A trial lawyer persuades a trial lawyer
It was a very unusual day in red state Indiana. A Democratic candidate for the presidency came to Indianapolis to shake hands, break bread, speak and answer questions. They usually don't bother.
I was surprised to see that John Edwards isn't much taller than me and probably doesn't weigh as much. What impressed me as much as his obvious intellect was his friendliness and sincerity. Understand, please that I have been dealing with con artists, political and otherwise, for way many years. It is next to impossible to sell me siding, blue suede shoes or penny stocks that will make me a millionaire. John Edwards is real.
He started out by bringing tears to my eyes. He told of being with Elizabeth for 12 hours in the medical facility before they brought the bad news. Then they were alone with each other. He asked her what she needed. Told her he would drop the campaign. She said she needed him to be the next President of the United States. Fifteen minutes later I was convinced she was right and that is what we need as well.
I will try to summarize, much as I hate to do that. I think I will try it with bullet points.
He is believable.
We need a president we can trust, but also one the rest of the world can trust.
We need the trust of the rest of the world.
We need to be out of Iraq but not out of the rest of the world.
We need to be engaged with the rest of the world, and we need to be here at home what the rest of the world will respect.
Poverty at home will destroy democracy and poverty in the rest of the world will destroy our security.
Our present course is unsustainable.
Our present level of energy consumption is unsustainable.
Capping carbon emissions is an EMERGENCY. It is also doable.
Universal health care is not only desirable, it is essential and he has laid out the plan to do it.
No one else in the campaign is doing anything but mouthing generalities.
He welcomes competing plans because we need the debate.
The next election is critical and this is not the time for glamor or glitz.
The above are my paraphrases so don't hold the specific articulations against John Edwards
I got to ask two questions. I asked if he didn't think we needed a program to ramp up our health care infrastructure to accomodate the utilization levels that would occur. I don't think he had thought about that. He said something to the effect that it needed to be addressed. I am hoping he will focus on it. That is mostly why I asked the question.
I asked him if he thought mass transit as a public works project didn't need to be a part of the energy consumption issue. ( I am obsessed about this). He said our fiscal situation required prioritizing. He thought the revenue from selling carbon emissions, but always within the cap, might generate 30 billion dollars that could be used for mass transit.
Before the sitdown when he was working the room I told him I thought we should have been saying the things he was saying for 30 years, but I was not sure it was the most political way to go. He said he was going to tell the truth regardless of the political consequences. I believe him.
He wants to fund primary education for every young child IN THE WORLD. He says it is much cheaper than the Iraq war and will keep us much safer.
He expressed several inspiring ideas. He said we are not a timid people when we are at our best.
I know I will recall more of this as the evening wears on. I just hope that we will all hear more of it from him as 2008 approaches.
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