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Former Senator John Edwards is hanging his presidential hopes on one issue: poverty. It's an issue we should care about, but do we?
Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards is running what can only be described as an unconventional campaign for President. Every aspect of his campaign, every policy stance, is tied in some way to the issue of poverty. It’s a noble sentiment, and has great merit, but is this synergistic approach enough to propel someone into the White House? His overarching goal, as stated on his website, is ending poverty in the United States by 2036. This is a truly bold, if likely unattainable goal, modeled at least in part on former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s plan to end child poverty in Britain by 2019. Edwards says ending poverty by 2036 would lift 37 million Americans out of poverty; he does not address the additional millions that will be added to that number in the next 30 years. The ways in which he proposes to do this are not particularly innovative, but if actually enacted would have a tremendous effect. He would raise the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2012, pour more funding into businesses in rural communities, and strengthen labor laws to encourage the growth of unions, noting that union workers make 28% more than non-union workers. He has also proposed the creation of over 1 million temporary "stepping-stone" jobs for individuals who cannot find jobs after six months of searching, a program not unlike the New Deal programs of the 1930s. Edwards also focuses specifically on those he says prey upon the poor. He would abolish the practice of payday lending, in which loans regularly charge interest rates above 300 percent. He also calls for an end to predatory lending practices that use deceptive terms and abusive interest rates and fees to strip away families' equity. This is not to say that he doesn’t have positions on global warming, or the Iraq war, or homeland security. But even these issues are completely overshadowed by the constant refrain that "there are two Americas." His foreign policy goals hinge on ending poverty abroad as well. His foreign policy proposals include funding for clean water, more investment in immunizations, promotion of microfinance in developing nations to help people start businesses, and the promotion of labor and property rights. Edwards sees these and other global measures as a way to fight terrorism by lifting people around the world to a position, economically and politically, where terrorism is not an attractive option. There is a lot to like about Edwards’ proposals, but there is one potential stumbling block. He is basing his entire campaign on the one thing we don’t like to talk about in America: the poor. For the rich and upper-middle class, the poor are a fact of life that they would rather not think about. For the poor themselves, as well as the middle and working class folks that are precariously close to finding themselves poor, poverty is not a rallying cry. No one likes to admit they’re poor, or ask for a government handout. And they won’t ever attack the rich, because they all still have hopes of being rich someday themselves. Edwards is, of course, saying things that need to be said. They just won’t be enough to get him elected President.
The copyright of the article John Edwards in US Elections is owned by Paul Combs. Permission to republish John Edwards in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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