I agree to an extent with FD Khan. Edwards makes me very uneasy and I think his economic and trade policies could do a lot of harm to the economy. Edwards is running on an economic and social platform from the 1950's but that isn't the reality of the world today.
I would take a self made trial lawyer over a legacy-based faux-business mind. There are candidates on both sides with protectionist trade persectives that would be bad if implemented, but at least Edwards is somewhat of a social progressive. That said I think he needs to get out and endorse Obama and see what happens (maybe get picked up as Obama's running mate if he wins--I don't see him on Clintos). To bad it can't be Clinton-Richardson versus Obama-Edwards early on but that is obviously not how the VP thing works.
If Edwards and McCain are the nominees, I will pick McCain. He gives me the creeps like Hillary gives everyone else. I think the guy is devisive and really isn't interested in helping the country. If he did he would have done something other than campaign the last 4 years.
I'm sorry but I don't trust John Edwards. The guy is just a pretty face and a politician. I don't see true leadership in him.
My problem with Edwards is Russ Feingold's problem with Edwards... "The one that is the most problematic is (John) Edwards, who voted for the Patriot Act, campaigns against it. Voted for No Child Left Behind, campaigns against it. Voted for the China trade deal, campaigns against it. Voted for the Iraq war … He uses my voting record exactly as his platform, even though he had the opposite voting record. When you had the opportunity to vote a certain way in the Senate and you didn't, and obviously there are times when you make a mistake, the notion that you sort of vote one way when you're playing the game in Washington and another way when you're running for president, there's some of that going on." http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080117/APC06/801170560/1036 Also, he voted for the Bankruptcy bill and campaigns against it. The way I see it is Edwards saw the country as very conservative when he was elected to the Senate and figured he'd get in the way Bill Clinton got in, being a Republican in Democrat's clothing. Since 2004, he has seen America's reaction to Bush, the War, Katrina etc., and now he's this great progressive democrat. I just don't trust it. That said, were he to get elected after making the kind of anti-corporate speeches he's been making (which I have absolutely loved) then one assumes he would have to govern that way. Some what at least. But I just can't get past the fact that when he actually had a vote in the Senate, he favored the wealthier of the two Americas...
To be fair - he did play a huge role in setting up a poverty research center in North Carolina: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/feb05/edwards020405.html Whether you believe it to be real or simply opportunistic, he's spent the better part of the last several years working on poverty issues.
Which serious candidate haven't been duplicitous at times. Who do you really trust--that they follow through with what they believe rather than the politically expedient? Maybe Obama (who hasn't been in the senate long). Maybe Huckabee (who has only been a gov of a poor consv. state). All the other politicians I wouldn't use trustfull and consistent. Yes McCain included (his Convention speech 4 years ago was a total political play over being truthfull to his party/the people in a number of domestic and foriegn pol issues).
I'd vote Richardson if he were the leading candidate. He has the most experience with foreign policy, and most experience out of any of the Democratic candidates, has never taken a dime from a lobbyist, and I like his plan better than them all. Also I think it would be great to see a man of Mexican heritage, a minority often forgotten, be elected as president. I think it would be just as groundbreaking as seeing a first woman or black president. He just doesn't have the charisma the other candidates do, but I think he's genuinely the most honest of the bunch with his campaign with by far the most experience.
