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Top Ten Reasons to vote for John Edwards
1. Living Proof of the American Dream
John has an American Dream biography – he grew up the son of textile mill and post office workers and was the first in his family to go to college. Therefore, the concerns of regular Americans are not hypothetical to him, they’re real – he’s lived them – and people correctly feel that he genuinely “cares about people like me.” Edwards himself was a product of solely public schools and all of his children have gone to public elementary and secondary schools. Contrast that with other candidates who attended elitist prep schools and have sent their children only to private schools – how can they truly know much of anything about where most Americans send their kids to school? Of the three candidates, only Edwards can contrast his working, middle-class background to Bush’s aristocratic life of privilege.
2. Electability I: Defeating Bush – Geography
In general elections since 1964, Southern Democrats are 4-1-1 while Northern Democrats (Humphrey, McGovern, Mondale and Dukakis) are 0-4. No Democrat has won the White House without winning at least 5 Southern states. To win the Electoral College the Democratic candidate will have to be able to dominate in the Midwest and win several key battle-ground states in the South. In the last 40 years, only Southern moderates have been able to move outside of the Democratic core and win in the suburbs and in key states such as Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia, Louisiana, Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Only Edwards can put Bush on the defensive and make him campaign and spend money in states he won in 2000.
3. Electability II: Defeating Bush – Polls show Edwards will defeat Bush
A national CNN-Gallup poll taken last week shows John Edwards defeating George Bush among likely voters in the November general election.
4. Electability III: Defeating Bush – Campaigning Ability
Unlike others, Edwards is a charismatic and effective campaigner who reaches voters on a personal level because he comes from a regular working family background and has a vibrant, engaging, warm personality. He wins over independents and moderate Republicans while he energizes the party’s base. That’s how he was able to win an upset victory over an incumbent Republican senator in a state previously dominated by Jesse Helms. Edwards has won the most votes cast by independents so far in the primary season.
Other candidates put people to sleep.
5. Not a Washington Insider
John is not a life-time politician; he was very successful in private life before going into public service. He has been in government long enough to know how it works, but not so long as to become entangled in the Washington’s webs. Of the top two candidates, only Edwards can legitimately be considered a reformist outsider – a role that worked for Clinton and Carter.
6. Independence from Special Interests
Unlike other candidates (one of which has collected more special interest money than any other Senator), John Edwards has NOT accepted money from PACs or corporate lobbyists in his Senate campaign and this presidential campaign. Edwards is not beholden to special interests, only to the voters and his ideals. He supports further campaign finance reform. A President Edwards will ban members of congress from taking lobbyist campaign contributions and stop the revolving door between former top officials and lobbying firms. Therefore, only Edwards can contrast himself with the special interest financing of the Bush campaign – there are now skeletons in his closet.
7. Issues
In addition to electability, Edwards has a strong set of key policies. Indeed, of the remaining campaigns only Edwards clearly articulated a vision for the future. He’s for stemming the loss of jobs out of America (we know about that here in West Michigan and so do you in Wisconsin) – see the enclosed Plan. John has put forward a “College for Everyone” plan where bright students from high school can earn free tuition at colleges during their first year in return for doing 10 hours of community service a week. His “American Dream,” tax credit provides up to $5,000 toward the down payment on a first home and paying to send kids to college. He has a realistic health-care plan based on insuring all kids, giving breaks to small businesses that provide for their employees, and expanding the family medical leave act. John’s for keeping the tax-cut for the middle-class, but repealing those that went to the wealthiest 2% of taxpayers in order to shore up Social Security and build-down Bush’s massive, economy-stifling debts. These and other policies will finally bring job growth back to Wisconsin and America. Edwards is both strong and smart on national security. He voted both for war against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and against Saddam Hussein, but has always questioned why the administration did not make a good-faith effort to bring our long-time allies on board to help with troops and funding and did not have a plan to win the peace in Iraq. He will create a global coalition to fight terrorism and combat real weapons of mass destruction, promote democracy and freedom, and revitalize international institutions that make America stronger
8. Effective Experience
Unlike others, John Edwards has something to show for his time spent in the Senate. In a time of crisis for our country, John Edwards was chosen by his Senate colleagues to successfully lead the final floor defense of the President during the 1999 impeachment trial. John McCain (whose vote was critical) stated that he voted against a guilty verdict in large part because of Edwards’ eloquent and persuasive defense. In 2001, with Senators Kennedy and McCain, John Edwards successfully led the passage of the Patient Bill of Rights and legislation that made it legal to buy drugs from Canada – both core issues to regular Americans.
Unlike other candidate, John takes responsibility for his votes (he doesn't hold his finger to the wind and try to make up stuff to justify past votes (see Wisc debate)
9. The primary season is far from over – say No to a Coronation
Please, try not to pay too much attention to the horse-race obsessed media. Only about 18% of the delegates to the national convention have been elected so far. Of those votes, 42% have been won by Senator Kerry, 24% by Edwards, 15% by Clark, and 10% by Dean. This race has just begun, no candidate has won over anything near a majority of Democratic voters, and numbers will tighten now that it has become basically a two-man race. Edwards has done very well in most of the key primaries so far – Iowa, second with 34% of the vote; South Carolina, first with 45% of the vote, Oklahoma, tied for first with 30% of the vote, Missouri, second with 26% of the vote, Tennessee, second with 27% of the vote (where he had to split the vote with neighboring Clark). Don’t believe the hype that it’s already “pretty obvious,” who the nominee of the Party will be. Around this time in 1992, it was “pretty obvious” that Tsongas was the nominee and about 3 weeks ago it was “pretty obvious” that Dr. Dean was the nominee.
10. Anyone who is looking for a candidate who really can beat Bush in the general election and build a better, united America, cast your vote for John Edwards.
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