Looks Like Edwards is Running

In case you haven't heard John Edwards is planning on officially entering the Presidential race next week with an announcement coming from New Orleans. Now when I first heard that Edwards was planning on announcing his candidacy in New Orleans, I said great another politician using a tragic situation for their own gain. However, when I thought more about it, John Edwards is probably the only candidate that could pull this off. Edwards has been raising awareness of the poverty in our country and Katrina thrust the issue into the living rooms of many Americans.

Edwards is near the top of my list of candidates in 2008. I heard him speak at a fundraiser over the summer and was very impressed with his passion and conviction. He not only asked you for support, but asked you to believe in something. I look forward to hearing more from Edwards in Iowa.

I will leave you with an interesting article from MyDD comparing Edwards and Robert F. Kennedy and their campaign strategies.

Consider, RFK was originally a somewhat nuanced supporter of the Vietnam war, who by 1968 became a strong critic and called for withdrawal.

Similarly, John Edwards voted for the Iraq war, and now says his vote was a mistake, and that the United States needs to withdraw.

RFK was originally a moderate on civil and labor rights, who became an activist as the civil rights and labor movements exploded in the late sixties. While the earlier incarnation of RFK reluctantly assented to FBI investigation of Martin Luther King, the latter version marched with Cesar Chavez for Latino farmworkers and chaired Senate hearings which supported minorities and labor.

And while John Edwards was originally a moderate in the Senate from North Carolina, he has now come to be a forceful voice against poverty, criticizing corporations such as Wal Mart and calling for significant changes in the structure of US society to combat poverty and make society more equitable.