Martin Luther King III to John Edwards: <I>I challenge all candidates to follow your lead</i>
By Nicole Belle Sunday Jan 20, 2008 8:10pm
On Saturday afternoon, John Edwards met with Martin Luther King III, son of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., at the King Center in Atlanta. He received this note (.pdf) from him the following day:
...I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are - a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.
You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system. They don't have lobbyists in Washington and they don't get to go to lunch with members of Congress. Speaking up for them is not politically convenient. But, it is the right thing to do.
I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign. I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America.[..]
I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives.
So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father's words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.
I don't know about you, but if I got a letter like that, it would be framed and on my wall where every visitor could see it.
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Edwards!
Mr. Edwards has my vote, too bad that the MSM won't cover his campaign.
Good day for Senator Edwards. Good day for the United States of America.
On top of this Edwards, is absolutely shining on the debate stage tonight.
Mexico Farmers Sow NAFTA Dissent
Javier Rodriguez Roque
Mexico, Jan 21 (Prensa Latina) The Mexican farmers heading to the capital in rejection of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are growing along their way.
The demonstrators recently received the support of the mayors and social groups in four municipalities of Chihuahua state, who endorsed the proclamation of the Farmer Resistance Movement.
The signed document demands a revision of NAFTA, and backs the caravan, which will end in the capital after covering 1243 miles .
The march has been also welcomed in the municipalities of Delicias, Meoqui, Saucillo, La Cruz. Conchos, Camargo, and Jimenez, in the central and southern regions of the country, which are very important for the agricultural sector.
Deputy Victor Quintana informed that producers from other states have decided to hold parallel mobilizations, especially in Tlaxcala, Morelos, and Michoacan, to join the demonstration.
"...follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America."
"Follow your lead." "FOLLOW YOUR LEAD".
Case Closed.
If Edwards voting record matched his rhetoric I would be behind him all the way but sadly there is a disconnect between the two that make him look like Mitt Romney with a D instead of an R in front of his name. Hates, NCLB but voted for it, same with Iraq. Russ Fiengold had a good interview about this recently, sadly I have lost the link to it.
Edwards is the 2nd FDR and scares the corporate contards
The con corporate fascists also called the rich white FDR a "commie-pinko-traitor-to- his-class" as his New Deal rescued America from the last REPUBLICAN Great Depression !
Rich, liberal FDR exposed the "Economic Royalists" as he called them ,threw the moneychangers out of the temple in DC and they tried to tar him as well because he was rich by calling him "a traitor to his class"
FDR & Eleanor were working class americans' best friends and so too are John & Elisabeth Edwards! Edwards has been fighting these greedy pirates all his life and crushing them.
Below are Two of FDR’s greatest speeches. Complete speeches
First is on political rights AND economic rights
http://www.feri.org/common/news/details.cfm?QID=2088&clientid=11005
January 11, 1944
Message on the State of the Union ---“2nd Bill of Rights” speech
By Franklin Roosevelt
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/shownomination.php? convid=37
June 27, 1936
Acceptance Speech for the Renomination for the Presidency “Economic Royalist” speech and con confusion between political & economic systems
By Franklin D. Roosevelt
Hillary and Obama are both DLC corporate democrtas. Obama is bought and paid for. ( see Krugman's documentation)
Edwards/Webb '08!
Romney will lose to Edwards in a repeat of FDR 1932 landslide. MARK MY WORDS.
The corporate media's "BLACK MAN versus WHITE WOMAN" won't sell.
NEXT.....
Don't agree..! In this hysterical yahoo nation,one guy on ticke
...ticket has to have MILITARY experience!
That's why I say Edwards with either Gen.Clark, Sen.Webb or Gen. Zinsecki as veep.
It's all about winning first!
Shit, I'd take Edwards/Clark too !!!
you'd get a NATO commander that liberated Kosovo with ZERO caualties.
Remember...Yahoo nation needs a GI JOE on the ticket to feel all compfy & secure !!!
And democrats already have MOST of top military support!
Gen. Eaton is the most recent, "THANK GOD, the Democrats control Congress" on Bill Mahr. ( he was the 50th RETIRED General that has expressed that sentiment)
In an IDEAL sane world, Feingold/Sanders or Kucinich/Nader would be my pick, BUT we don't live in an IDEAL world.
So I go for the PRAGMATIC democratic ticket.
That's better than ANY,ANY,ANY Repugnant !
Dr. King's kids are not Dr. King themselves. And quite honestly, they are a poor example to follow. Not long ago they sued for copyrights or his "I Have a Dream" speech, one of the greatest gifts ever given to America and the world.
No kidding - holy cow!
Many African Americans are supporting Obama over Edwards because they think he's another MLK. I hope they don't end up with a Clarence Thomas or a Colin Powell instead.
So far, I have yet to see any leadership from the other two "frontrunners" and both have adopted Edwards' policies...
