John Edwards Urges Congress to Override Healthcare Veto

Former senator and Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has urged the U.S. Congress to override President Bush's veto of S-CHIP childrens' healthcare legislation. Edwards also called for the creation of a universal healthcare system, and received an Iowa union endorsement on Monday.

According to a press release issued by the John Edwards For President campaign on Monday at about noon, the presidential candidate released a statement on the issue. The statement pointed out that there are 47 million American people without health coverage, including nine million children, despite the United States' economic wealth. Edwards called upon all of the Congress members to disregard "partisan interests" and override the veto so as to "stand up for" children who lack health insurance coverage.

The statement also advocated "truly universal healthcare" and the need for "bold change" in America. It emphasized the importance of nominating and electing a new President who would work to improve healthcare for children, not compromise values of the Democratic Party, and create a universal healthcare system. It referred to "lobbyists" and "special interests" obstructing the creation of such a system. Multiple Democratic presidential candidates have called for universal or "single-payer" healthcare, but there has been some dispute regarding which candidate's plan was more genuine or realistic.

Meanwhile on Monday, according to another press release issued by his campaign in the morning, John Edwards received the endorsement of the Iowa state council of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The president of Iowa SEIU Local 199, a registered nurse, was quoted as saying that the "strong stand" of John Edwards regarding healthcare was a major factor in the union's decision to endorse him. Edwards spoke regarding the endorsement, saying that he was "honored" to receive it. He also received the endorsements of several other major unions last month, including the United Mine Workers of America and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.

According to wikipedia.org, John Edwards was born fifty-four years ago in South Carolina. His father was a textile mill worker and his mother a post office employee. Edwards earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree at two universities in North Carolina. He became married in 1977, worked as a lawyer for a number of years, and was elected to the Senate in 1999. He authored a book regarding his legal career in late 2003. He unsuccessfully ran for Vice President in 2004, and announced his intention to run for President near the end of 2006.

Sources:

1. John Edwards For President, http://johnedwards.com/news/press-releases/20071015-schip-veto/
2. Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Edwards
3. John Edwards For President, http://johnedwards.com/news/press-releases/20071015-iowa-seiu/