Why I'd Vote for John Edwards

Here's the end of one of the best speeches I've ever read by a contemporary US politician: I stand here today the son of Wallace and Bobbie Edwards. The father of Wade, Cate, Emma Claire and Jack -- and I know, as well as you, that we must not be the first generation that fails to live up to our moral challenge and keep the promise of America. That would be an abomination. There is a dream that is America. It is what makes us American. And I will not stand by while that dream is at risk. I am not perfect -- far from it -- but I do understand that this is not a political issue -- it is the moral test of our generation. Our nation's founders knew that this moment would come -- that at some point the power of greed and its influence over officials in our government might strain and threaten the very America they hoped would last as an ideal in the minds of all people, and as a beacon of hope for all time. That is why they made the people sovereign. And this is why it is your responsibility to redeem the promise of America for our children and their future. It will not be easy -- sacrifice will be required of us -- but it was never easy for our ancestors, and their sacrifices were far greater than any that will fall on our shoulders. Yet, the responsibility is ours. We, you and I, are the guardians of what America is and what it will be. The choice is ours. Down one path, we trade corporate Democrats for corporate Republicans; our cronies for their cronies; one political dynasty for another dynasty; and all we are left with is a Democratic version of the Republican corruption machine. It is the easier path. It is the path of the status quo. But, it is a path that perpetuates a corrupt system that has not only failed to deliver the change the American people demand, but has divided America into two -- one America for the very greedy, and one America for everybody else. And it is that divided America -- the direct result of this corrupt system -- which may very well lead to the suicide Lincoln warned us of -- the poison that continues to seep into our system while none notice. Or we can choose a different path. The path that generations of Americans command us to take. And be the guardians that kept the faith. I run for president for my father who worked in a mill his entire life and never got to go to college the way I did. I run for president for all those who worked in that mill with my father. I run for president for all those who lost their jobs when that mill was shut down. I run for president for all the women who have come up to Elizabeth and me and told us the like Elizabeth they had breast cancer -- but unlike Elizabeth they did not have health care. I run for president for twenty generations of Americans who made sure that their children had a better life than they did. As Americans we are blessed -- for our ancestors are not dead, they occupy the corridors of our conscience. And, as long we keep the faith -- they live. And so too the America of idealism and hope that was their gift to us. I carry the promise of America in my heart, where my parents placed it. Like them, like you, I believe in people, hard work, and the sacred obligation of each generation to the next. This is our time now. It falls to us to redeem our democracy, reclaim our government and relight the promise of America for our children. Let us blaze a new path together, grounded in the values from which America was forged, still reaching toward the greatness of our ideals. We can do it. We can cast aside the bankrupt ways of Washington and replace them with the timeless values of the American people. We can liberate our government from the shackles of corporate money that bind it to corporate will, and restore the voices of our people to its halls. This is the cause of my life. This is the cause of our time. Join me. Together, we cannot fail. We will keep faith with those who have gone before us, strong and proud in the knowledge that we too rose up to guard the promise of America in our day, and that, because we did, America's best days still lie ahead. Of course, Edwards isn't going to receive the nomination and I do believe that Hilary is both an improvement over Bush and a better choice than any of the mainstream republican candidates. Even so, maybe she'll grow on me (I mean even John Kerry grew on me and I thought at the time and still believe now that Edwards would've not only made a better president but also a better candidate than Kerry did) but right now I can't help but be disappointed that she's likely to be the nominee when I would prefer any of Obama, Edwards, or Al Gore exponentially more and any of those 3 would likely win against whoever the Republicans throw out there. The funny thing to me is those who call Hilary too liberal, a socialist, whatever. In my opinion, she's not nearly liberal enough. She's nowhere near a socialist, she's a fucking corporate candidate (trying not to use the term whore) who will be a political pragmatist and make no real changes, too worried about her reelection hopes to step out of line to where ever her true beliefs have disappeared to. In short, she's too much of a politician. When she does become president, I do believe she can help fix some of the mess Bush has created and in that way be part of a short term solution; but long term, she and her special interest money are just as big a part of the problem as Bush, Rove, Giuliani, or any of the other republicans us liberals love to hate. Too bad the American people are so dumb that things like how much Edwards' haircut costs or how big his house is are more important to most than his actually ideas. But we are the people who elect presidents based on how likable they are instead of how well-suited they are for the responsibilities they will have and the challenges they will face, the people who elected fucking George W. Bush twice, so it's hard to be surprised any more. At this point, it's hard not to think we deserve what we get.