Moral Leadership

[Sapphire Blue]

Moral Leadership







Issues:

Eliminating poverty

Every day, 37 million Americans wake up in poverty. Our response to that reality says everything about the character of America. John Edwards has called for a national goal of eliminating poverty within 30 years, with policies rooted in the core American values of opportunity for everyone and responsibility from everyone. Read more: http://johnedwards.com/about/issues/poverty/


Restoring America's moral leadership in the world

America's leadership role in the world has grown out of our compassion and moral strength, as well as our unparalleled economic and military strength. We can be proud of our long history of using our strength to fight for the freedom of others, but our standing in the world has been badly tarnished. America can once again be looked up to and respected around the world. Click here: http://johnedwards.com/about/issues/poverty/worldwide-poverty/


Health care

The 47 million uninsured Americans often do not get the care they need. Each year, about 18,000 die as a result. Despite the problems of the uninsured and unnecessarily low quality care, our health care system is the most expensive in the world and insurance premiums have grown faster than wages for almost 50 years. John Edwards believes we need to reform our health care system to provide truly universal coverage - not mere access to insurance - and get better care at lower cost. Read more: http://johnedwards.com/about/issues/health-care/


Global warming and energy

Our nation's dependence on oil and other fossil fuels is contributing to global warming and jeopardizing our national security. To protect our future, John Edwards believes that Americans must be patriotic about something other than the war. We must act now by investing in clean, renewable energies like wind, solar, and biofuels to create a new energy economy, developing a new generation of efficient cars and trucks, and putting new energy-saving technologies to work in buildings, transportation, and industry. Read more: http://johnedwards.com/about/issues/energy/new-energy-economy/


Strengthening the middle class

The backbone of America is its middle class. But middle class families are struggling. Wages have fallen in recent years even as the economy has grown. At the same time, the costs of necessities like health care, child care, and education have grown. President Bush's tax policies have increased the share of the tax burden borne by middle-class workers. Our economic policies must reward work, help families save for the future, and fight the rising costs of middle-class life.

Speeches and Media:

Realizing The Dream - Martin Luther King Day Commemoration

Recorded at the Riverside Church in New York on Sunday, January 14, 2007. Click here for more: http://johnedwards.com/media/video/mlk-day-riverside-church/


John Edwards: 'My Faith Came Roaring Back'

Interview with beliefnet.com
Transcript and video - Click here: http://www.beliefnet.com/story/213/story_21312.html#extndVer


Transformational Change For America And The World

March 15, 2007
Manchester, N.H.
"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." Click here: http://johnedwards.com/news/speeches/nhip20070315/


Danny Glover in New Orleans

During his visit to New Orleans this week, John Edwards received the support of three prominent civil rights activists. Actor Danny Glover, Louisiana civil rights activist Kwame Asante and Mississippi civil rights activist Derrick Johnson all endorsed Edwards for president. In this podcast, Danny Glover talks about New Orleans and Senator Edwards. Click here: http://johnedwards.com/media/podcasts/20070505/

Recent articles on Moral Leadership:

More Than Just Talk : http://johnedwards.com/news/headlines/20070508-more-than-just-talk/


Edwards Book, "Ending Poverty In America," Released Today : http://johnedwards.com/news/headlines/20070430-book-release/


Edwards Demands Action To Stop The Humanitarian Crises In Darfur And Uganda : http://johnedwards.com/news/press-releases/20070423-darfur/


Washington Post: Populist Edwards Announces Presidential Bid in New Orleans : http://johnedwards.com/news/headlines/wp20061228/


Bloomberg: Edwards Begins Presidential Bid Amid Katrina's Scars : http://johnedwards.com/news/headlines/bloomberg20061228/


Washington Post Op-Ed: To End Uganda's Nightmare : http://johnedwards.com/news/headlines/wapo20061031/

http://johnedwards.com/moralleadership/

Transformational Change For America And The World - JOHN EDWARDS for PRESIDENT 2008

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
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:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[venable]

1. the one true transformative leader

who brings substance and courage and blazing intelligence and honesty.

