Edwards Cites Fight for Party's Soul

[cal04]

MIKE GLOVER
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071215/ap_po/edwards_party_s_soul_1


John Edwards said Saturday his chief Democratic rivals for the White House offer "a complete fantasy" when explaining the role of special interests. His party, he said, could lose its way and alienate supporters unless it stands by those most in need.

"I think if my party, the Democratic Party, if we're not willing to fight for, stand up and show some backbone on behalf of the poor, the homeless, the disabled, the disenfranchised, we have no soul," the former North Carolina senator said. "What are we going to stand for?"

Edwards cited fellow candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton for suggesting that expanded health care and other gains can be achieved by bargaining with what called entrenched interests.

"The easiest thing to do is say we can be nice about this, we can turn our heads and we can sit at a table with stakeholders and negotiate with them and they will voluntarily give their power away," said Edwards, the party's vice presidential nominee in 2004. "It is a complete fantasy."

[patrice]

1. Thank you John!

People are in need Now. Not 10 years from now.

[Warpy]

2. His rhetoric is exactly right.

however, we're stuck hoping his follow through is better than it was during his term in the Senate.

I'm a believer in new beginnings, in reality checks, and in getting out of Washington for a few years changing a person's outlook on a lot of things.

Richardson is the only other one I'm considering, although it would be good to have someone with Biden's sense of humor in that office for a change. Whoever gets into office will need a sense of humor to survive the news of just how bad a wreck this country is after 8 years of Stupid.

[1932]

10. Unless he wants to be a one term president, I highly doubt that he's going to

lay out his policy agenda so clearly (and so much clearer than the other candidates, by the way) and then not follow through on it.

[saracat]

3. Go John!

[Radical Activist]

4. But he isn't supporting universal single pay either.

Once again Mr. Johnny come lately talks a good game but he doesn't have the liberal record to back it up.

[Triana]

5. John Edwards Speaks for me. (n/t)

[polichick]

6. Of course he's right about the "fantasy" of entrenched interests giving up their power...

It's hard to imagine why people are buying that idea ~ I guess they also believed Cheney's energy commission was all about putting the best interests of Americans first.

Why though, is Edwards NOT for single payer universal healthcare?

[burythehatchet]

7. I think that anyone who even considers talking about single payer

signs his political death warrant. The insurance companies have immense power to stop a candidacy dead in its tracks.

[Kurovski]

8. K&R. (nt)

[EV_Ares]

9. Right on; K&R.