Last night, former Democratic Party Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards appeared with Barack Obama to endorse Obama's candidacy at the Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids. The endorsement came as a surprise to many in attendance as well as those in the media, who had been told that the rally would focus on "the economy." However, by the time Obama went on stage around 6:40pm, the national corporate media was reporting that Obama planned to speak briefly and then introduce Senator Edwards who would speak and make his endorsement.
Obama opened the rally by expressing regret that he was unable to campaign in Michigan during the primary--due to his removing himself from the Michigan ballot in response to an internal debate within the Democratic party--and said that he would bring up "one of the greatest leaders in the Democratic Party" to make up for it. With that, Obama introduced Edwards. Edwrads praised both of the top candidates--Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama--as being "amazing" candidates. He said that Senator Hillary Clinton is a strong candidate that shares many of the same positions as those in the audience--concerns about healthcare, unemployment, and the belief that America "needs change." His praise of Clinton segued into Edwards discussing the importance of Democrats coming together behind a candidate in the fall.
However, Edwards made it clear that he was there to support the Obama campaign and praised Obama and his supporters' belief that there can be a profound change. He cited issues such as a belief that troops can start coming home now from Iraq, that the education system can be improved, that cars can be powered by alternative fuels, that jobs can fill empty factories, and that "two Americas can become one America." Edwards spoke about the "wall" preventing people from joining the America that is in Washington DC--big corporations and lobbyists--that are protecting a system that takes care of them while ignoring working people. Edwards spoke eloquently about class divisions in the United States as they related to education and school funding inequities and universal healthcare, and his comments were clearly designed to boost Obama's support among working class voters.
Edwards--in stating that the nomination was essentially sealed by Obama--said that he and voters had "made their choice" and that there is one man who knows that we need to make a change. Edwards said that the election is about more than politics as usual, but that is instead about tearing down the walls that create "two Americas" and putting the people first. Edwards also said that Obama would work to "end the war" in 2009, despite the fact that Obama's Iraq plan does not set a specific deadline to end the occupation.
Following Edwards's endorsement, Obama thanked him for his support and his work towards ending poverty in the United States. Obama said that universal health care would be a central issue of his candidacy and campaign, as it was for Edwards' campaign. Obama praised Edwards for directing the campaign towards the needs of those struggling in America rather than "distracting issues" such as polls. He said that he and Edwards--unlike President Bush and Republican candidate John McCain--believe that everyone should have access to healthcare, education, food, and shelter regardless of income if they are willing to work.
Obama said that Edwards brought the issue of poverty into the campaign--despite its unpopularity--and Obama said that it is an issue that still needs to be talked about. He said that he would "carry the fight" against poverty into the White House and promised "to lift up every American out of poverty." Obama endorsed a recent plan by John Edwards to reduce poverty by half in ten years and pledged to make it a goal in his White House. Edwards' plan calls for reducing poverty by a combination of expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, raising state and federal minimum wages, increasing the number of low-income families receiving childcare assistance, and increasing eligibility for unemployment insurance. While Obama said that they could start by creating 5 million green jobs in renewable energy, eliminating tax breaks for the wealthy, and improving job skills, the specifics were generally related in vague terms and he never articulated the specifics of Edwards' campaign.
With regard to foreign policy, Obama said that the Iraq War has prevented the United States from "going after al-Qaeda in Afghanistan with all we've got." He said that the war has cost hundreds of lives lost and millions of dollars. He explained that those reasons were why he opposed the war in 2002 and why he will "bring it to a close in 2009." He made no mention of the fact that his Iraq policy will not end the occupation of Iraq, but rather will only reduce the number of troops without setting a definitive date for withdrawal. Similarly, Obama has refused to call for the removal of private security contractors from Iraq who are now providing critical assistance to the US occupation.
Obama closed by saying that the United States faces an important choice between him and John McCain, who Obama said represents eight more years of Bush's politics. Obama said that by contrast, he is offering the politics of "hope" and "change" rather than "fear." He said that if people set aside the politics of fear and embrace "hope," his campaign would not only win the election but also change America.
In addition to the endorsement from John Edwards, Obama also received endorsements from Pride PAC--an LGBT rights political action committee (PAC) here in Michigan--and the pro-choice group NARAL.
