I spent a great deal of time this year thinking about who, if anyone, I should support in the Democratic Presidential primary.
It is a difficult decision. Much more difficult than in many previous elections. The Democrats actually have an overabundance of candidates whom I think would make fine nominees. Barack Obama has a hopeful, inspirational message, that I think could pull together most of the country after years of division. Bill Richardson has an incredibly impressive resume in both foreign policy and executive experience, and is saying all of the right things. Even Hillary Clinton, despite our criticisms of her, and my dislike of her views on certain issues, would make a strong candidate, and would be someone I would be proud to campaign for.
At the end of the day, however, I have to support the candidate whose message and campaign appeal to me the most.
That candidate is John Edwards.
My support of Edwards should not be read as a negative endorsement of any other candidate. As stated, the Democrats have many fine contenders for the 2008 nomination. Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, and Hillary Clinton are all people I would readily spend massive amounts of time and effort campaigning for if they were to win the nomination. Any one of them would make a fine nominee. Each - as well as every other Democrat currently running - is deserving of our full and enthusiastic support in a general election.
When looking at all of the Democratic candidates, however, it became clear that John Edwards speaks to me more than the others.
For years, the Democrats have run away from the very issues that are supposed to differentiate us from the Republicans. While DLC style centrisim may have been what worked in the 1990s, the DLC formula has, during the Bush presidency, resulted in a party that has been all too willing to accommodate the President in some of his more dubious ventures. America now, more than ever, needs a Democratic president who is going to stand up for his beliefs, not a Democratic president who is going to stand up for his triangulations.
At the same time, the Democratic Party has strayed perilously away from talking about labor and class issues. The absence of a real dialogue in this area has stalled our progress in creating a country that works for everyone. Our inability to move forward with real solutions for poverty has done real harm. Hurricane Katrina brought to surface the mind-numbing poverty that much of the nation was blissfully unaware of. We need a president who can talk about that in a way that makes Americans care. And, we need a president who is willing to do something about it.
The Democratic Party is, at heart, a labor party. The Democratic Party is, at heart, a party that wishes to tackle poverty. Now is the time for a candidate who is willing to talk openly about those issues, in a compelling way. If we lose this chance, we may not have one like it for a very long time.
John Edwards has clearly positioned himself as the candidate in this election who is unafraid to raise poverty as an issue. He has clearly positioned himself – through years of hard work on behalf of labor unions since the 2004 elections – as the candidate who will stand up for American workers, and support policies that ensure that they have a voice. He is the most viable candidate who supports challenging the existing consensus on trade, and attempting to forge a new consensus that elevates basic human rights and dignity to the same importance as profit.
Some concerns about Edwards remain. In 2002, not only did he vote in favor of the Iraq War Resolution, but he also co-sponsored it. That was a horrible mistake, and it is one that is legitimate for Democratic voters to question him about during the primary. Every Democrat should be held responsible for their vote in 2002.
Edwards, however, has already admitted that he made a mistake. He has also apologized for it, and developed a plan for withdrawing troops from Iraq. In 1968, Robert Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy, as presidential candidates, became two of the most vocal anti-Vietnam War voices in the country. Both men had initially supported the war, but came eventually to realize their mistakes. What matters most is not the mistake that a person made five years ago. What matters most is the fact that they are capable today of recognizing that they made that mistake, that they learn from it, and that they take steps to fix it. I am convinced that Edwards learned from his mistake. He has cited his Iraq War vote as one of the reasons he has subsequently decided to listen to his true feelings, rather than political consultants.
John Edwards would be one of the most populist presidential nominees this country has seen in decades. He has the charisma, charm, and speaking abilities to make the voters understand his views, and to make the country care again about issues that are important.
This country needs a man like John Edwards in the White House. The Democratic Party needs a man like John Edwards as our candidate. That is why I have decided to support him.