Well Done, Thou Good and Faithful Servants

John Edwards ended his campaign yesterday afternoon at the same place he started it and with the same theme -- ending poverty as a moral imperative. In the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Edwards said that he was stepping aside in this presidential campaign, but that he would now continue his life-long work for economic justice. Before announcing his decision, he called both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to ask for a pledge to make ending poverty central to their campaigns for president and to their presidencies if they are elected.

John Edwards has changed the shape and the agenda of this campaign. He has put the needs of the poor and working families on the political agenda for the first time in many years. His clear and consistent voice has made sure that universal health care, fundamental issues of economic inequality, and the plight of so many Americans who are barely getting by would be on the front burner of this election campaign. John Edwards has championed the poor more than any white presidential candidate since Robert Kennedy did many decades ago. His campaign may have ended, but he has already shaped the priorities of this election year in a decisive way.

Again, he reminded us that "we have a moral responsibility to each other," as his valiant wife Elizabeth could be seen wiping a tear from her eyes. Because, he said, "But for the grace of God, there goes us." He called for an end to government "walking away" from poor and working people. Nobody has spoken of the 37 million Americans who wake up every morning in poverty more than John Edwards.

As he was on his way to give the announcement to withdraw from the presidential race, he stopped to talk to some homeless people under a bridge. One woman said, "Promise me you won't forget us." Edwards promised that he wouldn't. I believe him. I have admired John Edwards greatly -- especially among the presidential candidates in recent years -- and today I was so proud of him once again.

He closed by saying, "This son of a mill worker's gonna be just fine. Our job now is to make certain that America will be fine... it's time for all of us, all of us together, to make the two Americas one." And yesterday he made a commitment for his party (to which he is now likely to continually hold them to account): "We will never forget you. We will fight for you. We will stand up for you." He said to all of those he had heard in the past several days asking him to speak for them, "I want you to know that you almost changed my mind."

The Bible says that a nation will be judged, more than anything else, by how it treats its poorest and most vulnerable. And seldom do we see a political candidate who sounds like a biblical prophet. So I just want to say thank you to John and Elizabeth Edwards. You may not become president this time, but you have been a prophet to the nation and will continue to be. As you said in your closing remarks, your presidential campaign may be over, but it's time to get to work. And I know we will be working together. God bless you both.

Read the transcript of Edward's announcement here.

Jim Wallis is the Editor-in-Chief of Sojourners and blogs at www.godspolitics.com.

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Comments

[RadCenter]

John Edwards' defeat by the political machine in South Carolina brought to mind the verse "A prophet is without honor in his own country."

I recall thinking the same thing about Jerry Brown in 1992.

Both were routinely ridiculed and described as "angry."

My question is, why isn't everyone else angry?

[OtayPanky]

Jim -

I heard you speak recently about the need to speak in MORAL language rather than RELIGIOUS language in order to get your message out more effectively with our essentially secular society.

So here's a tip, based on your own wise perception about effective communication: Park your "Thee's and Thou's" before posting something on HuffPo.

Why? Because in case you hadn't noticed, there's a lot of hostility and suspicion here among the largely secular left to Bible Thumpers and Bible Thumping.

[jmpurser]

On the one hand, he accomplished nothing more than lip service to the idea that America needs to work for more Americans.

On the other hand that's a LOT more than any other presidential candidate has accomplished since Carter.

[lgillooly]

He is a good man and our Country needs to heed his message.How can we speak of being Christians and yet have 10's of millions hungry and homeless. Christ would be ashamed.

[IanOC]

I love that statement, "It is time for all of us to make the two Americas one." It sums up the best of the campaigns of Obama and Edwards. I would love to see Obama and Edwards to team up and pledge to work together for universal health care, for an end to poverty and the war in Iraq, and for a new environmental policy. Many of us wish they could be a presidential and vice presidential team. Their debates during the campaign have tended to obscure their shared commitment to social change. Maybe you could talk to them for us, Jim!

[abbiehoffmansghost]

He has changed the agenda and discussions on issues that should be important to voters in this country, as has Dennis Kucinich and others like Mike Gravel. But now the other candidates must be held to those ideals by the voters that supported these former candidates and the former candidates themselves must continue to work with the front runners to demand they support change if they seek the support of these former candidates and their supporters. Will it happen? I hate to say it but I honestly don't think that Clinton, Obama, McCain, and Romney and their supporters really care about the needed change in this country. I hope that I'm wrong and that we as a people can take a new direction as a society and country but I think that our leadership is more a 'stay the course' corporate owned entity than a people's voice. Time will tell.