In January of 2003, a bright and energetic United States Senator named John Edwards officially announced his candidacy for President of the United States.
Prior to then, I had never heard of John Edwards.
After that day, I knew I would never forget him.
He was one of the few politicians in this country with the guts to address the greatest problem that this nation faces:
poverty. He talked of "Two Americas," one for the wealthy and powerful -- and one for everyone else. For the people who live paycheck to paycheck. For those who can't afford to keep food on the table even though they work two jobs. For the parents who don't have enough to pay for their kids' college education. For the students who struggle in underfunded schools. For those who have so little in life that no amount of "tax cuts" will ever help them. For those who cry at the kitchen table because they have lost all hope, and no matter how hard they work, there is no end in sight.
He had the courage to talk about the poor when the buzzphrase of the day was "middle class." The Republicans and his Democratic opponents accused him of inciting "class warfare" by bringing the tens of millions of impoverished Americans into the spotlight. He stared them in the eyes and incited a little bit more.
He was a self-made man, from a low income family that was so poor when he was born that they didn't have enough money to bring him home from the hospital. He was angered as a young man when the ritzy college kids got the best jobs over the more experienced blue collar workers of his town. He has lived his life by the blue collar ethos: that one's life should not be dictated by expectations, but by aspirations. He knows that no matter how much money one accumulates in life, you are born blue collar and die blue collar. And he's proud of it.
I remember during the primaries, first in Iowa when John Edwards and rival John Kerry surged to the top of the pack, followed by the win in South Carolina and strong finish in Oklahoma. For a while, there was a glimmer of hope that a blue collar boy might be president. No fancy degrees or wealthy grandparents necessary to make it to the top of the world.
I was disappointed when John Edwards suspended his campaign after the Super Tuesday primaries. I was angered that a rich, pedigreed blueblood had gotten the nomination instead. I had always felt that Edwards was the strongest candidate to take on the Bush machine. He appealed to as many Republicans and Independents as he did Democrats.
It took me a while to warm up to Kerry, but I did. And so too did the Deaniacs, the Clarkies, the Kuchiniacs and those who stood with Lieberman, Graham, Sharpton and Moseley-Braun. There is a determination and incredible drive about him that is the mark of a great leader. And my warmth turned into fiery heat when Kerry selected the son of a mill worker to be his vice presidential running mate in July.
John Kerry has learned some lessons from John Edwards. Tomorrow, it will not just be a battle of Republicans versus Democrats. It will be a battle for the impoverished in this country, for those who struggle with hunger and unemployment and destitution and minimum wage jobs. The poor and hungry and hopeless and blue collar working families of this country will stand together in one final effort to reclaim the hope that they have lost. Tomorrow night, the Two Americas that John Edwards spoke of will once again become one. We will have a president and vice president who will say to the poor and working class of this country, "we've got your back."
Fight the good fight, John Kerry and John Edwards. We've got your back, too.
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