by Karita Hummer(Our guest essayist is from San Jose, CA. Some readers may remember that I worked with Karita in Iowa in the run up to the Presidential caucuses. Karita is a terrific peson, and I agree with her sentiments entirely. The photo (l to r): Karita, Carolina Girl and Marla at a New Years Day John Edwards event in Ft. Dodge, IA. Karita publishes the blog, Passionate Progressive Patriot. A link is listed under the blogs of interest section in the left hand margin. - Don)
The John Edwards campaign was one of the most hopeful and exciting campaigns that I have ever worked on.
Everyday, for a full year +, I was full of hope for a better future under him as president: for economic justice here and around the world; peace, diplomacy, strength and compassion for foreign policy; reversal of global warming; smart trade; strengthening of unions; universal health care; respect for our Constitution; rural recovery; and the purging of excess corporate influence, through their lobbyists, over government processes and policy.
This was in my heart through every icy snow pile-up I mounted in Iowa, in that glorious week of hope and anticipation, before the Iowa Caucus on January 3rd.
Because I believed so strongly that John Edwards had diagnosed our problems correctly and had come up with the right remedies, it was a heartbreak when John Edwards suspended his race on January 30th. But even then I heard his words and was not without hope that John Edwards' mission and vision would still be espoused by him and Elizabeth and all of us, too. I knew we would find a way to carry on the movement for such real hope for America.
Today (Feb. 25), when John Edwards and Elizabeth joined forces with MoveOn.org, the Service Employees International Union, VoteVets.org, and the Center for American Progress to announce a Multi-Million Dollar campaign, called for now, Iraq Campaign 2008, to tie the Trillion Dollar Cost of the War to the economic recession in the country, I was overjoyed to see John and Elizabeth both swinging in to action again.
Likewise, I believe most of the Edwards' supporters are just such activists, and we, too, will continue to carry the banner for the vision and mission they espoused as well, hopefully in a kind of National One Corps.
In addition to the policy issues so important and motivating to all us, I believe it will be important for us, as supporters, to focus on all the obstacles that prevented the John Edwards mission and vision to be heard sufficiently in the campaign: Corporate media, Campaign finance laws, antiquated election laws and procedures (as in the unstandardized caucuses and primaries), and a rusty Democratic Party that doesn't show sufficient backbone, as Edwards would say.
Suffice it to say, I remain an Edwards Democrat and hope to find a way to influence the party to move towards the kinds of progressive solutions espoused by John Edwards. In the short run, Edwards Democrats should lobby super-delegates, support candidates who support Edwards' plan to rebuild America or such ideas as his, and promote John Edwards' agenda as far and wide as we can.
In the long-run, we need to work for media reform (plus build alternative media), election reform, campaign finance reform and Democratic Party reform. Let's join John and Elizabeth and begin today, because "tomorrow begins today".
Karita Hummer
Edwards Democrat
An Edwards Democrat is a Democrat with Backbone.
About Me: Karita Hummer
This blog is dedicated to the memory of my immigrant father from Sicily and Mother, who taught me politics at an early age: my father, ever the Patriot and my Mother, ever the compassionate inspiration. Therefore, I've been active in politics all my life. View my complete profile
This blog is dedicated to the memory of my immigrant father from Sicily and Mother, who taught me politics at an early age: my father, ever the Patriot and my Mother, ever the compassionate inspiration. Therefore, I've been active in politics all my life. View my complete profile
1 comments:
it's my fervent hope that the legacy of the edwards campaign lives on as well...and it seems to me that there are elements of the party (dean for one...perhaps obama for another) who are starting to see the political advantage to being known as the bearers of the "improve america" brand.
whether this will translate into actual accomplishments remains to be seen, but for the moment the political advantage is tilting in the direction of those who seek the same goals we seek--and that in itself is a lovely first step forward.
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