Go Away Dennis

Long ago, Dennis Kucinich made my list of people I really didn't care to share a beer with. I know this because I didn't get up from my table at the campus bar I was drinking at to join him when he walked in one afternoon back in the early Eighties.

Love your ideas, your policy initiatives, your principles. But you are a joke. Get off the stage. Adults are trying to elect the leader of the free world here. You can't rant about the obvious psychosis of George W. Bush and talk about UFO gazing with Shirley McClain in the space of one news cycle.

Go Away. We'll all miss that Red-Head you hang with, but if it's all the same to you, just go away.

FINALLY! Edwards Faces Issue Based Critique

And not some trite jab at his hair or the usual confusion about how a guy can live the Horatio Alger Rags-to-Riches story and still give a damn about the poor.

Red Sonya, comes right out and calls John Edwards' policies "socialist."

She notes with interest that the campaign signed on two high-profile anti-WalMart activist, one another former Deaniac and Joe Trippi buddy, Paul Blank, as well as Wake Up WalMart's chief spokesperson, Chris Kofinis. Sonya then offers the insightful analysis that when a candidate for president speaks before 600 steelworkers, all union activists in Northeastern Ohio -- an area that still hasn't recovered from the collapse of the steel manufacturing industry in the late 70's and early 80's -- and suggests that combining environmentally responsible projects with organized labor to create millions of jobs: he must be some kinda commie.

Oh damn! My bad. She is indeed a lightweight political neo-con-poop.

If you can stop laughing long enough to read to the end of her "in-depth" foray into political theory, you'll see she not only couldn't resist the obligatory hair, um ... cut; but also takes a swipe at Elizabeth Edwards' wardrobe.

Honestly, how do people like this gain a place in our public discourse? More to the point -- who gave this woman a gig as a radio talk show host?

I lived the transformation of Youngstown, Ohio. I saw firsthand how it went from a boom town to a ghost town. The Mahoning River Valley was somewhere every kid could grow up and always knew that even if he or she was only mediocre at school, they could get a job where their dad, and grand-dad worked -- at the steel mills. Right about the time folks my age were graduating high school, the bottom fell out of the U.S. Steel industry.

I was lucky. I had studied hard. I could get out, go to college, then law school, and do something else. A good number of my friends and neighbors weren't so blessed. About half left the area because under Reaganomics there were no jobs trickling down to replace those outsourced to Japan and Europe and the cheaper labor markets of Mexico and the third world. We didn't have a word for it then, outsourcing. We had other words for the phenomenon that are hardly printable.

I never went back either, except to visit family -- those that stuck around and had nowhere else they could go. Those that were too vested in their declining property or too old to learn new skills.

So, when John Edwards, Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich went to Cleveland on Thursday, and Hillary Clinton spoke on Friday in an address to 600 steel workers at their union conference, I had mixed emotions. It was fantastic that by their mere presence I knew we were not forgotten, that the sons and daughters of the mill workers of Northeastern Ohio were remembered by the folks who want to lead this nation. But I can remember a day when that type of meeting would have brought six thousand, not merely six hundred union faithful. (Or even the eight hundred reported by the union organizers.)

I have to note the interesting dynamics of the candidates' appearances at the conference. Joe Biden told the crowd what they are always told -- that if we invest in our infrastructure, build more bridges and roads, we'll create more jobs. Nothing wrong there, but hardly anything new. Somehow, however, I don't see the Senator from the State of MBNA whose expertise is in foreign policy being the savior of the manufacturing base of the rust belt.

Hillary's appearance was more notable for what she did not say. While promising to be a friend of the union folks (as if she'd say "screw you" to such an audience) she refused to stick around and answer questions as originally promised. In a press release, Dennis Kucinich (He's a real socialist Sonya, for future reference.) eviscerated Senator Clinton for her cowardice, that by her actions she did indeed say, "screw you."

"It borders on arrogance for a Democrat to deliver pro-union promises and platitudes in prepared remarks, but then refuse to engage in an honest and open conversation with workers whose lives have been profoundly impacted by disastrous trade policies -- especially NAFTA, which was
enacted during the Clinton Administration.

"Does Senator Clinton support NAFTA? Will she attempt to 'fix it,' as former Senator Edwards proposed yesterday? Or will she have the courage to repeal it, as only Congressman Kucinich has proposed? Members of the steelworkers union and other industrialized unions did not get any answers
because they weren't permitted to ask the questions.