While I love Obama's speeches, he has been a disappointment in the debates.
nyguy @ 8:
That has about as much traction as the denigrations of Dr. King's personal weaknesses. Doesn't change the vision, doesn't change the message.
According to Kucinich, John Edwards isn't exactly the anti-corporate candidate. John Edwards takes money from special interests himself (the Fortress hedge fund, for example). Check out what Kucinich has to say:
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/16/breaking_the_sound_barrier_democra...
John Edwards "gets" it. We are in a class war, and we are losing.
Kucinich is just a whiny, sour grapes candidate. I was going to support Kucininich but when he threw his support behind Barach Obama in Iowa, I lost all respect for him. Kucinich is the one who should be tarred an feather. He should have put his support behind John Edwards, as John Edwards is the one of the most progressive of all the candidates who has TAKEN NO MONEY From speicial interest groups. Boarach Obama and Hillary take a ton of money form big oil companies, Insurance Companies, and Special Interest Groups. Kucinich is never going to win. He blew it when he abandoned John Edwards, most likely because he's jealous and doesn't want John Edwards to win.
I'd frame it on the wall so that I could read it every day. As a reminder.
fiver @ 14:
Wasn't it Buffett that said, "We are in a class war and the upper class is winning."
What is wrong with us, that even the left doesn't want to hear about the good fight, let alone fight it?
Kyle @ 6:
Here's the Feingold link , Kyle :
From the Appleton, WI Post-Crescent:
On the Democratic presidential candidates:
I did notice that as the primaries heated up, all of a sudden, all the presidential candidates — none of whom voted with me on the timeframe to withdraw from Iraq — all voted with me and when we did the Patriot Act stuff.
The one that is the most problematic is (John) Edwards, who voted for the Patriot Act, campaigns against it. Voted for No Child Left Behind, campaigns against it. Voted for the China trade deal, campaigns against it. Voted for the Iraq war … He uses my voting record exactly as his platform, even though he had the opposite voting record.
When you had the opportunity to vote a certain way in the Senate and you didn't, and obviously there are times when you make a mistake, the notion that you sort of vote one way when you're playing the game in Washington and another way when you're running for president, there's some of that going on.
On whether he'll make an endorsement in the Feb. 19 Wisconsin primary:
Probably not. I'm having a hard time deciding between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, as are many people. Those are the two I take the most seriously.
I go back and forth, to be honest with you. I'm torn on this whole issue of who's more likely to be progressive and really seek change vs. who's ready to do the job today. It really is a true dilemma in my mind.
You Go, Russ!! Too bad he's not in the mix, isn't it?
I have this strange feeling Edwards isn't going to drop out. How about you?
phantom @ 13:
I'm pretty sick to my stomach over how effortlessly and transparently the corporate media KO'd Kucinich from the race. All of the big guns against the status quo have been retired for this election. Edwards is my preference of the three anointed "viable" candidates, and I'll bet he'll be hellfire as anti-corporate Trial-Lawyer-In-Chief, but I think he'll still think of it as fighting for "them," as in the underprivileged "not-him," rather than feeling all "us" about it.
People like that are already halfway seduced - a little clever love from the right circles can finish the job.
A lot of CnL fans go to this website because they don't have TV. It would be great if someone could publish video of the debate at length. It's not like the superbowl - I can't go to a bar and watch politics.
*I threw out my TV after the 04 election*
Has anyone found out how well we did in a drive to raise money for Edwards? I did my part.
I like to think of Edwards as some of FDR, MLK and RFK.
I love that picture you have posted of him here.
Thanks, C&L. Thanks for all you do.
In the best of all possible worlds people wouldn't have to compromise and vote for "viable" candidates instead of those who best represent their personal ideologies and convictions.
Unfortunately we DON'T live in that world.Edwards is far from perfect,but of the three top candidates,in my opinion he is with out a doubt the best...of all possible worlds.
Right, economic justice. Somehow those McDonald's type commemorations of Martin Luther King always forget that he fought and died for for a vision of justice in which economic justice was front and center. Good for Martin Luther King III and what a chastening slap for Obama and Clinton.
Live debate on cspan (though it's been on over an hour) http://www.cnn.com/video/live/live.html?stream=stream1http://www.cnn.com... and Edwards is the Winnah. Okay I'm prejudiced.
I agree - no TV to speak of in our home (just the local pbs station, in the event of a hurricane or something). Run long segments, C&L. I'll watch them, even if it is days later.
The debate is taking a break right now and CNN is rerunning some "highlights" -- The gloves were off between BO & HRC for a while and next they'll be going back to the roundtable where they're making a bit nicer
Deal or no Deal was on the teevee as background noise as I was cleaning my house and a contestant just came on the show saying she was there hoping to win at least enough money to pay for health insurance for her and her child.
Going on a game show to try to win money for health coverage for your family. If that doesn't pretty much sum up living in America under a Republican regime I don't know what does.
Edwards speech!
