Serving Bread

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I’m not a Democrat, nor will I be one before the primaries in February 2008. So, this is really a moot point, but a point I’d like to still make. There are three candidates in the Democratic party who (as of now) have a real shot at the nomination. And I certainly hope that voters in November 2008 are not left with Edwards as the choice on the Democrat side. If Democrats choose Edwards as their man, I will definitely not be voting for that ticket in November 2008. I am particularly troubled by two of Edwards’ positions:

1. His platform to end poverty falls short. Edwards launched his campaign with a platform to end poverty. While such ambitions are commendable, the candidate’s credentials, experience and ideas fall far short of his desires. Edwards wealth does not disqualify him from having integrity in this issue, but his lifestyle and experiences in general do. Ending poverty requires more than just rhetoric and a change in certain domestic policies. If anything, the main element of ending poverty will require a heart shift in the nation (which politics is not poised to address). The haves must be invested in the campaign to care for the have-nots. The have-nots must be inspired to strive for better lives. Of course, there are systematic injustices and policy shifts that must happen as well. But those alone will not end poverty. A man who lives in the most expensive house in his county, who gets $400 haircuts, and has made his money through investments that dis-empower the poor is not my man to end poverty as we know it.
2. Does he have anything to say about foreign policy? I’m not sure Edwards knows much about foreign policy. I think he can make things sound good (a must for a politician), but there is no content. Whereas Clinton and Biden talk about the things that need to happen to withdraw troops in Iraq, Edwards is content to jump on the bandwagon that we should withdraw troops from Iraq. While I appreciate his humility to acknowledge that voting for the war in 2002 was wrong, I am looking for a candidate to navigate our country through this mess. This is no Bobby Kennedy who inspired the nation and before his untimely death, spoke of ending the Vietnam war in terms of pulling out honorably. My fear is that if Edwards is elected, he would make more (not less) of a mess. My candidate for 2008 must have a plan to address the Iraq war (regardless of how he or she may have felt about the war in the first place).

Next time, I will talk about the one Republican candidate I will not be voting for.