"Candidates have an obligation to go beyond orchestrated and scripted performances, answer tough questions, and address serious issues. If they calculate that it is preferable to side-step that obligation when they are trying to win votes, voters will be left wondering where those candidates really stand and what they will really do if elected. If anything, Senator Clinton has an even higher obligation to address this issue because NAFTA was enacted during the Clinton Administration. Someone needs to ask where the Senator stands. And the Senator has a responsibility to answer."

Ouch!

Of course, Dennis was on his home turf, and probably felt a bit emboldened since he was surrounded by more friendly faces than he is used to. However, from a purely analytical viewpoint, the most interesting presentation was by Senator John Edwards, a veteran of union organizing throughout the country.

I know that there is an inherent partisanship bias in what I say about his proposals -- but it's his proposals themselves, their specifics, bold yet practical solutions, and innovative approaches are what sold me on John Edwards in the first place. So don't just go by me, but do take note that the Youngstown Vindicator was impressed.

Edwards wants to fix NAFTA as Kucinich said, as well as make continued increases in the minimum wage, and create an alliance of blue-collar workers with environmental initiatives that could create a new manufacturing base of new technologies designed to combat environmental change and our dependance on fossil fuels. This is all designed to replace the industrial infrastructure that's been eroding unabated for the last quarter century. Sorry Joe, we've gotta make more than just roads and bridges.

Finally, Edwards, the mill-worker's kid who went to law school, must have impressed enough of the folks right there in Kucinich's back yard to peel off an impressive list of endorsements.

Parma, Ohio, is the heart of Kucinich country, yet their mayor is now officially on the Edwards bandwagon along with the their State Rep, Timothy J. DeGeeter, the Parma Clerk of Courts and the neighboring Parma Hts. Mayor.

I've dealt with Cuyahoga County prosecutor Bill Mason, a straight arrow and one of the good guys, who's now also an Edwards supporter. State Reps. from across Northeastern Ohio are standing behind Edwards too, from Elyria, Amherst, Westlake, Austintown, and Dan Dodd representing the Hocking river valley folks in the Southeast. Not to mention one of Ohio's most progressively minded intellectuals, Bob Hagan from Youngstown itself -- where this mess of an economy started.

An Edwards Fan's Take On The Debate

The debate was one of the best I've seen, primarily because it was a bit more freeform than previous "joint appearances" we are used to. This time, the candidates were allowed to mix it up more.

But it wasn't exactly equal time. Here's the "Talk Clock" via Booman showing Obama spoke for 16 minutes, Hillary got 14:26, Edwards 11:42, Richardson 10:48, Kucinich 9:02, Dodd 8:28, Biden 7:58, Gravel 5:37.

Informal Question Count: Obama - 18, Clinton - 16, Edwards - 13, Biden - 11, Kucinich/Dodd/Richardson - 10, Gravel - 9.

Obama certainly was given an opportunity to shine -- and given his cult-like following more interested in his promise than his policies, he blew the opportunity to add substance to his style.

There was some "mixing it up" off stage too, where Media Matter's Eric Alterman got arrested for trying to crash a WMUR-TV reception and got belligerent.

Big Tent Democrat (Armando):

First, from my point of view, it was a good night for putting pressure on the Congress to end the war, through the use of the Not Spending power. It was the early focus of the debate and Edwards pounded on Clinton and Obama on showing leadership in Congress on ending the war through use of the Not Spending power. It was the highlight of the debate.

CNN: Larry King found Elizabeth Edwards first and did a stand-up interview with her that was priceless. He said, "Senator Edwards leading the force in carrying on a very, very, strong presentation". CNN's panel was likewise impressed, even GOP strategist, J.C. Watts for being the only one talking about poverty. Donna Brazille said, "But Senator Edwards, I also believe, came out looking very smart, he was bold, he talked about his distinctions, the differences, with the other candidates." Candy Crowley's piece lead with Edwards' indictment of Obama and Clinton and seemed likewise impressed.

MSNBC's Chuck Todd's take:

John Edwards seemed very engaged and clearly carved out opportunities to engage Clinton and Obama. The press coverage will reflect this which the Edwards campaign will see as a victory. Bottom line, it was Edwards best debate performance to date (and I'm counting the one from this year and the ones from 2003-4).

