I have to admit that I was a bit surprised today with the relatively strong showing by John Kerry and the lackluster performance by John Edwards on This Week with George Stephanopolous this morning. Kerry seemed so well prepared and confident. Edwards, however, kept harping on his working class upbringing and protectionist trade policies. On other issues, he was vague, at best.
Then, on Meet the Press, Ralph Nader announced he would be running as an independent this year. Count me as someone who does believe that Nader's candidacy was one of the reasons why Gore "lost" in 2000, but I was impressed with Nader's vision of this country's problems and some of his general solutions. His rhetoric is a bit too strong to catch on with the mainstream, but his message is compelling. As one of my friends said today, "Could you imagine if Edwards had Nader's message?" Wow. That would be a powerful combination.
I want to hear someone talk about real issues surrounding education today - especially the gross inequality between some inner city schools and the more affluent suburban schools. I yearn for a candidate who can talk about ways to address the loss of American jobs overseas and our trade deficit without being a knee-jerk protectionist. I want someone who can talk about the federal debt and looming social security crisis in a way that helps us tackle it now with real solutions - including a tightening of the belt in Congress while asking wealthy Americans to pay more into social security and/or not take it when they retire. I want someone who can spark and engage in a debate over the conduct and course of American foreign policy in this new world we find ourselves living in.
I want real debate this year - not just electioneering. I know that's a lot to ask, but aren't we worth it?
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