June 22, 2006
Edwards's "Working Contract"
Ex-Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), evolving his pitch ahead of an anticipated presidential run in 2008, will propose to cut poverty by a third in 10 years, eliminate it in 30, and put in its place a "Working Society " where Americans are rewarded for hard work with a livable safety net of health and welfare incentives.
Edwards advisers describe the speech as a "major policy address," which means they want the national political media and activist Democrats to pay attention to it.
Notably, the speech advances beyond Edwards's "Two Americas" concept. One aide described that phrase as his identification of the problem -- a society where the wealthy are rewarded and the poor are ignored. This speech inaugurates a new phase -- solutions -- and a new phrase -- a "Working Society." (Well, it's not entirely new.)
A copy of his speech distributed to reporters and embragoed until this morning shows that Edwards proposes to "radically overhaul" the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development; to create 1 million "stepping stone" jobs over the next five years, to raise the minimum wage, and to refocus the American education system.
“I propose a great national goal, because Americans believe in achieving great things," Edwards plans to say. "Like JFK challenging America to land a man on the moon, a national goal of eradicating poverty will sharpen our focus, marshal our resources and at the end of the day, bring out our best."
“Besides, we need a goal. America will never get close to eliminating poverty until we set our sights and commit to try."
After his '04 loss, Edwards returned to North Carolina to tend to his ailing wife, Elizabeth. He soon opened the Center for Poverty, Work and Opportunity at UNC Chapell Hill. He's traveled to eight states considering a minimum wage boost, pressured North Carolina's legislature to pass one and spent weeks in New Orleans with volunteers helping Katrina recovery. Even when he travels to raise money for Democrats, he often meets privately with poor families.
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His speech today challenges conservatives:
“If conservatives really believed in markets, they'd join us in a more radical and more sensible solution: creating 1 million more housing vouchers for working families over the next five years. Done right, vouchers can enable people to vote with their feet to demand safe communities with good schools. We can help pay for this by cutting back HUD’s role in managing public housing, which it doesn’t do very well and often sticks working families in bad neighborhoods."
He challenges Dems:
“I believe in a Democratic Party that fights for those who have no voice: the forgotten middle class, the poor, those who have labored a lifetime, and all those who speak the truth against overwhelming public opinion And I believe in a Party willing to take stances that are right, whether or not they are popular. This is the tradition of America, fighting for what is right regardless of the odds, regardless of the power of those on the other side. It is what the Democratic Party I believe in is all about. We do not have to posture or to accept mediocrity or compromise our values. We can decide to be great, we can address great problems, we can see great possibilities. [MARC AMBINDER]
Posted at 07:56 AM
Comments
It sounds like Edwards is on the right track. It's good to hear a candidate addressing the real concerns of working Americans.
Jaded Prole | 06.22.06 02:49 PM
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I am against using vouchers to take funding away from public schools, but I think the idea of housing vouchers is a great one. That would help build communities up instead of pulling them apart.
Susanna | 06.22.06 03:41 PM
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