So far, Edwards was winning the Daily KOS post debate poll and still ahead at MyDD's poll. It's not to late to VOTE, so do so if you haven't.

HuffPost's Arriana believed Edwards was most well briefed and impressed with Edwards’ admissions of past mistakes and overall performance and think it's about time Hillary admitted she screwed the pooch on the war vote and continued funding of Iraq until lately when Edwards pushed her and Obama to meekly vote against the supplemental after everyone else voted -- the performance Edwards blasted them on for not showing any leadership.

Unlike Hillary, who blames bad intel and Bush's mismanagement for what the war has become -- in other words, it's not her fault -- Edwards got applause from the audience for saying simply, he was wrong.

CNN: Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards got applause from the audience after saying he regretted voting for the Iraq war. 'I think I had the information I needed,' Edwards said. 'I don’t think that was the question. I think one difference we do have is I think I was wrong. I should never have voted for this war.'"

The implication is clear, Hillary doesn't think she was wrong, or responsible. If she were simply to say, "I F#$%ed Up, sorry." I might give her a chance.

Evidently she's also not responsible for the increase in terrorism world-wide since she defended the GOP metaphorical frame called the War on Terror. She said it's working to make us safer, but not safe enough. Edwards had rejected that frame as the sham it is -- a "bumper sticker".

Bite me Hillary. How much more of the Constitution shall we shred before you feel safe?

Obama got his licks in too, saying Edwards was "4 1/2 years too late" on his anti-war stance. Fine Barack, but what have you done for us lately? His policy stances are simply timid, votes too calculated, and as John said, "there is a difference between leadership and legislating." Edwards slammed these "leaders" (Clinton and Obama) and Gravel and Kucinich locked the door.

There's blood on the hands of all three of them, four if you count Biden. Edward for sponsoring the AUMF, Hillary for voting for it and defending that vote to this day and supporting every funding measure for the war except the last one. And Obama too has voted for all the funding bills he's seen until Edwards put enough pressure on him and the rest of Congress to vote against the last supplemental funding. Biden has no anti-war cred whatsoever, although he has articulated the best strategy for prosecuting the war throughout -- partition -- other than just leaving.

Only two of tonight's candidates not only voted against continuing the funding -- Kucinich and Dodd (Obama and Clinton come late to this position), but did so proudly. Only one of the four who voted for the AUMF has been a vocal leader in his agreement with Dennis and Dodd that we should not fund the escalation -- Edwards. Biden voted for the funding and Obama and Hillary might as well have phoned their votes in. Only one of the four says his vote for the AUMF was wrong and is doing something to atone for it -- again, Edwards.

STFU Barack. You say everybody on the panel supports the troops. Support them by getting them home, geez. You should be doing everything in your power to pressure your collegues and the President to end this war.

Richardson did nothing to move himself beyond the "second tier." Did you know he's a governor? I really like that guy, and his resume. But he doesn't stand any more of a chance than any of the other also-rans to compete on the same field with Edwards, Obama and Clinton. It's a shame. He's got to get mean to break through, and that's not his style.

Biden killed his chances tonight, and will now be considered just plain goofy for his red-faced rants. America doesn't like to be screamed at. Ask Howard Dean about that.

Senator Chris Dodd was ignored, and until his cheap six dollar haircut grows out, I'm ignoring him too and have already typed his name more than the journalistic style guide permits. He (and his lovely white hair) does not exist -- there is no Dodd. Except of course in New Hampshire where he got a lot of friends.

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UPDATE: Corrections made to reflect Obama and Clinton's votes against the Supplemental Funding Bill and clear up my sleepy writing from late last night. Thanks Ara.

Observation: The back and forth between Obama and Edward on their Health Care Plans was interesting mainly for the way it put Hillary in the role of spectator at a tennis match. Not what I expected a year ago. She should own the health care debate, and seems like she wants to run from it.

Quick Hits And A Major Speech

1. Why I'm done giving Kucinich any more slack.
• He's trying to out bid Lieberman as FOX News' favorite Democrat.
  


2. Clueless Rahm Emanual just got Put On Notice too.
   
• He's telling Democrats to stay off the Colbert Report (Hat Tip: Spoons)
  


3. Led by Drudge, the "confession" of Kahlid Sheikh Mohammed, released just in time to push calls for the resignation of Gonzales off the front pages, is now old "news," replaced by images of St. Ronny and the "cuteness" of John Edwards.
   
