The John Edwards presidential campaign couldn't have asked for a more flattering article than the one printed Friday by New Hampshire's Concord Monitor.
In an interview with the paper's Lauren Dorgan, Edwards promised universal health care, universal pre-kindergarten, matched savings accounts for poor people, and a new iniative called "College for Everyone." All of these new programs are going to require significant amounts of tax money in order to be paid for.
Instead of asking Edwards where he would get the money to pay for his massive spending increases, Dorgan and her Monitor colleages let Edwards off the hook with a spin that he's only asking America to "sacrifice." Here's an excerpt:
Story Continues Below Ad ↓John Edwards says if he's elected president, he'll institute a New Deal-like suite of programs to fight poverty and stem growing wealth disparity. To do it, he said, he'll ask many Americans to make sacrifices, like paying higher taxes.
Edwards, a former Democratic senator from North Carolina, says the federal government should underwrite universal pre-kindergarten, create matching savings accounts for low-income people, mandate a minimum wage of $9.50 and provide a million new Section 8 housing vouchers for the poor. He also pledged to start a government-funded public higher education program called "College for Everyone."
"It is central to what I want to do as president to do something about economic inequality. I do not believe it is okay for the United States of America to have 37 million people living in poverty," he said in a meeting with Monitor reporters and editors this week. "And I think we need, desperately need, a president who will say that to America and call on Americans to show their character."
At every stop, Edwards said, he tells voters he'll ask them to sacrifice. Asked to describe what he means, he described his plan for increases in capital gains taxes, saying taxes on "wealth income" should be in line with those on work income.
"I think if we want to fund the things that I think are important to share in prosperity, then people who have done well in this country, including me, have more of a responsibility to give back," he said. Later, he added: "There are no free meals."
What does that mean, though? How much is "giving back?" Who is classified as having "wealth income?" Isn't it possible that all these tax increases (including one on capital gains) will ruin or harm the economy? How can those cost and revenue estimates be accurate?
All of these and many more are questions that a more objective reporter might have posed to Edwards. Unfortunately, Lauren Dorgan chose not to be objective.
That isn't to say that she did not talk to Edwards critics, however. She did, in fact do this, unfortunately for Monitor readers, however, Dorgan only talked to people from the Hillary Clinton campaign--not once to someone from a Republican campaign or from a conservative group.
—Matthew Sheffield is Editor of NewsBusters.
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"...Dorgan and her Monitor
October 29, 2007 - 16:12 ET by Chris Norman"...Dorgan and her Monitor colleages let Edwards off the hook with a spin that he's only asking America to "sacrifice."
Yeah, and the Aztecs were only asking their victims to sacrifice...
"I think if we want to fund
October 29, 2007 - 16:21 ET by sublight68"I think if we want to fund the things that I think are important to share in prosperity, then people who have done well in this country, including me, have more of a responsibility to give back," he said.
FUND the things that are important to share in prosperity?! What does that mean? Take from "the rich" and pay for others to have more? Why not just cut out the middlemen and the pretense of government-funded programs and deliver buckets of cash straight to "the poor."
As to sacrifices, how about individuals making their own sacrifices if they want to better their position in life? Save more. Get an education. Work hard. Opportunities abound if you're willing to "sacrifice" and make the effort.
Didn't the former Soviet
October 29, 2007 - 16:42 ET by Free ThinkerDidn't the former Soviet Union try this already?
Sure did. Haven't
October 29, 2007 - 16:45 ET by sublight68Sure did. Haven't checked in awhile, but I'm sure it's going smashingly.
The USSR's experiment with socialism...
October 29, 2007 - 17:03 ET by vrwc13"Haven't checked in awhile, but I'm sure it's going smashingly."
Moscow is the most expensive city to in live in 2 years running.
The rest of the country enjoys a near 3rd world existence. Lived there with the family most of 2005, so I can say that from personal experience.
Just imagine what hillary/obama/edwards socialism would look like? Check out this map...blue is where the elite would live with domestic/welfare support persons. The red areas would be the "making a living - paying the taxes" serfs.
v
Matthew, that was a
October 29, 2007 - 16:24 ET by LeonMatthew,
that was a painful article to read.
I kept expecting to get to the part where Edwards would promise, if elected, that he would get all of the children of the world to join hands and sing together in the spirit of harmony and peace.
Hilarious headline by the way.
And Edwards will.....
October 29, 2007 - 16:56 ET by Prester John....sacrifice how much of his own treasure to fund these programs?
I am sure he is planning on selling his $6,000,000 mansion and donate the proceeds to the U.S. Treasury, aren't you?
(crickets chirping)
A famous man once said,
October 30, 2007 - 12:03 ET by misterbee241A famous man once said, "sell what you have and give it to the poor, take up your cross and follow me". I guess he wasnt talking to John E.
