Hi Folks,
Didn’t see another post about this so I thought I would let people know that John Edwards is in Boston tonight at a small dollar fundraiser…$15 per ticket.
The Venue is:
Lir, 903 Boylston St.
Boston, MA *Cash bar*
Thursday, June 7th – 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. * Tickets are $15
You may purchase tickets online or at the door
See some of you there!
Please share widely!
So I went to the event tonight about 85% in support of Edwards, and left 100%. Of the so-called “top-tier” candidates, Edwards is . . .
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Sure, you’ll hear nearly all the candidates at least pay lip service to each of these points, but the key questions for me are: How serious are you about these issues? How much political capital will you invest in them? At the forefront of Obama’s campaign is some fuzzy notion of ‘hope’, and for Hillary it’s, well, I don’t know what it is. Edwards is the only one making these issues the focal point of his campaign.
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From that phrasing, it seems that you were only considering the candidates that Gallup and CNN are telling you are worth your time to consider. Or am I reading that wrong?
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And did Edwards continue with his current strategy of attacking Hillary?
You’re reading that wrong. I’ve considered all the candidates, including Richardson. I contrasted only with Clinton and Obama because that’s where the largest bulk of Democrats are at the moment, and that’s who I’m looking to convince.
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As for Richardson specifically, let me start with his campaign message, which is all about “results” and “experience”. Sorry, but managerial messages don’t move me much. I don’t think they work on the general public either — just ask Chris Gabrieli. Who cares if someone can get results if we’re not clear on what kind of results? From a partisan perspective, if the Democrats put up a “manager” against a conservative ideologue, we’ll likely lose, because ideology moves people, management does not.
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On the issues, I’m not too happy with what he has to offer.
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At any rate, I wouldn’t say I dislike Bil Richardson, but those are some reasons he’s not my first choice.
I’m waffling between Edwards and Richardson…give me some more Greg…Sabutai?
It’s always interesting to see the last two choices of a voter. I’ve written on Richardson on the past (look here , for example) but this is the capsule summary.
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I want results, not promises: after Dubya and Romney, nice plans no longer impress me. I am demanding proof of capability, not pretty talk, and having a good speechwriter does not make you a president. Richardson’s results in foreign affairs are incredible as UN ambassador and today as unofficial negotiator-without-portfolio (who else could broker a cease-fire in Darfur right now? The government won’t even let anyone else in the country). He is an enormously popular governor in New Mexico were he grew jobs, funded health care and education while cutting middle class taxes. If you value what one does rather than what one says, Richardson is head and shoulders above everyone else.
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The world is complex; we need someone who realizes it: Richardson has seen every issue from every angle: from writing a law as a congressman, to enforcing it as a cabinet secretary, and implementing it as a governor. Some “fire-and-forget” legislators write laws they don’t realize are unworkable, as Kennedy has done with No Child Left Behind. Others write laws without waiting caring if they’re implementable. Richardson knows what laws will get the results he needs, and he knows the process well enough to guide them to reality.
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He doesn’t dance to the tune, he calls it: He’s running on his issues, not the Republicans’ or the media’s. Most Democrats are currently trying to outGod or outtough the GOP. His work speaks for itself. Richardson was the only candidate who bothered mentioning education in the most recent debate even though the media and Republicans don’t care. He knows the right wing (and Mike Gravel) will have a fit when he announces his presidential run in English and Spanish; he does so anyway. Richardson is willing to spoil China’s little track meet in 2008 to stop the killing in Darfur, regardless of the poll numbers.
I just posted some reasons why I don’t support Richardson above.
I was there last night. I heard from a friend my face made it on to some 10 o’clock news broadcast. Does anyone know what networks were there, or happen to have a link to video from the event? (I’m vain).
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Oh and as for my reactions to the event itself… we spent more time waiting in that sauna of a basement for him to show up than he actually spent time speaking. Part of me was happy he kept it short, if for no other reason than I was tired of wiping the sweat from my forehead.
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The way they billed the event, I was expecting more of a town hall forum where I might be able to interact with Sen. Edwards. This was not the case. It was a stump speech (and a brief one at that). I left feeling like if I’d been seeing Obama the speech might have been written exactly the same.
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I did like the joke he made:
“I want to live in an America where all Americans can go from having nothing, to being able to afford $400 hair cuts.”
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I also like to believe that Edwards’ presence broke up Schilling’s no-hitter (the game was on in the background) as retribution for Schilling’s shilling for Bush in ’04.
In particular, I don’t want the MSM to ignore Richardson, Kucinich, or any of the other registered candidates either, for that matter.
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Hearing regular folks’ unvarnished thoughts and experiences at events such as the Edwards gig, and related comments and posts on BMG are very much appreciated. Thanks and please keep it up.
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P.S. btw I’ve been more discouraged than usual lately about the whole “politics” thing, plus my 2 small kids have been sick, so having a grassroots source of info and a place for “dialogue” is especially needed and appreciated – thanks BMG and commenters.