Elizabeth Edwards, wife of North Carolina Senator and Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards, shared her husband's visions with a group of supporters in an intimate setting in Rockefeller Center on Friday afternoon.
Ms. Edwards primarily stressed the Democratic goal of winning back the presidency in 2004 and explained why she believes that her husband is the best candidate to achieve that goal.
"I don't think the Democratic Party has a better candidate than John," Edwards said. She said that as the son of a South Carolina mill worker, her husband grew up without class consciousness. Ms. Edwards said that the Senator can serve the working man because, at his core, he is one.
Ms. Edwards also offered harsh words for President Bush; asserting that he is currently engaged in a detrimental "war on work."
"The war on working people does not stop with taxes," Edwards said. Ms. Edwards specifically addressed her husband's stance on education, homeland security, healthcare, and gun laws.
Ms. Edwards criticized Bush's "No Child Left Behind" education plan as "ridiculous." "It's an effort to build an excuse for vouchers," Edwards said. She said that her husband will work to fix the schools.
Ms. Edwards also discussed a "College for Everyone" program that would provide one year free of tuition at a state university provided that the benefactor works ten hours per week.
Senator Edwards plans to strengthen homeland security. Ms. Edwards noted that there are 140 chemical plants in this country and that if any one is hit in the right way, one million people can die. She claimed that Americans are "woefully unprepared" and that simply watching the news is not good enough.
On the healthcare front, Mrs. Edwards acknowledged that "we're not going to get universal health care in one fell swoop." She stressed, however, that universal child health care is a real possibility.
According to his wife, Senator Edwards would like to further protect families by keeping guns out of the hands of convicted felons and children. Ms. Edwards also noted that the Senator grew up around people who hunted regularly.
When questioned about the current direction of the Democratic Party, Ms. Edwards responded by citing two obstacles that she believes her husband can surely overcome.
Ms. Edwards said that Democrats supposedly lost family values but are simultaneously plagued with a paternalistic sense of compassion. "We need to quit preaching to people. We need to start listening to them. "
Ms. Edwards again cited her husband's lack of class consciousness as his greatest tool to overcoming such problems. "We have values; we have interests," she said.
On her husband's demeanor, Mrs. Edwards said that "he's very thoughtful about what he says and moderate in his delivery but what he says is meaningful. He honestly believes you're going to move people not by yelling at them."
Ms. Edwards only mention of her husband's law career was to note that he represented children and families.
Senator Edwards has yet to complete his first full term in the Senate, yet Ms. Edwards assured her audience that a lack of experience would not be an issue. Because of impeachment, Mrs. Edwards said, her husband was immediately involved in the complex dealings of the Senate. "There is nobody who has the determination that he does," Edwards said.
Senator Edwards went away by himself for five days after Christmas, his wife said, and realized that he would in fact be able to do the job. He later announced his presidential candidacy on "The Daily Show. "
As First Lady, Ms. Edwards said that she would "break down the regality of it a bit," especially given the fact that she has two young children. Ms. Edwards, a lawyer and the mother of four, said that she would like to champion after school programs, preventative medicine for our fast food oriented nation and women's causes.
The third official debate between the Democratic hopefuls was held in New York City this past Thursday. Ms. Edwards clarified the Senator's answer to the final question regarding the most unpopular decision to be made in office. "At a time when people want to feel secure, there is an urge to give up this or that civil liberty," Ms. Edwards said. She said that Senator Edwards will not sacrifice civil liberties, despite the fact that it may be an unpopular decision.
President Bush "never sees the faces of the people," Ms. Edwards claimed.
