I believe I'm going to support John Edwards for President because...

[kentuck]

Nobody talks about him like they do about Hillary, Kerry, or even Al Gore. He seems to be alright with everyone but not necessarily the pick of everyone. He's like the compromise Democrat. I'm leaning towards John Edwards....and we all know how great his wife is.... :)

[babylonsister]

1. He also has the luxury of not really being in the public eye,

unlike Clinton or Kerry.
Kerry still gets my vote; he has yet to do something I disagree with!

[blue neen]

2. I'd definitely support Edwards in 2008.

He sent out an e-mail today about the greed of the oil companies and the Bush-Cheney connections to them.


edited for typo

[catmother]

11. i got the e-mail from him.

[TheFarseer]

3. I really like him

and it's a big bonus that no one seems to hate him. I'd love to see him as our candidate.

[rodeodance]

4. peachy cheeks was my pick before kerry came along, then he got

on the ticket anyway. oh.....sigh.

[tulsakatz]

5. I supported him in the last election!!!

I thought he should have gotten the nomination instead of Kerry.

[shadowknows69]

49. me too.

I voted in the Primaries at 6pm got home just in time for the news to call it for Kerry with 3 hours still to go at the polls and only about 5% of polls counted. they called it on exit polls. Tell me that doesn't influence voters who haven't got to the polls yet. The media needs to STFU until official counts are made.

[Klukie]

6. Count me in!

He consistantly and passionately speaks about poverty. Very admirable!

[tulsakatz]

7. and have you ever heard him speak?

He makes great speeches!! Very charismatic and optimistic too!

[VOX]

10. Twice in 2004. He's got charisma, that's for sure. n/t

[blue neen]

13. I heard him speak at a campaign rally in September of 2004.

It was in Johnstown, PA, and he was there with Rep. Murtha!

It was a great speech. The crowd was really fired up; there were many, many unions represented there.

Edwards really can reach Middle America.

[tulsakatz]

53. I've never heard him in person....

....but I've seen him speak on CSPAN, etc.

He's a great speaker!!! Everyone loves him!!

And the worst the Republicans could say about him during the election was that he lacked international experience. Yeah, right......like being Gov of Texas gave Bush a lot of intl experience!!

[blue neen]

55. He's very charismatic.

The crowd just went ballistic when Edwards came out to speak. I got to shake his hand...and YES, he is just as handsome in person! :)

I love how he speaks to US, the little people, the working people of America.

[rodeodance]

8. he and his familiy would be another Camelot

[BuyingThyme]

9. The thing I find appealing is that he talks of "two Americas."

He understands the elitist money people, and is willing to talk about them.

This clearly separates him from the likes of Kerry, Clinton, and now Schumer.

[catmother]

14. if my memory serves me right didn't he come from the middle

class and then become a millionaire as a lawyer. and his work now with the poor. he could appeal to everyone.

[XOKCowboy]

17. All Rove could hit him with was being a "trial lawyer"

That can be turned against them in a heartbeat.

[Digit]

16. He would not sell out the middle class like the current admin

I like his style, and I really believe in him.
He would be a President I could truly be proud of.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

12. I supported Edwards after Dean dropped out. One reason was he was

so positive during his campaign - and didn't trash Dean. The one problem I have is he doesn't seem like a brawler. I know he has it in him but he doesn't show it.

[XOKCowboy]

15. I could go for Edwards.. He's a great speechmaker

He's got some fight in him too. He made a great VP candidate. From what I've seen he's as good as we've got.

[FreedomAngel82]

18. Has he talked about 2008 yet?

[Pastiche423]

19. Not me

Can anyone tell me one thing he's done for the Democratic Party, besides being a one term senator?

I wonder if he will join the DLC again.

[leyton]

61. Edwards has more of a message than the other 40-odd Senators put together.

He reminded me of what the Democratic party stands for, when other Democrats make me forget.

