When someone has no good reason to say something, they might be saying more than you think.
As I got to thinking who would win the 2008 November elections (Barack, Hillary, McCain) today, I thought of the words John Edwards spoke to Wolf Blitzer while he was still in the race…”I am the most electable of the three of us in the general election.” At the time, John Edwards trailed by wide margins in all of the polls and seemed to have no justification for saying this. Perhaps, this was just politics as usual. Perhaps.
I like John Edwards and not only for his nice haircut. I remember being very moved by his speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention, where he exhorted “Hope is on the Way.”
So when you return home, you might pass a mother on her way to work the late-shift-you tell her……hope is on the way.
When your brother calls and says that he’s working all the time at the office and still can’t get ahead-you tell him……hope is on the way.
When your parents call and tell you their medical bills are through the roof-you tell them……hope is on the way.
The theme of the this speech runs contrary to many of my beliefs of self-reliance and personal accountability. But I was moved nonetheless. Some people do work extremely hard and still need help to bring hope.
And so, when I heard John Edwards say, “I am the most electable”, my initial thought was “yes, John, you are right. Hope is on the way again!”
And then, quickly, my second thought was: How could he say this? He is way behind in the poles and has no chance. And then, the thoughts came into my mind. No, he couldn’t mean that. He wouldn’t imply that. He is too decent of a guy. But I couldn’t let go of this thought. Is John Edwards subtly implying that he has the best chance in the general election because…
…he is the white guy?