• Cute? CUTE!?! The guy is flipping gorgeous! Obama simply has no taste in men.
  


4. Speaking of Edwards, last I looked he had a comfortable margin in today's Straw Poll.
   
• It's not too late to VOTE!!!


5. Edwards' campaign didn't miss a beat after a terrorist scare last night, holding a conference call with the media this morning (including blogger Aldon) and giving a major policy speech today in New Hampshire (more on that below**).
• No worries, it looks like a hoax.
• Funny how Bush Cheerleaders conveniently forget about Anthrax when boasting how we haven't got hit since 9/11.
• Even More Videos -- plus another one from yesterday's event at Howard University.
  


6. BREAKING....BREAKING...Don't look now. Kahlid Sheik Mohammed just "confessed" to being Anna Nichol's baby's daddy! BREAKING....BREAKING...
   

You can catch Edwards on CSPAN at 3:45. Hurry! Watch it before Drudge fingers Hillary for being on the Grassy Knoll!!!

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**He's also giving a "major policy speech" today in Manchester, New Hampshire, on not just changing America, but transforming the whole world.

Senator John Edwards
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
Manchester, New Hampshire
March 15, 2007


A little more than three years ago, I gave a speech here in New Hampshire I called “In Defense of Optimism.” Some of you probably wonder if I could give a similar speech today. After all, a lot has happened since then – and a lot of it hasn’t been good – the escalation of the war in Iraq, the aftermath of Katrina, health care costs rising, incomes staying flat, mounting evidence of global warming. I could go on.

But as a matter of fact, I am still optimistic – maybe even more so than I was then. I am still optimistic that America can be a country where anyone who works hard is able to get ahead and create a good life for their family. I am optimistic that we can restore America’s moral authority. The challenges may be larger, and we may have even more work to do to build a country that lives up to our ideals and our potential. But we can do it.

I am optimistic we can do these things because my own life says it is possible. I am optimistic we can do these things because everything I love about America and our entrepreneurial spirit and sense of decency says it’s possible. But most of all, I am optimistic because of you and the millions of people like you. You don’t have to look very far or dig very deep to find people determined to make the changes we need. Millions of people are impatient to take control of their own lives and to take the responsibility to get our country back on track. Millions of people who know we can’t just wait for the next president to come in and fix all of our problems or for government to do what needs to be done.

Millions of people who know that America is so much more than just a place – America is an idea. And the idea of America – real, fundamental equality – equality of opportunity, equality of culture, equality of respect – equality for all – matters more than ever. Our job is to make the idea of America real for all Americans, and to rekindle that idea around the world.

So I want to take a few minutes today to talk about some of the challenges we face. But I want to spend most of my time talking about the opportunities before us if we have the courage to do what it takes.

Because we have not yet realized the promise of America; we still struggle to live up to the idea. There are still two Americas here at home, one for the powerful and another one for everyone else. And there are two Americas in the world, the America that we aspire to be and has been a light to the world, and the one you’ve seen too often on the news lately.

Here at home, the country with the most advanced health care in the world, we have more Americans without health care – 47 million – not fewer.

In the richest country in the history of the globe, we have more millionaires and more billionaires that ever – but we also have more Americans living in poverty – 37 million people unable to fulfill their basic needs of food and shelter, no matter how many jobs they work – not less.

As someone who grew up in the segregated South it hurts me to say that more than 50 years after the Brown decision, we still have two school systems – one for people who live in the right neighborhoods and one for everyone else. And the truth is that opportunity is too often denied to people because of the color of their skin, their ethnic background, their gender, or their sexual orientation.

And you all know that we are not leading the world in a way that lives up to the idea of America – or is good for us here at home.

Everything we do at home affects the world. Everything we do around the world affects us here at home. There is no such thing as just foreign policy anymore. Trade policies affect jobs and wages here and throughout the world. Energy policy affects climate change here and all over the world, and it impacts domestic and foreign security. Poverty is an issue for us here – I could talk about that all day long – but poverty is also an issue directly related to the rise of terrorism and our place in the world economy. A well-known politician from a neighboring state used to say that all politics is local. Today, all policy is local.

