I just got back from an Edwards rally in St. Paul.

It's -12 here, with a windchill of -37, but the meeting place, a union hall, was completely packed wall to wall, with a lot of people standing out in the hallways. Edwards was introduced by Ted Mondale (whose father, Walter, is supporting Hillary - go figure), and he got a wildly enthusiastic welcome. I have to say, of any politician I've seen so far, he comes the closest to Paul Wellstone in his populist, pro-labor positions. I think he will do very well here next Tuesday.

I don't have any illusions that he's likely to get the nomination, but I can at least hope he can collect enough delegates to get the other candidates to pay attention to his issues.

I love it that he doesn't take PAC money. I think he's great.

And it was so nice to get out and hear a positive, exciting message instead of dealing with the whining, pettiness and assholery of the Obama vs. Clinton Who Didn't Shake Whose Hand pseudodrama. It was great to be able to pay attention to something that matters.

He makes the other two look like 12 year olds. Bratty 12 year olds.

Thank you also for the praise of John Edwards and for the praise of Paul Wellstone.

The stench is getting pretty thick in here.

Thanks for posting that!

We're having a "blizzard" in Wisconsin right now. Stay safe and stay warm! Sen. Edwards is my first choice for President. If this doesn't come to fruition...then Obama is my second choice. I'm glad to hear that Sen. Edwards is still in the race!

assholery - I like it!

:thumbsup:

R&K for John Edwards!!!

I'm sure it was exciting.

He started it in Tulsa this morning at 8:45, and it was also a packed event.

John is IT as far as I'm concerned.

I'll be thrilled to vote for him next week - I will not let the corporate media tell me who the next President is going to be!

I DECIDE WHO I VOTE FOR!!

I wouldn't forward it if I didn't think JE was the best candidate.

I was a Gore holdout/Draft Gore supporter and still would consider Gore/Edwards my 'dream ticket'. But, it doesn't look like that's likely to happen.

I was a strong Carter supporter. I believe in the politics of 'real change' not just rhetoric. But, it's not popular among the powerful, wealthy, or the beltway - which is why candidates like JE are fighting an uphill battle from day one. And, it doesn't get any easier once they are in office. But, once in a while, someone comes along willing to put up with all the BS to fight for 'common folk'.

For me, H&O are too polished, too entrenched, too unwilling to stand up to power. And, these recent he said/she said incidents, prove both too egotistical or immature, for my tastes.

So, if you are an Edwards supporter and agree, check out the petition to ask Former VP Gore to endorse JE. I believe JE's message, beliefs and policies are the closest to Gore's in this election:

http://www.petitiononline.com/jedwards/petition.html

And, pass it on, to others you think might be interested.

I also hopes he comes to AZ - Would be a huge event

:bounce:

:bounce: He's definitely got my vote next Tuesday.

It will be my forth time seeing him speak. Can't wait.

:hi:

I know a guy that needs a ride form Santa Cruz.

:cry: Sigh...

meager income, I would drive some distance to get to an event. However, having gone to other events in other years, it's hard to get down into the front circle and actually get a one on one with candidates in Florida!

I DID cajole and push my way forward in 2004 and got to shake his hand, but he was instructed to leave "PRONTO" as the handlers were almost pulling on his sleeve. I think he would have liked to stay longer, but it was "whoosh" and gone!

I'm only voting for Edwards... not anyone else, no matter what! I know some don't agree with me, but many of my friends and of course family are getting to that point. Actually, I would say MOST of them are there!

I have heard him speak and he is dynamic and manages to make eye contact with the audience in a way that draws them in.

We would do best having John go up against McCain or Romney.

I was surprised. I thought they would go for Obama. Too bad Obama kept votign for funding.
But nope.. they were most 90% Edwards



Of course most were Kucinich supports.

(and I'm not including those who are Greens)

I'm sorry, I'm trying to work on keeping our party strong, and writing about what I like in each candidate, but I just couldn't let the comparison of Wellstone to Edwards pass by without remarking on the huge differences between the two.

Wellstone voted against the very bankruptcy bill that Edwards voted for -- the only Senator to do so.

