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Dreadsox

ONE love, blood, life
Joined
Aug 24, 2002
Messages
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John Edwards announced his candidacy for the President of the United States of America:dancing:
 
I don't believe he will be the candidate. But in a year and a bit if I'm wrong, you can all laugh at me and I'll take it like a woman. :wink:
 
I think he has a decent shot. He fits the stereotypes--white, Southern, Protestant, male. He's a naturally gifted political candidate--very charismatic. Elizabeth fits the mold for First Lady as well. A member of the press--I forget who--called her "motherly". Quite frankly, I think Teresa Heinz Kerry went over like a lead balloon as a potential First Lady. OK, OK, I can hear people yelling "I don't vote for the first lady". It's amazing how many people do at least partially vote for the first lady. In 2004 my mother was in the local hardware store. Someone mentioned the election. Someone else said "I could never vote for Kerry. His wife used profanity with that reporter".
 
LarryMullen's_POPAngel said:
*gets bucket of cold water for Laura* :lol:


:lol:

I was just thinking we'll have loads more pictures to add to the sexy John Edwards thread...:hmm:

In all seriousness I have mixed feelings. I love John to death, my entire family lives in North Carolina (and they've lived there since about the 1600s), so naturally we adore him.

But I question his electability. He's already been branded a loser, even if he was only the VP on the ticket. Another question is his foreign policy experience. I admire everything he's doing with the poverty center, but in the age where someone will have to take the reins on Iraq, I don't know if the American people will believe he's up to the job.

Then again there aren't really many other Democrats in the field that I think could do any better than him.

Bottom line, my mind still isn't entirely made up, but I wouldn't have a problem voting for Edwards/Obama :up:

ETA: He's having a kick off rally in Chapel Hill on Saturday...I think my parents and I might go :hyper:
 
Chris Rock said ,"If a black man was Vice President I would kill the President,because I would be a hero in the black community!"
Watch out for Chris ,Mr. Edwards.
 
U2democrat said:
John Edwards would not go for VP again. Would you if you were in his shoes? I wouldn't.

We'll see how things shape up the next 2 years.

I agree. I don't really agree with you on the "loser" label because he was John Kerry's running mate, and people were voting for or against Kerry, not Edwards. Edwards didn't have that controversy over his war record, etc, etc. I'm not a big fan of charisma personally, I prefer substance, but Kerry wasn't Mr. Charisma. At any rate, no way would I go for that second spot again. Edwards wants to be top dog again, no question.
 
This idea that someone must be male, white and southern to win, it bemuses me a little. As an outsider, could anyone tell me if the 'south' (however defined) is in some way a majority of the nation? If it is not, then why do we get this phenomenon? I notice it year after year, almost like, yeah the candidate's a librul but he's southern so that's ok then...
 
Kieran McConville said:
This idea that someone must be male, white and southern to win, it bemuses me a little. As an outsider, could anyone tell me if the 'south' (however defined) is in some way a majority of the nation? If it is not, then why do we get this phenomenon? I notice it year after year, almost like, yeah the candidate's a librul but he's southern so that's ok then...

The South has a humongous amount of the electoral vote, which is how the president is elected. Southern voters are conservative, for the most part. You should have heard Alabama political ads on the radio this year. It was the Liberal Bashing From Hell. These voters are the ones who want a white male Protestant to be President.
 
Someone told me that he has national healthcare on his platform?! :shocked: I don't remember him saying anything about that last time. I thought Kucinich and Sharpton were the only ones who pushed for that. That's friggin awesome though, if it is true.
 
What I don't understand is that although America lacks a universal healthcare system it still spends more tax money per capita on health.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1etlZaf6zUw

Dear Friend,

I'm writing to you from New Orleans, where tomorrow I will announce that I am a candidate for president of the United States.

I'm announcing here because no place better demonstrates the two Americas I've talked about for a long time. But even more important, no place better demonstrates the power people have when they -- not Washington -- take responsibility and take action to build the America we believe in.


I'm running to ask millions of Americans to take responsibility and take action to change our country and ensure America's greatness in the 21st century.

And I'm asking you to play a crucial role in this campaign.

Last week I asked if you were ready to take our effort to change America to the next level. Thousands of letters have come in, and the answer was an overwhelming yes -- we're in this together.

That's why I'm asking you to help spread the word in your area by holding your own local "Citizens' Launch" event tomorrow. It just takes a few minutes to set up, and anyone can do it.

