Post Debate Unraveling

Go here for a good summary without reading an entire transcript. The main points are all here.

I thought Edwards did well again. After the jump I have posted a letter from Martin Luther King III that the Edwards campaign sent out yesterday. If you don't receive the campaign email, take a minute and read it. It's very moving, imploring Edwards to keep up his fight on behalf of the poor and the oppressed in the name of King's legacy. It repeats Edwards' affirmation during the debate that he's going to keep fighting for his issues, even if they aren't big vote getters.

I thought it was disgusting how many questions Obama and Clinton were asked about each other and their petty bickering. Time that could have been spent discussing issues. Instead we get, "Why don't you like him (her/her husband)?" Perfect demonstration of the failure of our political media to take the issues seriously. We have a world economic meltdown on our hands and CNN is worried about playground name calling. I wanted to smack Suzanne Malveaux.

The "sit down" part of the debate was a huge improvement, with Hillary doing a good job, I think, of putting the differences between the candidates into context. Obama at times seemed to be struggling for words. I worry about him frankly in a sparring match against a GOP opponent, although we've seen before how poorly a Republican can do in debates and still be considered the winner. Still, in spite of some winning lines, I thought Obama clearly came in third in this debate.

Edwards really drew blood tonight on the lobbyist issue. Hillary looked horrible on this issue, and when she accused Edwards of taking money from trial lawyers, he drilled her, saying it's not the same thing--lawyers represent citizens, not corporations, and they are contributing to his campaign not to enrich corporations but to be able to continue to SUE corporations on behalf of the little guy. Great answer, and shame on Hillary for trotting out the GOP trial lawyer bogey man. Then when it was Obama's turn he said, "No one's hands are clean." I thought that was a real admission of defeat on his part, really disappointing and cynical, and not indicative of the "hope" agenda he is advocating. I understand Obama is trying to be frank and candid, but he's wrong for one thing--Edwards' point is that his hands are clean--and for another, he sounds as though he's just willing to give up and let the lobbyists write the damn laws. So how, Obama, do you plan to fix it? At least Hillary went on to explain how she's fought lobbyists and supported public financing. Obama's answer was almost, "well, everyone does it." Pretty weak on what I think is a critical campaign issue. (And by the way, Russ Feingold, can you still dismiss Edwards after his comments tonight on this issue? Or is he still not as pure a liberal for you as his competitors?)

The King letter below.


Dear Senator Edwards:

It was good meeting with you yesterday and discussing my father's legacy. On the day when the nation will honor my father, I wanted to follow up with a personal note.

There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of back and forth in the political arena over my father's legacy. It is a commentary on the breadth and depth of his impact that so many people want to claim his legacy. I am concerned that we do not blur the lines and obscure the truth about what he stood for: speaking up for justice for those who have no voice.

I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are - a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.

You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system. They don't have lobbyists in Washington and they don't get to go to lunch with members of Congress. Speaking up for them is not politically convenient. But, it is the right thing to do.

I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign. I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America.

From our conversation yesterday, I know this is personal for you. I know you know what it means to come from nothing. I know you know what it means to get the opportunities you need to build a better life. And, I know you know that injustice is alive and well in America, because millions of people will never get the same opportunities you had.

I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives.

So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father's words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.

Sincerely,

Martin L. King, III