Why you should look at Edwards

In July, I gathered in a park in Portsmouth, N.H. to see someone whom I regarded as something of a joke. But what I saw that evening was a brilliant articulation of the issues and values that face America.

In July, John Edwards had already begun taking his message of hope and opportunity to the country. He was more specific then any other candidate at the time with a whole host of straightforward programs.

He guaranteed one year of college to every high-school senior. He guaranteed health care for every child in America. More than the specific programs though, John Edwards fully laid out the over-arching problems facing the nation at home and abroad. So by August, I was in an old shoe repair shop ripping nails and painting the walls of the new Edwards for President field office in Portsmouth.

In January, I found myself putting in the fifteen-hour days that most people believe were only performed by Deaniacs. Now in February, Edwards has emerged as the last challenger in the democratic field.

"Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear," was how Sen. Edwards summed up his amazing showing in Wisconsin. Here at Tufts, we continue to read about the Kerry/Dean clash, as the articles in this space on Feb. 18 showed. Well, it is now clear that Edwards is the 'real deal.' I apologize for bringing this slogan back to these pages.

After great showings in Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma and a victory in South Carolina, Edwards is showing that his plan to unite the "two Americas" is resonating all over the country. Previous writers in this space were alright, but they are still stuck in a Kerry vs. Dean mindset. Wednesday's column talked about Kerry's apparent advantages against the President when compared to Dean's "raw meat." What was left out was that Kerry and Edwards poll about the same when matched head-to-head against the President. The CNN/ Gallup poll put Kerry and Edwards at 55 percent against President Bush's 43-44 percent.

Kerry is no longer matched up to a populist candidate prone to gaffes and electability questions. Edwards, with a heavy Carolina drawl, always articulates the populist message to perfection. Voters are drawn to how Edwards can personalize every issue in his stump speeches. In Wisconsin, voters who identified "caring about people like them" as the top quality in a candidate picked Edwards by a 17 point margin over Kerry. Most Wisconsin voters chose the economy and jobs as their number one issue. Those voters chose Edwards by 11 points over Kerry.

Edwards spent his career as a lawyer, fighting corporate abuses. Some people characterize that as simply ambulance chasing, but Edwards reminds everybody how important each and every case that came before him was. Also, Edwards has a tax credit targeted at helping any American make the down payment on a home. He is proposing to offer federal savings accounts that match dollar for dollar the savings of Americans.

These are two examples of Edwards fighting to strengthen the middle class, which is the life-blood of any economy. In the Senate, Edwards passed the patients bill of rights. He continued after 9/11 to write three terrorism-related bills focused on cybersecurity, WMD preparedness, and airport and seaport protection. This gives Edwards the record and the charisma that has been carrying his message farther than any other challenger.

The real surprise now is how the voters of Wisconsin asked the nation to keep listening to the cause of a political outsider. I urge everybody at Tufts to go out on CSPAN or the Internet take a look at the only candidate left who is championing the cause of unity and opportunity.

I picked John Edwards because I believe in his message and personality. If you are one of the 'I just want to beat W.' voters then look how Edwards drew 11 percent more independent voters than Kerry in Wisconsin. Of those who decided in the last three days, 50 percent voted for Edwards. While I chose Edwards months ago, I wouldn't mind if you chose him in these last few weeks.

Luke Shulman is a freshman with an undeclared major.