If Jesse cared so much he'd run. Oh yea..that's right, everyone hates his !@#$$%^ guts. Jesse, sit down.

that was a bold statement for Edwards to make. however, i can't deny that that's the path we appear to be on and the circumstances contributing to that possibility need to change. who knows whether or not Edwards can set that process into motion. however, i am glad that it's something that is on his mind.

That dude needs to start thinking before he makes statements.

I take offense to that statement. What about all the black males that are in school, and have professional jobs? Do we not count for shit? I mean damn, we'd like a little credit every once in a while. Like the black women's post said, if they didn't spend sooo much time highlighting our shortfalls and highlighting some of the good we do (which is lots). We're not all gun-toting rappers or not taking care of our children.

I'm really over the Democratic party's paternalism and Edwards' is sooo extra. I'd rather have someone not give a shit and be honest about it in their actions than act like they care only to disregard you when they come into office which is pretty much what every president since the 50s has functioned with minorities. The fact that people in his profession (and he practiced for many years, getting rich off the system he now criticizes) are part of the problem makes his whole agenda seem so disingenuous. There are a lot of lawyers running but none have gotten independently filthy rich off of that alone.

blkmaleperspective, you have a very valid point and pardon me for not acknowledging the mature, hard-working black men in this country. however, i am still glad that Edwards acknowledged that we have a crisis in our community. whether it comes from Edwards or someone else, this is an issue that sorely needs to be addressed. we can't afford to neglect the plight of young black men. it is a multi-faceted problem that ultimately affects everyone. i appreciate anyone who is making a sincere attempt to address the issue. whether or not Edwards is sincere is anyone's guess, but if he is, it's a good thing.

John Edwards could care less about the plight of young black males. What he does care about, are VOTES. When democrats need a boost in the polls, they always get all concerned and paternalistic.

As far as Jesse goes, I would'nt trust him to read my horoscope. The dude is a charlatan.

I just got into a mild fight with a friend–well maybe not really a fight–but when I said that I intended to vote for Edwards instead of Obama in the primary, despite contributing financially to Obama's campaign, she in so many words said that I had to live with the fact that I was responsible for holding "the black man down" and trying to put us back in slavery.

However, the reason that I feel that I want to vote for Edwards is precisely because of the fact that he has had something to say about issues like poverty and racism in this country, while Obama has not. Also, growing up working class in the south and getting a scholarship to Clemson and NC State, as opposed to being on the Harvard/Yale conveyor belt to the presidency like everyone else speaks of the fact that Edwards has a cultural experience that is closer to my own, despite Obama being part-African.

So I guess it remains to be seen if Edwards is going to be "a white man like everyone else" as my friend says or is this first generation college student, who has made a career fighting big business insurance companies, really going to follow through on his ideas of there being an America that is inclusive of everyone.

I really think people should vote based on issues. I get coco's explanation. I can't confirm that his education means he has been exposed to different cultures. While I don't know about total stats back in the day (basically before 1980), I do know that Yale, Harvard and Princeton had far more people of color than one would expect. These schools were the first to admit people of color and though they were pretty slow in admitting women fully, 1/2 of the Ivy League universities (Harvard, Brown, Penn and Princeton) have female presidents today. Brown has a black female president.

@coco - I totally get where you are coming from. I supported Edwards in the last election while everone was on the Howard Dean bandwagon and I got a lot of crap from my friends.