Is he insane?
John Edwards has been my least favorite presidential candidate for some time now, for the simple reason that he alone strikes me as an unreconstructed, 70's-era liberal, with all the negative baggage that said stereotype entails. All the other serious Democratic contenders are, in varying degrees, post-Clinton, Wall Street-friendly corporatist types. And say whatever else you will about those folks, they're not exactly the Bolsheviks storming the Winter Palace.
But Edwards is different. No "Third Way" for him, thank you very much. You'd probably have to go back to LBJ to match his expansionist view of government, and as far back as Huey Long to find the equal of his economic populism.
Still, even I was unprepared for Edwards' latest policy initiative: busing.
Yes, that's right. Busing. If someone had asked me even a week ago to predict which tired, discredited nostrum of 1970's liberal inanity would make a guest appearance in the upcoming presidential election, I'd have probably guessed the windfall profit tax.
But busing? Sorry, that almost descends to the level of bad parody, the kind of stuff you'd expect to find here. But no. It's not "The Onion," it's reality. Which is why I'm glad that my wife, the registered Democrat of the family, is campaigning for Hillary.
Look, I'll give Edwards this much. He's exactly right when he says that the public school system serves monied white folks and poor minorities inequitably. But what does he propose as a remedy? Freedom of choice among public schools? Vouchers? Competition within the system? Hardly. He wouldn't dare offend the almighty teachers unions. He's correctly diagnosed a real problem, but in responding to it, he's shown all the worst political instincts, and underscored the reason he remains my least favorite presidential candidate for 2008.
Comments
"But Edwards is different. No "Third Way" for him, thank you very much. "
Interestingly, despite my previous criticisms of Edwards, the last few days I have been thinking that I may vote for him in the democratic primaries. I think your statement above makes me feel even more towards voting for him. Somehow, he starts emerging as the most principled among all dem candidates. So I may vote for him. And afterall, Elizabeth Edwards is the only important person who ever commented in my blog :)
Posted by: Blue Wind | July 16, 2007 08:16 PM
WoW! As the Democratic Party moves Right, and even HRC toes the Corporatist line, the Edwards camp lurches Carteresque Left.
BW, in the long run it's a can't lose for Supply-Siders.
If the GOP maintains the WH in '08 we keep the tax cuts that have helped create over 8 Million jobs since 2003 and and cut the Deficit to $204 Billion, putting the Deficit Reduction way ahead of schedule and increased revenues far above any earlier projections.
If a Democrat wins, I actually hope it's Edwards and we get a Carter redux, swearing another generation of Americans off Liberalism forever.
Under Liberalism crime goes up along with taxes, while the quality of life, across the board, goes down.
They used to say, few conservatives are more ardent than a Liberal who just got mugged.
And me, if I play my cards right and things fall into place, I COULD (emphasis on could) be retired from the FD on a tax free disability pension.
Yes, I'll still fight for tax cuts and ultimately a change FROM taxing productivity/income to taxing consumption/spending, even though that would be about the ONLY way I'd pay "my fair share" despite that disability pension...and everybody should pay into the system, that's why I now and going forward will support the Fair Tax.
Posted by: JMK | July 16, 2007 10:26 PM
And afterall, Elizabeth Edwards is the only important person who ever commented in my blog :)
Barry's blog rules!
Posted by: Elizabeth Edwards | July 17, 2007 04:25 PM
I am talking about the real one!
Posted by: Blue Wind | July 17, 2007 05:09 PM
I must admit that Edwards does suck. Hillary will be a much better president.
Posted by: Bailey Hankins | July 27, 2007 10:50 AM