WisPolitics Feature: Edwards Interview

U.S. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., is a rich former trial attorney who had humble beginnings but now has big aspirations. He wants to be your president.

Like Bill Clinton, Edwards is a well-spoken handsome southerner who says keeping the deficit down is more important than tax cuts. But Edwards has none of Clinton's most obvious baggage. However, he doesn't have the executive experience Clinton had as governor of Arkansas.

Edwards says he has the qualities of leadership people are looking for in a president and the plans to get the economy going again and solve other vexing domestic problems -- in urban and rural America.

Says Edwards: ``Because of where I come from and what I spent my life doing, the ideas that I have for how to improve the lives of people in Wisconsin are exactly what average people in Wisconsin need -- what we need to do about your health-care problems, what we need to do to improve public schools, what we should do to get the economy going again and create jobs, and also to help those who live out in the more rural areas of Wisconsin.''

WisPolitics Editor Jeff Mayers interviewed Edwards by telephone on May 31, 2003, while the senator was campaigning in Council Bluffs, IA and had just finished speaking to Pottawattamie County Democratic activists. He then travelled to Sioux City to meet with Democratic activists.

Mayers: Something big happened in your state today. They captured Eric Rudolph.

Edwards: Is that right? I hadn't heard that.

Mayers: They're holding a press conference now in Murphy.

Edwards: Interesting. ....

Mayers: That brings up the question of whether he should be subject to the death penalty. Do you have an opinion on that?

Edwards: I don't know enough about what evidence they have on him right now. ... But I do generally support the death penalty. I think there are some crimes that deserve the ultimate punishment. I do think we have work to do in making sure -- I've worked on this in the Senate -- in making sure that defendants in death penalty cases have strong and adequate representation of counsel, that they have access to testing, including DNA testing, and that we (ensure) the judicial process be fair. In fact, I've co-sponsored legislation in the Senate that would deal with all those issues. ...

Mayers: What makes you different than the other eight (Democratic) candidates in this race?

Edwards: Perspective and ideas. I come from a family where my dad worked in the mill all his life. My mother's last job was working at the post office. I was the first person in my family to go to college. After I worked my way through college and law school, I spent 20 years fighting for people just like the ones I had grown up with, people like my parents. And I ran for the Senate to champion their cause. That's the reason I want to be president. And I think that perspective, plus all of my ideas to improve their lives -- ranging from how to get the economy going again, to making sure that we have college available for everyone, to bringing down the cost of health care, prescription drugs, to addressing the problems of rural America. All of those ideas are based upon the fundamental notion of being a champion for average Americans, which is what I've done my whole life.

Mayers: What makes you confident of your ability to take the leap from senator to president in terms of not having executive experience?

Edwards: I think I have the qualities of leadership that are required of the president. What people are looking for in their president is somebody who has a clear view of America's role in the world, who has clear vision about what needs to be done in this country to improve the lives of most Americans, and who sees things through their eyes. And they want somebody who has good judgment and character and backbone. Those are the qualities of leadership people look for in a president. And I believe those are tests that I meet.

Mayers: What does a senator from North Carolina offer people in the upper Midwest, Iowa and Wisconsin?

Edwards: Because of where I come from and what I spent my life doing, the ideas that I have for how to improve the lives of people in Wisconsin are exactly what average people in Wisconsin need -- what we need to do about your health-care problems, what we need to do to improve public schools, what we should do to get the economy going again and create jobs, and also to help those who live out in the more rural areas of Wisconsin. ...

Mayers: Is the economy the No. 1 issue?

Edwards: I think at this moment, the economy and security are probably the No. 1 and 2 issues and ... not far behind health care.

Mayers: Where are you on the Bush tax cut?

Edwards: I think it's too large and loaded up for people at the top. I voted against it.

Mayers: What's the best alternative?

Edwards: What we should be doing is spending some money in the short term to get the economy going again. We ought to be providing at least $50 billion in help to states and local governments, who are having the worst budget crisis they've had since World War II. We ought to be helping people who have lost jobs through no fault of their own, giving businesses incentive to put money back in the economy by giving them a short-term bonus depreciation on their capital expenditures. And over the long term, so we have long-term economic growth, we ought to go back to fiscal responsibility, which means balanced budgets. And I think it's necessary in order to do that to stop the tax cut to the top 1 percent -- people who make over $200,000 a year.