We are not going to solve these problems with the usual approaches. These challenges are too big, too connected, and too complicated to be answered with the same old politics of incrementalism. Meeting them requires more than just a new president —it requires an entirely new approach.

To build the America we believe in requires fundamental, transformational change. Not change for the sake of change, but change for the sake of getting to where we know the country and the world can be, should be, and needs to be. Not incremental, baby-step changes, but invigorating, uplifting, daring, boundary-pushing changes that address the root causes and understand the complexity of our challenges.

So if we are going to lead from this point in the 21st century, we must lead with a bold and confident step – confident in the greatness of the American idea, and bold in our plans to make it real.

_____

To lead the world in addressing the challenges of our century, America must restore our moral authority.

Restoring our moral authority isn’t just about feeling good about ourselves. When the world looks to America for leadership, we are stronger and safer, and so is the rest of the world.

Restoring our moral authority means leading by example, and making clear that hard challenges don't frighten us, but call us to action.
To me, there is no better opportunity to make this clear than the enormous challenge of helping the 37 million Americans who live in poverty.

Maybe you've heard the phrase "it's expensive to be poor." Well, it's also expensive for America to have so many poor.

We all pay a price when young people who could someday find the cure for AIDS or make a fuel cell work are sitting on a stoop because they didn't get the education they need.

And don’t think for a second that addressing poverty is charity – addressing poverty makes our workforce stronger and our economy stronger.

That is why I’ve set a national goal of eliminating poverty in the next 30 years – and laid out a detailed plan to do it by creating what I call a "Working Society," building on what we’ve learned to create solutions for the future.

In a Working Society, we will reward work with a higher minimum wage, stronger labor laws, and tax credits for working families. We will offer affordable housing near good jobs and good schools, and create a million stepping-stone jobs for people who cannot find work on their own. We will help workers save for the future with new work bonds and homeownership tax credits. And we will all take responsibility for the problem of poverty and not just leave it to government.

By building a Working Society, we won’t just try the old solutions and the old politics. Instead, we will work, as a nation, to change fundamentally the culture of poverty itself and create the conditions that allow people to lift themselves up into the middle class.

____


Rebuilding our middle class for the 21st century also means getting at the root of one of the main obstacles to middle class prosperity -- the cost of health care.

Americans spend more than $2 trillion per year on heath care –- more than any other country on earth.

Despite this incredible expenditure, more than 47 million Americans don’t have any health insurance at all.

That’s not just morally wrong. It undercuts our personal security and our competitiveness in the global marketplace.

That’s why I’ve introduced a true universal health care plan to cover every man, woman and child in America – by the end of my first term as president. I’m proud to be the first and only candidate to do so.

We cannot wait to transform our health care system. My plan sets up health care markets around the country to give people a choice of good health care plans, including a choice between private and government plans. It provides access to preventive care. It creates efficiencies that don’t exist today by dramatically lowering administrative costs. Under my plan, if you don’t have health care, you will. If you have health care, your costs will go down.

I see health care as a simple matter of right and wrong. I believe every single one of us has equal worth, and we should not treat anybody as better than anybody else. Every American – rich or poor, no matter which America we live in – has the right to health care. My plan delivers it.
____


Our domestic problems are intertwined with our global challenges, and nowhere is this truer than at the nexus of global warming and energy independence.

Global warming is a problem that is here, now, and not going away. The United States must lead – lead smart, lead courageously, and lead by example.

It is time to ask the American people to be patriotic about something other than war. We need investments in renewable energy – more efficient cars and trucks – and a national cap on carbon emissions.

By taking personal responsibility for our energy use, we can all reduce our impact on the environment in big ways and small. This week, I announced that we’re going to do exactly that in our campaign – our campaign is going to be carbon neutral.

Tackling global warming through responsibility and conservation helps reduce our reliance on foreign oil. And reducing our reliance on foreign oil strengthens our national security. But we won’t stop there.

By creating a new energy economy – by transforming our energy infrastructure and investing in research, development and deployment of alternative energy technologies – we can not only address global warming and energy independence, we can create more than a million new jobs in America, and lay the foundation for a secure middle class and a manufacturing base for America in the 21st century.

___


Our education system, too, needs fundamental change. As I said a few minutes ago, more than 50 years after Brown v. Board of Education, our education system remains shockingly unequal. There are nearly 1,000 high schools where more than half of the students won’t graduate. Minority 12th-graders read at the same level as white 9th-graders.