Changing our country means:

* Providing moral leadership in the world -- starting with Iraq, where we should begin drawing down troops, not escalating the war
* Strengthening our middle class and ending the shame of poverty
* Guaranteeing health care for every single American
* Leading the fight against global warming
* Getting America and the world to break our addiction to oil

That's not just my vision –- it's our vision. And we can't wait for the next president to take office to begin fundamentally changing our country.

And the truth is, we don't have to wait. Since I left Washington, I've seen firsthand the power that ordinary people have when we work together.

We worked with thousands of volunteers to raise the minimum wage in six states – and we got it done. We're making the first year of college free for young people in Greene County, North Carolina. And we've been working from the grassroots up to organize workers so they can stand up for their rights and earn a decent living.

And this week in New Orleans, I've been working with young people who gave up part of their Christmas vacation to work on rebuilding and helping those in need -- just like the hundreds of college students who came here to work with me during their Spring Break earlier this year.

This is the kind of commitment to solving our problems that I've seen time and time again over the last two years – and it reaffirms one of the great lessons of my whole life. The power of America doesn't lie in Washington; the true power of America is in the people of America.

That's why we're getting ready to launch a campaign that says to everyone who wants to take responsibility for our future: we can't wait until tomorrow. We must act now.

Tomorrow begins today.

Your friend,

John

P.S. Please forward this email or the YouTube video to your friends and family and ask them to join us.
 
A_Wanderer said:
What I don't understand is that although America lacks a universal healthcare system it still spends more tax money per capita on health.

I couldn't even begin to explain that one to you. I'm frustrated with the system as it is. I hate that I need to buy into some corporation just to go see a doctor for the flu. And if I don't have a provider, I'm screwed. I feel like everything here is corporate owned. :sad:
 
Verte, thanks. Of course, the electoral college ( I know it exists, even if my grasp of it is shaky). Well, I wonder just how conservative the south is, or whether that is an unchanging and unchangeable thing, culturally.

Given as how, I'd accept that things like creaky old political institutions rarely change.

After all, the old 'southern strategy' of Nixon's era seemed to be based on a nudge-wink notion that civil rights had basically killed the Democrats in the south... and yet, forty years later, nobody is going to undo the civil rights laws, are they?
 
Tomorrow is today...I like that!

Now....when exactly is this "election day" so I can put it on my calendar.

:)
 
redhotswami said:


I couldn't even begin to explain that one to you. I'm frustrated with the system as it is. I hate that I need to buy into some corporation just to go see a doctor for the flu. And if I don't have a provider, I'm screwed. I feel like everything here is corporate owned. :sad:

As a 22 year old who just got married and is entering the age of having to worry more about breast cancer screening, annual paps, possibly having babies, etc, health care is now the #1 domestic issue on my list of political priorities.

Will someone on the Hill please explain to me why I have to spend 2 hours on the Internet reading through pages of fine print BEFORE I can even think about calling a doctor for an urgent issue? Why is it that the first thing they as is what insurance plan I have, before they even ask what is wrong with me? And then they'll ask again before writing the prescription, like I might get a better prescription if I'm lucky enough to have a certain insurance plan. And I'm told that my employer was voted on of the BEST in the nation as far as benefits (including health insurance) are concerned. Why is it that families have to hold bake sales before their baby with a fatal heart defect will be considered for surgery? Why is it my mom had to spend her ENTIRE life savings AND cash in the family's life insurance policy just to pay for a simple break in my brother's wrist?

If someone really can guarantee health care for every single American, then I don't care what party, race, religion, or schools of thought this person belongs to, s/he already has my vote.
 
A_Wanderer said:
What I don't understand is that although America lacks a universal healthcare system it still spends more tax money per capita on health.

It could be because of all the uninsured (whom as far as I know, are hardly ever refused care, if at all). The insured foot their bill and then understandably complain about skyrocketing costs. Seems like a double edged sword, go universal and cover all and probably forego the chance to pay for top quality, meanwhile paying taxes out of your ass or keep the same, foot the bill for the uninsured, be able to pay for top notch quality and pay out the ass in taxes much the same.

In the end, it seems like in a free market you'd be able to have or pay for a health care that would be top notch, while (at the same time) there is a basic service provided to all. In either case, the taxes don't seem to be shrinking. I don't have any great answers but I believe with every fiber of my being an 8 year old kid should get free health care regardless of the economic status of their parent.

Just a drunk layman opinion at this hour.
:wink:

P.S. John Edwards has no chance to win the big one.
 
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