Edwards is the man for the presidency

I have never liked bumper stickers. I never attached one to my car – not even for my own campaigns. A few months ago, however, I changed my mind for a person I’ve only met twice. Now, each time I get out of my car in the grocery store parking lot or the coffee shop, people ask me, “What makes you such a John Edwards supporter?” It is a very good question.

First, Edwards has the best plan to deal with the most important problem facing America – health care. As Chairman of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee, I know first-hand how hard it is for individual states to battle the problem of uninsured citizens alone – it is a national problem demanding a national solution. It is not really a policy problem, but a political problem.

Several Democratic presidential candidates share the same basic health care plan, but the real question is which one has the courage to pass it into law? That’s why John Edwards offers an innovative idea that none of the other candidates have thought of – give Congress and the new president until July 1, 2009 to pass a bill that provides every man, woman and child with health care coverage. If they fail, the president, vice president, all executive branch political appointees and all members of Congress lose their own health insurance coverage until they figure it out.

Second, Edwards is the first candidate since Bobby Kennedy to shine a national spotlight on a problem that too many in our country would like to keep in the shadows – the problem of persistent, crushing poverty. I see the faces of poverty all across Aroostook County as I do community outreach and constituent service. I see firsthand the devastation and humiliation it reaps on low-income families. It is not surprising that other presidential candidates are ignoring the issue – it doesn’t poll well. That John Edwards is willing to make anti-poverty a centerpiece of his own bid for the White House, however, says something about his moral character.

Third, Edwards understands that in our changing economy, the middle class cannot survive without organization. In Maine, we have seen a precipitous decline in well-paying manufacturing jobs that provide benefits to their workers. Those jobs have been replaced by service sector employment that offers lower wages and few, if any, benefits. I receive calls weekly from home-bound senior citizens who cannot find personal care attendants to give them the services they need to survive. They ask why.

The answer is simple – work as a PCA pays minimal wages that do not attract many applicants. What we have seen in rural Maine, however, is that if PCAs organize themselves into unions, they can collectively bargain for higher wages and benefits. Edwards wants to strengthen unions and make it easier for individuals to join, which is just what the American middle class needs in an economy that is shifting toward service sector employment.

Finally, Edwards is the most electable Democrat in the field of presidential hopefuls. Many are deceived by national polls that show Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama with a wide lead. But selecting a nominee is not about national polls, it is about local primaries and caucuses. Where it matters most, in first-in-the-nation caucus states like Iowa, Edwards is the one with a lead (eight points in a recent poll by Time Magazine).

Some might argue that Iowa is an aberration. I disagree — since 2004, all the potential candidates have spent thousands of hours apiece campaigning in that state. Edwards’ lead there does not reflect an aberration of any sort, it reflects the considered judgment of voters who know all the candidates very well, but who think Edwards is the best choice.

Edwards’ priorities – health care coverage for all Americans, campaigning against poverty and building the middle class – reflect core Maine values, Iowa values, and, most important, American values. It is for these reasons that I agree with the voters in Iowa – Edwards is the best candidate running for president. I hope you will consider supporting him when you attend your local caucus in February.

Jeremy Fischer represents Presque Isle in the Maine House of Representatives and serves as chairman of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee.