Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Goodbye John Edwards

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.

-Plato

This saddens me. John Edwards, will make it official today, in New Orleans, that he is dropping his bid for the Democratic nomination. While I have to admit that in recent days he had lost me, I still believed in him. He is a good man, he would have been good for America. So why did I turn to another candidate in the last week? Well, thank you for asking.

It came down to hearing, and seeing, in another candidate the right answers to my questions. Not just the questions I write about here sometimes, but those quiet questions we all carry around. It's about all the work we are in for, when the new president takes office. It's about practicality verses high hopes, and ultimately, it's about experience. Hillary Clinton has been dealt more then one blow in her life, and not only did she survive, she prospered. In the public eye, she has been called everything in the book, and yet she moves on with humor and strength.

One of the things that initially excited me about John Edwards, was how he and his wife handled Elizabeth Edward's cancer. They had an up close and personal view of the strain of catastrophic illness. I believed that he had a real and strong desire to not just be president, but to NOT LET US DOWN. He spoke in practical terms. He spoke to the middle class. He spoke about a better life in America, not the dream of a better life. He made me feel like America could once again be that great country we all like to think it is, but in reality is far from it.

We don't lead the world in economics. We don't lead the world in education. We don't lead the world in democracy, as long as our own government is spying on us. We don't lead the world in health care. We don't lead the world in...

The list is a long one. We need someone who can help bring us back to what we once were. I think Edwards could have been that man, which is why he was on my sidebar for months. Then, one day, I began to hear more of the right answers coming from Hillary Clinton. I believe she is the right person for the White House. And in a perfect world, John Edwards would be her running mate. That would be a ticket I could believe in. Can you see it?



Goodbye John Edwards, for now. Hope to see you soon!

-OndineMonet

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was so sad to hear that Edwards dropped out. I knew that you would write something about him so here I am. I can see Edwards with Hillary. That would be a perfect world.
Kat

fdtate said...

I too was sad to see Edwards leave the race, but when you come in a distant third in your home state it's time. I thought he was the candidate who had real change to offer.

I don't see Edwards as Hillary's running mate. I don't think they like each other too much. I have heard the rumors about Obama making him attorney general though. That sounds good to me!