K&R


Though he is getting short shrift at DU, take a look at some other reactions to last night's debate:


Des Moines Register’s Yepsen: Edwards “Did Himself the Most Good,” Was “Confident,” and Argued “Forcefully” and “Deftly.” Des Moines Register political columnist David Yepsen declared “Edwards probably did himself the most good” from the New Hampshire debate. Yepsen pointed out that Edwards was “confident,” “argued forcefully for quickly ending the war in Iraq and for his national health care plan,” and “deftly defused his own vote for the war by repeating his line that held he made a mistake voting for it and praising Obama for having opposed it<.>” http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706040341 <http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706040341> > >

CNN: Voters Declared Edwards’ Commitment to Honesty Top Answer in the Debate. CNN’s John Roberts this morning said that according to a focus group of voters watching the debate, Edwards’ statement, “it is important for anybody who seeks to be the next president of the United States, given the dishonesty that we've been faced with over the last several years, to be honest to the country” was “one of the top answers” that the group “really liked.” Roberts noted that during Edwards’ statement, “approval is really going up.”

NY Daily News’ Michael Goodwin: “Edwards Wins with 1 Word: Leadership.” New York Daily News Columnist Michael Goodwin declared that Edwards won the debate, titling his column, “Edwards wins with 1 word: Leadership.” Goodwin wrote, “Edwards won the second Democratic presidential debate,” adding, “He did it the old-fashioned way - by seizing on a single message and banging it home repeatedly. His theme was leadership<.>” Goodwin called Edwards’ style “A clever approach.” http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/06/04/2007-06-04_edwards_wins_with_1_word_leadership-2.html <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/06/04/2007-06-04_edwards_wins_with_1_word_leadership-2.html> > >

NH Public Radio: New Hampshire Voters Impressed with Edwards. According to report by Jon Greenberg on New Hampshire Public Radio, Edwards made a “favorable impression” with each of the three New Hampshire voters he interviewed. Greenberg reported that Exeter native Karen Prior gained “positive feelings” from Edwards and ended the debate with “new found respect for Edwards.” Greenberg said, “All three of these voters liked insistence that congressional Democrats should have stood up to the threat of a presidential veto on the recent war funding bill.” http://www.nhpr.org/node/13024 <http://www.nhpr.org/node/13024> > >

Daily Kos Readers Declare Edwards The Winner. According to the Daily Kos poll following the debate, “Who do you think won the debate,” John Edwards led the pack with 27% of the 10,956 votes cast, followed by Obama at 23%, and Clinton at 17%. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/6/3/202220/3188 <http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/6/3/202220/3188> > >

CNN’s Candy Crowley: Edwards “Stood Out” and Resonated with the New Hampshire Audience. Following the debate, Candy Crowly reported on CNN that Edwards “clearly stood out at this debate … clearly there was some resonance with this audience.” Crowley added that “You see some of the same John Edwards out on the stump, I think he played to a broader audience obviously last night.”

WashingtonPost.com’s “The Fix”: Edwards “Initiated” Debate’s “Signature Exchange.” Chris Cillizza of WashingtonPost.com’s “The Fix,” wrote, “The signature exchange of the event was initiated by former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.). Edwards acknowledged he had made a mistake by voting for the 2002 use-of-force resolution, but pivoted to note he has sought to lead on the issue since admitting his error -- drawing a direct contrast with the leadership that Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) have shown on the war. ‘There is a difference between leading and following,’ said Edwards.” http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2007/06/debate_wrapup.html <http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2007/06/debate_wrapup.html> > >

NBC’s Chuck Todd: Edwards Was “Strong Performer” of Debate; Was Edwards’ “Best Debate Performance to Date.” NBC’s Chuck Todd wrote tonight, “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).” http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/06/03/212199.aspx <http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/06/03/212199.aspx> > >

CNN’s Donna Brazile: Edwards “Smart” and “Bold” During Debate. Donna Brazile praised Edwards’ debate performance. Brazile 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<.>” Brazile also thought Senator Edwards was the best prepared of all the candidates. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/03/donnas-scorecard-edwards-and-biden-looked-good/ <http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/03/donnas-scorecard-edwards-and-biden-looked-good/> > >

