We need to ask Americans to be willing to be patriotic about something beyond war. We need to ask America to be willing to conserve, to take the steps necessary to get off our addiction to oil, to create a new energy economy in this country.
It’s critical to America being able to do what it needs to do in the 21st century. We ought to be the example for the rest of the world. It’s not just what we do over there; it’s also what we do here.
You know, we’ve got 46 million, 47 million people without health care coverage? When are we finally going to say, “America needs universal health care”? Because we do. We need it desperately.
I spoke earlier about this issue of poverty and the two Americas.
I’ve been running the poverty center for the last couple of years at the University of North Carolina, which I’m very proud of. And we’ve developed a whole new set of ideas about what we ought to do about poverty.
But we should be the example for the rest of the world. We’re not the only ones that saw these pictures that came out of New Orleans. The whole world saw. And we need to show that the most powerful nation on the Earth won’t stand by and let this continue.
So whether it’s poverty, energy, health care, demonstrating that we are once again the beacon for the rest of the world, which is what we need to be, not just for us, but also for them — because when America doesn’t lead, there is no stability. We are the stabilizing force in the world. We are the preeminent power in the world. And we need to maintain that power, we need to maintain our strength. That what allows us — gives us the capacity to lead.
But we also have to show that we have a responsibility to humanity. And the world needs to see that from us. They need to see our better angels again. Because it will affect the way they respond to us and it will affect our ability to lead.
Unless something very surprising happens, I will be supporting John Edwards for President. That’s not to say that he’ll get kid-glove treatment here, but it’s also not like anyone else in the race, or likely to get in, is even close.
Considering Edwards’ signature issue, announcing in New Orleans was perfect. There’s no better example of how poverty-stricken Americans are treated in this country than the continued neglect of the 9th Ward.