[Erika]

20. He talks about optimism and caring about our country

He has NO baggage. I am leaning more and more for a charming Edwards and Warner or Clarke.

Hillary is hated by right wing nuts. They would turn out to vote just because of her. There is no rationale for their thinking. I think it's pure jealousy.

Al Gore is great and should have been president. But again the irrational hatred by the far right has affected his chances.

I would have loved having John Kerry president. I think he would have stopped this insane war by truly creating a coalition. But a dear Canadian friend told me that Mr. Kerry looks too old and too weary to appeal to today's dumbed down Americans. Once again, the irrational hatred by the right wing against Kerry affects his chances.

Edwards is positive, caring, and intelligent and he definitely has charisma.

Yes, I would donate to Edwards.

[babylonsister]

21. And Senator Kerry actually won, and is still fighting for us.

He's a senator, has experience in lots of things, and has been so involved!
I love Kerry, obviously.:thumbsup:

[Clark2008]

46. No baggage?

Um.... he voted for the IWR.
He was a personal injury attorney (the second most hated profession in the states).
He has no FP experience.

He has baggage. Everyone has baggage.

He's not even popular in the South.

[tkmorris]

22. Right there with ya kentuck

Edwards is one of the few politicians in recent memory who actually speaks about the issues that matter to people who are struggling to just get by. I don't mean the median middle class and up that most Democrats attempt to appeal to, I mean the people that he KNOWS he can't squeeze any campaign donations out of, but need help all the same.

On the pragmatic side he has a lot of upside. He is easily the most personable Dem on the front burner for 2008 IMHO. He has a Southern charm that will play well in the South, and in the North as well. He has little of the typical Senatorial vote baggage (granted due to having served only 1 term). Potential downside is a lack of political experience, particularly in the foreign policy/defense area. I think he has a frankness and honesty that will overcome anyones qualms in that regard.

At this stage, he's my pick.

[MannyGoldstein]

23. Are You On Crack?

During the 2004 election he gave the most spineless performance I've ever seen in politics. You think that he's going to do anything but smile amiably and talk about how his daddy was poor?

Oy gevalt!

[kentuck]

24. Are you still for Bob Dole in 2008 ?

Or do you have another choice now? :)

[Pastiche423]

26. You mean his daddy was a mil-lah worker?

What a fake! Just what the DLC ordered.

Makes one wonder what went on in his Bilderberger meeting, huh?

[Bucky]

59. Ummm, you did watch more than just the sound bites, right?

The Edwards I saw spoke eloquently about the fact that it's a betrayal of American values that we don't talk about fighting poverty in American politics any more. That ain't "my daddy was poor" but a real critique of substance (or a critique of the lack of substance) that we hear from damn few pols these days.

[FrenchieCat]

25. Unfortunately, Edwards is not for me.....

Largely due to his co-sponsoring the IWR bill that Lieberman sponsored...because of the fiery speeches and the op-ed that he wrote which showed clearly that he understood the Geopolitical aspect of why Bush wanted to go into Iraq at the time...although, he has since apologized, I guess cause he was "misled".

It is honorable that he saw the err of his ways....but I won't be rewarding him with my vote for it. He should have known, cause I knew, and yet he says he didn't.

Poverty issues are very nice indeed and admirable, but considering that programs are being cut left and right due to the money drained due to this war (that he co-sponsored the blank check and voted for), it seems ironic that he be so revered when it is all interconnected.

[Cleita]

27. Yeah, but will he be the pick of the pickers before we

get a chance at him?

I'm really getting disgusted with the back room deals that are made before "we the people" get to make our choice. I'm really thinking of never voting again, and this is after more than forty years of voting. This is how disgusted I am with the system.

[FrenchieCat]

29. Which pickers?

The media pickers or the party boss pickers?

I will say, In Edwards' favor that the Media pickers liked Edwards. They used to show him without providing us with sound (except for music) and really never reported negatively on him, during the primaries anyways.

