Edwards: Man of character
By Andrew Haesloop
Has anyone else noticed the dramatic transformations that occur among presidential candidates depending upon which state they are campaigning in?
From Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama, Mitt Romney to Mike Huckabee, candidates seem to develop a funny twang in their voice when traveling to the rural Midwest or the South. And, shockingly, every candidate loses their twang when visiting New Hampshire.
Every candidate except John Edwards.
His Carolina twang is real. And it's as consistent as his message. Pry the White House away from the clutches of large corporations. End the war in Iraq. Make health insurance affordable for every American. Free ourselves of our dependence on foreign oil.
Ambitious, you say? Take a look at what he's done in his life. In an election which has both glorified and denounced the concept of experience, John Edwards has loads of something many other candidates lack: real-life experience.
Edwards grew up in rural North Carolina, the son of a textile mill worker and an antique retailer. When he was old enough, Edwards went to work at the mill with his father, and eventually became the first in his family to attend college.
He went into law, building his own private practice, and specialized in representing poor and middle-class families against the area's large corporations.
His quick wit and attention to detail in the courtroom are legendary, and he gained a reputation for winning extraordinary sums of money for the families of injured and disabled children.
In 1996, his own 16-year-old son, Wade Edwards, died when his Jeep rolled over in high winds. Though Edwards keeps this to himself, the effect this tragedy has had on him is unmistakable.
He successfully ran for the Senate in North Carolina two years later, and has been fighting poverty, climate change and special interests ever since.
He even co-authored a patients' bill of rights with Senators John McCain and Ted Kennedy, which passed the Republican-dominated Senate in 2002.
The blunt honesty with which he has handled himself as a politician is both remarkable and inspiring.
In 2002, he voted to authorize the invasion of Iraq. In 2005, when he changed his mind, he wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post expressing his remorse, and proposed a new way forward.
America is ready for a president who is strong enough to be open and honest with us about his mistakes.
In case you've missed the debates on TV, YouTube and Facebook, Edwards has been the most articulate, sensible and courteous of any of the Democratic candidates.
His clear dominance of the stage denotes a detailed understanding of the issues, a clear vision for the future and a refusal to lower himself to the bickering that has divided this nation for too long.
John Edwards is as smart and strong-willed as he is principled and experienced. He comes from the very middle-class background which he swears to protect, and his message is as clear and pertinent as I have seen among presidential candidates in my lifetime.
For real change to occur, we must look deeper than a candidate's skin and gender.
We must look to each candidate's character, experience and abilities, and make a judgment as to who will best face the challenges of the coming era.
That candidate is John Edwards, and he has earned my vote for president.
Andrew Haesloop is a senior political science major.