What’s Edwards’ Angle?
By Jessica Hillyard - Nov 13th, 2008 at 10:44 amThe infamous John Edwards has emerged, albeit quietly, from the Batcave. After making a public mockery of himself by admitting in August to having an extra-marital affair while his wife Elizabeth was in remission from breast cancer, Edwards subsequently shelved his pet projects and descended into self-imposed exile. Now he’s back on the speech-making circuit, trying to move past his tarnished reputation by focusing on what matters to him–that’s right, folks, he’s doing that ol’ poverty song ‘n dance again.
At the time the proverbial shit was hitting the fan for Edwards, I was highly skeptical of his ability to ever recover from such a hit to his public image. However, it seems that the time is ripe for trying to tackle the issue of poverty, and I’m hoping that my initial reaction turns out to be wrong.
Now that the agenda for the next four years is starting to take shape, it seems like an ideal time to get in on the game. If taking on poverty really is “the cause of his life,” then Edwards must be seeing the potential of the Obama administration to address the inequality faced by 38 million Americans. The news that President-elect Obama will establish an Office of Urban Policy is encouraging, and I see a great chance for anti-poverty efforts to take a central role in this office.
If anyone were going to advocate for a place for poverty reduction on the incoming president’s agenda, it would be Edwards. And if anyone can help Edwards redeem himself, it’s Obama. After all, the guy does have something of a Midas touch. If he is serious about easing the troubles of the middle- and lower-classes, then he will realize that poverty deserves a place on the list of things to do. If Edwards can make the President-elect’s work any easier, then so be it.
Like him or not (and who’s really been liking the guy lately?) Edwards is the closest thing we have to a national figurehead for addressing poverty. So if he’s genuinely interested in the futures of so many impoverished Americans, he will be swallow his pride and get back up on the soapbox–and Obama will be willing to listen. For the sake of the less fortunate, if not for Edwards himself, let’s hope it can be done.
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