Millions of hard working people with children sacrifice every day of their lives to make a decent living and provide for their families. I know one family that did that - he always planned his vacation time around his kids getting out of school on Easter break so they could go camping and fishing in the mountains. Mom ran a church preschool but made sure the kids didnt step out of line. They drove old clunkers, lived in a run down house, but the kids were never neglected. Did it pay off? The oldest girl is now an honor student in her senior year at Cornell, the boy is a freshman at Cornell and an Eagle scout, the youngest girl is on the honor roll at her middle school. I watched these three grow up, taught them in Sunday School. Am I proud of them? I am but I didnt do any of the hard work.
These are the types of people Edwards will "ask" (that is, force) to sacrifice to pay for those who do little or nothing. I'm convinced that with all the oppurtunities today if you're poor in this country you're either lazy or stupid or both.
Hillary and Edwards are so
October 29, 2007 - 17:14 ET by candanceHillary and Edwards are so stupid, and I'm tired of them taking advantage of poor people. Neither one of them grew up poor or had to struggle. They don't know what people need in the first place.
When you look at people in this country living at or below poverty, who can't afford to own a house or get out of debt, can barely buy groceries half the time, can only go to college if they borrow a bunch of money...and you're telling them what they desperately need is free daycare and a retirement account? How bass-ackwards could that be?
Maybe we should help them get the means to get good jobs and learn about their finances. Then they'd have the resources to plan their own retirement and educate their children without the government holding their hands.
card holding member of the vast right-wing conspiracy
EvilCon555 " Candance -
October 29, 2007 - 18:20 ET by EvilCon555EvilCon555
" Candance - !!! Hallelujah !!!! I am SO sick of Edwards - he alone (but especially with his ilk) has caused the cost of health care to rise UNNECESSARILY through miscreant lawsuits directed at so-called deep pockets of docs and hospitals. I am a nurse and now work in health care finance. There is NO way he can fund any of these things without shifting our economy to a souless communist manifesto. Very scary where things are going....and Doctors without Borders doesn't get it.... I live in NH. What was once a Live Free or Die state is now a socialist wanna be - I just found out in a very small, well buried Saturday newspaper article that my property taxes went up 4.9% - WHAT?????? Not the reason I moved here from NY (go Yankees -yeah I know - the Red Sox (Red being the operative color here) just won the series...humor me). What am I doing about it? I am taking pictures at my local polling place this year to see why so many former lawyers have gotten elected as Democrats in my fine state. Last year there were more Massachusettes, Vermont and CT license plates there than NH ones - I kid you not. And waaaaaaaay too many dirty blonde dread locks, beat up 1981 Volvos, flip flops and MoveON.org bumper stickers. There is something fishy in NH and the Concord Monitor's soft pitch articles are a symptom of a much deeper and bigger problem in our country. Thanks to McCain/Feingold we don't cast a vote anymore....we watch these organizations "MoveIn andtakeover.org". The Concord Monitor is just an example of where we are headed - soft in the head and fully left leaning.
"Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow" Chinese Proverb
Agreed. Tort reform and
October 29, 2007 - 20:28 ET by candanceAgreed. Tort reform and stopping illegals from using free health care would probably cut Americans' health cost in half.
card holding member of the vast right-wing conspiracy
I will never forget the
October 30, 2007 - 12:08 ET by misterbee241I will never forget the night in the grocery store, I was in line behind a woman wearing what looked like a very expensive suede jacket, a bunch of kids hanging off of her, yakking on a cell phone and paying for her groceries with food stamps.
Call me names, but this sort of thing isnt right.
$400.00 haircuts for all
October 29, 2007 - 19:45 ET by acumenBut will Elizabeth get her tangerines?
I think I have sacrificed enough
October 29, 2007 - 22:39 ET by SlicksterWhat he means is the white man is going to pay for all this. You'll notice that he isn't doing any funding from his personal wealth.
The people who will be forced to pay for all of this won't qaulify for any of it.
Is reporter Dorgan related to Senator Dorgan?
October 30, 2007 - 00:11 ET by nkviking75One wonders if Lauren Dorgan is somehow related to Dem Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota. A quick Yahoo search was unsuccessful, although it did demonstrate that she's not his daughter. (See Sen. Dorgan's official bio.)
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
What no pony? And, this
October 30, 2007 - 01:46 ET by jdhawkWhat no pony?
And, this from the guy who went to work at a hedge fund - to learn about poverty!@#?@#!?
}}---> Actually jdhawk
October 30, 2007 - 01:54 ET by Cool ArrowThat hedge fund was busy prepping the foreclosure on the homes John Edwards was posing in front of to launch his run for the White House.
Now that's hypocrisy.
"College for Everyone."
October 30, 2007 - 12:05 ET by CarlosSAwe' right, that's way better than Hillary's measly $1000 into my 401K..., I'll go to college for free and be a BRAIN SURGEON..., or maybe a LAWYER!