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U.S. Senator John Edwards - candidate for President of the United States - spoke at Scholtz's Bier Garden here in Austin yesterday during lunch. Austinist was in attendance.
Edwards was introduced by Texas Senator and former Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, as well as by former Texas Agricultural Commissioner Jim Hightower, Texas' favorite anti-everything-corporate rabble-rouser. Marcia Ball - a staple performer at most Texas Democratic events - opened the event with a few swingin' tunes. The official Edwards campaign slogan was plastered all over the place: "Tomorrow begins today."
Edwards made a showman's entrance to heavy applause and spoke for about 15 to 20 minutes. He pretty much ran the entire gamut of issues that we'll be hearing about in 2008, all the way from the war in Iraq to global warming. Here are a few highlights that might provide a beginner's guide to the politics of John Edwards:
- America needs to get the majority of its soldiers out of Iraq immediately.
- America needs to back the G8 on climate change.
- America needs to cut air pollution over the next few years not by 50%, but by 80%.
- We need universal health care. "38 million people without health care is embarrassing."
- Edwards vowed that, on his first day in office as President, he'll shut down Guantanamo prison.
- Right now, "America is not the good guy," but it should be. Improve foreign relations.
- Start providing meaningful aid to the Darfur region of Sudan.
Scholtz's was packed yesterday, and the crowd that came out to stand in the heat was full of ardent (and vocal) Edwards supporters. By the looks of things, it seems like Sen. Edwards plans to run a classic grassroots-style presidential campaign, based on what seem to basically be populist principles. It also seems clear that the Democratic elite in Austin have all but anointed Edwards as their guy, judging by those we saw in the crowd.
John Edwards' speech was pretty impressive, even if some of his ideas seem far-fetched at the moment. Who knows? Maybe this is the beginning of a political revolution in this country. Sure seems like we could use one. We'll keep you posted.
As an aside, Tim Russert from the MSNBC political program "Meet the Press" has a series going on right now called "Meet the Candidates." John Edwards' appearance on the show recently is pretty informative.
Photos courtesy of John Edwards' campaign website.
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Hey, it would have been cool to know about this before it happened... just a thought.
Is 5 days notice enough?
www.austinist.com/2007/06/07/john_edwards_stopping_at_scholz_next_week.php
Oh sorry, I must have missed that. My mistake. My comment was just a little out of frustration I guess because, while I think y'all do a great job and I appreciate the service you provide to regular schmoes like me, sometimes it feels like you tell us about things after the fact. And I'm left thinking, "Gee wish I had heard about that earlier. It would have been cool to check it out." But don't get me wrong, I LOVE the site. Guess I just haven't had time lately to read it a closely as I usually do. Again, sorry, my bad yo.
"America needs to get the majority of its soldiers out of Iraq immediately."
Yeah, and let the country slide into a real, and brutal, civil war. Don't believe me? Just look at what Hamas and Fatah are doing after the Israeli withdrawl.
I guess Mr. Edwards would rather we just shoot cruise missles into aspirin factories from afar.
"America needs to back the G8 on climate change."
The G8's current stance on climate change sounds a lot like America's stance on climate change. Namely, that the economy-crippling, back to the Stone Age-style cuts the EUniks are calling for are the wrong way to go.
"America needs to cut air pollution over the next few years not by 50%, but by 80%."
Industry is getting cleaner and cleaner. Automobiles are getting cleaner and cleaner. Etc., etc. I also think I heard that there were no ozone action days across the country last year. I believe we are doing pretty well reducing pollution, Mr. Edwards.
And that gazillion square foot mansion Mr. Edwards lives in probably has a minuscule "carbon foot print", right?
"We need universal health care. '38 million people without health care is embarrassing.'"
Right. We need socialized medicine like we need a hole in the head. Aren't most countries with socialized medicine now moving towards privatization? Oh, wait, there's always Cuba, with Castro's glorious example of "universal healthcare" - where most citizens have to turn to the blackmarket for care.
Oh, and I imagine health care in the US would be in better shape if we didn't have ambulance-chasing lawyers like Mr. Edwards driving up the cost with lawsuits and sky-high malpracice insurance rates.
"Edwards vowed that, on his first day in office as President, he'll shut down Guantanamo prison."
And do what with the terrorists being held there? Try them in our criminal courts? That sounds like a great idea! We'll give the jihadis bent on America's destruction the same rights as every American citizen!
The prisoners at Gitmo are treated very well. They are fed better than our troops are, and every religous requirement is taken care of. How 'bout we fast-track the military tribunals and get this over with. Which, by the way, would be far more justice than the 3 recently kidnapped US soldiers received.
"Right now, 'America is not the good guy,' but it should be. Improve foreign relations."
America is not the good guy? I guess Mr. Edwards missed the rock star-like reception Pres. Bush recently got in Albania. France has swung to the right, rejected socialism, and elected a president who campaigned on a platform of closer ties to America. Just two examples.
Who sees America as the bad guy? That thug in Venezuela? Castro? The brutal dictator in North Korea? Those radical Islamist theocrats in Iran?
"Start providing meaningful aid to the Darfur region of Sudan."
Yes, I agree, we should start providing meaningful aid to Darfur. Which is something Pres. Bush has already called for. However, Mr. Edwards's buddies, Pelosi, Reid, Kennedy, and Co. seem far more concerned with complaining about Alberto Gonzales than sending aid to Darfur.
Perhaps Mr. Edwards could skip a couple of haircuts and send the money instead to Darfur?
No, Mr. Edwards is more of a "do as I say, not as I do" kind of guy.
Wow, Bah Humbug, your ability to cut and paste from the republican spin machine is impressive.
"Wow, Bah Humbug, your ability to cut and paste from the republican spin machine is impressive."
Man, RK, that was weak.
Can't come up with a worthwhile response, can't dispute anything I wrote, so the best you can do is some crack about "the republican spin machine".
Lame, lame, lame.