[mobile site, backup mobile]
[SoapBlox Help]
Menu & About Calitics

Make a New Account

Username:

Password:



Forget your username or password?

- About Calitics
- The Rules (Legal Stuff)
- Event Calendar
- Calitics' ActBlue Page
- Calitics RSS Feed
- Additional Advertisers
Daily Email Summary


View All Calitics Tags Or Search with Google:
 
Web Calitics
Event Calendar
February 2010
(view month)
S M T W R F S
* 01 02 03 04 05 06
07 08 09 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 * * * * * *
<< (add event) >>

Wire Services
Advertise Liberally

MBA Member

Blue CA Ad Network
Join Our eMail List
Email:

Photobucket

Calitcs Talks with Elizabeth Edwards

by: Brian Leubitz

Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 10:47:50 AM PDT


UPDATED with video over the flip.

.First of all, I'd like to thank the Edwards campaign folks for setting up the meeting for us.  It was really nice to get a chance to talk with somebody who is obviously an incredible woman. No matter what political bent or who you support, she is clearly a courageous and intelligent woman. In this picture, you see (L to R) Elaine Santore , Beth Spotswood, Sasha, Paul Hogarth, Mrs. Edwards, Julia Rosen, and myself

Sasha at Left in SF has a really good recap post of the entire day, including a really cool shooting-down of Bob Shrum's book by telling the reporters to  go to youtube. Here's the video.  But, I've got the video of the meeting, so you can see it in its entirety (um, hopefully soon, stupid computer...).

She addressed a litany of issues, including her husband's Senate record, the Iraq war,  and economic/poverty issues. She had a very long speaking engagement, and she seems to be holding up remarkably well. I'm quite amazed that anybody, let alone a woman battling cancer, has the stamina to keep the kind of schedule that she's keeping.

Brian Leubitz :: Calitcs Talks with Elizabeth Edwards
This video is mostly on Iraq:

Tags: , , , , , (All Tags)
Print Friendly View Send As Email
She was (0.00 / 0)
great.  Brian, Sasha and myself were in the press conference when she mentioned her support for marriage equality.  I totally didn't notice the significance of it at the time and it took the Chron article to point it out.  It was just completely in line with everything else that she had said in her speech and earlier in the press conference.

I asked her about Sicko, which she lamented she had not seen and how it matched up with John's health care proposal.  She said that there was no way we could pass single payer right now.  In her view (which I agree with) there needs to be an interim step.  The creation of a governmental plan that competes with private insurance is one way to do that, which is Edward's approach.


The Edwards plan, to me, is the best "stepping stone" (0.00 / 0)
As a brief explanation, the Edwards plan gives two options, get insurance for yourself on the open market with subsidies to businesses and lower-income individuals, or join the Medicare group.  Basically, it would allow single-payer to compete with health care as usual. Of course, that isn't totally true as there would be a lot more efficiencies created under true single payer.

The current proposals under consideration in the California Legislature do nothing to move us towards single payer. In fact, they increase the reliance on profit-seeking insurance companies.

Somebody mentioned the idea that we should open up MediCal.  I'm not sure if that's an option, given the federal regulations involved, but it sure seems like a good idea.  Of course, MediCal has its own problems, but I think allowing people to buy in could actually ease many of these burdens.

I'm proud to work for Kamala Harris for AG.


[ Parent ]
Indeed (0.00 / 0)
She explicitly sees it as a stepping stone and said that during our time with her.  I have a post up w/the relevant quotes up on Working Californians.

And you are right.  I think AB 8 would be much stronger if it borrowed more from Edward's plan.


[ Parent ]
Curious as to the basis of her belief (0.00 / 0)
That we cannot pass single-payer right now. It's one thing if she and John sat down with their advisors or whomever and discussed the present politics of it and how to shift things to a more favorable place over the next couple years, or if they basically accepted the conventional wisdom that it's not possible and hope that a political shift falls into their laps in a few years.

The Edwards plan will have its benefits, but there are some out there who believe that the competition angle will not work out as planned. I'd feel a bit more comfortable about this interim step if there was a clear plan for how to move beyond it.

You can check out any time you like but you can never leave


[ Parent ]
here's my problem with the Edwards campaign (0.00 / 0)
I've said it before and I'll say it again: the wrong one is running. I like her husband and all (still undecided as to my vote), but she really is an amazing woman.

Win, lose, or brokered convention I hope she comes back to SF next year to march in the parade.


I was there for the breakfast (0.00 / 0)
It was overall a great event, but I thought the Edwards speak was a letdown. Depsite some strong statements, she seemed rattled and unprepared. The speech of the morning has to go to Mark Leno or gavin Newsom.

wish I could have met you (0.00 / 0)
I was there for the breakfast but had to run to the parade.

[ Parent ]
I was to the right of the stage (0.00 / 0)
In the corner where the non-numbered tables were. Carole Migden joined us for a few seconds to complain about not being invited to speak when they called her named LOL.

[ Parent ]
Stop chasing the pro-choice boys n/t (0.00 / 0)


I'm proud to work for Barbara Boxer

[ Parent ]
I disagree about the best speech ... (0.00 / 0)
Far and away the best line at the breakfast goes to Tom Ammiano, who said "Gavin Newsom and Chris Daly should celebrate Gay Pride by having make-up sex."

[ Parent ]
I wretched (0.00 / 0)
The image of those two together was too much for me. By the way, did anyone else notice Midgen begging for a better applause? There's no doubt she's gone next year.

[ Parent ]
best speech: Ammiano (0.00 / 0)
Best line was from Laird.

[ Parent ]
What was that line? (0.00 / 0)


You can check out any time you like but you can never leave

[ Parent ]
about Appropriations and Budget in Assembly (0.00 / 0)
He shouted it out:

“These days, you can’t get a dime in Sacramento without going through a couple of gay men.”

(quoted by Beyond Chron)


[ Parent ]
she rocks (0.00 / 0)
awesome that you got such quality time with her. btw, they're both going to be on Leno tonight.

She (0.00 / 0)
commented on my shirt and mention she is going to be on Ellen soon.  That shall be interesting.

[ Parent ]
The Speeches (Other than Edwards') (0.00 / 0)
Best Speeches:
Leno
Amminano
Laird
Harris

Most Forgettable:
Ma

Most Pathetic:
Migden

Best Comedy Routine:
Peskin/Dufty/Ammiano

Most Earnest:
Hennessey


Migden (0.00 / 0)
Very strange. It seemed that they were calling her up to make a speech and she said no. But then they called her back and she spoke.  I don't know the whole back story, but it seemed weird.

I'm proud to work for Kamala Harris for AG.

[ Parent ]
And when she got up (0.00 / 0)
She was complaining about the volume of her applause.

[ Parent ]
in case you're wondering (0.00 / 0)
I am jealous.

Then again, we'll be chatting with Digby on Wednesday, so it balances out.


Calitics in the Media
Archives & Bookings
The Calitics Radio Show
Calitics Premium Ads
Photobucket


Support Calitics:

Shop on Amazon.com

Advertisers

California Friends
Shared Communities
Resources
California News
Progressive Organizations
The Big BlogRoll

Referrals
Technorati
Google Blogsearch
Powered by: SoapBlox