John Edwards: Deserves A Second Look
It wouldn't be fair to blame Edwards for Kerry having picked him for Veep. How could he have said no? Early on in 2004 I liked Edwards quite a bit—I thought he was one of the few who understood economic issues in reasonably clear perspective (trade, jobs, class warfare), and one of the very few who could actually connect to crowds of people. He has a pastor's knack with a crowd: genuinely inspirational. Thus, with the 2008 cycle beginning to heat up, it's interesting to read speculation about another Edwards run, and in particular this item regarding his pick if he does run of former representative David Bonior to manage his campaign. Bonior is a real union guy and a good indication of the kind of tough fight Edwards may now have in mind.
Posted by George Kenney on December 6, 2006 6:46 AM 
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Comments
Edwards is just the sort that deserves a second, third, or fourth look. I like him, but he still troubles me.
Membership in unions is at an abysmal level. (Last I heard — 12% of workers in the public sector, 8% in the private).
SEIU under Andy Grove might be described as a "quisling" organization — the union has had some successes — but how significant are they really? In San Francisco, for example, the Hotel Workers Local 2 won a contract that should ostensibly help them join other hotel workers in other cities in future actions. Did it really help workers — or the union leaders and politicians who took advantage of photo-ops to give them "street-cred?"
As always — time works for the rich and against the poor (mostly in the form of business cycles of boom and bust — look at the dollar devaluation happening now).
America seldom pauses to remember its road kill.
When one looks at the fine print of contracts being "won" — one often finds tractor-size loopholes that ensure workers remain fearful, compliant and long-suffering.
Borrowing 2 billion dollars a day and spending two billion a week on a criminal war is the ultimate loophole that manipulates the workers in our nation. Token tinkering with the minimum wage (and I'm wondering if a new national mandate would supersede local successes) seems so much rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
My experience with Edwards:
http://tinyurl.com/yj9bfy
Posted by: Robert B. Livingston | December 6, 2006 9:03 AM