CNN’s Arianna Huffington and Mike Murphy: Edwards Having “Strong” Second Half, Most “Well Briefed.” In a blog post on CNN’s Political Ticker titled “Comeback Kid,” Arianna Huffington and Mike Murphy praised Edwards’ debate performance. “Republican Mike Murphy remarked that Senator Edwards is having a ‘strong second half performance.’ Democrat Arianna Huffington thinks he’s the most ‘well briefed’ candidate on the stage … Both agree that Senator Clinton has some competition if she is to come away with the title of ‘debate winner.’” http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/03/huffington-and-murphy-comeback-kid/ <http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/03/huffington-and-murphy-comeback-kid/> > >

CNN’s Arianna Huffington and Mike Murphy: Impressed With Edwards’ Performance; Both Believe Clinton Needs to “Finally Admit that She Has Made Mistakes.” CNN’s Political Ticker posted under “Just admit it already!” that “Democrat Arianna Huffington and Republican Mike Murphy have finally found some common ground. Both believe that Senator Clinton needs to finally admit that she has made mistakes. Whether it’s the War in Iraq or gays in the military Hillary ‘never admits she messed up,’ opined Murphy. Huffington agreed – ‘she just needs to stop parsing words.’ Both commentators have been impressed so far with John Edwards’ admissions of past mistakes and overall performance. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/03/murphy-and-huffington-just-admit-it-already/ <http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/03/murphy-and-huffington-just-admit-it-already/> > >

Edwards Applauded by New Hampshire Voters for Saying He Was Wrong to Vote for the War. “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.’” http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/03/edwards-says-he-was-wrong-gets-applause/ <http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/03/edwards-says-he-was-wrong-gets-applause/> > >

WashingtonPost.com’s “The Fix”: Edwards’ Outlined Plan for Iran “Clearly and Concisely.” Chris Cillizza of WashingtonPost.com’s “The Fix,” said, “Edwards, who is often accused of lacking the foreign policy chops to be president, just clearly and concisely outlined what his administration's approach would be to Iran.” http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2007/06/edwards_on_iran.html <http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2007/06/edwards_on_iran.html> > >

J.C. Watts: “I Take My Hat Off” to Edwards for Talking about Poverty. Following the CNN New Hampshire Democratic primary debate, J.C. praised John Edwards’ efforts against poverty. “ is the thing I take my hat off to John Edwards for. At least he’s talking about it. I don’t necessarily agree with his models in how he would deal with poverty. But he’s one of the few candidates on the Republican or Democrat side that is at least ever day you’re hearing something from him about that.”

[seashorelady]

5. Very positive reactions to Edwards performance.

He is a true leader in every sense of the word. His message has substance, strength, truth and conviction.

[ultraist]

2. Edwards is a true leader!

Tonight, the Sojourners event will be on CNN live at 7 pm ET.

[dk2]

3. Edwards is the leader

Even New Republic remarked"

EDWARDS V. OBAMA:
That was actually a refreshingly useful back and forth on health care between Edwards and Obama just now. With all due respect to my Republican friends, I'm not sure you'll ever see something that honest and wonky on the GOP side.

--Noam Scheiber
http://www.tnr.com/blog/theplank?pid=113390

[Triana]

4. K & R! The man has his priorities in order - and hasn't lost sight of what...

...true morality REALLY is.

[waiting for hope]

6. Once again - thank you Sapphire Blue!

The question last night was about Leadership - Edwards can lead and is leading on so many levels.

K&R!!

[Catchawave]

7. JRE's always such a great inspiration

to make us want to be better citizens. WE can make America better NOW :patriot:


:kick:

[Blackhatjack]

8. Edwards is right on every point.... It does say who we are as a nation....

K & R THanks Sapphire for yet another reason to be optimistic about Edwards as our President.

[benny05]

9. JRE will shine tonight

CNN will broadcast the Sojourner's forum.

[saltpoint]

10. Thumbs up to the man from North Carolina.

A pretty good debate but a forceful and persuasive performance by John Edwards.