From a pretty good new speech today (least you can’t say he’s mincing words), if anyone was interested or missed it:
There are four truths that must be spoken in this election:
1. Everything that makes America “America” is threatened today.
2. This election is not just another four-year fight between political parties or competing ideas - it is an epic struggle for the future of America.
3. Corporate greed and the very powerful use their money to control Washington, and this corrupting influence is destroying the middle class
4. Real change is going to take a real fight. It always does.
Since the founding of this country, we have fought for change, and changed history.
When America was founded, there were people who wanted to negotiate with King George. Imagine if we had followed that path. There were people who wanted to contain the trusts instead of bust the trusts. Imagine if we had followed that path. But look what happened when Americans of great conviction led America to stand up for its principles and reach for higher ground. We fought for change, and we changed history.
During the [Republican] Great Depression, FDR stood up to powerful, entrenched interests to lead this nation out of our darkest hour. He called on us to remember ‘the forgotten man at the bottom of the economic pyramid,’ and told us we have a moral responsibility to look out for one another; to help the millions of Americans living in poverty lift themselves up; to bring the millions being left in the shadows back into the light; to show all those who have been forgotten by their government and left to fend for themselves that they are not alone, because this is America. We fought for change, and we changed history.
Martin Luther King and the leaders of the Civil Rights movement, which I saw as a child growing up in the South, fought against centuries of entrenched bigotry and oppression. They called on us to live up to the best within ourselves, and the best within our nation. We fought for change, and we changed history.
When Iowa rises, America will rise. We will defeat greed and fear — and strike a blow for working people, for those with no voice, for those Washington has ignored for too long. I promise you this: if you join us to strike that blow they will not ignore you for one more day. The folks in Washington and on Wall Street will hear you loud and clear, and they will know that their grip on power and money is coming loose. They will know that America is rising. And we’re coming to take our country back.
West End Bound @ 19:
Thanks for getting my back.
Get him to do a commercial quick!
Kyle @ 6:
Pure crapola. And screw Feingold. What does he prefer? Someone who has his policy positions now...Or someone who doesn't...and never will.
I'm so sick of that tired Hillary meme.
I had a vision of John Edward's winning the Presidency, and then right after, I heard some music.
"He gave the power to the have nots. And then came the shot."
- "Wake Up"
Oh well. Nice thought, anyhow.
West End Bound @ 19:
Yeah. "Too bad". Too bad he doesn't have the balls to get into it himself. He'd rather sit safely on the sidelines and support someone he disagrees with.
Nice steaming bowl of sh*t that...
West End Bound @ 19:
Regarding Feingold giving Edwards a cost-free kick in the ribs when he's down:
MLK said: "The arc of history bends toward justice."
That doesn't happen up in the sky somewhere, it happens in real biographies and real lives. I believe it happened in Edwards life, and I think the work he did while being a lawyer was about justice (like getting lifetime care for that little girl who had her guts sucked out by a defective product, from the corporation that made the product).
So, if I had to make a choice between the arc of a green Senator who was cautious and new on the job, and later threw caution to the wind when he figured out the score, and the arc of a one-time community organizer who's now using right wing talking points to get low information voters and Republicans into Democratic primaries so they can choose the next Democratic nominee.... Well, for me, it's a very easy choice to make.
Petro @ 12:
I'm pretty sure you can read some of the stuff from Hillary and even Bush and believe the message is correct and inspiring, doesn't change the character.
The one thing about Russ' comments about JE. I'm keeping my eye on two of the superdelegates from WI as indicators as to who Russ is backing before he actually declares (which I don't think he'll do until after the WI primary, at the earliest).
They are still sitting neutral, so, despite Russ' words, things must be happening behind the scenes that are keeping them on the fence.
Here's where the candidates get their money.
Pander 101 by John Edwards.....
Some of Edwards accomplishments representing a Red State....
Clinton Defense Leader in Impeachment Trial
Kennedy-Edwards-McCain Patients' Bill of Rights
Kennedy-Edwards Minimum Wage Raise Laws
Vote Against Bush's First Taxgiveaway
Vote Against Bush's Second Taxgiveaway
Vote Against $87 Billion "I support Bush's War Bill"
Wrote Bill that allowed individuals to buy prescription drugs from Canada
Wrote and Sponsored Bill that would make sexual orientation a legally protected category in job discrimination
Wrote Sunset Provision into Patriot Act
Floor leader for Feingold-McCain Campaign Finance Reform.
Voted against the Chilean trade agreement, against the Caribbean trade agreement, against the Singapore trade agreement, against final passage of fast track for this president.
Actually defeated a Republican incumbent in a Red State who had the Helms Machine with him.
Slabo @ 31:
Man YOU should be running.
That has too be the biggest endorsement yetHUGE!by far the best endorsement yet!
Very much looking forward to voting for this man - again.
*
Let's flood the CNN.com poll on who won the debate.
fuck the corporatist Obinton, siamese twins.