Wellstone "called the bill 'unjust,' saying it would impose harsh penalties on families that file for bankruptcy in good faith." - http://www.commondreams.org/views/050100-107.htm

And before his death, Wellstone was already speaking out against going to war with Iraq, which Edwards again voted for.

I think Edwards is a decent person, largely because I have been impressed with Elizabeth Edwards, and I don't think you can fake a relationship with someone like that. But the fact remains that on these and other issues, the best that can be said about his votes is that he showed enormously bad judgment. And that's being charitable. Edwards may have his heart in the right place, but his votes weren't -- that's where it matters, and that's the difference between him and Wellstone.

And I think his views have become considerably more progressive since he was in the Senate -- people do evolve and change in their thinking. So I'll take him over either Obama or the Clintons.

...is the notion of his "evolving" thinking.

Sometimes people do have a moment of true political conversion, a moment where they wake up and see things differently than they saw them before. Take the story of David Brock ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brock ) for example. A conservative hit man who eventually decided he couldn't live with all the lies he was telling, and turned his back on his old life to become a liberal. His story makes sense to me. It's believable.

But I don't see a narrative for Edwards' political changes. How does someone who claims that poverty is the "cause of my life" vote for a bill that denies bankruptcy protection to those people who need it? I've never heard him offer a credible story of how that happened. I've only heard him say, "It was a mistake." That just doesn't sit well with me. Same with his vote for permanent normal trade relations with China. The day of the Iowa caucus, he ran an ad with a supporter offering a testimonial for him. The supporter was a middle-aged Dad who worked at the Maytag plant until they shut it down. He tearfully told the camera how John Edwards had gotten down on one knee and said to his 8 year old boy, "I'm gonna fight for your Daddy's job."

I wondered when I saw that ad if that Maytag worker knew that Edwards was one of the people who was, in part, responsible for factories being forced to shut down in America due to competition from cheap foreign labor in countries without labor rights.

Edwards has said this vote, too, was a mistake. But for someone who holds himself out as having blue collar values, a vote for PNT with China shouldn't even have been an issue. It's just so at odds with the image he has portrayed that I can't wrap my mind around it. Edwards has never framed himself as having any sort of "conversion" experience -- he basically argues that these are the values he's had his whole life. So what's the story -- how does he get from voting to deny desperate poor folks the protection of bankruptcy and factory workers the protection for their jobs to the guy he is on the stump today, all while being basically the same guy?

The simplest answer is, of course, that he's basically just pandering to get my vote.

I don't want to believe that, but I can't pretend his record doesn't exist, and he's never offered me a believable narrative for his changes.

In the end, it's too much for me to ignore. YMMV.

It's been my problem with him too.

I tend to think that he really has evolved and experienced a true conversion. However, it is much easier to say the things he's saying when he doesn't have to back up his rhetoric with Senate votes.

Edwards is saying all the right things lately.

Although I find Obama's unity rhetoric inspiring, I think Edwards' attitude that you can't play pattycake with corporate America to be a lot more realistic. But Obama did something in his record that convinced me he had enough integrity to trust. He authored a bill requiring police interrogations to be videotaped, in order to stop the practice of "beating a confession" out of someone, which was happening commonly in Chicago.

The article that convinced me is this one, in the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/03/AR2008010303303.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

The description of how hard Obama worked to pass a bill which wouldn't benefit his political career, but would help our system become more just made an impression on me. It helped me defeat the inexperience argument in my own mind, and it made me feel like this was someone I could trust with the reins of the presidency.

If Edwards' record was just a little different, he would definitely be my first choice instead of my second.

I'm in Washington, and I doubt any of the candidates will spend much, if any, time here.

I wish I could here him in person. He is just awesome!

There's an entire state here...not just MSP/STPaul.

Glad you got to see him. I like him very much.

Just too bad that no one else in the state matters to ANY of the candidates.

I'm worried about her. She doesn't seem to be around much. I want her to get better so badly. Love and kisses to that wonderful, brave family. We are so blessed to have them in the Democratic Party.

That's so disappointing, I suppose the money just wasn't there.

:(

I've heard it was a great rally.

...he comes the closest to Paul Wellstone in his populist, pro-labor positions. My thoughts as well. I am so sad he's leaving the race today.