Our education system shortchanges the skills our children need for the future – math and science, creativity and critical thinking. Every day you can read reports about how we’re falling behind in math and science – our 9th-graders are 18th in the world in science education. We need to fundamentally change the discussion about education in our country, to move beyond a focus on testing and get to the issue of educating our children for the challenges of the 21st century.

We need a serious, sustained effort to turn around failing schools. We should invest in our teachers – the most important part of any school. We need to do more to recruit them, train them, and pay them, particularly in math and science and other places where there are teacher shortages.

Finally, it has been more than a century since we made high school universal, but high school graduates from well-off families are five times more likely to enroll in college. Those who do go to college pick up larger and larger debts. I have a plan called College for Everyone that will pay for the first year of college for anyone willing to work part-time. And this is one of the hallmarks of the fundamental changes we need, we as Democrats. Work and personal responsibility are good things – and we should be encouraging both.

____


When we’re serious about moral leadership at home, we have the standing to assert moral leadership in the world.

And I believe we can begin by leading in areas that – at first glance – might not seem directly related to our self-interest. I’m talking about global poverty, primary education. But I believe if you look closely, it’s clear that these areas are in fact directly related to our present and future national security.

We know that terrorists thrive in failed states, and in states torn apart by internal conflict and poverty.

And we know that in many African and Muslim countries today, extreme poverty and civil wars have gutted government educational systems.

So what’s taking their place? The answer is troubling – but filled with opportunity if we have the courage to seize it.

A great portion of a generation is being educated in madrassas run by militant extremists rather than in public schools. And as a result, thousands and thousands of young people who might once have aspired to be educated in America are being taught to hate America.

When you understand that, it suddenly becomes clear: global poverty is not just a moral issue for the United States – it is a national security issue for the United States. If we tackle it, we will be doing a good and moral thing by helping to improve the lives of billions of people around the world who live on less than $2 per day – but we will also begin to create a world in which the ideologies of radical terrorism are overwhelmed by the ideologies of education, democracy, and opportunity. If we tackle it, we have the chance to change a generation of potential enemies into a generation of friends. Now that would be transformational. I also want to say that this is personal for me, in part because of what I saw and heard during the time I spent in Africa.

But the challenge is great – generational struggles require generational solutions – so we must meet the challenge with an audacious plan.

As president I would implement a four-point plan to tackle global poverty – and improve the national security of the United States:

First, we would launch a sweeping effort to support primary education in the developing world.

More than 100 million young children have no school at all, denied even a primary education to learn how to read and write. Education is particularly important for young girls; as just one example of the ripple effects, educated mothers have lower rates of infant mortality and are 50 percent more likely to have their children immunized.


As president, I will lead a worldwide effort to extend primary education to millions of children in the developing world by fully funding the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015. The U.S. will do its part by bringing education to 23 million children in poor countries, and we will ask our allies to step up and do the rest. It’s not just good for our security; it’s good for theirs.

Second, we will support preventive health care in the developing world.

Women and children bear the burden of poverty and disease in the developing world. Women in our poorest countries have a 10% chance of dying during childbirth. More than 10 million children die each year from preventable diseases. Many of these diseases are preventable with clean water and basic sanitation or affordable immunizations.

As president, I will convene a worldwide summit on low-cost investments in clean drinking water and sanitation. Under my plan, the U.S. will increase its investment in clean water six-fold.

Third, we can get to the root of global poverty by increasing opportunity, political opportunity and economic opportunity. Democratic rights allow poor citizens to force their countries to create more progressive laws, fight oppression and demand economic stability. Economic initiatives like microfinance and micro-insurance can spark entrepreneurship, allowing people to transform their own lives.

And fourth, I would appoint an individual in the White House, reporting directly to me, with the rank of a Cabinet member, to oversee all of our efforts to fight global poverty. Despite its importance to our national security, the United States still lacks a comprehensive strategy to fight global poverty. We need to embrace the vision of John F. Kennedy, who recognized that “the Nation’s interest and the cause of political freedom require” American efforts to lift up the world’s poor.

Our current effort has plenty of bureaucracy – over 50 separate U.S agencies are involved in the delivery of foreign assistance. What it lacks is efficiency and accountability. As president, I’ll change that.
____


Accomplishing these goals – ending poverty in America and transforming our approach to poverty around the world, creating a new energy economy, bringing health care to every American, and building an educational system that helps to build and support the middle class of the 21st century– will not be easy.