Kucinich and then Edwards for me! and if not Kucinich, then Edwards.
No Clintobama for me. Period.
A nation of sheep will likely vote for the candidates that the MSM tells them they should be voting for. Far too many Americans are incapable of critical thought, just the way the powers that be want to keep it.
So, Obama, who thinks Reagan was tits, slams the Hilbot for being on the board of Walmart, which is one of the most evil corporations in America. She turns and slams Obama for hanging with slum lords.
Meanwhile, Edwards, who hasn't missed a beat, never mind the press ignoring him every chance they get, picks up Really Important Endorsements over his stands on JUSTICE and the OBVIOUS CLASS WAR in America.
But the Hillary supporters will continue in their blind pursuit of a female prez (no matter that she's a tool of the corporate world) and the Obama supporters wil continue their blind support of America's first black president, never mind that he's clueless on international relations and thinks Reagan was OK.
Stupid Dems can't see past your nose. Well, it looks like the inversion of the election of 1860 is going JUST FINE.
There will be a war. On the streets. And with Hillary or Obama it will be a democratic president who suppresses it. With Edwards, it could be Democrat who leads it... but, no. The corporations own this country lock stock and barrel. Stick a fork in America. It's done.
Gotugye @ 48:
and your point is what exactly?tell me something I don't know.
West End Bound @ 19:
The guy who cannot differentiate between HillBama and JRE?
The guy who stated for the record that he would not support Impeachment as it would prove 'too trying for the nation....'.
The guy who Abu Gonzo lied to his face in the Senate, actually laughed in his face while lying, and let the lil' war criminal walk?
That guy?
We've got a long way to go in this country primarily because folks accept the CW...Feingold good...Obama good....Clinton Okay.... and what...
John Edwards bad?
The only thing that matters to those comfortably sitting in Congress on their Armani suited butts enjoying gold-plated health care is that folks don't catch on to their scam. Remember that song from way back, 'Money for Nothing...' Give that some thought as you contemplate this..... or this one......
That's what John Edwards is saying and until low-info fools like you wake up to the fact that he's right....
You'll be bending over and taking it up the ass from the likes of the ReThugs, the 'Democrat' Party and all the rest of the parasites which have free reign to bleed the body politic while it watches the bright, shiny distractions of he said/she said on CNN.
Tweakerbell @ 49:
Hey....You got this all down pretty much as it is. No need to get too excited. The political process has an answer for the lies of the 'Democrat' Party. It's called McCain/Huckabee. Whichever of the corporate stooges, Senator 'Dope' or Senator 'Angry Bitch' gets the nod from the dumbasses in SC and FLA, home of the Gore victory in 2000 except for he fact the citizens couldn't get their big, fat butts off the Eazy-Lounge, will get their asses handed to them in the GE by McCain and Co.
There's really not much doubt about it. Recent polls show Obama loses every Southern state and The Hill wont' do too much better.
Then in 2012 JRE comes back and runs over a flailing Obama on his way to a coast to coast victory over McCain due to the $10.00 gal oil and collapsing economy from his undeclared war on Iran.
An ugly scenario but then the sheer greed, arrogance and hubris of our current political leadership on both side of the aisle is as ugly as it's ever been and the players, except for JRE, are far dumber.
And to this point the sheeple don't even understand what game is being played. It's called....
Pay me. Pay me, bigtime!
Like Sargent Shriver battled against during the 60's and 70's while trying to establish the Peace Corps and the War on Poverty, lifelong Washington bureaucrats scramble to protect their feifdoms with perphiral issues, pork and name-calliing. Meanwhile, the man who calls for and leads the way for millions on the issue of poverty and equity gets stonewalled and relegated to the role of outsider. The media, again, is complicit as those with money and self indulgent visions of power, try to keep down those that have nothing but hope.
And unfortunately for Edwards, history is as much about timing as it is about being right. Obama has ignited a tsunami of support among the black population (as well as many whites) that have gone far too long without "their candidate" actually having a chance to win. They had a small taste of it in JFK, thought it would finally come to fruition with RFK, and after those two and MLK were lost, I do not for one moment believe they will waste this opportunity. And I can't say that I blame them.
In the end, perhaps we'll be lucky enough to have at least an Obama-Edwards ticket, but I am rather cynical.
