Look at the problems in this country and it is not hard to see what is at the root of so much of it. Unnecessary war, lack of medical insurance or if you can get it, insurance companies that fight you for your coverage, media controlled by only 6 likeminded media conglomerates, and so on are perpetuated by money and the entities that use it unethically and corruptly for their own interests. If you look at why government does not give you the reforms you want it is clearly because of the powerful corporations stranglehold on your voice and choice, the corporate rich's money their powerful throng of lobbyist use to buy off congressman. From lobbyists for defense contractors, to lobbyists for the medical insurance industry, lobbyists for mega media conglomerates, lobbyists for giant pharmaceutical companies, and on and on.
The one candidate that focused directly on this has now dropped out of the race because of lack of support from his Democratic party and that candidate was John Edwards. You see, John Edwards directly campaigned against lobbying money, corporate influence and corruption of our congressman and in this political environment the Democratic party is nearly as cupable as is the Republican party( noting that the Republican party already does the work for the corporate rich, it is the Democrats that have to be bought off from the promises they make to the people). Mega corporations, contributing millions of dollars to the Democratic party, Obama and Clinton, have objected to any political platform cutting them out of their usual money influence over the Democrats and candidate Edwards cut them out for starters, willing to take them head on but he also did not accept their money as he used his own money and untainted matching federal money. You see, Edwards was too free, too not bought off, too uncontrolled, too unreigned and so very able to challenge corporate contributions to Democratic coffers and so, in short, too unacceptable to the Democratic establishment.
Edwards clearly understood what has been the obstacle at bringing change to this country. Barack Obama's bold soaring oratorios are a good talk flirting with the truth on these issues but in all the honorable sounding speech he has been so vague on nailing it down and therefore so able to ignore what he shouldn't. Hillary Clinton was once free to make big changes but she has been so intimidated by past political failure and compromised by so many big corporate contributions that one has to wonder just how free she is these days and honestly the Clintons made too many compromises anyway. John Edwards intended to take these problems head on, no more messing around, no more floating it off. He might have owed the trial lawyers in the end but lobbying reform would have come to cover a multitude of "sins" and if you were looking for a candidate never tainted with money you will not find one in this election. Edwards was far from the perfect candidate but he was the closest on the issues at the core of our trouble.
The media giants, exploiting certain perceptions, saddled Edwards with the "light" label, as in lack of gravitas, but if you remember in 2004 he sat down to debate V.P.Dick Cheney, Mr. Ice, mister boardroom chairman himself, and by most accounts won the debate. Edwards clearly did not get fair media coverage this past summer of 2007 as all we heard was Obama and Hillary, Obama and Hillary. The media conveniently kept Edwards in the background, his positions unarticulated and undramatized. We do well to remember that the mainstream media is owned by corporations themselves wanting influence over our congressmen and Edwards intended to stand directly in the way of that influence.
Knowing what we know about this country and what is at the core of it's problems narrows down the field of true change agent candidates. The love of money breeding corrupt power is at root of it. John Edwards was at the bullseye of it. The loss of Edwards is the loss of the leader in this endeavor but not the loss of hope or the potential for justice to be sought in a couple of other candidates.
Obama finally being moved by his own impassioned speech might actually do something to fight corruption in government but don't expect the Clintons to fight lobbying and campaign finance corruption, expect them to use it. They have spent their lives working within the system figuring out how to use it. They make limited changes for the people within the same old corrupt framework but all along the 50 million uninsured do not get insured and the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Remember? That is the sobering reality check but yet inside hope still flickers, should it come down to it, that if we are to bear the Clintons there would be something bolder, something different in this new political entity Billary.
In top hat and tails steps up United States Senator John McCain...but is the tradeoff worth it?
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