Frank, Beth, and I went to a fundraiser for John Edwards at a home in Palo Alto on Friday afternoon. There were about 60 people in attendance, and we had the opportunity to meet and chat with Senator Edwards briefly before listening to some impassioned remarks about the war in Iraq, global warming, health care, and politics in general.
Frank and I were fairly sold after hearing him speak in July, but I decided only about two weeks ago that he is the candidate I'm going to support in the primary. I'll post more on the reasons why another time.
Like the last time we met him, he arrrived with little fanfare and just started talking with people.
Beth and I introduced ourselves. I told him we contribute to the Silicon Valley Moms Blog, and he winced. Obviously, he was aware of the controversy that had gone on a few weeks before when another contributor harshly criticized the Edwards for taking their young children on the road with them. She later reconsidered her position after a visit to the blog from Elizabeth, but this episode had just been rehashed in the San Jose Mercury News that morning. Beth and I wanted him to know that not all of the SV moms felt the same way, and we were showing our support by being there and contributing to his campaign.
After the wince, he broke into a broad smile when we told him that we were supporters and how much we admired Elizabeth. He said, "I'm so glad you're here. We appreciate your support." He even posed for a couple of pictures with the two of us.
Like Elizabeth, John Edwards has the unnerving habit of staring intently into your eyes when he speaks to you. Despite the swarm of people around vying for his attention, you get the feeling that he is actually listening and taking in what you have to say, and is interested. He has an easy smile, and seems to be equally comfortable with crowds and with individuals.
After milling around, taking pictures, and answering questions, everyone left the backyard setting and went to the living room of the house. He stood in front of the fireplace, and that reminded me of a modern version of the "Fireside Chat." It was like a giant book club meeting, only the person leading the discussion might one day sit in the Oval Office. It was thrilling just to be there, to say the least. I sat on the sofa took photos and notes, and Frank stood in the back with the tall people.
One of the most surprising things about the speech was that it was very different from the one we heard in July. The themes were consistent, but the emphasis and the words used were different. I think that would be a hard thing to master, since he is giving multiple speeches a day. I think that it would be easier to fall back on familiar rhetoric, tell the same stories, or just give people sound-bite messages.
Instead, he seems to speak directly from the heart, improvising here and there, but sticking with the essential messages of the campaign. He is obviously a skilled speaker, with the ability to weave disparate themes into a unified whole. Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton seemed more scripted when I heard them speak, and a little more like they were going through a laundry list of issues, afraid to miss or skip anything.
In the end, I felt even more strongly than before that Edwards is
the most viable candidate for office. Although we don't align on every
issue, I trust that he would listen to people, and do his best to be a
good president. I think he has the leadership skills, the people
skills, and the intelligence to do the job well.
It's hard not to like John Edwards after you meet him, despite the
movie-star looks and self-confidence that might be interpreted as
arrogance by some. I was told by someone who met him during the last
election that he "lacked substance," but I don't see that at all. He
has the most detailed policy plans of any of the candidates, and is not
afraid to speak the truth, that real and lasting change requires doing
things differently and require some sacrifice.
I have tremendous respect and admiration for Hillary Clinton, Barack
Obama, Bill Richardson, and the other candidates, but in the end, the
one who best aligns with what I value and the vision for the world I
want to leave to my son, is John Edwards. It was difficult for me to reach this conclusion, with the opportunity to elect a woman or a minority candidate to the office. In the end, I have to vote for the right combination of skills and vision, and for me, that person is John Edwards.
I haven't posted for a few days because (surprise!), we've been out of town. This time, we traveled to Utah to attend the wedding of my friend of 25+ years, Gail. I'll write more about what we did, what we saw, and what we ate in Utah later...Consider this "Utah Week" here at the Silent I.
, my virtual hand shot up and I shouted, "Pick me! Pick me!" 
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