Kyle @ 6:
I think I have read this so many times without anyone answering and in order for this not to become another, 'repeat it often enuf' it becomes accepted as true', item look at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/?&Db=d107&querybd I dont know how to just embed the link I have bookmarked (& as a person late in life to this stuff, nomenclature answers wont necessarily help) but I will grab a few out of a not to short of a list....Senate to preserve six day mail delivery, designating “biotechnology week”, Children’s Internet Safety Month, Joint Resolution against excessive campaign donations, to protect the civil rights of all Americans, Bi-partisan Campaign Reform, Restrict access to personal health and financial information, Establish a Center for National Social Work Research, provide more effective remedies for victims of sex discrimination in work, provide incentive for fair access to the internet for everyone, require fair availability of birth control, increase the minimum wage (’01), protect consumers in managed care programs, emergency relief for energy costs to small businesses, prohibit use of genetic information to discriminate on health coverage and employment, provide families with disabled children to buy into Medicaid, eliminate the loophole for interstate transporting of birds for fighting, provide funding to clean up contaminated land, informing veterans of available programs, Designating part of ANWR as wilderness, establish a digital network technology program, reduce the risk that innocent people be executed, restore funding for Social Security Block Grants, provide for equal coverage for mental health in insurance policies, amend Clean Air Act to reduce emissions from power plants, establish uniform election technology (sponsored by Dodd), extend modifications to funding for Medicare and Medicaid, Federal Funding to local governments to prosecute hate crimes, reinstate certain Social Security earnings exemptions for the blind, overhaul RR retirement plan to increase benefits, Establish a Nurse recruitment and retention program, amend FDA to provide greater access to affordable pharmaceuticals, Establish African American Museum within the Smithsonian, Federal funding for research of environmental factors in Breast Cancer, Increase hospital benefits under Medicare, Establish Tariff Quotas on milk protein imports, Federal funding for mental health community education, protect patients in managed care plans (again), establish Office on Women’s Health in HHS, increase the minimum wage, allow media coverage of trials, prohibit racial profiling, improve health care in rural areas, protect consumers in managed care plans, prohibiting trade of bear viscera, provide greater fairness in arbitration of motor vehicle franchises, provide adequate insurance coverage for immunosuppressive drugs, provide financial assistance for trade-affected communities, acquisition and improvement of child-care facilities, prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, establish programs to deal with nurse shortage, establish a National Cyber Defense Team to protect the internet’s infrastructure, provide services to prevent family violence, require criminal prosecution for securities fraud, reissuance of a rule on ergonomics, ensure safe pregnancy for all U.S. women, improve investigation and prosecution of rape cases with DNA evidence, improve national drought preparedness, increase the minimum wage (yet again), assistance in containing HIV/AIDS in foreign countries, emergency assistance for small-businesses affected by drought, child care and developmental block grants, provide economic security for America’s workers, enhance security for transporting nuclear waste, FEMA hazard mitigation grants, increase mental health benefits in health insurance, criminal prosecution for people who destroy evidence in securities fraud cases.
Is this the record of a corporate appeaser? Is this the record of someone just loafing about and collecting a paycheck?
Funny what you find when you read a little, isn’t it? sorry but along the way I discovered I could highlight it and paste it.. I wasnt being facetious when I said 'a few things' I think this is it
Jo @ 24:
Simply put, John Edwards is running the identical campaign that Bobby Kennedy ran in his last race on earth. He is tirelessly speaking out for those who, as MLK III recognizes, have no representation in this country. For those who quarrell with his "rhetoric-actions" disconnect (you, Senator Feingold, who I respect very much - and others here), I respectfully remind you that the Bobby of 1968 bore little resemblance to the "General" of 1962, or the HUAC counsel of 1951. People change and evolve, as a function of learning from their experiences and mistakes. John Edwards freely admits the 2002 vote for war in Iraq was a mistake - and he shows the depth of character and integrity to apologize for it. Where is that in the heart and on the lips of all the other candidates - many of whom strive to utter convenient expediencies about Iraq and other major policy issues, but whose contemporaneous actions include continuing to fund the debacle?
It is terribly sad that more people don't recognize the grace and nobility of Edwards' effort to give voice to those who lack one, and to bring an end to armed conflict to those who seek it, and to promote justice for those who thirst for it. Perhaps they should just turn off their TVs and radios, and dream of things that never were and say why not? Keep charging John. Some of us are paying attention, and we vote, too.
A vote for Clinton or Obama is a vote for the republicans in the next election. A majority of Americans are still sheep and just don't get it. We're going to blow it again. The media/republicans are afraid of John Edwards because they know he can beat them. Think people!
Scott @ 20:
He was on Face the Nation yesterday and said he will go all the way. Apparently, they did not run any ads in Nevada, he didn't elaborate why (money..?).
EDWARDS 2008 !!!
Fritz @ 56:
Well said, again, Fritz. Unfortunately it's United Sheeple of America.
We just have to vote for him and not chicken out 'b/c he cannot win'
I've gotta say, I've been an Edwards fan since '03. Never supported Dean, never supported Clark, and only really jumped on the Kerry boat once he brought John on as his running mate. So I'm biased.
