Edwards vs Clinton and the Politics of Parsing: Videos

2 Comments

1. 

   BruceMcF on November 2, 2007 at 12:55 pm

   For Iowa and New Hampshire especially, this is excellent strategy.

   Many Iowa and New Hampshire voters want to hear where the candidate stands on the issues … even if its just to get a gut feeling … and the problem with well-written, well-poll-tested, well-focus-grouped answers is that when you push behind them, there is sometimes nothing there.

   And the thing is, there is no way anybody can challenge John Edwards with “Where’s the Beef” … on issue after issue, he’s the man with the plan, with a clear stand, and willing to lay it out even when a voter in a town hall clearly disagrees with him on that specific issue.

   On Senator Clinton’s side, the piling on rejoinder will increase the strength of her support among many of her supporters … but also undercuts her effort to appear “hawkish” and “strong”, so its a mixed bag.

   And the most effective way to respond to the “piling on” riposte is to establish that there is something there that everyone could see and everyone was pointing out.

2. 

   james siebert on November 2, 2007 at 1:54 pm

   Edwards is challenging with the Moral Test of our Generation:

   John Edwards is making the case for fixing the Washington System, and putting the People back in the Driver’s Seating.

   It is not an accident that the government of the United States cannot function on behalf of its people, because it is no longer our people’s government – and we the people know it.

   This corruption did not begin yesterday – and it did not even begin with George Bush – it has been building for decades – until it now threatens literally the life of our democracy.
   …

   And in Iraq – while our nation’s brave sons and daughters put their lives on the line for our country – we now have mercenaries under their own law while their bosses sit at home raking in millions.  
   …

   It goes on every minute of every day.
   …

   Companies like Wal-Mart lobby against inspecting containers entering our nation’s ports, even though expert after expert agrees that the likeliest way for a dirty bomb to enter the United States is through a container, because they believe their profits are more important than our safety.  What has become of America when America’s largest company lobbies against protecting America?
   …

   This is not the America I believe in.

   The hubris of greed knows no bounds.  Days after the homeland security bill passed, staffers from the homeland security department resigned and became homeland security consultants trying to cash in.  And, where was the outrage? There was none, because that’s how it works in Washington now.  It is not a Republican revolving door or a Democratic revolving door – it is just the way it’s done.
   …

   Today Hillary Clinton has taken more money from Washington lobbyists than any candidate from either party – more money than any Republican candidate.
   …

   The long slow slide of our democracy into the corporate abyss continues unabated regardless of party, regardless of the best interests of America.

   We have a duty – a duty to end this.

   I believe you cannot be for change and take money from the lobbyists who prevent change.  You cannot take on the entrenched interests in Washington if you choose to defend the broken system.

   http://blog.johnedwards.com/story/2007/10/29/13137/905
   —-

   Corporations and their Lobbyists may be “People too” —
   But our Constitution was NOT created FOR or BY these “Corporate Persons”.

   It’s time for The People, average citizens, to Take their Country Back,
   from the “status quo” Elites who would Outsource everything!
   (including their own responsibility for anything, BTW)

   It’s time to Outsource the “Status Quo”!