MyDD: John Edwards Journey

[Catchawave]

Beautiful diary,

Here's a snip:

JRE's Journey: Edwards Goes Left
by david mizner, Mon May 14, 2007 at 12:16:30 PM EST

There no longer can be any doubt: John Edwards is running a bold, progressive campaign. Even supporters of other contenders now acknowledge that he has embraced positions--and ways of articulating them--that progressives can't help but like.

His critics, then, are left to argue that Edwards is posing as a progressive. Citing selective parts of his Senate record, they claim that Edwards doesn't believe in the positions he's now taking. It's tempting to dismiss such claims as simple smears, but (some of) his critics seem sincere in their belief that Edwards isn't sincere, so I thought it would be valuable to take a look at his political development.

While critics of Edwards make far too much of his change--he's always had palpable progressive instincts--supporters do him a disservice if they deny that he's moved left. Of course he has, especially on foreign policy. But the change has not been sudden or capricious, as his detractors claim; on the contrary, it has been gradual, sometimes halting, and, given his instincts, natural. Far from mysterious, his growth has its roots in political and personal forces that aren't difficult to discern, if you care to look......

Follow the journey: http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/5/14/121630/718

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Yes!!! Let's Not Take His Co-Sponsorship Of The War Out Of Context!!!

After all, it's only a war - one very small, inconsequential thing he co-sponsored.

:eyes:

[Catchawave]

3. Tell me about it ? Heh.

You always participate so thoughtfully on Edwards threads, what's REALLY bothering you Manny? With full disclosure too, please.

[Egnever]

2. well its a great sales pitch

But I personally dont buy it.

[Catchawave]

4. ....and your candidate is....?

:eyes:

I'm sure I can debate "sales pitch's" with the best of ya's :rofl:

[Egnever]

6. I am not here to debate sales pitches

The fact that you are looking for the best sales pitch though scares me a little.

As far as my candidate goes I havent really decided on one yet, there are a lot of good candidates to choose from. IMHO Edwards isnt even in the same league as several of them.

[dave_p]

5. Progressive?

I'd say he's more of a Populist: that doesn't mean he can't be progressive (with a small "p"), but he seems to derive his positions from "values" rather than from a structured critique of the system. To that extent I don't see a vast difference between the Edwards of 2007 and the Edwards of 2002 or 2004. The issues have moved on, and he's moved on too.

That's fair enough, but it's also a danger. You say he's moved left on foreign policy. But apart from Iraq (where everyone but a dwindling pro-Bush rump has moved left), I've heard nothing about JE's approaches to relations with individual countries or regional issues to persuade me he represents change. Getting out of Iraq is all very well, but we're entitled to hear his approaches to the issues that will remain.

I want to hear what Edwards is going to do to heal the Middle East after the Iraq debacle. How will he respond to the challenge of newly-developing countries with their own reasonable hope of a fairer slice of the cake? What are others to expect of an America under an Edwards Presidency? So far there's very little to go on. But answers to all of these questions will be demanded of him. It's time he spoke out.