John Edwards: the one-way candidate

It was exciting to be invited by the Edwards campaign to participate in a discussion with the candidate by phone. Time and date were set aside and I eagerly awaited my chance to join with fellow supporters nationwide and with the candidate himself on Saturday afternoon - at least in my time zone - May 12.

But the "conversation" was one-way only; it was his conversation, not ours. He made some important points - that Democrats must reclaim patriotism and insist that supporting our troops means bringing them home. He reminded me that we have a President who believes he can't do anything wrong. But while I enjoyed hearing Senator Edwards speaking to me directly and appreciated his activist stance on Iraq, I had expected something more.

Even Bush responds to actual questions, fake though they are from pre-selected audiences. In contrast, Senator Edwards was only on "send" pure and simple. I was reminded of some of my patients who, while kindly expressing their views, won't let me ask a question or make an interpretation. They only want to make sure I got their point.

If I had had the opportunity to speak I would have told the Senator how much I appreciate his urgent message that supporting our troops means bringing them home. I would have told him that health care is a right and not a privilege, and that despite being a physician I am in favor of a single payer system Also, I would have shared his genuine concerns about the disappearance of the American middle class. Finally I would have encouraged his efforts to revamp public education, reminding him that the "no child left behind" program is beyond farcical: it is dangerous to our children's future as teachers find themselves teaching only to the test.

But ultimately I have only one piece of advice to give him: listen.