John Edwards's Modus Operandi
By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in 2008 — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
This article posits that despite his lagging place in the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination, John Edwards is doing more to drive the party's agenda than are other candidates. That may well be true, of course, and it brings to the fore the following question: How is Edwards setting the policy agenda for his party?
We get the answer in the middle of the article:
"[Edwards] has worked very hard over the past four years to figure out what every constituency wants," says a leading progressive grass-roots political activist. "He has gone to groups -- from labor to environmentalists -- and said: 'How can I be the best on your issues?' "
My word. And here I was thinking that Presidential candidates ought to figure out what they believe before they go to the voters, instead of going to the voters, asking what it is that they believe, and then trimming their philosophical sails to match voter desires.
I wasn't born yesterday. I know that candidates cater to voter concerns. But when you are someone like John Edwards--someone who hasn't exactly crafted a reputation as the most substantive person on the planet--you will want to show others that you are master of your own mind and that you have the capability to (a) come up with opinions of your own and (b) persuade others to follow your opinions.
Instead, Edwards makes no bones about the fact that his modus operandi basically consists of going to the voters, finding out what they want to hear and telling it to them. One can't help but wonder what Edwards would do if some political genie appeared to him and guaranteed that he would be President if only he sought the Republican Presidential nomination. I have to wonder whether we would be hearing about the joys and palliative benefits of Social Security privatization, a flat tax and perhaps even giving the reconstruction effort in Iraq a chance if the former Senator from North Carolina thought that giving voice to such a platform would be his surest ticket to political power.
Fortunately, most Presidential candidates want to run in order to do something. But it seems that John Edwards just wants to run in order to be someone.
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John Edwards's Modus Operandi 8 Comments (0 topical, 8 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
but he didn't start it - LBJ did...
...when they see me they'll say, "There goes Loren Wallace,
the greatest thing to ever climb into a race car."
"...Presidential candidates ought to figure out what they believe before they go to the voters, instead of going to the voters, asking what it is that they believe, and then trimming their philosophical sails to match voter desires."
Hehehe.
As a fellow citizen who also wasn't born yesterday, it's politically obvious that the issue of Poverty isn't an issue that John Edwards has heard about or pandered to through any voters' grapevine. The issue certainly isn't your stated golden "surest ticket to political power". Quite the opposite. It's an issue of which citizens must be asked to think carefully about. Political will must be generated to have any positive effect toward poverty alleviation. Edwards is more of a will-generator than your insinuation that he is a big old citizens' political-desire-sponge. He's not only hearing the people he seeks to reach, but he's empowering them, encouraging them to be leaders on their issues of personal concern now rather than waiting for someone in 2009 to do it for them - something I don't see a lot of other POTUS candidates wanting to do.
You say, "I have to wonder whether we would be hearing about the joys and palliative benefits of Social Security privatization, a flat tax and perhaps even giving the reconstruction effort in Iraq a chance if the former Senator from North Carolina thought that giving voice to such a platform would be his surest ticket to political power."
Most Republicans are thinking it's their way to sure political power, aren't they? Ask yourself why Edwards isn't harping on those issues and that'll only tell you why he's not running as a Republican.
1. should try to eliminate poverty?
2. is able to eliminate poverty?
3. has the Constitutional authority to do so?
____
CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
Here's one example - Head Start. The Head Start empire is ticked off that Bush has "cut" their budget so that it's "only" $7 billion a year. Here is one paragraph from their whine-a-gram.
In FY 2002, Head Start and Early Head Start funding was $6,536,570,000. FY 2002 was the last year that Head Start and Early Head Start funding exceeded inflation. Since then Head Start and Early Head Start funding has not kept pace with inflation. To maintain Head Start and Early Head Start funding at the same level that it was in FY 2002, Head Start and Early Head Start funding would need to be at $7,638,610,095 in FY 2008. Instead, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies approved $6,963,571,000 for FY 2008 which is $675,039,095 short of $7,638,610,095. This means that Head Start and Early Head Start programs will have experienced a real cut of 9 percent between FY 2002 and FY 2008 if the $75 million increase is enacted into law.
Just imagine when these same types get mandatory pre-school enacted across the country!
And there's currently a debate going on about SCHIPS. Even though that's already being abuxed by states, the Dems want to raise it from $25B/yr to $75B, though they may compromise at $60B. (Uh oh, doesn't count as a $15B "cut"?) Sheesh - this thing was only passed 10 years ago -- ironically as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Is that a joke or what?
And these sorts of programs are peanuts compared to Medicaid, which is over 180B/yr.
What is Edwards smoking anyway? What buffoon thought up the war on poverty in America should be the core of a campaign? No way does anyone that has this as their priority deserve to even be considered for President. Has Edwards ever traveled outside our borders? C'mon. I hope he would get the nomination so he would be slapped down.
Edwards war on poverty and his two americas point to one thing and one thing only. Edwards guilt of having money. Edwards has to deal with his guilt by launching this campaign. His campaign is all about John. It's the ultimate PR campaign for selfish reasons. All so Edwards feels better about himself.
Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country can do for you. Washington Elected Elite