...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Tuesday, July 06, 2004
      ( 7:00 AM )
 
Excellent

John Kerry must have been listening to the Mama's advice. He made the best choice for VP. I think Edwards is going to make this ticket the vibrant, visionary and he will add the touch of being young enough to represent the coming new wave in the Democratic party. Kos made some good arguments yesterday for Gephardt (though he didn't support that choice), but among them was that a Kerry/Gephardt ticket would be the last gasp of the old guard in the party - and let them have their moment. But my argument to that is that we can't just wait around for our turn to make the party move in the direction it needs to. Edwards is a good bridge to the new attitude. While he is still a rich, white man and he voted for things like NAFTA trade bills and the Patriot Act - on the other hand, be has a relatively progressive voting record in the Senate, he speaks boldly about poverty, class and race - real issues that need real airing in this country. He's not afraid to talk to white people about racism, something that is desperately needed by bold leaders because it is the white power class that needs to do the work to equalize this nation and create justice. His history as a trial lawyer has already been deeply vetted and no one can show that he represented any frivolous cases - and his ability to last the longest in the primary race shows his endurance over issues like this that might come up.

The point is that Kerry made a smart choice because Edwards was the people's choice. This is what the voters wanted, and Kerry knew it. Hopefully they will have good chemistry and work well together. Edwards will appeal to a lot of different groups of voters, and I think they make a great team.

So now, on to the Big Win. I think we're on a roll now.

Update: Pretty Picture.

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