Liveblogging at Yearly Kos with John Edwards

Still setting up, handing out Edwards cards and such. The room is packed beyond capacity, maybe 300-400 here.

My neightbor says “This whole conference crushes the myth that the netroots is all young.” He’s right. There are people from all age groups, races, economic spheres, etc.. here and it is a great thing to see.

Still waiting on the candidate…

A live feed of Edwards available at johnedwards.com I believe. If you get it up, blog with me.

The blogger for Edwards is introducing Julie Bergman from Huff Po.

Julie:

I know that the devil is in the details. We pay a lot of attention to what the candidates do and stay. John Edwards should be the next president of the United States. I don’t believe he is infantalizing us as Americans. He believe that this democracy is in trouble. We have to help save our selves and choose leaders who are willing to tell the truth and lead us.

I urge to look at what he does. He walks picket lines. He goes to New Orleans. He talks about poverty even though people said it was a losing issue. He said “I don’t care, it is what I believe in.”

When he talks about bold leadership, he was first with healthcare plan, first with energy plan. He didn’t care that he got flack from the MSM for it. He will admit when he is wrong, but that’s the kind of person I want to lead us out of our misery.

Here he comes, to thunderous applause!

Elizabeth is doing great.

Do we want change? How will we bring about that change? We have to be willing to take on these intrenched interests. Insurance and drug companies. Oil and gas companies.

We don’t have to wait until the next inauguration. The democratic party is supposed to be the party of the people. We need to take away the power of Washington insiders. We don’t need another group of insiders.

We don’t want lobbiest money. I challenge the other candidates to agree to the same thing, like Obama has.

The question? Yes or no? We got yeses, and one clear no. Senator Clinton made clear that she intends to continue to take lobbyists money.

If you believe we will get change in a system that’s rigged by working with people that help rig the system, ok. But if you believe in reform of the government and the party, that we intend to do something about Washington insiders. You can’t run a clean government with lobbyists money. The choices are clear.

The democratic party should say we won’t take this money, so we can challenge the republicans. The stark contrast between the parties would be eveident.

Question:

Can we give amnesty to those who break the law in government in this country?

Hold those responsible who do wrong things, but put sunshine on it so we can heal.

Question:

What’s you opinion on FISA?

Answer:

Let’s take a president that spys on the people and put more power in Gonzales’s hands. No.

Question:

I’m an athiest. How do you respond to the use of religion in campaigns?

Answer:

I use the language of morals. I embrace everyone, faith or no. It is our responsibility to represent everybody. I talk regularly about morals, but it is useful to know how athiests hear that.

Question:

Public financing of campaigns is essential. How do you make that happen?

Answer:

The american poeple have to understand what this campaign is costing. The president has to describe what it is costing them in dollars and rights. It completely undermines our democracy. We have to have a president committed to public financing. There is a tricky part, which is to get to true complete public financing would require a constitutional amendment. I’m for it.

Question:

Why do you support captial punishment if you are against torture?

Answer:

Minorities are more likely to be affected. Problems with providing council, etc…, and all those concerns are real. As president, I’d have a responsibility to make sure no one was executed in an unfair system. Make sure we use any test that available (DNA testing). To answer the question, I have respect for your position, but I don’t agree. The system needs to be fixed, but I do believe if somebody intentionally executes a 5 year old child, they deserve the death penalty.

Question:

I was glad to hear your remarks on global warming, and you are ahead of the public at large. How can you show leadership on this issue if there isn’t a mass movement behind it?

Answer:

This applies to everything first. I don’t think the president can bring about change alone on anything, a real difference between me and other candidates. Listening to them, their message is vote for me and I will bring change. The power to change the country is in places like this. The president can’t change it alone. It will never happen without a grassroots movement.

You have to make the case to the people and to the media about global warming. Global warming is a crisis, but America doesn’t see it as a crisis. They are beginning to accept it, but they think this is a problem for their grandchildren. No urgency. The only person who can change that dynamic is the president. He should engage America, start the movement, and avert this crisis. We need a president who asks Americans to sacrifice. Listen, we do have to go after the polluters, cap carbon emissions, invest in alternative energy. I don’t think we should build more nuclear power plants and I don’t think we should have liquid coal. America needs to hear from the President the urgency of this problem.

