John Edwards, Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, wants to rid American society of poverty. And, to do this, he thinks it is time to revive the greatest American myth of them all.

What was the event?

Restoring the American Dream, by John Edwards.

Where was it held?

The John F Kennedy, Jr Forum, The Institute of Politics, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, on 13 April 2005.

How easy was it to find?

I had been to the school before and, fortunately, knew a student that had both bagged me a seat in the main part of the auditorium, and guided me through the maze of corridors from the library.

How comfortable were the seats?

Moderately comfortable. They were of the high class, foldaway variety. However, due to the predicted popularity of the event, the seats were tightly packed together, leaving little room for legs, bags, coats and elbows. The aforementioned friend has extremely long legs and had to sit at the end of the row. I had someone on my right that was too big for her seat, so she almost sat in my lap.

How many people were there?

Hard to tell, as the forum is set over several levels, all of which were packed to capacity. At a guess, about 300.

Describe a typical audience member.

Clean cut, young and white; a few wore suits. There were a few studious, yet scruffy, longhaired, bo-ho types. There were a few grey, wiser heads and one or two children. The atmosphere suggested that you were in the presence of both the current and the future political intelligentsia of Boston.

What was the atmosphere like, pre-event?

There was a lot of chatter and an air of excitement; many people had arrived early. The armed security guards – of the Harvard University Police variety –made their presence obvious.

What was the agenda?

David Elwood, the Dean of the Kennedy School, and a senior student gave introductions. John Edwards then made his speech, followed by questions from the floor.

Who was the main speaker?

John Edwards, 2004 Democratic Nominee for Vice President; Senator, North Caroline from 1999-2005.

How good was the speaker?

This was the first time I had seen a professional US politician in the flesh before. If you could win the presidency on personal presentation alone, this man would win easily – he was polished and effortlessly coiffured.

His demeanour was attentive and alert; his skin simply glowed. This man is perfect for television and would make any British politician, even Blair or Boateng, look dishevelled. But, for those that like a more critical viewpoint, he does looks better in profile and he may, just may, have astigmatism. But these are minor details.

Did anything distract you?

Only the girl sitting next to me . . . oh, and the gun on the armed guard.

The digested lecture?

After touring the country, meeting less well off people, it is clear that, no matter how poor someone may be, they just want to be treated with dignity and respect. They want to be part of society.

Poverty is all around us. Each one of us faces a moral choice: to look the other way or to face up to it. We have to end poverty in America. There are 36 million living in poverty in the US; this is wrong and tells something of the character of a country. We can make a difference.

It says in the Bible that the poor will always be with us. This is a call to action. There are examples from the past that we can reference: the creation of the Social Security Act by Roosevelt, the 1960's war on poverty, Medicare – which has served 51 million people and increased free healthcare by one-third. These policies embrace our values.

Yet, since 1973, the number of people in poverty has gone up by 13 million. The budget of the President is a moral document and tells of the moral state of the president and of those who accept it. We need to recognise what it means to be poor in America, but what can we do about it? There are still lots of questions to be answered, but here are some possible solutions:

1. Raise the national minimum wage. It is currently 33 per cent of the average hourly wage. This is not enough.

2. Change the earned income tax credit. This currently does not serve single parents that work.

3. Bring decent jobs to our inner cities.

4. Low wage jobs alone do not give a good standard of living. There needs to be a level playing field for unions and we need to make sure that companies pay their workers fairly. Compare the corporate fat cats with those who work for them at $7 an hour [at today's exchange rate, this is roughly £3.70].

5. Fix the healthcare system. Comprehensive reform is required.

6. Families should not be getting by, but getting ahead. 45 million Americans are one hospital trip away from poverty. We need to help families build up their assets. At present, the average annual wage for a black worker is $6,000; for a Latino, it is $8,000 and for a white worker, it is $80,000.

7. We should introduce Baby Bonds to help families save and bring hope for the future.

8. We need to help people protect their assets. Stronger legislation on lenders and credit card companies needs to be introduced to prevent them from placing huge interest rates on loans, which, in turn, create more spirals of debt. Being poor is expensive.

9. We need to get charitable and religious organisations involved in this battle.

How should all this be paid for? We should get rid of the tax cuts for those earning over $400,000. This alone is worth $40 billion annually.

The causes of rural poverty are similar to those of the inner cities: bad schools, jobs and economy. We can do three things to change this.

1. Ensure that broadband is available across the country.
2. Introduce tax incentives to attract companies to invest in poorer areas.
3. Increase the quality of teachers in early years education.

Get involved in this cause or choose your cause, you decide. We [the Democratic Party] will connect you with others in a national movement.

The digested lecture, digested?

We have to end poverty in America.

Was anything left out?

Heaps – mainly how all his ideas would be funded.

Was it hard to stop the speakers?

No. But some of those questioning the former Senator could have done with lessons in how to be less sycophantic.

How long was event?

About an hour.

Risk of sleep during speech?

None.

Afterwards, did you feel inspired or deflated?

I was desperate to have a long rant. Edwards did his job well, but the questions from the floor let him, and the Kennedy School, down. There were many gaps in his arguments. By not challenging him on these, his ideas may remain just ideas.

Edwards sprinkled his lecture with religious terms and terminology, something that would be avoided at all costs in the UK, but seems necessary to be taken seriously in the US. He made one or two references and comparisons to Blair, complimenting him on the changes that he had introduced in the UK, particularly the introduction of the minimum wage.

The most surprising thing?

Edwards' hair: he looked as though he had just stepped out of a salon.

Did you get a souvenir?

Yes, a photocopied leaflet with Edwards' biography and the details of the event.