I work in a law firm that specializes in mesothelioma and early onset Parkinson's due to industrial poisonings. It's not the fanciest firm - we're not in a high rise on the lake front, there are 5 attorneys and a staff of around 20-35, we've got acoustical tile ceilings, and I don't think a decorator has ever stepped foot in the building. But we try cases for people who were poisoned because of their jobs - working with asbestos, or with manganese, etc. People come to us with devastating health problems, and oftentimes by the time we get to trial we are only joined by a widow. But we fight for these people. And on the top of our bulletin board is a picture of John and Elizabeth Edwards. John is rich because he fought for people that were hurt by corporations that couldn't be bothered to protect their consumers - the girl disemboweled by a pool filter would have been fine if the company had put in a 2 cent screw. But they couldn't be bothered to. So John helped the family get their justice.
I respect Obama's work in Chicago communities, and I respect Hillary's efforts to push through healthcare legislation in the early 90s. But I don't think either one will push for the radical change that Edwards will.
Ultimately, John may not win. But he is too important of a potential asset for the Democratic party to abandon. If he doesn't get the nomination or the running mate spot this time around, the media will bury him in the future even more ruthlessly than they have this time. He needs a spot.
But I don't think he should be veep - or that he would ever get placed as veep either. I think his second calling (after president) is Attorney General. Imagine if he were given the reigns of the Justice Department! Arguably, he could be even more effective there because, as an unelected official who wouldn't need congressional approval of every action, we could see real action by that department to fight corporate and racial injustice in this country.
If Clinton or Obama gets the nomination, I beg them to name him as Attorney General.
Sany @ 15:
Edwards is a weasel. Don't you remember when he and Hillary were talking with their mics on about excluding less "serious" candidates from the debates? Edwards stabbed Kucinich in the back. Why would he support him? Kucinich doesn't agree with Obama on policy, but simply trusted him more than the other two to support him in Iowa ONLY. If you've listened to Kucinich since then, which is hard with the media blackout, you'll notice that he has been criticizing Obama just as much as the other two. Edwards puts on a good anti-corporate mask, but it's just a marketing strategy. Look at the man's record rather than his rhetoric.
lost_nacf_gop @ 55:
Very nicely put. As to Feingold, no more, after he trashed JRE. For no reason.
AIPAC rules.
I hope Billary and Obama insult the hell out of each other some more, so Edwards shines a little brighter. He's got no chance with the Bilderbergers in charge, but a populist uprising could change everything. Edwards is the only one of the three front runners who can and would bring true accountability to the elected.
I have a dream, too.
BTW, a fan once said "I'd do anything to be able to play piano like that" to Vladimir Horowitz, to which he responded "no, you wouldn't." We could ALL have letters like John's if we do as he does. Sadly, most of us would like that letter, but won't do what it takes.
CappuccettoRosso @ 58:
You would think that after 7 years of this Bush hell that people would have learned their lesson about voting for the "hip" person and would use their heads and actually research the issues and where the candidates stand on them! As a general rule of thumb - anyone the media promotes is/are the one(s) NOT to vote for! Don't forget the CNN and KOS polls tonight!
Manila Ryce @ 60:
"Edwards stabbed Kucinich in the back" - some wild Kool-aid you're slurrrrrping !!
Reading too much from the Rove playbook.
Bill Moyers fried him/DK/ live on PBS , asking several times during the segment, WHY, how, could he instruct his suppoerters in Iowa to vote for Obama, if Edwards stands on all issues much closer to him than Obama. Dennis was staring into camera like a jerk, not a single word came out of him !! Bill repeated that question 2-3 times, until Dennis blurted that this was his best judgment.. So, he had the best opportunity to have his say, and just stared into lens. He wanted to screw John to advance his own hide.
Dennis IS no Napoleon. Much too petty. And parochial. End of Dennis. Get over it.
Fritz @ 63:
Thanks for the polls' reminder !!
CappuccettoRosso @ 64:
You say I'm drinking Kool-aid, try to assassinate Dennis' character, then accuse ME of taking tips from the Rove playbook? What idiocy. Yes, I saw the Bill Moers interview. I suggest you do the same. It really didn't happen like that. If you'd like to tout Edwards as some progressive then I'd be more than willing to kill your fantasy with fact.
Manila Ryce @ 66:
Put your factoids into a scrap book. 2x3 inches. Nobody has to assassinate Dennis' character - he has none. Looks for publicity. The theme is very marketable, times are bad. Will get worse when the market crashes tomorrow.
"It really didn't happen like that." - what did Dennis answer ? VERBATIM.
Finita la comedia.
CappuccettoRosso @ 67:
The low road again for you. How shocking. Since you couldn't quite possibly google it yourself, here's your transcript. He held his tongue when asked about Edwards, which is quite contrary to your claim that he screwed him.
DENNIS KUCINICH: Well, first of all, you know that in 2004 I made a recommendation and it's an Iowa-only recommendation, it wasn't an endorsement, to go with John Edwards. And in 2008 I told my supporters that if I didn't reach the delegate threshold they should go-- I would recommend that they go with Barack Obama in the second ballot. And, again, it wasn't endorsed and it's Iowa-only specific. Now you know, I know these candidates. And I gave my best judgment as to a recommendation. The why of it would probably require more time than we have.