Question:

My main hesitation with you has to do with the way medical malpractice is prosecuted. How do you get reasonable evidence in a courtroom in a adversarial setting. Can you talk about malpractice, your experience, and health care.

Answer:

The misperception is that this issue plays into the enormous costs of healthcare. It doesn’t. But this system needs work too. The lawyers don’t have enough responsibility. Before a malpractice case is filed, the lawyer has a responsibility to review the case by experts and certified. Otherwise it just clogs the system. If they fail in that responsibility, I would hold the lawyer responsible, not the filer.

Question:

We live in a time of record corporate process, where people are losing jobs, etc… As president what would you do to address that situation.

Answer:

This inequality is the worse it has been since the great depression and it is getting worse. We have a president who takes the effects of globalization and accelerated it, taken away the tools from the rest and given them to the best. First, we need to strengthen middle class families, helping people save, send people to college (anyone goes if they are willing to work 10 hours a week), universal healthcare.

I listen to these debates and I hear everyone on the stage is for universal healthcare. Wrong. The truth is there are a number of plans that have been proposed, three are universal. Mine was first. Kucinich and Dodd too. Obama and Richardson have a plan, not universal. The question should be whether it is universal or not. Clinton doesn’t have a plan yet.

All these things fit together to strengthen the middle class. But we should go beyond. We have a responsibilty to millions who can’t feed or clothe their children. It is a moral issue. Organizing them into unions is a start. I walked a picket line today. One last issue, Congress finally raised the minimum wage to 7.25. It should be at least 9.5 dollars an hour and it should go up on its own. The president should be leading that charge.

Question:

For years the media has been calling the dems weak, especially you. how do you change that?

Answer:

Anyone who speaks out against the establishment gets punished. The big oil, news corp, etc… doesn’t want me to speak out. I don’t want to see rupert murdoch on every newspaper. I’m the one who says we should take away lobbyists money. I’m about taking these interests on in a very serious way. These attacks will never stop. They don’t want to hear your voice. They want to crush democracy. We will stand up and fight and be a voice for change, as long as I’m alive.

Question:

I attended Energize America panel. It is a comprehensive energy policy and you should be paying attention to it.

Answer:

I’ll do that.

Question:

All the solutions for immigration that have been proposed have been about two Americas. How would you address immigration and create your one america?

Answer:

I don’t want to live in a country with first class citizens and second class workers. There are three major components. We need to do a better job on our border. We need to be tougher on employers who violate the law and abuse workers. And there needs to be a real and meaningful path to citizenship, 13 years, $10,000, go back to the country you came from? That’s not right. We need a real path to citizenship. We as a nation need to treat this as a moral issue.

Go to my website with your question. Say you were here today. Give us your question. I will personally answer it.

Last Question:

Impeachment. If you don’t believe that what this president has done in terms of torture and gitmo is criminal and warrents impeachment, what could Bush do to warrent impeachment?

Answer:

My imagination is limitless enough to go to the places he might go. I completely understand why good people want to see Bush and Cheny held accountable. From my perspective, I was in the middle of Clinton’s impeachment, it literally shut the congress down. George bush is engaged in illegal conduct, but it is not where I’d spend my energy. I respect your view, it is just not my view.

One final thing, you are so important in making this democracy work. I’ve spoken about media conslidation. They want to silence us. That’s what this is about. Maybe they can silence some, but they can’t silence me or everyone here. It won’t be successful. That’s what this democracy is supposed to be about. Stay involved, be part of this movement. I repect all those who agree with me, and those that disagree with me to. I just tell you what I believe and I believe America needs change. You are crucial to bringing that about.

And we’re dong. I’m going to shake some hands. Comments?

Thanks Ralph! I got all of the answers, but of course I’m not quoting, I’m paraphrasing. Overall, edwards was very solid and he speaks very well. People were very receptive and he took a lot of questions. I was impressed.