So long, John Edwards, but not goodbye

By Lee Feder

This was supposed to be a column extolling the virtues of my candidate, one that would detail the vision and energy of former Sen. and Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards. And then he dropped out.

Oh well. My ballot was already in the mail when Edwards made his announcement. Do I feel betrayed, shocked, or overwhelmingly disappointed? Not terribly, though I do think the country missed a chance to keep a positive force in the presidential race.

The fact remains that, counting Sen. John McCain, there are still three decent human beings in the presidential race, and all of them would represent a vast improvement from what we currently have. While I respect and miss Edwards’ populism, devotion to the middle class, well-conceived policies and passion to make government work for people, we cannot ignore the potential Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have to make history.

What made Edwards appeal to me was his obvious devotion to helping people. With a wife diagnosed with cancer, the former North Carolina senator continued campaigning. His wife’s illness did not depress or slow him, but rather spurred him to campaign harder. Similarly, Elizabeth did not recede into the hospital room, but remained active and vibrant, inspiring with her energy and devotion.

The Edwards were familiar with personal hardship when Elizabeth’s cancer returned, but their willingness to continue to campaign for their beliefs demonstrate that John Edwards was not in the campaign for himself.

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He has his money and an admirable, if not superstar-caliber, career of government service. The man clearly wanted the presidency to change the country and alter the way government works.

I confess, though, that my support for Edwards rests more on how he conducts himself than necessarily what he says.

His health plan is reportedly fantastic, offering personal choice while covering those unable to receive independent coverage. I have not read it, though, and instead rely on the opinions of health care experts.

What always impressed me about Mr. Edwards was that he takes the time to do things right. His health plan considers both those in need and those who have, and are happy with, their health plans. While his initial vote for the invasion of Iraq (to which I objected at the time) was wrong, he plainly admits it. He does the right thing and candidly states that he made a poor decision. No leader is ever perfect and bats 1.000 on important issues, yet Hillary, Barack, President Bush and especially Mitt Romney and John Kerry (must be a Massachusetts thing) try to cover their errors instead of admitting them.

So often in politics, we as citizens and voters are forced to settle. We must choose the lesser of evils and tolerate myriad personal or professional failings.

Do we, as Americans not deserve better? John Edwards did not accept mediocrity and fought against the political establishmentarianism.

While he is no longer in the race, Edwards positively affected Campaign 2008. While I now relish the opportunity to vote for a black man or a woman in November, both owe Mr. Edwards some small degree of thanks. While Obama and Hillary were criticizing each other’s lack of experience or partisan ties, Edwards formulated ideas and tried to elevate American political discourse.

For that, all of America, even that part that vehemently disagreed with him, owes him thanks.

Lee is a senior in mechanical engineering and is 24 years old today.He plans to shop for a new walker, watch “Golden Girls,” and be in bed by 7:30 p.m.