BILL MOYERS: I know. But John Edwards talks more like you-- John Edwards has said, quote, I absolutely believe to my soul that this corporate greed and corporate power has an iron-clad hold on our democracy. I thought, "He must have lifted that right out of Dennis Kucinich's speeches." You say that all the time. And yet you said go for Obama, not for Edwards.
DENNIS KUCINICH: You know, I thought Senator Obama offered an approach and has the kind of sincerity that deserved recommendation only on that second ballot. Because when he comes to New Hampshire, I'm sincerely trying to get more votes than him.
Manila Ryce @ 60:
Edwards' record is EXCELLENT on social justice/unions issues.
• He was also elected Vice President in 2004, and blocked from serving by criminal obstruction of justice. That election should still be honored.
There is no reason why Rep. Kucinich should be expected to chose either of those other candidates for anything. It's a put-up. This is an election, and everyone is free to get endorsements. Kucinich didn't give a candidate recommendation -- he gave a political recommendation, apparently to try to deny Clinton some momentum.
Hear Hear, I agree wholeheartedly, unfortunately no one cares about the have nots, they are powerless. But one day the have nots will wise up and start voting and they will become the part of the puzzle that completes the picture. The poor of this country do not vote in their best interest, if they vote at all.
During the CNN 'debate'/shouting match between the two celebrity candidates....
I looked at the camera angles, shots....and strangely there were a lot of instances where it was just Obama & Clinton, too many in fact...
My wife & our families are voting for Edwards, he's the best on the environment (he'd get a defacto endorsement from Gore if Gore would do it - he won't endorse anyone until after convention), best on middle class issues (gets that trade deficits are at the heart of the matter and the 'global economy' sham is a BS house of cards red meat for 'free marketists'/corporatists), most electable (again....can't stress how important that is....WE MUST HAVE A DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE) of the frontrunners.
If a Republican steals the election (if its close) then expect 100 years in Iraq, expect real wages to fall below 1929 levels (as part of GDP), and further ownership of this country and its corporations by foreign monarchies/governments/corporations.
Edwards 08
Has anyone here forgotten that Kucinich has stated in interviews that he would gladly pick RON PAUL AS HIS RUNNING MATE??
Go John Edwards!
For all of you that are crapping on him, please explain in detail why Hillary or Obama are better? Start with the polls on electability in the general election please.
jrefan @ 72:
why am i getting this vision of DK bouncing off the walls?while i do genuinely admire the man and respect him for his say.......he seems......not very well grounded.
MLK III has zeroed in on the exact reason the media have tried to disappear Edwards. If you're a journalist, talking about economic justice doesn't get you an invite on Hardball, let alone a mansion on Nantucket.
Wow...NOW that's a kickass endorsement!
I was a Kucinich man...but now I'm leaning toward Edwards...
jrefan @ 72:
That moment was when I started questioning Kucinich's mental acuity...Ron Paul is not what this country needs. I do, however like Kucinich...but honestly, I just don't see him as electable right now...even if by some miracle he got the nomination, I don't think he'd win the election...That's why I'm considering supporting Edwards.
I'm white and female and my vote for Edwards has nothing to do with race nor gender...it's about getting a democratic nominee who is a fighter for the middle class, the poor and the environment and knows how to speak to the international community without a condescending manner and brings this country back to a respectful level of consciousness in the world theatre. Hillary is too old school, although I admire many of the things she has proposed in the past(like trying for health care in the 90's)...and Obama is a wonderful person, an excellent orator and humanitarian, however, at this juncture in our history...given what we've been up against for the past 8 years..we need a fighter. I'll have to agree with the attorney who responded...Edwards would make an outstanding attorney general for this country..hands down. More than that...he'd make a great president. he's what I believe MLK and JFK and possibly FDR would support and I'm going to support him as far as he's willing to go.
I won't vote for anybody other than Edwards. He needs to stay in this thing! Voters will get sick of listening to Barack's and Hillary's self-serving bickerting and Edwards will be the one left standing.
With all due respect to MLKIII... this is a great endorsement (but I can't help but feel that he is pushing for the lesser of the 3 Dmpocratic evils...sorry, just my opinion...)
...Here is an Interesting transcript of a Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford:
Give the Candidates the MLK Test
http://www.opednews.com/articl…..dates_.htm
And who is the only Presidential candidate, according to this commentator based on the teachings of Dr. King, who would passs the test (and no it’s not either Obama or Clinton — they FAILED the test)…?
Dennis Kucinich.
From the article:
“The only candidate who would pass the Martin Luther King Test is Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, whose platform for peace, truly universal health care, a living wage, and an end to corporate domination of American life harkens back to that “shining moment” in the Sixties that King mentioned, when there were “hopes” and “new beginnings.” But the corporate media has caused the Kucinich campaign to disappear from coverage and televised debate.”
But then again, Dr.King was assasinated. American Fascism lives on…we are fucked.
