Why I Support John Edwards

[Ava]

2008 is my first time voting, and I'm excited to be involved in such an exciting and important election. I have been asked by many people who I am supporting for President and who I am endorsing as the creator of PeaceTakesCourage.com. I was a supporter of John Edwards in 2004 and I am a supporter again in 2008. Why? While I could go on for hours about why John Edwards is the candidate I support, I can easily sum it up in 5 reasons.

1. I am a 17 year old who will be voting for the first time in this upcoming election. I want a future I can look forward to. I want a future where my country isn't bogged down in debt and where we aren't in a disastrous war. I want a future where I can afford to go to college and where I can feel secure in the fact that I have a President who is MY President, the President of the average every-day Americans. John Edwards is that candidate.

2. John Edwards is populism's candidate. As he has said, the gap between America's richest and America's poorest is absolutely shameful. I believe that John Edwards is the best candidate to help low income families and the working class in America.

3. Americans need health care NOW! Every American should have access to affordable health care. The fact that this country has people that are ill and dying because they don't have access to health care is a failure on our part. I think the John Edwards will help heal this wound.

4. The war in Iraq has got to end. I want a President who will pledge to work to bring our troops home as soon as possible. John Edwards has done this.

5. JOHN EDWARDS CAN WIN! Our country is in a desperate state right now and we have absolutely got to make some changes. John Edwards has proven that we will make those changes and he also has proven that he can win the general election so that he is able to make those changes.

I support John Edwards as the nominee for the Democratic Presidential Candidate, and I'll be voting for him on Super Tuesday and supporting him as long as he is running. Go John GO!

- Ava Lowery
http://www.peacetakescourage.com
http://www.avasarmy.com

[Oceansaway]

1. TOUCHE !!..n/t

[Misskittycat]

25. Thanks, Ava. n/t

[bigtree]

2. great, Ava

:kick:

[The Traveler]

3. Excellent reasons

Very similar to my own. Except the age thing. I am older than dirt. :) Don't want to go gently into that good night knowing my own kids have no light in their future. If we do not restore the balance of power between the people and the corporatocracy soon, the future looks bleak for the average American.

K&R

Trav

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

4. Thank You For A Refreshingly Genuine, Benign, Yet Passionate Thread.

Can't argue with any of your reasons, and I love the tact you used in presenting it.

[Mrs. Overall]

5. You're a smart young woman.

[saracat]

6. Wonderful thread.Please post this on johnedwards.com!

[midnight]

7. Glad to know that you are thinking ahead.....

[balantz]

8. Right on Ava!!

Thank you for looking deeper into the candidates than many people do (young and old), and finding the one who represents change. I hope more of the younger voters take the time to do the important research at this most crucial crossroads for our country.

:hi:

[TwilightZone]

9. Excellent example of what the posts around here *should* be like!

Excellent reasons, as well.

[soleft]

10. 17 year old Ava, you've convinced me to vote Edwards in the primary

As long as Edwards is in it for me, I'm in it for Edwards.

[redqueen]

52. Yay!

:woohoo:

[onehandle]

11. Very nice. nt

[citizen53]

12. I am impressed by your post

Very much so.

[LSK]

13. K&R

[cgrindley]

14. Why not post this in GD politics? (nt)

[Triana]

15. Congrats Ava on your first time voting - you've given EXCELLENT reasons...

...for supporting your candidate. You're one smart young woman. I hope you will consider running someday for public office. But whether you do that or not, know that your head and heart are screwed on straight and are in the right place - win or lose.

You GO girl!

Very best wishes for your future. I hope Senator Edwards can help us ALL make sure we have bright, productive, and prosperous futures. Frankly, I think he's the one candidate that will abolutely ensure it and fight for it on our behalf.

WELCOME to the Edwards camp!

T

[judaspriestess]

16. I am so happy to hear this.........

Thank you for posting

[AndyA]

17. Thanks Ava.

You are correct - John Edwards is in this for us, not for himself and not for the powers that be. We have the opportunity to change the direction of America with our vote this year.

I don't want to look back and regret that I didn't have the courage and the insight to stick with the only candidate who is really doing this to make MY LIFE better. That's why I'm voting for Edwards, and I'll support him as long as he's in the running.

I REFUSE TO ALLOW THE CORPORATE MEDIA TO TELL ME WHO TO VOTE FOR!

And I think I'm going to put that in my signature line right now.

[Ellinorianne]

18. Thank you Ava

for articulating so well why you support John Edwards. I think it's so important to let people know that Obama has not cornered the market on young voters. My first chance to vote was in 1992 and I campaigned and voted for Bill Clinton. It's a different time now, I don't want a Clinton, Hillary is an amazing advocate and Senator but I really do think it's time we go in a different direction and not just in terms of race and gender (Obama says he's for change and I believe him, but he's just not going to take on these companies like I think John will).

