By Isabel P. Ball
February 03, 2008
"2 down, 48 more to go," John Edwards, forever optimistic and sunny, his index and middle finger prompting, blared in his concession speech after a third place win in New Hampshire.
Then, came South Carolina, his hometown, and in the preliminary gave him a conservative 18%. Again, he came in third, outpaced and seemingly forgotten by the same population that gave him a win in 2004. Once again, John, with grace and dignity conceded with his usual beaming, winsome smile and a promise to fight on to the end of the race, focused to the convention and all the way to the Whitehouse.
Again, the caucus in Florida gained him another third spot. There was no concession made since some legal bind disallowed the democrats from campaigning in the state. But according to some reports, Hillary did appear and campaigned in Florida, and that unethical tenacity bagged for her the first slot in the polls.
One quiet day, with suddenness--like a sneaking natural disaster--totally unexpected, John Edwards, was ironically in the headlines. I saw it flashed in the CNN, "EDWARDS WITHDRAWING FROM THE RACE." My heart sank like the Titanic.
Exactly, in a manner that the media reporters had always wanted to blitz to America and to the world the news story of an obit of John Edwards candidacy, was an actuality on that ominous day on Jan. 30. I was imagining the corporatocracy and the mediatocracy beaming and rejoicing, while to the poor, the hapless, and the middle class of America grieved.
Apart from the class that he sought to bring forth prosperity into the lives, many other Americans of varying status who admired his devotion to his unpopular, populist causes shared in the gloom. To these, many supporters and followers, it was an event and show of passion equal to when an American hero has departed.
At John Edwards blogs, are entries of followers drowning in sorrow, pain, and tears inconsolable as I am, as I have felt in the few times in history at the passing of some great individuals. The most recent times were during the death of Princess Diana and John-John Kennedy. They have so much affected the hearts of millions for their humanitarian deeds, dignity, and humility, thus, befitting a public mourning.
To our gratitude, John Edwards is a living legend and hero for all that he stood for as a candidate, empathic and genuinely caring of the little people. Even in his speech, his populist platform, which he admitted as, "not getting any vote," to him it is the cause of his life and described as personal to him. At least, my fear that John might meet an untimely demise in the hands of some delusional mind, upon gaining his quest, such as often befalls upon individuals so brave and resolute in their position I can now put to rest.
When did America ever have a candidate so purposeful, so dedicated, so vehement even it is foolhardy? In recent memory, it is only John Edwards unwavering in his script delivered on his every stump speech of his strong disaffection with the lobbyists, greedy corporations that impoverish and enslave great many Americans. Some say he is like a broken record and rote even to his own supporters.
No, John, would not even think about changing the text and tone of his message, angry by some media standard, because it is truly what he believes in, derived from what he sees now happening in America being divided by a widening gap between the rich and the poor Americans.
John is genuinely empathic to the cause having lived in a community of factory workers, and hailing from a hard-working, poor family himself. He is an epitome of someone who has lived the American dream, through diligence and education. Being the only member in his family to have a college degree, John, is a brilliant trial lawyer, truly caring of the hapless citizens. While he helped lift the lives of some hapless victims of negligent, greedy corporations, as well, he was rewarded gratuitously—thus--elevating himself to a respectable status as a millionaire. Because he has experienced it, therefore, he believes in such opportunity, and he tries to pave the way to the many Americans a way to achieving that dream, if not lesser.
For all his endowments as a man with a pretty face, a hair that is luxuriant even for a 54-year-old man, his mansion that was a fruit of his labor, and some hedge fund, to the green-eyed status quo he became the object of satirical criticisms, which somehow affected his political image, rather irreparably.
No doubt, in the roster of Democrats, his political programs stand out, being the more progressive-minded of the other two rivals, Clinton and Obama. John´s progressive agendas were original, and copied by the rivals; a true universal health plan, total and specific time to pull out troops from Iraq, an economic stimulus package to abate recession, a clean and honest government free from lobbyist influence, are among the popular ones.
Unfortunately, the media gung ho and enamored at Obama, a black candidate, and Clinton, the first woman candidate as being historic, dimmed on John´s programs. Blasted by some blatant conspiratorial maneuvering, he received dim-lighted reception from the media, dumping his candidacy to total insignificance. According to a Journalism Academy´s research, John Edwards only received a ratio of 1:5 media exposure as against those allocated to Clinton and Obama. This is happening in America because of the power of the corporations. Unfortunately, John, our modern day knight was jousted.
The fading away of John Edwards in the political scene, though, hopefully, literally, only a suspension--meant the loss of hopes and dreams to the burgeoning numbers of the less fortunate Americans that the trial lawyer, a millworkers son, ardently espoused in his campaigns fearlessly. As he often flaunts, he is the only candidate that takes no dime from any lobbyist or corporation. Operating on a clear and honest conscience, John is much more straightforward and blatant than most conventional politicians. He owes no one a favor by which to influence him in his policies. He is indebted to no one, but to his constituency and only to his supporters beholden to his programs to change America.
While America remains as the frontier of everything progressive in all fields of human endeavor and civilization, sadly, it is more and more in the stranglehold of a new class, that of the super wealthy corporations that get wealthier by the day, along with its paid cohorts, such as the reporters and anchor people that play favoritism and force feed their brand of faux pas punditry down the throats of the people. Usually, the media cater to candidates that have money, and those with agendas that are not in direct conflict with the corporations´ ravenous appetite for money and glory.
Disguised as trying to help America, these corporations, because of their greed, are contributing to the peoples´ declining economic status in a country looked upon as the wealthiest in the world, and without a doubt.
The devaluation of John Edwards´ principles and ideas, as a politician of true hope and change, has further pushed the other America, the less fortunate class, farther away into an island of desolation. To us supporters is thrust upon the herculean task of keeping his ideals and hopefully, his campaign alive.
American Chronicle:
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/51109A great article, the thought of John Edwards out of the race still brings heartache to me!
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