Lawyers for Edwards!

We can't all be responsible for 15 hours of class hours a week. If you've earned your JD, passed the bar, and want to help one of the country's foremost advocates move into the White House, head on over to Lawyers for Edwards and get yourself involved!

Health Insurance

Solving the health care crisis in America is going to require a convoluted plan, the details of which none of us will entirely understand. That shouldn't stop us, though, from making sure we support the values that our candidates espouse when promoting their issues. Here's Edwards on health care, from Saturday's Des Moines Register:

“We need a health care system where individuals are not stuck trying to take on the insurance companies by themselves,” he said. “Because you can’t win. … They’ve got all of the money. They’ve got all of the resources. They’ve got all of the power.”

The former North Carolina senator made the comments as he touted his health care reform proposal, which he said would provide coverage to all Americans.

Not to paint the future of American politics with too wide a brush, but I think guaranteeing reasonable health coverage and giving individuals tools to win disputes with large institutions will become major themes sooner than later. With a vision like this, John Edwards is looking great on both counts.

Stunner of the Day

I'll quote the CNN Political Ticker in full:

Howard Dean says it is incumbent on Democrats to bring the war in Iraq to a close, or risk becoming the minority party again.

“The American people hired Democrats last November to ensure we end this war, so let me be clear.” Dean made the remarks Saturday in the Democratic response the President’s weekly radio address. “We know if we don’t keep our promise, we may find ourself in the minority again. But we have to face the reality. The Republicans in Congress are standing with President Bush as he stubbornly wields his veto pen in the face of overwhelming opposition to this war from the American people.”

I honestly don't see what's so difficult about this. Principled disagreements about the war and its direction are fine, but as a strictly political matter, the war is wildly unpopular, Democrats rode a wave of anti-war sentiment into control of both houses of Congress, and Democratic capitulation on the war funding bill last month collapsed Congress' approval rating. If Democrats want to win in 2008, they need to stand strong against the war.

The worst part is I've heard a line of thought that believes that if Democrats succeed in ending the war now, they'll be painted as weak on national security. Now, leaving out the point that Republicans will attack Democrats on national security from now until the end of time no matter what happens, ending the war would be a fantastic move politically.

How about this for a tagline: "Republicans got us into this war. Democrats got us out." Works for me.

Huffington Post: "Edwards In The Target Zone"

Great commentary from Taylor Marsh in the Huffington Post:

"Today, we know two unequivocal truths about the results of (President) Bush's approach" to confronting terrorism -- "there are more terrorists and we have fewer allies."
...
You simply cannot dispute what Edwards is saying with any credibility. There are more terrorists today, as well as terrorist attacks. Mr. Bush's blunder in Iraq, and his continued inability to adjust early enough has given a lot of fuel and recruiting tools to our enemies. For a man bent on fighting the "global war on terror," all he and the Republicans parroting his talking points seem to do is inspire more terrorism. It started early, with the state department first refusing to report the rise in terrorism. The bad news continues.
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I learned one thing a long time ago. When people go to extremes to attack you it can mean only one thing. They think you're a threat. Edwards is obviously doing something right. Will it be enough to win the Democratic nomination? Who knows, but he's making a lot of people nervous.

I don't need to copy in the attacks on Senator Edwards, since everyone knows they're coming. And oddly enough, I'm glad to see them. In 2003, Edwards never had the target on his back like Howard Dean and John Kerry did. Now, he's being attacked left and right because he's the candidate making the best connection to voters on both issues and gut feelings.

It would be nice if Edwards could avoid being attacked, but this is politics. Marsh is right: they don't attack you unless they worry about you. John Edwards can do this.