John Edwards: Impassioned, Smart and Ready to Lead
Last night I witnessed a candidate on the cusp of hitting his stride and taking this primary election to a new more intense level.
The town hall was packed and I'm sure that Edwards fed off of that. I think we all have this sense that it's time for us to really pay attention and to really engage with the choice we have to make. He said a couple of things that really hit home for me.
He was talking about health care and he threw out a proposal that drew the first strong round of applause from the crowd. He said that when he is president, one of the first things he will do is say to congress "I'm taking your wonderful health care plan away until you pass a plan that makes sure that everybody can get coverage." I don't remember the exact words but that was the gist.
I loved it. The point isn't whether he could actually do that. The point is that government should not be separate from the people; that our leaders need to feel what we experience. That's a great message. And we DO need to dig in and get health care to everyone.
The other thing he said that I really liked had to do with nuclear weapons. Except for Kucinich, he is the only candidate who says that he wants to get rid of ALL nukes. Again, I don't think he can make that happen on his own but it's the right goal and if we're going to get there, we have to start somewhere.
Edwards was talking the way I want a Democrat to talk. I confess; I'm no fan of Hillary. I can get behind Edwards.