Kate Michelman, formerly of NARAL, has signed on to advise the Edwards campaign and Amanda from Pandagon has signed on to head the web-related effort. That's a lot of highly visible feminists in the Edwards camp, and it is making me love Edwards by association, so it's working!
In speaking truthfully about poverty (and not just when spotlights were trained on him) and in hiring these two high-profile women, it seems that Edwards is the real maverick in this race. I know folks are congratulating Amanda, but, really, it's Edwards who should be congratulated. He just got damn lucky. Welcome to NC, Amanda!
UPDATE 02.01.07: Melissa, aka Shakespeare's Sister, has signed on, too. Shakes Sis is one of my favorite bloggers, and I am curious and excited about her participation in the Edwards campaign. The plot thickens, as does the Edwards camp's feminist cred.
I do not understand what is "maverick" about John Edwards. He is a member of the DLC, which is about as "un-Maverick" as you can get in this lifetime. He has a 60% rating with the ACLU (despite all his talk about being a civil libertairan), and--like Obama--he uses his religion to deny Americans their civil rights.
To his credit, he has supported choice all the way.
Posted by: Diane | Wednesday, 31 January 2007 at 12:45 PM
He WAS a member of DLC way back when. He has a 100% rating from NARAL. Unlike Obama, he never mentions God or religion in his speeches. And he just hired Michelman and Amanda. And he really groks the Internet and the netroots. The guy rocks - all the way to the WH!
Posted by: coturnix | Wednesday, 31 January 2007 at 01:45 PM
I wasn't aware he had dropped out of the DLC; he is still listed as a member. And he mentions his religion, if not God, plenty when the subject of gays comes up.
Posted by: Diane | Wednesday, 31 January 2007 at 02:01 PM
Diane, what's impressed me about Edwards -- seeing him in our backyard and watching him evolve over the last few years -- is that he is able to straddle real points of difficulty here in a sometimes rapidly, sometimes not-so-rapidly changing NC. And this is relevant to your Gods v. Gays criticism where I take your point. In the hands of a less capable or less sincere politician, this "God talk" around issues of marriage and gay rights could be really slippery and, frankly, unsupportable. But Edwards is smarter than that, so he's taken the "Hey, I'm a churchgoer and my faith informs my sense of social justice" tack, and it really helps around here, as you know, to hear the first part of that statement. We may live in forward-thinking Chapel Hill, but Chapel Hill is still in an older South! I am really impressed w/ his choice of two prominent (and therefore lightning rod) women for his campaign team. It says something about him that I like v. much. (That may be that I like Elizabeth E. very much!) Either way, I'll watch him w/ even more interest now. I do believe he is sincere in his motives re: poverty and social justice. This isn't new for him.
Hey, Bora. Thanks for dropping in, and I'm happy to hear that Edwards has cut ties w/ the DLC. Whew, and another smart move. Agreed re: the Edwards campaign getting the internets. They're ahead of the game. Maybe they're taking the lessons of the Dean campaign?
Posted by: ae | Wednesday, 31 January 2007 at 02:43 PM
I am not 100% certain about DLC, though. It just seems that he is not very chummy with them any more (and is with Dean).
Go to blotogether.org for info about tonight.
Posted by: coturnix | Wednesday, 31 January 2007 at 03:43 PM
That was blogtogether.org
Posted by: coturnix | Wednesday, 31 January 2007 at 03:43 PM
I hear you, ae, but I just don't take any prisoners when it comes to civil liberties. I'm saying look at the record: that 60% rating from the ACLU is not very good at all. Clinton's is only 60%, too, whereas my own senator, Landrieu, has a 75% rating (that is the part of her that is liberal), Russ Feingold has an 80% rating, Nancy Pelosi has an 87% rating, and--get this--Harry Reid has a 40% rating.
Edwards also turned us off down here when he made his national candidacy announcement. He did a big photo op at a Katrina victim's house without bothering to tell her he was using her property to make the biggest of political announcements.
Posted by: Diane | Wednesday, 31 January 2007 at 08:03 PM
I have found more recent ACLU ratings (not for Edwards, obviously), so--to correct the above: Clinton's most recent rating is 78%, and Reid's is a whopping 44%. Highest is Kerry, 100%, and other very high ratings go to: Durbin and Harkin, each at 89%.
Posted by: Diane | Wednesday, 31 January 2007 at 09:33 PM
Well his choices for some key positions certainly look very good, but Diane raises some solid concerns. I will try to watch him more carefully as I have thought not one whit about the presidential election stuff. You know, life gets in the way of such things way too often around these parts. Thanks for the heads up on both sides of the debate.
Posted by: dharma | Monday, 05 February 2007 at 02:41 PM
Obama just entered, apparently.
Posted by: belledame222 | Saturday, 10 February 2007 at 03:46 PM