Here's why I support John Edwards for President of the United States: he wants to kick some ass, and isn't afraid to say so.
Everyone else out there – running for President or running the House and Senate – always talks about getting along with the other side, bipartisanship, working together to find solutions. Then Bush vetoes a bill that passed with bi-partisan majorities to fund the military and give our damaged soldiers a small raise and the response from our leaders is to issue a fucking statement saying how disappointed we are!
Ooooh, they used the word dangerous. Now they're serious! And we know they want to fight when they post it on their blog! Bush will probably sign the bill right now out of fear that Reid and Pelosi are getting ready to write another note.
Hillary Clinton would be more of the same, I'm afraid. I like her and am ready to work for her if she wins the nomination. She'll get my money and my organizing and the rest of what I can do. But she will still be a legislator, a conciliator in the White House looking to make sure everyone gets something so things will pass.
But the Republicans aren't going to be happy with getting something because all they want is to win the next election. They don't care about policy or programs or helping Americans: they care about kicking our asses so we look weak and they can take back the White House, the House and the Senate. Once they've done that they will continue to step on us as hard as they can as the dismantle Social Security, drive Medicare into the ground, flatten the tax rates and generally undo a century of progressive government.
These Republicans in charge of their party today are in a knife fight, and Hillary wants to negotiate with them. But they'll negotiate, take what they can get from her in their left hand and slash her face with the knife in their right. They get concessions and Hillary gets disfigured. It's been happening for the past 30 years, and yet she still wants to go there.
Obama is worse. I like the guy a lot, though the crap with his gay-hating gospel singer means he'll likely not get my energetic support though he'll have my vote. But I have no interest in his desire to end the politics of partisanship. Maybe in another era that might make sense, but the other side doesn't want to and isn't going to quit.
They love it when we negotiate, because they know that even if we pass legislation they will still get to blast us for being weak communist traitors all over the media and our win will look like shit. They're not going to stop fighting, because as lambert says,
Progressive policies — this election, health insurance, above all — will be vehemently opposed by the Conservative Movement and the winger billionaires because progressive policies are not in their economic interests. In fact, they’ve been working for 30 years against progressive policies, and have been well paid to do so. They won’t change. Why would they? So, there’s going to be a food fight. Don’t we need the kind of politics that’s going to win the fight, rather than deplore it?
The only thing I disagree with is that this ain't gonna be a food fight – it's a knife fight. And you don't bring a pencil or a handshake to a fucking knife fight. You bring a gun, and you can't be afraid to use it.
There's no question in my mind that the Republicans in charge of their party right now are spoiling for a fight because I've been watching them do it for thirty years. One of their best strategies is to go to Broder and his brethren to discuss "centrism" and "bipartisanship" in an effort to hide the fact that their knife is out and bloody under the table.
But Obama wants to shake hands, bow and discuss bipartisanship and cooperation. If he does offer that hand he's going to pull it back bloody and weak.
And then nothing will get done. Sure, we may get some better legislation though than we would if we didn't control two of the three branches of government. But legislation is not what this fight is about.
For the Republicans, the fight is about control of the government from the local fire district to the White House for the long term. They want a permanent majority, and nothing less, so that they can fundamentally change our country into a kleptocratic playground for themselves. They are willing to cut anyone to get there, and we have to be willing not only to be cut but to cut. Any other way of thinking is a sure way to lose the 2012 election and give these nutcases another shot.
And maybe we will lose 2012. Maybe things are so screwed up right now that a Democratic President will not be able to fix things in so short a time, and we will lose. Maybe we are looking at a Jimmy Carter situation where we just can't win.
That's all the more reason to fight our asses off, to take nothing for granted and to battle as hard as possible. Every inch we gain in the next four years is an inch they'll have to take back. Right now we have been moving backward for so long some of us think that standing still is progress, as with the Social Security debate.
Seriously, we consider preventing the destruction of Social Security a major success! Holy shit! Universal health care would be a major success. Getting the hell out of Iraq would be a success. But we're hanging our hat on not destroying the most popular and successful government program in history. That's pathetic.
We have to fight. There is no choice, because the other side is fighting already. We can't convince them to stop with kind words and agreements. They have no respect for kindness and are perfectly happy to break the Geneva Conventions must less handshake agreements.
And if we are going to fight we need a fighter. Hillary and Obama would make great presidents in another day and age, but we aren't in another day and age.
John Edwards is ready to kick some ass, and with knives in both hands and a few more stashed in his socks for good measure. He is not a legislator, as his time in the U.S. Senate pretty much shows. He is much better as the guy in charge, whether it's fighting in court or making the calls in the Oval Office. It's his personality, his temperament, and it's what we need now.
When I first came to Edwards I backed him because of his work on poverty and his honest and early turnaround on the War in Iraq. I was impressed by his interest in changing the world for the better, and for helping people. When he issued the first plan of the primaries to achieve universal health care I was even more impressed, though I would still prefer a single payer system.
So I backed Edwards in the beginning for his proposals and his goals. But over the past few months I've realized that good ideas and progressive ideals are not enough: you have to fight for them and fight for them hard. Edwards has convinced me that he will, and the others have not.
And, frankly, I would be more interested in Al Gore for the same reasons I back Edwards now. Gore is my guy if he gets in the race because he learned about the Republican Knife Fight in 2000 and came back swinging. Yeah, it was too late but at least he learned it and I think is our best person to have as President. But Gore isn't running and Edwards is.
So I will back the nominee no matter who it is (unless they pick Lieberman for their VP!), but I really believe Edwards is the only one who can take the battle to the Republicans and force progressive, realistic and positive policies into existence for our country.
John Edwards is my guy.