In front of a crowd of somewhere between 400-2500 at the University of Mary
Washington on Tuesday,
Senate candidate
Jim Webb and former vice presidential candidate John Edwards spoke about
their critique of Republican rule and their visions for the future.
First, see for yourself: the local Fredericksburg newspaper has
video
of the full speeches of Webb and Edwards at the website (QuickTime plug-in
required) as does at Roadette has
key excerpts at
YouTube (very impressively put together) and
jelorick
has the Webb speech at YouTube.
My Thoughts
Jim and John emphasize slightly different lines of attack on BushCo/Allen
and slightly different visions of the future and together they really hit
George Allen and George Bush with a vicious 1-2 combination to the body and
head of BushCo. Webb emphasizes the Iraq war while Edwards emphasizes
domestic issues, but what I like is that they both comment on all issues
and do so in a way that emphasizes values.
Indeed, that's what I love about both Webb and Edwards -- their common sense
of civic virtue / community involvement / patriotism. Edwards
talks about this all the time, as he did at this speech:
"It is time to ask the American people to be patriotic about something more
than war! .... A sense of national community matters."
and so does Webb
"We should stop and think about the young men and women in harms way today
defending our country [he could do better here by emphasizing patriotism
and sacrifice explicitly rather than implicitly].... We need to focus
on basic issues of economic fairness and social justice."
I also like how, in a very intelligent and politically clever way, that Edwards
links virtue and civic involvement at home (building One America) with
morality on the world stage (discussing global poverty, education in India,
Darfur, AIDS, etc). Edwards argues that we have to show the world our
"better angels," our ethical form of government and social organization in
order to regain our status as the beloved leader of the free world. Once
we regain the world's voluntary support for our leadership, we can form alliances
which will successfully defeat militant Jihadism. As bulldog write,
"His ability to weave a a narrative together with important issues is simply
incredible."
Media Reports
From the
Fredericksburg
Free LanceStar report
Edwards, the former North Carolina senator with rock-star appeal, said "this
election is about change, about transforming America and about transforming
how the rest of the world sees America."...
"The United States is better than this," he said. "When I grew up, we were
the light [to the world]. We were not the country of Guantanamo and Abu
Ghraib."...
[Reporters] asked Webb to comment on Allen's character, alluding to the recent
accusations of using racial epithets.
Webb refused to do so, but Edwards remarked, "The reports that have been
surfacing are very troubling."
Don't bother with the Richmond Times-Dispatch's extremely pathetic
"report."
Some quick Excerpts (from mine and Lowell's rapid and rough transcripts
-- sometimes direct quotes sometimes just close)
Webb
Themes we've been running on:
1. We Must Reorganize Our Foreign Policy
Our foreign policy is complete disarray as a result of the occupation of
Iraq. I was an early warning voice -- with General Zinni -- against
the war in Iraq because it would harm our efforts in the War on Terrorism.
Early on I war critical of the WMD claim and the lack of an exit strategy
(because the administration never really planned to leave). The National
Intelligence Estimate has confirmed everything that people like Jim Webb
have been saying since before our invasion of Iraq. Specifically, the NIE
has verified that the occupation of Iraq has worsened the situation globally.
We need different types of leadership that don't have blinders on -- that
uses diplomatic solution that don't in anyway endanger this country.
2. Economic Fairness and Social Justice
We need to focus on basic issues of economic fairness and social justice.
We are splitting into Three Americas. The average CEO of a Fortune
500 company is making more than $8 million per year while workers' wages
are at their lowest point as a share of national wealth in history. There's
something wrong with that. The poor leadership in this country is not taking
care of working people in this country, and we need to.
3. Abuse of Power by this President Since 9/11
We've had an abuse of power in the executive branch since 9/11, and we need
to deal with that. I campaigned with Tammy Duckworth a month ago and we promise
that when we're elected we will call for the reinstitution of a modern day
Truman Commission to look into waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq. When
you've got $500 billion going out there and when we've got a one-party system
with no accountability -- something's wrong. We need to find out where
the American people have been defrauded. We need people who will stand up
to Bush and speak out: people like Russ Feingold ... Barack Obama ... and
John Edwards (huge applause for all three). My opponent has been with
this administration 95% of the time and with them on Iraq 100%.
Do you want to continue with the way things have gone for the last six years,
or do you want to move into the future with creative strong leadership? If
we work together we can bring that change
Edwards
"This election is about change, about transforming America, about transforming
the way the world looks at America. The kind of leader we need is a
man of character, strength and honesty who "couldn't tell a lie if his life
depended on it -- Jim Webb"
"What's missing today among American leaders is an understanding about our
responsibilities, both to the United States and to humanity. We Americans
have two responsibilities as leaders of the world. We have to keep
America strong. But we have a second responsibility to humanity.
