Read a Pacific Northwest, liberal perspective on world, national, and local politics. From majestic Redmond, Washington - the Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Elizabeth Edwards in Portland

Aneurin at Democracy for Vancouver fills us in on an Elizabeth Edwards event in Portland this evening:
Her speech was as she admitted very short, only briefly touching on her battle with cancer, as she chose to spend the majority of time fielding questions from the audience. The questions ranged from Latin American policy to international AIDS funding. As Edwards noted, most Democratic candidates are in agreement in those areas. A question on education saw Edwards clearly in her element, discussing the No Child Left Behind fiasco and replacing it with a more values based system of testing rather than the standardized, one-size-fits-all mess we have now. It was pretty obvious that Ms. Edwards had a command of the educational issue and enjoyed engaging the question, at first congratulating the questioner, a teacher, for her service.
Elizabeth Edwards' appearance in Portland occurred as she was battling Ann Coulter in the national press:
Elizabeth Edwards pleaded yesterday with Ann Coulter to "stop the personal attacks," a day after the conservative commentator said she wished Ms. Edwards's husband, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, had been killed by terrorists.

"The things she has said over the years, not just about John but about other candidates, lowers the political dialogue at precisely the time we need to raise it," Ms. Edwards said by phone on MSNBC's "Hardball" program, where Ms. Coulter was a guest.

Elizabeth Edwards said she did not consult her husband before confronting Ms. Coulter on the air, adding that she felt the pundit's remarks were "a dialogue on hatefulness and ugliness."

"It debases political dialogue," Ms. Edwards said. "It drives people away from the process. We can't have a debate about issues if you're using this kind of language."
Ann Coulter has no business appearing on national television in the guise of a political commentator. She's an insane, hateful person. Shame on those who give her a platform.

Good on Elizabeth Edwards for taking her on.

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