edwards: Helping others share in the American dream
January
19, 2004
By DjTj
Editor's
Note: To mark the beginning of the primary season, the
editors of Democratic Underground solicited articles from
our members in support of the eight Democratic presidential
primary candidates. Publication of these articles does not
imply endorsement of any candidate by the editors of Democratic
Underground.
 John
Edwards has come out of nowhere in Iowa this past week, and
many people don't understand how it happened. The media wrote
him off and so did his opponents, but it's really very easy
to see the appeal of John Edwards. He has no hidden agenda.
He has no ulterior motives. There are no mysteries about his
past. He is running on the story of his life, and his story
is one that Americans love to hear.
Born in a small town, son of a millworker, first in his family
to go to college - you've heard the story. Millionaire trial
lawyer, rising star in the party, boyish good looks - did
Hollywood write this script?
John Edwards lived the American Dream, and he is running
for President to help other working Americans share in that
dream. His platform starts where he got his start, through
education. Edwards wants to give higher salaries to teachers
who teach in poorer districts, give scholarships to students
who become teachers, and provide one year of free tuition
to any student who works or performs community service for
10 hours a week.
Education is very personal to Edwards because he has two
young children that will spend their grade school years in
the White House. This focus on children is emphasized in his
health care plan, which will provide coverage to the 12 million
uninsured children in America. He also wants to strengthen
the health care safety net by supporting public clinics and
hospitals that care for the needy. As a lawyer, John Edwards
helped dozens of struggling families that were devastated
by medical bills. As President, he wants to help millions
more.
The centerpiece of Edwards' platform is his economic plan,
which is a comprehensive proposal to lift up hard-working
middle class people. It starts by protecting jobs through
fair trade agreements and giving a 10% tax credit to corporations
that keep jobs in the United States. He will also raise the
minimum wage, extend unemployment benefits, and strengthen
labor laws. Most importantly, Edwards will create a tax code
that rewards hard work instead of pandering to the rich. He
will provide a tax credit to first-time homebuyers and match
funds in retirement accounts while cutting corporate subsidies
and closing corporate tax loopholes. He will reduce capital
gains for 95% of Americans, helping them invest and save for
the future while raising capital gains for the richest Americans
that are living off their investments. This is not class warfare;
this is a new way of thinking about taxes: shifting the burden
from work back to wealth. In his own words: "I believe the
way a rich nation gets richer is by giving all its citizens
the chance to get richer, not by only helping those like me
who've already succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."
The education, health care, and economy core of his platform
comes from his first life as a hardworking young man that
became a successful lawyer. However, Edwards has been preaching
another plank of his platform in Iowa that comes from his
experience as a Senator. John Edwards is a relative newcomer
to the political scene and when he came to Washington in 1999,
he found a lot of things that need cleaning up. He has never
taken money from a PAC, and he wants to ban all registered
lobbyists from contributing to campaigns. He also wants to
shine a bright light on lobbying activity by forcing lobbyists
to disclose who they met with and what bill they discussed
every two weeks. Edwards wants to do more than campaign finance
reform; he wants to rewrite the rules and shut down the entire
system of buying influence in Washington.
But can he win? He faced that question six years ago, and
in November of 1998, John Edwards was the only Democrat in
the nation to unseat an incumbent Republican Senator. He did
it in a state where Bush beat Gore by 13%.
In 1998 and in Iowa this year, Edwards has changed minds
by using the skills that made him one of the best trial lawyers
in America. He explains economic and political ideas in language
everyone understands. He'll never talk down to you or pretend
he knows what's best for you. John Edwards listens to your
concerns and takes the time to explain why his policies are
the best. He doesn't attack other Democrats.
His foreign policy reflects this personality. Edwards believes
that America must treat other countries with respect in order
to gain their respect. He stresses engagement with our allies
and he'll make America safer by restoring its image and making
us a country that is looked up to and respected by the world.
One day after the fall of Baghdad in 2003, John Edwards stood
on the Senate floor and urged President Bush to share this
vision: "A free Iraq could serve as a model for the entire
Arab world. And if done right - with humility, patience and
cooperation - this effort to rebuild Iraq will bring the world
together and return America to a place where it is respected
and admired."
Winning this election is not about firing up the base and
it's not about pandering to the middle. It's not about winning
the Midwest or the South, although Edwards can do that. The
people who will decide this election aren 't single issue
voters and they don't listen to the pundits. The votes we
need to win this election are in the hands of people who are
looking for a message to believe in and a person they can
trust. They want someone that can lift this country up and
give them hope for the future. They're looking for real solutions
to their problems. They're looking for a President that will
make them proud to be Americans again. They will find John
Edwards.
For more information about John Edwards, please visit www.johnedwards2004.com.
|