My prediction from the start of this (unusually long) election season is that John Edwards is going to end up with the Democratic nomination. The simplest reason is that he's the most uniformly electable candidate the Democrats have to offer: while Obama probably would have trouble defeating Huckabee because of the South and Clinton probably would have trouble defeating anybody because she's a Clinton (you know all the Scaide minions would come out and smear her worse than the Swift Boaters ever did to John Kerry), John Edwards is the least polarizing - and, thus, most electable - of the Democratic frontrunners. After last night's nastiness between Obama & Clinton, Edwards is going to start attracting voters who are already tiring of the negativity surrounding the other two. Simply put, Edwards is the least offensive candidate the Democrats have, and that would be an important trait going up against any Republican candidate, all of whom come across as off-putting in some capacity (Romney is a Mormon flip-flopper; Huckabee is a theocrat who doesn't believe in evolution; McCain is a stubborn geriatric with designs on keeping US forces in Iraq for a hundred years; Guiliani is a twice-divorced, cross-dressing mayor of corruption; Fred Thompson is a lazy lobbyist who probably prefers not to get the nomination in the first place; and Ron Paul is Ron Paul, meaning he won't be anywhere near the annointed candidate of the neocon elite). The Democrats have traditionally been strategic disasters - who in the hell came up with Michael Dukakis, anyway? - but even they may have a nearly impossible time trying to find a candidate who could lose this year. As the campaign season rolls on, I think John Edwards is going to start looking more and more electable to Democratic voters, perhaps even enough to sneak in as their official candidate.
I'll vote for Hillary or Edwards...never for Obama.
Notice that Clinton and Obamma have not earned such letters from people of such moral authority.
Hell, I might frame that letter and hang it on my wall anyway.
Sigh @ 73:
EDWARDS IS the BEST !!
If you have any doubts who owns the Dem candidates, check here:
Who Owns Your Candidate? Clinton, Obama & Edwards
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/2/134545/8905
Excellent graphs are self explanatory. If you think all this money is contributed by the corpos to Shrillary and Obama just because, w/out anything expected back, have your brain MRI done right away.. You might be for a surprise..
and, keep checking the RollCall
http://www.rollcall.com/politics/kstendorsements.html
White House Endorsement Watch
K Street Endorsements - lobbyists
Clinton 63 lobbyists, incl Carlyle Group of Booosh crime family
Obama 18
Edwards 0 ==> ZERO !!
Top Reps of the Funerary Association
Mittens 24
McInsane 19
Captain 911 17
Frauderick of Hillywood 12
John is the ONLY one with comprehensive PLAN for ONE America
you can download it from http://www.johnedwards.com
Contribute to his/OUR campaign via secure link
https://www.johnedwards.com/action/contribute/form/
He consistently wins all the debates, and is blacked-out by the corpo-media precisely b/c they are scared of him.
Remember, 76 percent of Americans were convinced that Iraq was involved in the 911 attacks despite there never being any evidence of that. So, keep educating your friends, relatives, whoever.. Email them with these links !
we are the United Sheeple of America: we deliver. Sheepledom, not common sense.
They are pushing Hillary and Obama because they are UNELECTABLE - any repuglican beats them in the GE (general election). John Edwards beats ALL the repug candidates, in every NATIONAL poll.
Vote EDWARDS in the primaries, don't chicken out !!
EDWARDS 2008 !!!
Kyle @ 6:
So, what did Russ say abt Shrillary's voting record ?? Obama's ??
Zilch.
Feingold = AIPAC
Rahm Emanuel/DLC = AIPAC
LIEberman = AIPAC
RahmEmanuel = Clinton enabler
Shrillary Clinton = AIPAC
Neext ...
Ruthless People @ 10:
Don't forget Condomeeetza..
I'm from Wisconsin and Feingold has gotten my last vote. I have been behind him until this. I wrote him a note stating the way I feel, haven't heard anything back. I suppose he is to busy now that I won't donate any more money to him. He has to move on to other suckers to give him donations.
"EDWARDS 08"
Omzir McKay @ 81:
Well said my friend...you stated very eloquently what I tried to say in few crude sentences.
Mollie @ 88:
Right on, Mollie !!
It is ironic to the point of goofiness that at a time when we finally have a woman and a black man as viable candidates for president of the United States, it is a well-groomed, dapper white man that appears to qualify best for the job based on "the content of his character."
Even goofier is the fact that Edwards appears to be penalized for his gender and skin color, to the possible detriment of the very people who most crave positive change in this country.
We Americans are a strange bunch of people.
It is not safe, it is not politic, it is not popular, but it is right.
More than any other Democratic candidate (except maybe Kucinich), Edwards is right.
that's beautiful. I hope John does do something with that. He should take it to every campaign rally, every visit on TV, everywhere and rub it in that he is the only candidate fighting for us poor people.
Thanks, Mr. Edwards.
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