Thanks again and keep fighting the good fight. I support Edwards for the sake of my five year old girl, I want her future to be better and everyone elses.

[Yael]

19. Well done, Ava!

[LizW]

20. Kick n/t

[sinkingfeeling]

21. I'm supporting him until the end.

[ultraist]

22. Wise choice, Ava!

Welcome aboard.

BTW, I have always enjoyed your videos, wonderful work!

[Catchawave]

23. Lovely endorsement from a refreshing young voice !

The Edwards campaign is very lucky to have you as a supporter :D

[donheld]

24. God I hope John can pull it off

He's our best hope.

[smokey nj]

26. I couldn't agree with you more, Ava!!!

K&R!!

[jsamuel]

27. Thanks Ava! I agree Edwards is the best choice.

[BrklynLiberal]

28. You and your posts give me hope for the future of this country....

:thumbsup:

[OneGrassRoot]

29. Absolutely! K&R, Dear Ava! n/t

[otherlander]

30. Hey!

This is the first election I'll be voting in, too. I would have liked to support Hillary or Obama, because it would be nice to have someone who wasn't a white man be president for a change, but Edwards just seems to have better ideas, so I'm supporting him too.

Reluctantly.

[Seabiscuit]

31. Thanks Ava! Great summation.

It is a welcome change to hear from a young person supporting John Edwards. :hi:

[Booster]

32. I knew you were smart - great points.

[drm604]

33. Thank you Ava. K&R!

:kick:

[MrsBrady]

34. go edwards!!! n/t

[Lugnut]

35. Thank you, Ava.

:kick:

[jannyk]

36. K&R Hooray for Ava!!!

[The River]

37. Nice Post Ava

This my 10th presidential election
and I'm still looking for the America
I was taught about in school.

I believe John Edwards might finally deliver it.

[Mythsaje]

38. Well said, Ava!

Kicked and Recommended.

[pamela]

39. I was wondering who you were supporting.

I am so glad it's Edwards. I swear, I was just thinking of you. I was listening to Eddie Vedder's song "No More" and thinking it would make a great video for Edwards' anti-war/pro-veteran message. I was thinking "I wish I had Ava's skills."

Anyway, I digress :P , I'm just so glad you are an Edwards supporter and not at all surprised. Come join us in the Edwards Supporters group. We could use your energy, creativity and talent. Oh, and check out lame54's new video. I think you'll like it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZxOYF9ZAe0

[AJ9000]

40. Right on Ava! Edwards is our best compromise between platform and electability

[asdjrocky]

41. Wow-

It is so great to hear from someone your age who supports Edwards. My daughter also seventeen, and she also supports Edwards, but she started with Obama.

Thanks for the post. K&R!

[Inspired]

42. Oh Ava! This is the BEST endorsement of all!

[H2O Man]

43. Very good!

John Edwards is a great choice.

[Tennessee Gal]

44. You rock!

:yourock:

[Laelth]

45. Endorsements are good.

Yours is excellent. Cheers!

:toast:

-Laelth

[liberalla]

46. I'm so glad you have chosen to support John Edwards!

He's the one, and he CAN win!

Onwards, Upwards, Edwards. 2008

[Seabiscuit]

47. Welcome back, Ava! And thank you for your input. Nice summary.

[Dem MS]

49. May i pose a question that will be wildly unpopular?

The beautiful part of our democracy is that there are many people who are allowed to run for President, and all citizens have the right to choose whomever they want. However, as great as this is, not everybody has a chance to be President. John Edwards has been carved in as the third candidate among Democrats, and is very unlikely, i dare say even not possible at all, to climb back up and truly challenge these other two candidates. Being an Obama fan, i admit this question is biased. But of the other two candidates, one could not argue that Edwards has the most in common with Obama. And again most could not argue with the fact that Hillary Clinton is either loved or hated, none in between. If Edwards supporters, and Edwards himself, believe and want change so much, how is not the smart thing to do drop out for the good of the party and the country???

[redqueen]

54. Edwards' message is not the same as Obama's.

Obama is preaching unity with repukes.

Edwards is promising to fight them tooth and nail.


That's my guess.

[Seabiscuit]

57. Your first suspicion is the correct one.

Calling for a premature exit by Edwards from the race just to benefit Obama, as you want to believe it would, has not only been "wildly unpopular" on DU, but roundly condemned as arrogant, obnoxious, and offensive by all but a ratherr rude and nasty band of Obama supporters.

