Homelessness and poverty are among the most misunderstood, patronized and politically expedient issues out there. Both political parties think nothing of using the destitute as a tool to score debating points against the other. Pundits - liberal and conservative - tee up the poor or the homeless to illustrate a point that strengthens their partisan argument.
As one who grew up on welfare and was often homeless as a child, I admit to being protective of a class of people that is shunned by all but a rare few in society.
John Edwards, in his quest for "economic justice" for the poor of America, began and ended his presidential campaign in the crippled Ninth Ward of New Orleans. To me, a conservative, Mr. Edwards has never seemed particularly sincere. However, as someone who was humbled by abject poverty, I appreciate the fact that, whatever his motivation, he has brought much-needed attention to an issue that begs for a constant media spotlight. It is gratifying, too, that upon his exit from the presidential campaign, Mr. Edwards said that Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama "have both pledged to me and, more importantly, through me to America, that they will make ending poverty central to their campaign for the presidency."
However, neither the Democrat nor the Republican nominee is ever going to make "ending poverty" central to his or her campaign - because it's impossible. Poverty will always be with us. The poor don't need spin. They need someone to walk a mile in their shoes and protect them from disingenuous politicians and ivory tower academics trying to socially engineer lives they couldn't possibly understand.
More importantly, they need a place at the table at the next congressional hearing. They need to be able to tell their stories without the filter of ignorance. No "experts." No "advocates." Just stark reality.
During the course of his campaign, Mr. Edwards often said, "Tonight, across this country, 200,000 men and women who wore our uniform ... will go to sleep under bridges and on grates." That statement elicited a rebuttal from Bill O'Reilly, of the Fox News Channel, that I found particularly offensive.
Mr. O'Reilly said: "Here's the truth about poverty in America, Mr. Edwards. ... If you earn less than $10,000, you are poor. If a family of four earns less than $21,000, they are poor. Yet according to the government census, poor households in America have lots of stuff. Ninety-seven percent have a color TV, 78 percent a DVD player, 80 percent an air conditioner, 73 percent a car or truck, 63 percent cable or satellite TV, and 43 percent of poor households in the U.S.A. own the home they are living in."
