John Edwards. A voice.

January 9, 2008 at 4:46 pm | Posted in 2008, A Christmas Carol, Actions, America, Britain, Campaign, Charles Dickens, Climate change, Deliberate, Determination, Edwards, Election, Envisioning, Hope, Inspiration, John Edwards, Media, Narratives, Optimism, President, Primaries, Stories, UK, United Kingdom, United States, US, USA, Videos, Voices, YouTube | Leave a comment

John Edwards understands.

Voices remain unheard; he encourages us to speak up and speak out.

Climate change remains taboo. The media are getting away with ignoring this key issue in these 2008 Primaries.

John Edwards has a comprehensive plan to deal with climate change—he raises the bar for the rest of the contestants with his commitment to, and policy plans for, energy and the environment. See his interview with Grist, which offers a handy summary linking to supporting reports and fact sheets on each presidential contender. Also, thedailygreen has pulled together information from:

• The League of Conservation Voters
  • see LCV’s press release that announced their clear 2008 Presidential Primaries Voter Guide; click on John Edwards in that guide to read the League’s assessment of where he stands
• John Edwards’ campaign website
  • see A New Energy Economy and Stopping Global Warming …
• The Center for Responsive Politics
  • see how much contenders are prepared to spend to buy their way to the top!

Running a carbon neutral election campaign, and prepared to take bold steps to lead on our climate challenge, as part-and-parcel of building a new energy economy, John Edwards calls for stringent vehicle fuel efficiencies and significant carbon emissions reductions ahead of even LCV’s line in the sand.

John Edwards respects and emphasises the importance of the science of climate change and scientific assessments of environmental issues and has, for example, “called for an end to the construction of any new coal-burning power plants that lack the technology needed to capture their carbon dioxide emissions.” He knows our generation of Americans must be aggressive now in combatting climate change, for the sake of the world. Political logjams block progress, despite certain scientific statements being unequivocal—and John Edwards is the only candidate equipped with the relevant experience and determination to unravel the knot.

Listen to John Edwards.

When life gets hard, no matter how bright or dull we think we are, no matter how rich or poor our lives may appear, no matter how upbeat or downtrodden we feel right now, we all want to know that there is somebody who cares, someone who understands what we might be going through. When that person is someone we can trust, and he is in a position to help and is determined to fight for our needs when appropriate, then he deserves our support too.

Your one small voice is important.

Please use it.

***

My mother has an original copy of A Christmas Carol, and I read the 1843 text recently, quite unprepared for the power of its true, tried and tested words.

Charles Dickens gave his initial readers and his eager audiences inspiration and hope. His talent with words enabled the attentive working poor of London to relate to the Cratchit family personally. Dickens helped his readers to prefigure vivid, attractive scenes of what could be, if certain changes of perspective and habit were to be deliberately undertaken by themselves, as well as by those whose lives impinged on their own. This appealing alternative way of life Dickens contrasted with a grim foreshadowing of what would likely be—if the poor societal conditions of the mid-19th century were left to fester under a dismal continuance of the status quo.

In opening an avenue of hope for the unheard voices of 21st century America, I believe John Edwards may be able to trigger the necessary change in people’s attitudes to get many more of us involved in our country’s revival in new ways. Both Dickens and Edwards tell stories of everyday life lived within the boundaries of their own space and time: situations they know intimately and view from many angles. Their varied backgrounds serve them well. Both have the gift of language, being masters of narrative—crafting homely tales of common-or-garden business played out along epic lines. Whether it is 1843, or 2008, the magic of the storyteller is evident as he passionately recounts realistic dramas of real people in all-too-real situations: tragic and inspiring.

Dickens’ Carol shows us how well-informed assessments of a situation may lead to insights causing any individual to decide to alter his approach to life … overnight! None of the change in the Scrooge-influenced world of A Christmas Carol happens by accident. None of it is ‘… oh, and, by the way …’. All of the benefits at the uplifting end of that world-famous classic accrue precisely because Scrooge’s change of heart is deliberate, immediate and personal. Scrooge does a U-turn for the better. Everybody wins. We applaud!

For me, the power of John Edwards’ approach is not that he offers change—as do the other candidates for nomination, without specifying what that means—but that he is best-placed to facilitate necessary progress on a large scale. He can help Americans envision and achieve a more equitable future many yearn for, because by previewing future scenarios, our desire for success and commitment increases.

Thus a charming storyteller can be an enabler. Paint an image in my mind that engenders hope, help me connect with others to achieve it, and I shall embrace that glimpsed future wholeheartedly, rejecting the future-that-was-to-come if I had remained isolated and ignorant, having procrastinated or maintained it was none of my business. My own choice and determination to effect change in any way I can is the success story facilitated here. It is yours too. I believe that with our help, John Edwards, above all the candidates, is capable of tackling the unprecedented challenges America faces, in order to achieve a winning outcome Americans can be proud of. He only needs the chance.

Finally, to me, John Edwards is perspicacious, compassionate and strong. All three attributes are essential, and must necessarily be combined to make any difference in this world of ours, the situation we now find ourselves in. (Strength without perspicacity is dangerous; without compassion it is ruthless. Perspicacity without compassion and strength tends to be academic. Compassion without strength is doomed to falter as it will inevitably be drained away.)

Go and watch John Edwards on YouTube, and see what you make of him. Please.

Or check out Reuters, for instance.  The mainstream media have already written off John Edwards: they are deliberately ignoring his campaign, just as they ignore climate change as a key issue for the Primaries … for the same reasons, I guess. They are both threats to business as usual.  Neither he nor the key issues of our day will quietly leave the scene just because we choose to stick our heads in the sand.

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