Mayers: So you're worried about the deficit?

Edwards: The president's taking us deeper and deeper into deficit every day, and he absolutely no plan to do anything about it. He's going to leave this ... deficit to our children.

Mayers: Talk about the Medicaid pickle. You talked about helping state and local governments. .... Medicaid is a big part of that, right?

Edwards: It is. That's one of the ways we can help state and local governments is with the whole issue of Medicaid reimbursement. And the federal government's share of Medicaid. That's one of the places we certainly can provide help. ...We also have an issue, as you know, about Medicare reimbursement, which has had an enormous influence on the ability of hospitals to stay in business. We have lots of hospitals in this country that are really struggling, among other things, because of the Medicare reimbursement rate.

Mayers: How could states be reimbursed more quickly (for Medicaid) without spiking the deficit?

Edwards: ...We ought to provide more help to the states, which I have proposed, and we ought to pay for it. And the way to pay for it ... is to stop the tax cut for people at the top. And we can save $1.5 trillion over the next 20 years by just stopping the tax cut for people who make over $200,000 a year. And keeping the rest of the tax cut for the middle class in place.

Mayers: You have a plan for rural America, and Iowa and Wisconsin certainly qualify. Can you give an example of how it might help somebody on the farm or in a rural community?

Edwards: What I would do is create jobs out in rural America by providing a venture capital fund for ... entrepreneurs who want to create new businesses. I call it the REACH fund. The second thing I'd do is create economic revitalization zones for those parts of rural America that are really struggling, really suffering. Give financial incentives to businesses and industries to locate there. Another thing is to use technology to help create jobs. One example of that is to build biomass refineries in different parts of rural America. It creates an alternative source of energy and simultaneously creates jobs. I also create a national goal of making broadband high-speed Internet available in every small town, in every rural community, within four years.

Mayers: So you're pro-ethanol?

Edwards: Yes, I think ethanol is clean, alternative source of energy.

Mayers: The ethanol tax credit. Is that a good thing?

Edwards: Yes.

Mayers: It is. OK. ...(Sunday's) your first Wisconsin campaign swing?

Edwards: I have been to Wisconsin ... to do fundraising and politics before, but I think it was before I announced for president. ...

Mayers: Where does Wisconsin fit into the battle plan to win the nomination?

Edwards: It's important. Wisconsin has an early primary. It will play an important role in selecting the Democratic nominee. And it's also a swing state with a mix of cities and small towns. It's going to be important in both the primary process and the general election.

Mayers: Do you have any major endorsements yet here in Wisconsin?

Edwards: Oh, we're just starting to come there. As we move forward and do our work in Wisconsin, I'm confident we'll have good support there.

Mayers: Did you help Doyle in the governor's race?

Edwards: Yes, I did. ....

Mayers: You're going to a church service. I guess I don't know what your religion is.

Edwards: I was born into a family of Baptists, baptized in the Baptist Church. And I am now a member of the Methodist Church.

Mayers: How important is a religious foundation as part of this political quest?

Edwards: I think people in this country want to be satisfied that presidential candidates and their president are good people. I think they use a lot of factors to evaluate that. And if you're a person of faith and integrity, I think that matters to people. I think it does play some role.

Mayers: You supported McCain-Feingold?

Edwards: I did.

Mayers: How worried are you that the court will tear it apart?

Edwards: ...I'm optimistic. I worked on McCain-Feingold before the Senate. I was actually responsible for arguing the constitutionality of a number of the provisions. As you well know, your senator, Russ Feingold, was the real leader on this issue. But I was there helping him and supporting him. I remain optimistic we'll be able to uphold it.

Mayers: Running for president is enormously expensive. Could it ever be changed?

Edwards: Oh sure it can be changed. If we move the campaign finance system in this country towards more use of public financing and more use of free broadcast time, that'd be a very positive thing.

Mayers: Could you see the day when public financing would take care of the full (cost)? ... Could it take care of the whole thing?

Edwards: I think it's certainly possible.

Mayers: You'd like that?

Edwards: I think anything we do that restores people's confidence in the system, that restores integrity to the process is a good thing. I've strongly supported and fought for McCain-Feingold, and I think we can go further than that. ...