Obama talks "change" but cannot give a clear answer to any question about what he'll change or how he'll change it. It seems the only "change" he's offering is his race - he wants to be the first black President. He actually made that point in one of his speeches about "hope" and "change" - that the "change" we can expect from him is his dream of changing the skin color of the one who sits in the Oval Office.

And if his recent rambling discourses on Ronald Reagan and on health care is any indication, when it comes to "change", beware what you wish for when he's the one calling for it.

Edwards has formulated very specific programs on all the issues, each of which represent the only kind of "change" this country needs right now. I am in agreement with MLK III - Edwards must stay in the race - either to win or become the power broker and kingmaker at the convention with his delegates, which should be substantial in number by then.

[unapatriciated]

65. Well said...

We have a right to support the candidate of our choice, that is why we have primaries.

[Cant trust em]

92. To be fair

I don't think that the poster you are responding to has been arrogant, obnoxious or offensive. His post was posing a question, admits that it would be unpopular on this thread and was unemotional. He/she deserves at least that much credit.

Here's to Edwards staying in as long as he can!

[JuniperLea]

102. never mind... eom

[ChiciB1]

76. Quitters Never Win & Losers NEVER Quit... Simple. As For The GOOD

of the country, he IS the good of the country. With the constant drum beat day in and day out of only Clinton and Obama, would it be possible for YOU to imagine what it has taken for him to still be standing??

It seems you are unable to see that MSM has essentially made him into an "also ran" candidate, and many of us see this truth! They did it to the other Democratic candidates too! It's been Clinton & Obama from the get go and too many Americans are very uninformed because many only listen to what MSM feeds them!

If a name gets repeated enough, ear worms grow in your ear!! Just like a song you hear over and over on the radio, or an advertisement that catches your fancy...ear worms grow in you ear!!

Go, Johnny, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

[ChiciB1]

78. Got that Backwards... Quitters Never Lose & Losers Never Win... Sorry

I didn't proof read, it's late here and I'm very sleepy!

[JuniperLea]

101. never mind... eom

[JDPriestly]

48. Thank you, Ava.

[HooptieWagon]

50. A K&R for Ava

Congratulations on being able to vote in '08 !

[redqueen]

51. Aw, I'm so glad to see you're on board!

Thank you!

:yourock:

[Cleita]

53. Well said Ava! You have made an excellent choice!n/t

[dandylion]

55. WOW!

Edwards IS the hope of America!
Thanks to you as well Ava! It's great to see young people taking an active part in what's going on around them!

[onehandle]

56. Hey Edwards bashers... Cat got your tongue? nt

[Seabiscuit]

58. See #49.

:-(

[onehandle]

61. Not one of the usual suspects.

Or is it?

:hide:

[Seabiscuit]

64. I don't think so.

Simply because he's not on my "ignore" list. Yet.

But he's using the "usual suspect" m.o. and refrain: enter a thread about Edwards by and for Edwards supporters and put up a post saying Edwards doesn't have a chance and should drop out for the good of the party and the country.

All the others so far that have pulled that stunt are now on my "ignore" list. Guess I just somehow missed this one.

[lisainmilo]

59. Glad to hear that Ava!

Smart kid....some day we may be voting you in!

[Danger Mouse]

60. I agree. John Edwards till the bloody end!

[stravu9]

62. Never Surrender!

Never Give Up!

[progressoid]

63. Oh you kids...

:thumbsup:

[and-justice-for-all]

66. No other candidate will do!! We need Edwards!!! nt

[madmax]

67. Been holding back on my decision.

But, I've finally decided on John Edwards. Thanks Ava, you captured my thoughts in your post.

[redqueen]

90. Yay!

:)

[sonias]

68. Ava that's a great post

I think your going to enjoy your first vote in this presidential year. Good for you.

Sonia

[stravu9]

69. on another note

don't deign to answer all the attack posts .
it just perpetuates them .
do like John , keep positive and on point.
they want nastiness, don't drink the kool aid!
let them wallow in their own filth!
they seem to enjoy it!


be better than the rest, GO JOHN!

[Biscottiii]

70. Nicely worded Ava! I totally agree.

I think one of the major reasons I support Edwards is because he isn't allowing the lobbyists to buy his campaign - leaving him endlessly beholden once he gets into the Presidential Office. Yes, I know that makes it more difficult financially but that's what I consider real "CHANGE"!

The media keeps yelling that they're for the FIRST:

- Female president
- AA president

Maybe John Edwards will be the FIRST:

- "Public Matching Funded" President!!!
He has my support until the end.

