If not John Edwards, then Barack

We here at MOMocrats.com have been asked to share, "Why not Barack?" For Democratic voters who have already decided not to vote for Hillary, Barack Obama seems like the best-qualified person. For me, he was, until I started sitting up and taking notice of what John Edwards was saying.

First, some background, some of which I have mentioned in my bio. I was born in Hawaii, just like Barack Obama. In fact we were born in the same hospital. We went to the same school, the school my mother also attended, and, coincidentally, so did Elizabeth Edwards' mother for a time.

My mother has always been involved in politics in one way or another, and I literally grew up standing on the street next to candidates during election time holding signs and waving at passing cars (a thing candidates do in Hawaii that I wish was more prevalent here on the mainland). How thrilling it was to hear the honks in support of the person running for office.

I was in Hawaii for a month this past summer and there definitely was Obama fever in the air. My mom proudly wore her Obama '08 pin everywhere we went. One day I was heading to my mom's club to meet her for lunch and my cell phone rang, "I'm heading to the club to have a meeting with the Obama campaign guy. It shouldn't take very long. Why don't you and the girls have lunch and wait for me?" "How thrilling!" I thought. My daughters and I made our way into the dining room and there was my mom at a big round table with what could best be described as Honolulu power players. At the time, I was still undecided and leaning heavily towards Obama and it was exciting to have a first-hand glimpse into this kind of strategy meeting.

When it was all over, I asked my mom what she and Obama's representative discussed and she said, "Well, he needs money." Then she added, "...and they seem really disorganized." I was puzzled. I had been reading about his stellar fundraising and support from celebrities and other famous people. If he was worried about money at that stage in the game, were we in trouble?

While in Hawaii, I read Obama's book, Dreams From My Father, to get more insight into his character, and I thought long and hard about what it must have been like to be an outsider in Hawaii, which can, at times, feel like a very closed society.

As I left Honolulu to head home to California, my mother was in the planning stages of an Obama fundraiser headed by herself, some friends, and Obama's sister who still lives in Hawaii. My mother seemed so sure of who she was supporting and yet...I had doubts.

Who can forget hearing Obama speak at the 2004 Democratic Convention?  It was riveting. It was electric. I was glued to my television and for 15 minutes, my eyes never left the charismatic, self-depricating man speaking at the podium. I will never forget the end of his speech when he railed against pundits who try to divide America into red states and blue states. Said Obama, "We are one people, all of us...defending the United States of America." For the first time in four years, for the first time since 9/11, I actually felt hope because Obama made me feel hopeful.

Why do I share all of this? It's to illustrate the point that my decision to support John Edwards for president and not Obama, was one that did not come easily. What could possibly sway me from all the "history" I had with Obama?

I got home from my month away in Hawaii, and slowly life returned to normal. I started doing research on the Democratic candidates in earnest, trying to decide who to back. Foreign policy is an issue that is important to me and I starting googling the candidates' positions on foreign policy, namely how they were going to restore America's besmirched reputation with the world. 

And then I stumbled upon this op-ed piece by John Edwards, and felt that same electricity that I felt listening to Obama while reading it. It was pointed-yet-hearfelt. It was thoughtful-yet-specific. But more importantly, Edwards had a plan for doing what I also felt was crucially important: reengaging us with the world and returning the US to a moral leadership, not a puppet leadership governed by corporate greed coupled with a Fundamentalist Christian mandate.

In the end, my decision on who I support for president has to enrich my children's lives. I worry about the kind of world my daughters will grow up in. I am shocked at how broken and damaged our country has become in just 8 short years and I hope with all my being that it's not irreparable. That's not the legacy I want to leave for my daughters.

As I researched Edwards, typing in all the issues I could think of that were important to me—healthcare, education, nuclear non-proliferation, corporate greed, government corruption, poverty—I realized that Edwards was the only candidate who had already put forth specific policy statements on each of those issues. If I wanted to know about what Edwards stood for, all I had to do was go to his site and it was all there. Go figure?

And then I started watching the debates and Edwards seemed energized as Obama seemed to be running out steam. Edwards had specific answers and Obama sometimes seemed to try to fall back on his charisma. I didn't like how easily Obama seemed to get ruffled at times during the debates, and that made me question his experience and readiness to lead.

Don't get me wrong, I am still an Obama supporter, I just feel that Edwards is a better candidate for president. I also feel, and a recent CNN poll shows, that Edwards is the only one who can beat any Republican from Giuliani on down should he get the nomination. This is vitally important for every Democrat to think about. If, in the end, it's about beating the Republicans, who is the best person to do the job?  It's not Kucinich. It's not Biden or Dodd. It's NOT HILLARY. It's EDWARDS. Could it be Obama? According to the CNN poll, sometimes, yes.  And that's why I am supporting John Edwards for president...and if he doesn't get the nomination and Obama does, I'll be supporting Obama.

Stefania mainly contains her rantings to her personal blog, CityMama.

Comments

[Okla Elliott]

Thank you for this thoughtful post. These are exactly the reasons one ought to support John Edwards. And that op-ed piece is excellent.

[Lane K Ann Arbor]

I, too, began this election cycle excited about B. Obama. Then when both candidates began posting policy and platform statements, I quickly realized that John Edwards was light years ahead of other candidates in developing specific answers for each hard question I feel faces our nation.

The NYT called Edwards the substance candidate early on. Now, his campaign is distributing a full book of policy and platform statements. I don't want to vote for the "cool kid" this time. I want to support a candidate whose ideas are substantive, well-considered and worth working for.

[angie]

I just had to comment on the idea of moral leadership separate from a fundamentalist Christian perspective. I don't know how you can separate God from morals. That is called do thine own will, and it is very different from right and wrong. God created all leadership, all morals, and said that the only way to Him is through His Son. Those that believe in the Son are called Christians. You cannot separate morals from Christianity.

[Stefania/CityMama]

Angie: Oh, please. So you are saying only Christians are moral? What a narrow world view you have. It's the view that has ruined our country, by the way. Knowing the difference between right and wrong, treating others with respect, and having a loving heart has nothing to do with Christianity. You absolutely CAN separate morality from Christianity.