And when we fail to meet that responsibility, there is an enormous
price to pay. And we see that right now. We have to be strong but we
can't just lead through strength. We have to have the moral authority
to lead. The rest of the world has to rally around the leadership of the
United States of America. When crisis in the world occur -- Lebanon,
Iran, etc -- we need to have countries to ally with us."
"Today, the world doesn't know who we are, and they need to know who we are
and what we care about. The results of a lack of leadership and the
world not knowing who we are has led to chaos from Egypt to Pakistan. We
have to lead morally. We have to lead on AIDs, on Darfur, on global
poverty. And where is America on these issue? I went deep into
the slums of Delhi in India and was shocked at the poverty and shocked to
happen upon kids going to school amongst the open sewers. Why doesn't
the world see the America that the vast majority of Americans believe in.
I love the Democratic Party; I love America more. There is so
much at stake in these November elections. One party has been
running this country for the last six years and they've failed -- America
and the American people are better than this. In these elections, the
future of the world is at stake. So, when you're out working for Jim
Webb, remember the big picture."
"I grew up in an America where we were the light to the world that other
country's looked up to. We're not the country of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo
Bay. We are better than this! And the world needs to see it."
"It is time for us to lead again and be the model for the world not just
"over there" but here in America too. It's time for the Democratic
Party, my Party, to lead again. There is a lot that can be done, the
kinds of things that Jim's opponent has been blocking in the Senate."
"We need to raise the minimum wage so that people who work can raise a family.
We can have an economy that works for everyone, not just the top 1%.
Middle-class wealth has been going down, poverty is up. I don't want
to live in an America where we've got a few rich people and everybody else.
We're better than this."
"And there are so many other places where leadership is missing. We
need universal healthcare for every man, woman and child in America. We
should not have working mothers with sick four-year-olds having to beg for
healthcare."
"We need to lead the way away from dependence on fossil fuels -- toward energy
independence. In the process we need to be honest with the country. We need
to innovate and invest in clean alternative sources of energy (wind, solar,
biofeuels, etc), but that isn't enough to get us off oil. It is time for
us to ask the American people to be patriotic about something more than war.
If we want to live in a stronger and more secure America, we're going
to have to be patriotic to conserve and not use as much energy as we do
today."
"When I talk about the future, I'm not talking about what I need to do, but
what we need to do."
"As I have traveled around America I've realized that there is a hunger
[among Americans] to be inspired again. People want to be proud to
be Americans. A sense of national community matters. It says
something about America that we have millions in poverty and millions without
health insurance. We need to call on Americans to be willing to sacrifice.
I have seen young people change this country before. I saw kids
lead the struggle with courage for civil rights, against the Vietnam war,
and to end apartheid in South Africa. You can change America again.
We cannot wait for someone else to do it. We have to do it.
And our power to do it together is amazing. There is nothing
we can't do together."
"I came here today to ask you to join Jim and I in this cause. Because
that's what it is; it 'snot about politics. This is about whether we're
going to live in a just and righteous and honest America and if America is
going to lead in a just and moral world. Join us in this cause. God
bless you, y'all have been very friendly, thanks very much.
Recommended Reading
Note, there have already been a few good enthusiastic and quality diaries
written on this event (I've just added some analysis, media reports and my
rough transcript of the speeches).
See: Lowell Feld's officially unofficial report here at
DailyKos
(which ever-so-briefly made the Recommended) and at
RaisingKaine,
bulldog's
first-hand report of the rally, and
Rodette's rally
cliff-notes. Off DailyKos, see the comments on the
Webb-Edwards
Fundraiser in Oakton at RaisingKaine.
FYI: Edwards has been tirelessly crossing the country stumping with Democrats.
Just this week he was at Ron
Kinds (WI-3 incumbent)
5th
Annual Old Fashioned Corn Roast in Wisconsin and in Florida to
stump
with Jim Davis who is running
for governor, etc, etc.
Today, John Edwards is
on
his way to Uganda at the invitation at the
International Rescue Committee organization
while Elizabeth is with the kids and doing the
book
tour thing for
Saving
Graces. She, John and daughter Cate were on
Oprah
yesterday (see media reports on the Edwards on Oprah at
USAToday
and the
Charlotte
Observer)
To be crossposted at One America
Committee.