And attempting them will require a change in our politics.

We can no longer accept having the course of our country dictated by a relatively few people who push onto the rest of us policies that suit their particular interests. We need leaders who insist that all voices are heard, leaders who will take the role Harry Truman defined so clearly: a president who is the lobbyist for all the people who don’t have, don’t want, and can’t afford one.

But this is not just about the leaders. It is also about you taking responsibility for your own country, for your own government, for your own community, for your own family.

We are at one of those rare moments in history – a time when two paths are clear before us.

On one side is the path we have been on.

It is a path in which we argue over fuel standards while global warming gets worse; where the Senate passes non binding resolutions on the war in Iraq while the war escalates; where the middle class shrinks and disappears while tax cuts for the wealthiest set in; a path where the two Americas is still there and still wrong.

On the other side is that future which we have all long imagined - a future in which America's moral leadership once again makes us strong and secure.

A future in which the gulf between the haves and have-nots is fading because we are actively working to lift our fellow human beings up from poverty. Where every American has health care. Where America leads the world in creating a new global economy powered by clean energy. Where women around the world enjoy the same opportunities as men. A future in which we recognize that our security is not just measured by our military might, but by our ability and determination to build a more peaceful, more prosperous, more stable world.

I believe that future is ours for the taking. We can make it real. We know that. We – the American people – have changed the world before.

Nearly 70 years ago, another generation of Americans faced a world darkened by insecurity.

The storm clouds of fascism and totalitarianism were gathering over Europe and Asia. We were struggling to emerge from the depths of the Great Depression. And it was easy to think then that our problems at home were too big for us to try to tackle the problems mounting abroad.

Yet that generation of Americans saw in the challenges of their day not a cause for despair, but a call to greatness.

And they answered it. Not meekly, not uncertainly. But proudly, confidently, and with conviction. Because they had what we have – the idea of America. It’s right here.

And in answering that call, they not only secured freedom for the people of Europe and Asia – they laid the foundation for a new American economy that produced the greatest expansion of the middle class and the sharpest reduction of poverty in the history of the world.

They turned the 20th century into the American century.

Now it is our turn – to see the challenges we face with an unblinking eye and once again to answer the call.

Proudly, confidently, and with conviction.

It is our responsibility. As Abraham Lincoln once called us, we are still the “last best hope of earth.” If America does not lead, who will?

I believe we are up to the task. I am certain of it.

After all, I am an optimist.

John Edwards Hardball Recap

(Via One America Committee Blog:.)

Hardball recap:

Last night, the Senator and Mrs. Edwards appeared on Hardball with Chris Matthews. The show was filmed at UNC-Chapel Hill as a part of the Hardball College Tour.

Click here to see video of the appearance.

Click here to read an article about the event from the Raleigh News & Observer.

We've got a discussion thread about the appearance going here on the blog; so far over 100 comments! Check it out and join the discussion!

Continue reading to see an excerpt from the press article.

from the Raleigh News & Observer

Edwards said it was unacceptable for President Bush to delay making any changes in U.S. policy in Iraq until January.

"I think the war is a mess," Edwards said. "The Iraq study group makes that clear. ... There is a desperate need for a change in policy. It is amazing to me and totally unacceptable that the president of the United States, after having led us there and created this mess, along with the help of others, is not taking responsibility to change course."

Edwards said that the United States should have known better than to become involved in Iraq, referring to a centuries-old tribal war.

"The idea that we can fix this with military intervention is absolute nonsense," Edwards said. "The only solution is a political solution."

Edwards said he would withdraw 40,000 to 50,000 service members immediately, while shifting more responsibility to Iraqi authorities.

I'm well aware of Hillary's chest -- er ... war chest, as well as the Obamanon enrapturing blogtopia and the MSM. But Democrats, if you want to win in '08, and have a POTUS who isn't going to sell out to big business, big donors or the war-mongers ... who will even the playing field between the haves and have-nots ... who is correct on all the issues, then and now ... who doesn't piss half the country off just by the mention of her/his name ... who can be competitive in the southern States -- you ought to start being serious about who should be our candidate instead of playing parlor games and engaging in wishful thinking.

