Probably the post that sums up my feelings about John Edwards' recent withdrawal from the race was written by Nicole:
The plain fact is that neither [Clinton or Obama] is talking enough about the things that matter to me--the decline of the middle class, family values as something more than a shorthand way to slap down gays and lesbians, the unbelievable growth of wealth among the corporate cronies enriched by the current administration--the very things that John Edwards came out swinging for every day.
Many people didn't like his "anger". I did. It seemed to me that he was the only one on the stage who was actually angry enough to make real changes in a system that--as far as I can see--has gone terribly awry.
Edwards seemed like he knew there's fundamental problems with the way our government works, and he was going to do something about it. Neither Clinton nor Obama strike me as folks who will fundamentally alter the DC establishment way of doing or looking at things, but both have incorporated many of Edwards' populist planks. They get it. It's going to be much better with either Clinton or Obama in the White House. Bank on it.
Folks who have been reading LiTW and the B'Birds for a long time know how I feel about a Nader campaign. Don't go there. It's a clear choice. A vote for Nader is a vote for the radical conservatism of President Bush. Period. My friend, the Notorious Mark T, is, as always, a fervent Naderite. Mark feels that both Obama and Clinton are "too conservative," that we deserve better, more liberal candidates. I disagree with Mark: I think both Obama and Clinton are good candidates, given the nature of presidential politics. (But then I'm an Eisenhower Republican.)
The bottom line is this: John Edwards already pushed the issues left, John Edwards already set the tenor of the 2008 election. It's already about a lot of progressive issues, thanks to John Edwards. So...why is Nader running? He can't win. He's not going to influence the candidates at all. At best, he can hand the presidency back to the GOP.
But even if what Mark T wrote is true, that both Obama and Clinton are too conservative, the important thing to remember is this: change is not going to happen through the presidency. Nor should it. Change starts with each of us. Let's alter things from the bottom up. Here in Montana, for example, we may not get much of a say in who's President, but we do have a voice in the outcome of our state legislative race. Volunteer. Donate. Write letters, knock on doors. Do something about it. |
