Also in Orange: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/10/17/213343/33
Hi all. TomP here tonight with the Edwards Evening News.
I have several stories. My first is from msnbc: John Edwards is still in the hunt
Before that: Into Action. Now the fun begins!
With so little time left until the caucuses and primaries begin, we need your help now! Please join other supporters from all over the country as we travel to the earliest voting states–Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina–for a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks to help engage voters and spread John Edwards’ powerful message.
More after the fold.
Some people want to be pundits and talk about political activism and spout off theories and predictions. Edwards supporters know that doing it is much more fun than talking about it. The future must be lived.
Sign up here:
1. John Edwards is still in the hunt
When the exuberant and iconoclastic Obama entered the contest, Edwards’s candidacy was supposed to collapse like a house of cards. Many of the aides who helped Edwards in 2004 had quit. His wife, Elizabeth, revealed this spring that her breast cancer has spread to her bones. The fundraising of Clinton and Obama dwarfed Edwards’s. All the elites — the news media, the rivals, and especially the political consulting class in Washington — assumed that Edwards’s candidacy would not be viable with Obama in the race.
But here Edwards is, drawing 2,000 people in a tiny Kentucky town, winning second looks from the national press and outperforming Obama in Democratic debates and in the critical kickoff state of Iowa, even though Obama has spent more than $3 million there on biographical television ads.
snip
His “clear message” in this cycle is directed at Clinton. Since the beginning of August, Edwards has sharpened it to a point: She represents the hidebound, sclerotic Washington establishment; he has never taken a dime of lobbyist money. She would solve problems incrementally; he would solve them aggressively. Obama has also claimed that message terrain. But Edwards has generally been bolder in staking it out. Last weekend, Clinton was twice confronted by voters — none of them plants — who asked her tough questions about Iran and Iraq. Those questions were originally voiced not by Obama but by Edwards.
A lot more here: John Edwards is still in the hunt
2. John Edwards visits Rock Rapids, Iowa, talks health care and Iraq
John Edwards came to northwest Iowa today to promote himself as the presidential candidate for rural America.
The former North Carolina senator spoke to about 100 people at the firehouse in Rock Rapids. Though it’s a heavily Republican part of the state, he focused on core Democratic issues: health care and pulling out of Iraq.
snip
Edwards also burnished his brand as the candidate who cares most about small towns.
“The values I take with me today, every single day, are the values I learned growing up in mill towns,” he said. “You have to believe that when tough times come, your president is going to tell you the truth.”
3. Edwards Statement On The One-Year Anniversary Of The Passage Of The Military Commission Act
“A year ago today, a Republican-controlled Congress passed the Military Commissions Act, which repudiated the writ of habeas corpus and has allowed the president to imprison whomever he pleases for as long as he pleases without trial, charge or judicial review. Meanwhile, there are indications that U.S. agents continue to use interrogation techniques long considered torture, such as cold cell treatment and waterboarding.
“Congress is considering new wiretapping laws that go well beyond the authority the president needs to keep our country safe by allowing wiretapping of Americans’ phone calls and emails without court supervision. Once again, George Bush is intimidating his critics with political threats.
“It’s time for Congress to show some backbone and stand up for the principles that have always made America strong. To defeat terrorism, we must preserve our moral authority to lead the world. If we are to succeed in spreading democracy abroad, we must defend the fundamental principles of democracy at home.”
4. On Day Two Of “Barnstorm For Rural America,” Edwards Outlines Plans To Strengthen Rural Communities
“For too long, Washington has forgotten about the needs of rural Americans,” said Edwards. “Every four years, candidates come through Iowa saying that they’ll help rural communities, only to go back to Washington and ignore them again. I will never turn my back on rural America. Growing up in a small town, I learned about family, community and hard work. These are values I carry with me today. As president, I will protect the rural way of life and strengthen rural communities, so we can keep these values alive in our country.”
John Edwards’ Plan to Support Iowa’s Rural Firefighters
“The spirit of public service is so important to America’s small towns. When we honor the bravery of rural firefighters, we strengthen entire communities.” – John Edwards
Because rural areas have limited tax bases and smaller, more dispersed populations, they often struggle to provide vital public safety services. Death rates from fires are 35 percent higher in rural areas than in the rest of the country. Rural fire departments are stretched thin, and most small towns rely entirely on volunteers. As president, John Edwards will help Iowa’s rural firefighters by fighting for fair funding levels, ending the Justice Department backlog on death benefits and guaranteeing job protection for volunteers while they are responding to an emergency. Edwards believes that we must both strengthen support for professional firefighters and recognize the contributions of volunteer firefighters who put their lives on the line for little or no pay. [U.S. Fire Administration, 2006]
More Here: John Edwards’ Plan to Support Iowa’s Rural Firefighters
Finally, don’t forget action.
I never have considered myself a “blogger.” I’m a commenter who writes a few diaries. I wandered into Daily Kos a little over a year ago. I now see myself as an internet activist.
Activists work to make change. I know Edwards supporters are not afraid of hard work.
If you can, sign up for a weekend or even a day in the next two months and travel to the earliest voting states–Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina–for a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks to help engage voters and spread John Edwards’ message.
Bring EENR on the road!! All of us, working together, can change America!