[redqueen]

91. Hi Biscottii!

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[Greylyn58]

71. I remember when I was able to vote for the first time

I was extremely excited. It was a very important race as well. It was 1976, I had just graduated High School and I was excited that the voting age had been dropped so I could participate in my first election. This country had just gone through the terrible Nixon years...The end of Vietnam, Watergate, the resignation of his VP and then his resignation to escape impeachment.

The 1976 election was huge as far as I was concerned, so I totally understand where you are coming from. I will say this, as terrible as I thought things were then, what has been done to us over the last 7 years can't compare. Bush has completely destroyed this country and it is going to take a fighter, someone who has vision and refuses to back down.

John Edwards embraces all of these qualities and that is why I support him. Good for you on being so intelligent and cutting through all the smoke and mirrors that the MSM throw up. His message is out there and it is real.

[ekwhite]

74. My first election was 1972

We had a lot of the same problems we have now - the economy, the war (Vietnam). I remember enthusiastically campaigning for McGovern, the anti-war candidate. I have a grown a lot more cynical in my old age, but I still have that idealistic teenager inside me somewhere...and 1976 - Jimmy Carter was a breath of fresh air after Nixon, just as Edwards would be after 8 years of Bush.

PS: Great looking dog - Golden's are one of my favorite breeds.

[ChiciB1]

72. Haven't You Posted Here Before With Some Very Intellectual & Thought

provoking ideas regarding politics?? For a young woman of your age, you seem much more mature than many other older and supposedly knowledgeable people here. I applaud your choice and applaud your insight.

I'm delighted to see someone your age can look so objectively at a certain reality that has engulfed this country. A country I once thought worked for the the people. And I'm especially delighted that you have chosen John Edwards because I myself believe he is our best choice.

Thanks for looking through the glitz and showboating that seems to be happening, you are a breath of fresh air. My own grandson has decided he will vote for Edwards too, after getting caught up in the Obama mish-mosh! This is his first time voting too. I must add that he came to this decision on his own also, and he certainly has made me proud. YOU are our future! You have impressed me as my own grandson has. Unfortunately, we live in Florida and it upsets me that HIS first time has gotten so screwed up down here. But as I told him, I came to politics at a very young age (11) and I learned early how it feels to lose, but if you feel in your heart that who you chose is the best, you don't really lose and it builds strength and character!


I haven't used the word "hope" for so very long, but I'm seeing a glimmer of it with you some of the younger generation today. Those of you who have actually stopped to "think" about what it means to pay attention NOW. Keep up the good work for I fear very soon this country is in for a "bumpy" ride!

Than you again!

[ekwhite]

73. Good Choice and Good Reasoning

I have supported John Edwards both for sentimental reasons (my family history is not so different from his) and because of his campaigning for the poor and downtrodden in America. I totally agree with your 5 reasons. It has been a long time since I was 17, but I also hope for a future I can look forward to. Thanks for the post.

[wundermaus]

75. Bravo!

I am speechless. What you have expressed is so clear and pure... I am simply in awe. I can't wait to vote for YOU someday.

[fooj]

77. Once again, YOU GIVE ME HOPE.

[jwirr]

79. Thank you, Ava.

[KillCapitalism]

80. K&R Young Lady!

Edwards has my vote on Super Tuesday also.

It's good to see that you're excited about getting out to the polls, I wish more people your age felt the same way.

[happygoluckytoyou]

81. THE MAN THE CORPS AND GOP HATES THE MOST

AND YET HE COULD RUN THE SHOW AND UNITE THE COUNTRY

[puebloknot]

82. Ava, I'm a soldier's daughter, and I'm so comforted to see...

...an army of a different stripe taking root in the consciouness of the country and the world.

Thanks for this great post. I support Edwards, too, for all the reasons you've stated -- very eloquently!

[eridani]

83. If you are serious about universal health care--

--then Kucinich ought to be your candidate. You might have already noticed that Edwards is starting to get the Kucinich treatment from the MSM.

[glowing]

85. Edwards has a way of transitioning into universal healthcare..

Kucinich plan would bankrupt many families if the current insurance model were to be replaced overnight with a universal system.. to me that is not sound policy. My sis-n-law processes ins. claims.. Under the Kucinich plan, overnight, she'd no longer have a job. I personally feel the Edwards model would bring a smoother transition into universal healthcare.

[eridani]

86. You are forgetting that the only value that insurance companies add is claims processing

Coincidentally, that is the also the function that requires the most warm bodies. If this function were performed by government employess, the government could flat out demand that NONE of this work be outsourced. That would save jobs right there.

I feel that the Edwards model will make our two tier medical system far worse, tagging Medicare and public plans as welfare for sick people which will always be cut,while the non-cick continue to fatten the bottom lines of insurance companies.