We are indeed blessed by a very deep bench of presidential possibilities on the left side of the aisle, but why ask for trouble.

The forces that will arise against Hillary will be legion,

Kerry and the Big Dog, Gore, are hardly men who can unite the party let alone the nation,

Vilsack will be forgotten after an increasingly irrelevant Iowa caucus fades into memory,

Kucinich, much like Brownback on the right, is useful only to mark the far edge of the choices,

Bill Richardson and Wesley Clark don't seem like they're serious about running this time around, but they could change everything for me if they do,

Biden? Bayh? They may be serious, but no one's going to take them seriously,

and then there's Obama, who star is just as likely to burn out as it is to increase it's blaze.

Barack is a dream candidate, but I fear it is just a dream. This nation's disgusting prejudicial attitudes are enough of a hurdle for any candidate to overcome, be they hispanic, like Bill Richardson (another outstanding possibility), female, non-protestant, let alone black. Add that to the attitude that got Shrub elected by a constituency who will not support anyone appearing more intelligent, more worldly, more articulate and better looking than you, and working to get Obama elected becomes a Herculean effort.

Maybe I'm taking the path of least resistance supporting a candidate who simply has lower negatives instead of higher positives than the rest of the field, but more than anything, I want to win. It might not matter this early whatsoever, but Bush is already the lamest of lame ducks, and I believe long term strategy trumps fickle popularity, and serious candidates who do not pander to the mythical center, who stake out positions based on principle and thoughtful analysis rather than focus groups opinions are out best hope for a prosperous future.

Only three people fit that bill in my opinion, Bill Richardson, Wesley Clark and of course, at the top of that list, is John Edwards.

Looney Libs

My good friend (we call him "Brain") is a full-time, bona fide scientist and admitted "loony liberal."  (I have pictures to prove it.)  Not content with his studies in meteorology, he became a climatologist.  He once told me he'd rather study what the weather was yesterday, instead of predicting what it's going to be tomorrow.  I suspect it was the easy way out -- but that's another story.

He wrote me today about wishing he lived in a more competitive congressional district, just to get in the trenches.  Dennis Kucinich represents "Brain," and like my Rep., Marcie Kaptur, our views couldn't be better represented in Congress.  I used to be represented by Stephanie Tubbs-Jones who was Stephen Colbert's first "Better Know A District" guest.  Great lady.

Nobody can ever beat these fine Congress Critters because they're that good, that committed, and that right on the issues that matter.  Take this news about the former Cleveland Mayor known as Dennis The Menace:

Joshua Scheer: Rep. Kucinich: America Needs Iraq War Hearings:... (more under the fold)

In an original Truthdig interview, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), the potential next chair of the Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations, calls for congressional hearings into how and why America invaded Iraq, and demands 'accountability' for those who led America into a 'war based on lies.'

[snip]

KUCINICH: I've had a plan to get us out of Iraq from the minute we got there. I've had it on my website for three years--elements of which are still very viable. It calls for the U.S. to give up its control of the oil assets to move towards soliciting U.N. involvement.

[snip]

And people have to be held accountable. You can't lead this country into a war that has lost thousands of U.S. troops and perhaps hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis, [and that has] cost the American taxpayers $400 billion--and maybe up to $2 trillion--and leave it with some kind of blithe apology. There has to be accountability. When the people elected Democrats, they also voted for accountability.

[snip]

We'll never be able to bring closure to this Iraq matter unless we tell the truth about what happened. So America needs a new approach of truth and reconciliation. This isn't a Democratic or Republican matter. This is a matter that relates to the conscience of this country. This is a matter of the heart--the heart of democracy itself. This is a matter of whether we're going to a sober reflection about the events that have transpired since 9/11, with respect to Iraq. And until we do this, we will be trapped not only physically in Iraq, we'll be trapped emotionally and spiritually in Iraq. We may never get out of Iraq if we don't tell the truth.

There shouldn't be any partisan direction on this. We should all be together. America wants a new direction in Iraq; it stated it loud and clear. It wants a Congress that's going to question the president, not a rubber-stamp Congress. This is a time to tell the truth and to heal our nation. And the time for Congress to function as a co-equal branch of government and for the government to function as it was intended to function.

(And by the way, "Brain" sez it's getting hotter and we're all gonna die from global warming unless we legalize pot -- or something like that.)