Poverty another casualty of Edwards affair and Elizabeth’s book
By: Pam On: May/6/09 - Leave Your Comment
Poverty another casualty of Edwards affair
- It has been nine months since former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) put his megaphone down, stopped talking about the “moral shame” of 37 million Americans who live in poverty every day, and started addressing his own “moral shame.”
- Most of America had forgotten about all of this. Only people who are close to this story like former staffers, donors and supporters, politicos and pundits in Washington have followed it. But Elizabeth has a new book, “Resilience,” she is going on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” on Thursday, and the story is turning up all over the news like a bad penny.
- Why do this? That’s the question. Why put four children through the scandal and spotlight all over again? Why pour salt on the wound for those who gave up their lives to work on the cause? Why play with fire when so many feel that what Elizabeth and John did — launch a campaign for the presidency in which they asked people to raise millions of dollars, knowing it never had a chance at succeeding — was fraud?
- No one. No national Democratic leader has decided to make ending poverty for those who work in this country the cause of their lives. No leading and respected Republican has stepped forward to attend to the “Lord’s work here on earth.” And those whose knee-jerk reaction is to laugh at that idea should read the late Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jack Kemp’s inspiring chapter in John’s book, “Ending Poverty in America,” about encouraging entrepreneurial efforts in the forgotten and neglected areas of this country.
- Please, will someone pick up that megaphone? It’s been nine months, and that’s too long to focus on the sorrows of a family when we could be easing the struggles of millions.
