Background

Ideology and 2008 Platform

As a legislator, Edwards has been an advocate of the Patriot Act, abortion rights, affirmative action, and the death penalty. On immigration, Edwards supported expanding the work visa program while engaging in a plan with Mexico to address border security and trafficking. He voted against two of three of the Bush administration's tax cuts and has been opposed to mandatory minimum sentencing for non-violent offenders.

Since his short time in the political sphere, Edwards has moved from a moderate, pro-business democrat to the far left. He has strong ties with unions and been reluctant to expose workers to the terms of free trade. Edwards has criticized oil firms for price gouging, drug companies for rising health costs, and mortgage lenders for charging high interest rates to poor families. The current tax system favors the rich, he claims, should be supplemented with the Earned Income Tax Credit for the poor. He hopes to eliminate poverty in America decreasing the rate by a third each decade.

On Iraq, He renounced his original support for the war in 2005 and now calls for an immediate reduction of 40,000-50,000 troops, followed by an "orderly and complete" withdrawal of combat forces within a year. Only enough troops to "prevent a genocide, deter a regional spillover of the civil war, and prevent an al-Qaeda safe haven" should remain in Iraq. He believes money should be injected into a "Marshall Corps" of bankers and experts that would keep Iraq from turning into a failed state. He has not been afraid to attack the Democrat-led Congress for failing to cut funding in Iraq.

His health care plan mimics Mitt Romney's in Massachusetts but also introduces a government health scheme that competes with private insurers to keep costs down. Edwards wants to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 80% before 2050 with a European style cap-and-trade system of carbon permits, improvements in energy efficiency, and investment in renewable energy.

This ambitious plan will require higher taxes which is something Edwards has been able to admit. This revenue would come from ending the Bush tax cuts, tax increases on capital gains, and closing the loophole for private-equity firms and hedge funds. (Source: the economist)

Early Life

John Edwards is from Seneca, South Carolina and raised in Robbins, North Carolina. The son of a textile-mill worker, Edwards was the first in his family to go to college. He studied textile technology at Clemson University and North Carolina State University and later earned his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). He met Elizabeth Anania at UNC who was also studying law. They married in 1977 and had their first two children. Following law school, Edwards clerked for a Federal judge and in 1978, started working as a trial attorney defending first, corporate clients and later, alleged victims of corporate negligence and medical malpractice. Their eldest child, Wade, was killed in a car accident in 1996 by strong winds that pushed his car off the highway. Following Wade's death, Edwards has two more children.

As an attorney, Edwards tried several memorable cases, several of which being against the American Red Cross for allegedly transmitting AIDS through contaminated blood products. His impassioned verbal ability was the key factor that influenced a jury to supply a favorable verdict in a high profile liability case. Riding on the success from this case, he became a plaintiff's lawyer and gained national attention for receiving similar verdicts and high dollar settlements. Edwards' career quickly advanced and in 1993, he began his own firm in Raleigh. The case that sent Edwards to the top involved a product liability lawsuit against Sta-Rite in 1997 which kept selling drain covers known to be dangerous. Despite twelve prior lawsuits, the drain covers were distributed without warnings and a small child was disemboweled by the suction of a pump with a cover that had not been installed properly. The $25 million settlement became the largest personal injury award in North Carolina history and Edwards reaped more attention for his ability to captivate the jury. In December 2003, during his first presidential campaign, Edwards co-published a biographical book that focuses on cases from career.

Political Career

The attention Edwards received from the success of the Sta-Rite case sent him into public office. In 1998, Edwards ran as the Democratic candidate in the 1998 U.S. Senate race against incumbent Republican Senator Lauch Faircloth. He served on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and U.S. Senate Committee on Judiciary. He was also a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a self-proclaimed moderate, pro-business group within the House and Senate. He introduced the Fragile X Research Breakthrough Act of 1999, promoting research into and the development of a cure for the disease, and the Spyware Control and Privacy Protection Act to control spyware. As a cosponsor of 203 bills, many find his legislative record "unremarkable" at best (Source: the economist), and at worst, contradictory. He cosponsored and voted for the Iraq Resolution, authorizing the use of military force against Iraq. Edwards defended his position in 2004 later in an interview on Meet the Press with Tim Russert saying that "it was the right thing to do to give the president the authority to confront Saddam Hussein.". On November 15, 2005, he wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post expressing regret for supporting the war in 2002 and offering three solutions for a successful resolution to the ongoing conflict.

Presidential Campaigns

In 2000, Edwards prematurely launched his campaign for the democratic nomination in the presidential election but officially announced his intention to run in 2003. Rather than seek a second term in the Senate, he decided to focus on his presidential campaign. His campaign was sprinkled with populist language, which drove at the hearts of people who saw themselves as an average hard-working American. His signature stump speech described "two Americas", one for the privileged and one for everyone else. Ultimately, Edwards failed to win a single state in the democratic primaries and withdrew from the presidential race. After withdrawing from the race, he went on to win the April 17 Democratic caucuses in his home state of North Carolina, making him the only Democratic candidate besides Kerry to win nominating contests in two states. On July 6, 2004 Kerry announced his decision to make Edwards his vice presidential running mate. Kerry and Edwards lost the presidential race to George W. Bush and vice president Dick Cheney.

Since the end of the 2004 elections, Edwards has kept himself visible in the public eye. He has been fundraising for the Democratic Party, speaking at universities promoting poverty alleviation, and directing the Center on Poverty at UNC. He has made several tours around the country addressing a variety of progressive issues that have garnered support for his 2008 presidential bid. He was a co-chair on a Council on Foreign Relations task force on United States-Russia relations with former Republican congressman Jack Kemp. He has also been involved in efforts to raise the national minimum wage. John Edwards officially announced his candidacy for President in the 2008 election in December of 2006 from a New Orleans home that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. His platform focuses on eliminating poverty in 30 years, curbing global warming, universal health care, and an immediate withdraw from Iraq.

Professional Positions

• Dearborn & Ewing: Associate, 1978
• Tharrington, Smith & Hargrove: 1981
• Senator from North Carolina: 1999-2005
• [Vice]Presidential Candidate: 2004
• Presidential Candidate: 2008

Accomplishments

Criticism

Additional Information

All 4 John Edward videos that were Produced by Reille Hunter

Edwards Webisode 1: Plane Truths http://www.webcastr.com/videos/politics/edwards-webisode-1-plane-truths.html

John Edwards - Webisode 2 http://www.webcastr.com/videos/politics/john-edwards-missing-webisode.html

Missing Edwards Webisode 3 - Plight of Uganda http://www.webcastr.com/videos/politics/missing-edwards-webisode-3-plight-of-uganda.html

Missing Edwards Webisode 4 - Plugs http://www.webcastr.com/videos/politics/missing-edwards-webisode-4-plugs.html

Biography Links

• Wikipedia
• Edwards '08 Biography