Krugman: The Edwards Effect

I was listening to John Edwards last year and what Paul Krugman summarizes is what I remembered. Over the course of the year, it became a little muddied in my mind. Who was initiating the bold ideas like universal health care that the Democratic candidates suddenly seemed to latch on to after sweeping it under the rug for so long?

Sure, Dennis Kucinich was for "Medicare for all" (HR 636) but unfortunately and as usual, no one in the mainstream cared to listen to what Kucincich had to say.

Luckily, Edwards was in the forefront just enough and had the populist message that many wanted to hear, and the rest of the pack had to follow because the message was so enticing . We have John Edwards to thank for what we are hearing from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton now.

KRUGMAN: ...Mr. Edwards, far more than is usual in modern politics, ran a campaign based on ideas. And even as his personal quest for the White House faltered, his ideas triumphed: both candidates left standing are, to a large extent, running on the platform Mr. Edwards built.

...Suddenly, universal health care became a possible dream for the next administration. In the months that followed, the rival campaigns moved to assure the party’s base that it was a dream they shared, by emulating the Edwards plan. And there’s little question that if the next president really does achieve major health reform, it will transform the political landscape.

...Unfortunately for Mr. Edwards, the willingness of his rivals to emulate his policy proposals made it hard for him to differentiate himself as a candidate; meanwhile, those rivals had far larger financial resources and received vastly more media attention.

...One thing is clear, however: whichever candidate does get the nomination, his or her chance of victory will rest largely on the ideas Mr. Edwards brought to the campaign.