[glowing]

98. This model is in other countries as well. And would transition the people

who know how to do the work into a position working for the govt

[eridani]

105. The model Edwards is proposing could easily translate into a Massachussetts disaster

Eliminate a couple of key provisions about how big subsidies can be and the anti-cherrypicking provision, and it will quickly go downhill from there.

[eridani]

87. Further division of the risk pool is absolutely insane

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/74039 /

A fundamental mistake of all incremental efforts now underway across the country towards universal coverage is the disconnect between insurance and health care. Here we find an increasing gap. Many people with insurance find cost-sharing an increasing burden with benefits decreasing and out-of-pocket costs taking ever larger bites from their household income. "Underinsurance" is defined by the Commonwealth Fund as medical expenses amounting to 10 percent of annual income or more (5 percent for adults below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, which is set at $41,300 for a family of four in 2007). Yet many millions of "insured" Americans are having to spend much more than that on health care. Two million people were forced into bankruptcy by medical bills in 2001, the most recent year for which data are available; three-fourths of them were employed and insured at the outset of their medical problems.

The Medicare-like public option is an interesting idea, but does not make sense for several reasons. We have yet to show that the political process can yield a level playing field for competition between public and private programs. Another round of government subsidies would give the private insurance industry yet another opportunity to further divide the risk pool, concentrating the sick in Medicare, which could threaten its future viability. We would likely march toward even more of a two-tier system than we have now, and Medicare would face an increased risk of becoming a welfare program for sick people with significant medical problems. It would perpetuate a role for private health insurance and accept the illusion that it provides a valuable adjunct to health care financing when it is already clear that it doesn't. The battle over the industry's future needs to be fought, as it inevitably will. The Medicare-like option would simply delay that battle, perhaps losing an opportunity for real reform. Whatever further structures were put in place to implement the Medicare-like plan could themselves add to the obstacles of replacing an obsolete private financing system. If Medicare became excessively saddled with the most expensive care of a smaller population without adequate funding, its conservative critics could correctly claim that, "The government program can't do the job."

[glowing]

99. If I had the option of paying for medicare out of my check, I'd take that

over the HMO insurance anyday.. a lot of employers would also like to choose that option too... But you cannot just turn off a system without setting up something for the many people who work in the insurance arena... It is a huge industry... Where do they all go in one day?

[eridani]

104. Into claims processing for the government or retraining for doing actual care n/t

[Ava]

94. no thanks, edwards is my candidate

i know about kucinich and his policies. i'm an edwards gal though.

[eridani]

97. I understand. You apparently have never gone hungry because your parents couldn't get insurance--

--at any price.

[Lochloosa]

84. Ava, I will be 71 when I get to cast my first vote for you as POTUS

:toast:

[chimpymustgo]

88. Ava: sound reasoning, excellent choice, great first vote!

Girl, you are really special.

:loveya:

[immoderate]

89. We are in agreement.

Edwards is my choice, mainly because I see him as less likely to support the corporate agenda.

--IMM

[focusfan]

93. i sure hope he gets elected

this will be my 3rd election to vote(i never bothered in the
past i voted against Bush both times though.

[SammyWinstonJack]

95. Yes!

:bounce:

[chimpymustgo]

96. Kick for Ava!

:kick:

[JuniperLea]

100. Always knew you were a very intelligent young woman!

You prove it over and over again, but I think this is your best thread ever!

With all the mud slinging and hair pulling going on around here, this must be the most mature OP in support of a candidate... perhaps ever!

:yourock:


Can I work on your campaign when you run for president? I'd like to work on the senate race too, but thought I'd better get dibs in on the prez deal right away;)


:hug:

[Fox Mulder]

103. I'm going to support Edwards now that Kucinich is giving up his bid for the WH.

[Clark2008]

106. While it's nice to see someone so young participating,

your very words are why I can never support John Edwards.

He's populism's candidate. Nevermind that he's never been a populist before, never did anything remotely askewed to that vein....therefore, he's simply a candidate - not the real thing.

American's need healthcare now. Yes... we do. John's platform, like HRC's and Obama's, still doesn't rid the system of the insurance industry. Only Kucinich proposed a real change: single-payer healthcare.

The war in Iraq does have to end - but, without John's helping cheerleading it's beginning, maybe we wouldn't have even been there.

For the record, I have no candidate and it's been very disturbing to me to see the choices I had, which weren't all that great to begin with, get whittled down to Triangulation, Inexperience and Phony.

:(

But, I do remember my first presidential election - I had to vote for Dukakis who I knew didn't have shot in hell, either.