The Party Bosses seem to like him as well. He went to bildeberg and came back to be the VP pick.

The pickers like Edwards....so that shouldn't be a problem for him.

Edwards will run, and who knows.....save an Osama Bin Laden tape or an Iran Bombing.....he could do well!

[Cleita]

30. I think it would be great if "we the people" could be the pickers

for a change before the media pickers or the party boss pickers. It could be refreshing. I know Edwards would stand a very good chance with "we the people" as well.

[FrenchieCat]

33. After this week....

I wouldn't hold my breath about that "we the people" stuff.....

[kentuck]

Some people simply cannot be pleased...

And most are Democrats. They are like the drunk cowboy at the Jimmy Buffet concert...they want to hear that one song... :)

[Laura PourMeADrink]

28. Has anyone heard how she's doing ? elizabeth

[Roxy66]

42. No...Ive been wondering the same thing

[ChipsAhoy]

31. I've got to go with Wes Clark

I'm afraid Edwards will be always linked to Kerry and in teh minds of so many people, Kerry lost. Nevermind the facts, it will always look like Kerry/Edwards lost. *sigh*

[mikehiggins]

32. I beleived in a Clark/Edwards ticket in 2004

and I still do.

I like Clark because, in a sense, he knows where the bodies are buried and we need a national leader who isn't a cookie cutter copy of the people who led us to this state. I like Edwards because he is a man of the people (even if he is a millionaire lawyer) and he inspires people to beleive in their own best instincts.

Clark/Edwards would go far to giving us sixteen years of a REAL Democrat in the WHite House.

[ChipsAhoy]

52. Nice combo!

I really LIKE that!

[saltpoint]

34. Friends in Iowa say that Edwards' appeal to many Democrats there in

the 2004 caucuses was more than just political -- it was personal. They liked him and they liked Elizabeth.

Agreement and affinity, yes. But more than that. They LIKED these people.

I think Senator Clinton is going to place behind Senator Edwards in the Iowa caucuses in 2008.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

35. By that criteria you could support just about anybody.

[vanboggie]

36. Well, I like him

If he runs, he has my vote.

[Twist_U_Up]

37. Cmon we dont decide who runs for any office.

The decision is not ours anymore,just look what they did to Hackett

[Douglas Carpenter]

38. I'm leaning a bit toward Edwards myself

Indeed in the best of all possible worlds I would prefer a genuine all-around progressive like Dennis Kucinich or Bernie Sanders. But, I just don't, at this time, see this within the realm of possibility for 2008.

Edwards addresses the issue of poverty more frequently and more boldly than any American politician I have heard since LBJ.

He is now involved in a major effort to help with organizing hotel workers.

“Can we still really call America the land of opportunity when hotel workers who work full time for profitable hotel companies can not make ends meet?”
-Sen. John Edwards

http://www.hotelworkersrising.org/edwards.asp

[upi402]

39. Was he for NAFTA?

[Pastiche423]

40. He never had to vote on it

[1932]

56. I believe that out of 7 trade bills, he voted against 5.

He voted for a trade bill with Jordan because Jordan protects the environment and workers' rights. He voted for the China trade bill because it was the only way to get China to play by a set of rules that wouldn't destroy US competitiveness. Had they not voted for any bill, the argument went, China would have had no trade restrictions.

All other trade bills Edwards voted against because they lowered the bar too much for workers and the environment.

This was a big topic of discussion prior to the Wisconsin primary.

[upi402]

60. anyone know if said he liked NAFTA ?

I understand he didn't vote for it, but did he make statements praising it?

Anyway, he sure as hell wouldn't shoot old guys to reduce social security payouts.

[1932]

63. IIRC, he said he wouldn't have voted for it.

On the one hand, one shouldn't give much credibility to statements about votes politicians didn't have to make. On the other hand, he was one of few to vote against the five trade bills he voted against, and, applying the criteria he applied to those bills, it seems more likely than not that he would have voted against NAFTA.

