very, very exciting news

[Two Americas]

Edwards has announced that he is in the race right until the end and will not quit on us.

This is so powerful. Think about what this means.

- We have time. It isn't over until it is by God over and we can dig in and work as though our lives depended upon it until the very end and make this happen. On another thread, bobbolink is talking about rallying the poor in Colorado. We can do this all across the country. We don't need big money to do it. Excerpts from Edwards speeches, formatted online at a central download point (I can actually help with this, and maybe others can as well) or even an Edwards newsletter, with de-centralized printing on the home computers of volunteers, and each having another set of volunteers to hit the streets and neighborhoods with the flyers and get the message out to people. Completely grass roots, de-centralized, low budget, effective. This can work. It is the modern day equivalent of what the colonists did with hand-printed flyers distributed on horse back, and besides that they had to read them to people because of the widespread illiteracy back then. They made it happen - what could be our excuse?

- We matter more to him than he does. Other politicians, once THEIR goals are out of reach say the Hell with their supporters and quit - whether it is quit fighting a stolen election, or quit their campaign as Biden did and leave all of their dedicated supporters scarred for life. Edwards just put us before his own career. If Edwards "two Americas" talk (which by the way I heard him say 4 years ago, so this "he has changed his tune" criticism is a bunch of fluff and hooey) were "phony" (that smear comes from a right wing think tank, by the way) the he would not have announced that he is in it to the end. That decision can only come from placing the cause above his career.

- Everyone gets to vote. Everyone who wants to vote for Edwards message will now get that chance. There is no reason to "go with the winner."

- The debate goes on. The national political discussion will not be embalmed as everyone is cajoled to "unite" behind the "front runner" and that means that Edwards message will be heard.

- Everyone's vote counts. At the very least there will be Edwards delegates in that convention hall, and we will be represented and we will have a seat at the table - even if John does not.

This is big news, Edwards supporters, and is even more cause for celebration than the second place finish in Iowa, and the victory in the recent debate in New Hampshire.

We are not going away. The message will not be silenced. We will be heard.

[Diamonique]

1. Yes, I heard him say that, but....

... there's still the money issue. How can he stay in if he doesn't have the money to do so?

[Ninga]

2. Although he doesn't have as much as the other two..he is still in the runnng. I

believe he has spending caps in each state, but i am not sure.

[Two Americas]

3. this changes that problem

You only need the money to stay in if you say that is what you need to stay in—if you are playing the game that way. Hell, Kucinich stayed in on a couple of thousand dollars last time. Yet he did get enough delegates into the convention to at least make the party big wigs deal with them.

The other candidates are in the money trap - they have to have money to run they have to run to have money. If the cause is more important than the game - then, right up to the last minute the game is still on and anything can happen. Money can be raised the whole time - maybe more easily now that everything does not depend on the money. Edwards can do what Dean did and raise all of the money he needs to stay competitive, and that money won't dry up when the big benefactors suddenly decide he is no longer "viable" and try to pull the plug.

Can you see how this is a completely different game now Diamonique? I am probably not explaining it well.

Sure we need to raise money, sure we need to get to work. But the point is, it is now in our hands, not in the hands of the wealthy big shots. As time goes by that will become more and more obvious to people and Edwards will look stronger and stronger when contrasted to the other candidates.