[upi402]

64. I had hoped that were the case

Thanks for that, I think he's eloquent and intelligent. Is that anegative these days??? I can't keep track...

[Roxy66]

41. Me Too!!!

I have loved that man since the 2004 primaries.......and supported him all the way and will hope New Hampshire makes the right choice this time around

[Douglas Carpenter]

43. a great article in the Nation: Cornbread and Roses

It is both critical and open minded

link:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051128/moser/

[Hubert Flottz]

44. I trust him more than most...

America has suffered enough at the hands of the "To the Manor Born"-again type Politicans!

[Clark2008]

45. Sigh...

No foreign policy experience.

Dems already BEAT Republicans on the issues on which Edwards focuses. This is NOT 1992.

Oooo-Kay. I'll shut up now.

[The Backlash Cometh]

47. I think we've had time to get seasoned with all of them.

Personally, Gore, Kerry and Edwards won the last two elections. I wouldn't have trouble with any of those three.

Lieberman can bite me.

[Liberal_Andy]

48. He's got my vote!

:hi:

Just remember, his career has been helping the powerless, the GOP always sides with the powerfull!!

[Festivito]

50. He's been my first choice since '04 primaries.

We need a southerner.

[underpants]

51. I just started reading his book "Four cases" last night

Not your normal campaign book. I like the story telling aspect of it. My wife had to stop reading it when she got to the part about the little girl and the swimming pool pump.

[1932]

57. That's on my reading list. I think it's called Four Trials, no?

[More Than A Feeling]

54. Edwards is my second choice, after Feingold n/t

[Triana]

58. I'd have voted for him for pres in 04...

...(like him better than Kerry) and I definitely would in 08. He has his priorities straight. WHO else fights the single biggest problem facing this nation today: poverty. Edwards has made a career of it. It is the root of so many other problems and he understands that. I wish like Hell he hadn't given up his Senate seat to run for VP - that was dumb. We NEED him in the Senate and I would definitely support him for Pres.

[dysfunctional press]

62. i know i'm not going to support edwards for president because...

he was a failed one-term senator who supported the IWR bill.

[mnhtnbb]

65. A reminder: If Gore had carried TN--

his home state-- FL would have been irrelevant.

Edwards CANNOT carry NC (I'm in Chapel Hill). Too many Repubs
are pissed at him for leaving his Senate job to run for President.
Too many progressives in NC are pissed at him for supporting the Iraq War AND the Patriot Act.

Find somebody else!

[Poiuyt]

66. The reason I like Edwards is because he exudes optimism and "freshness"

I think after Bush, we will need someone who can convey a fresh start. I know this is subjective, but there's some good aura that surrounds Edwards. It reminds me of Jimmy Carter after the Nixon years.

[pitohui]

67. i like edwards

kerry and gore had their shot, hillary is fine w. me but i think edwards is better on many progressive issues like poverty, i like what i see of him

[chimpymustgo]

69. Great man. Great family. I see hope and healing with JRE.

Supported him in 2004.

[Booster]

68. I support him - always have. I think he's the perfect candidate

because they didn't seem to come up with much during the last campaign to smear him with, except he's a rich trial lawyer. He's smart, good looking, he comes across as sincere, and he's got the perfect wife. What the Hell is there to not like about him?

[Time for change]

70. I don't consider him a compromise candidate

I worked in his 2004 primary campaign, and I would probably do it again if he runs again.

Much more than almost any Democrat that I am aware of, he is willing to talk about the plight of the poor -- which I feel is very courageous on his part.

I think he would be a great President.

[Joe Fields]

71. I like Edwards as a human being, but let's not forget

he got bitch-slapped to hell in his debate with dead-eye dick.

If he can't get past a huge hurdle like that, then I hold out little hope for him. And he was supposed to be such a good debater.

[ultraist]

72. Edwards for President 2008

:kick: