JRE Supporters, Heads Up

[benny05]

Tonight JRE is on Larry King Live, I'm guessing the second part of the hour, and maybe only the last 10 minutes or less of the second hour since Barbara Walters is the main featured guest.

I want to say something here, and understand that I write this with the greatest respect for all of us in the forum.

As you know, I am an Edwardian through and through. I'm saddened by the timing of certain candidates in this race. To me, JRE should have taken on Barack Obama early on, but I guess he felt he didn't have the stomach to do it, given that he witnessed first hand discrimination in the places where he lived, and he had African-American friends who often joined the family for after football practice suppers. He went after Hillary, which ended up helping Obama in the long run. I'm not a Hillary fan, but I kept thinking she might pull this off, and with her, you knew what you got since nearly all of her weaknesses (along w/Bill's) were open. I liked it that she embraced John's UHC and Poverty plans.

But let's face it, and JRE has said this many times in recent days, and he probably will restate tonight:

Clinton has a tenacity that one can admire. But pollsters, the media, etc, are touting the math, and she will have a difficult time making a case against the math (particularly of the superdelegates). The BSM (b-s media) are against Clinton now. I suspected it might happen sooner, not this late, and while I have not talked to John and/or Elizabeth since Super Tuesday, I think they thought the outcome would not be like this either.

So, here's what I suggest to this group, and it's only a suggestion, OK?

Those of us in Velvet Blue states (IL and MA) can vote as we wish (meaning write-in ballot). Voting for whomever will still produce electoral votes for a Democratic candidate. I don't recommend McCain as your choice, however, or Barr, who is running as a Liberatarian. Nader is not a good bet either.

But what I do suggest is rethinking: do we want another 4 years of McSame or McBush? I think we should try to pull ourselves together as much as possible, as John will continue to ask us to do. We don't have to endorse anyone. But we have to fight these goons as much as possible via downtickets as well as the WH nominee, if for any reason, the SCOTUS, in which I think the Dem nominee will appoint someone at worst a "moderate" and at best, a true champion of our personal, commercial, and civil rights.

Thus, here's what I think we can do:

1) Not post on GD-P for now about Edwards; he's often said it's about issues, not him. GD-P are into the primaries like the BSM; gotchas, etc, not the issues.

2) Post mainly videos about Edwards' unity messages (more to come from ultraist, I'm certain, I know her personally)

3) Quit our bitching about Obama here. He's likely to be the nominee unless Clinton can pull a rabbit out of her hat, and if she can, we can support her too, but work on a strategy to bring the camps together. Obama is not my candidate (he's my jr senator, and not a bad one, just mediocre), but we have to push him too, is the way I look at it. We may or may not be successful, but our votes matter and he does have to earn them. It's OK to make him work for all of us, but do it constructively.

4) Support downticket progressives with volunteer time and/or change (most of us don't but we try where we can help): this could be our One Corps initiative this year. Rocky has been working hard for Charlie Brown, and I like Ed Fallon a lot. I'm about to support Kevin Miskell in Ia-04 since he is a JRE Democrat (my IL district has no JRE Dems but a handful). Your states probably have some JRE Dems who are worthy of your attention and time.

5) My comment at the Daily Kos on a related subject, which I hope ties my message together:

There are many Edwards supporters who have been disenfranchised in the process too. Just yesterday, someone posted a diary about Edwards saying we needed unity in the party, and quite a few Obama supporters continued to trash Edwards for not endorsing anyone.

This election is about our issues, not about the candidates themselves. We need progress to begin ASAP.

I like this diary in general because I agree that we need to come together but also feel good about what Democratic candidates accomplished: we helped our candidates outraise the GOP, got more voters to the polls, and we did it with passion.

And I understand how Obama supporters are angry with Clinton, but if the issue is about hope and change, then get with the program, and quit the insults to the rest of us. Let's get it on to the WH and help downticket candidates so that we will move our country with a mountain of strength. God knows after Shrub and an abysmal Congress, we are all needed to make it happen. Our country is in shambles, but generally, we can be optimistic, and we can fix it.

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2008/5/12/62317/8323/160#c160

I do think Hillary should go the distance for now, but I think it will be difficult for her to win. And perhaps the rude, ugly comments we have seen from Obama supporters will lessen.

This group means a lot to me, even though I don't get over here enough since I am one of the bloggers at EENR and my own blog, Benny's World, but I think we, hand in hand with JRE and EE, can start the healing process. I have faith we can do it, and I also believe that JRE will do as Al Gore has done for Global Warming: do to alleviate poverty as much as possible. But we need to elect the most progressive candidates to make it happen.

Pax and :grouphug:

[bpeale]

1. i STILL will never vote for either candidate, no matter WHO wins

they do not represent me and neither has EARNED my vote. and i certainly will not give either of them my money.

John Edwards earned my vote. the only one who comes close to him is Nader.

if the candidate (whoever) cannot overcome my one vote, then they don't deserve to be president.

[MissDeeds]

2. I will never vote for HRC, BO, or McShame

Period. I will vote for the candidate of my choice and that is John Edwards. In talking with family members over the weekend, they will likely do the same.

The Party has put forth two completely divisive and unelectable candidates, and for that we will all suffer the consequences.

[ClericJohnPreston]

3. You had me.......

until paragraph #3

You better believe I'll BITCH LONG AND HARD about Obama, the most unqualified fluff running since Kerry.

I don't like milqutoast Quislings who speak glowingly of Republicans.

Sorry......no support from these drawn quarters.

[saracat]

4. Sorry. I will work down ticket races but will never work for BO.

My state will go to Mccain no matter what and I refuse to try and convert those who want to vote for him. I converted them to vote for Edwards and they do not like Obama.Our votes don't matter anyway( as Az will go for Mccain) and I refuse to lie. I will not vote for Mccain but that is all I can do.

[Two Americas]

5. healing

I don't think healing is possible, nor is it desirable.

As far as the "you don't want McCain (Nixon, Reagan, Bush whatever) to win do you?" that has been played too many times. It has nothing to do with the Republicans winning, it has to do with suppressing voices within the Democratic party, and that is all the loyalty tests were ever about.

I am desperate to be free of the straight jacket into which the small faction, the "progressives" within the party have placed us. 35 years of "working within the system" and all of the rest of that crap is having the exact opposite effect of what we were promised. The whole point of that, and almost everything else that the party does now, is to silence, marginalize and destroy the traditional principles and ideals of the Democratic party and any who advocate for those - politics that deal with issues of power and economics, which is all politics was ever about - and replace that with the culture wars, led by the arrogant and condescending "enlightened" ones. There will never be a place in the party for the politics of Edwards, until there is a collapse and re-organization. "At least they are better than the Republicans" will not play anymore, and already before the convention has even happened I am hearing Dems trot out that tired old line. What that means is "do not express your opinion, disengage your brain. Since the candidate is better than the Republican, there is nothing else we need to know."

The Democrats are not "better than the Republicans." That is a lie. That is like saying "the fire fighters are better than the arsonists." I should f-ing hope so. But if the whole town is burning down, I would say that the arsonists are doing a better job at what they do than the fire fighters are doing at their job.

The Republicans are far better at setting fires - their job is to burn down everything that is in the way of the wealthy and powerful few - than the Democrats are at putting out fires - there job is to protect the other 99% of the people from the ongoing rape and destruction of the people, communities, the economy and the environment.

When the town is burning to the ground, it is the fault of the fire fighters, and when they use "at least we are better than the arsonists" as an excuse, it is time to disband the fire department and start over.

There is a split in the party. This is inevitable, and it is the best thing that has happened in decades. I do not think it can be healed, and I do not want to see it healed. Trying to do so is very dangerous, and there is too much at stake to play these petty partisan and team loyalty games anymore, or embrace "I think I can" and "think positive" childish and naive politics.

I will vote for the "lesser of two evils" - period, end of story, no more discussion about that needed. But that does not mean I will put my brain into a coma between now and then, and everything I talk about and do from here on out will be to insure that we never have this "lesser of two evils" situation happen again.

[balantz]

7. Spot on T A .n/t

[benny05]

6. merely a suggestion

But I have concluded that being angry is not the best solution either. I'm sad, but I'm not angry anymore.

I really believe John and Elizabeth would tell us to do our best to get progressives elected and to elect them for causes. John will be speaking at the Dem convention in Denver, which is great news.

John was only on Larry King for a few minutes, but Larry said he would invite John back to talk more about Half In Ten. John spoke at ACORN in Philadelphia, but unfortunately, ACORN's website is down, or else, I think we would see something about it.

You can see John's appearance on LKL at my blog..video clip courtesy of NCDem.

http://bennycat.blogspot.com/2008/05/jre-buzzcauses-not-about-candidates.html

Namaste...Benny

[benny05]

8. Half in Ten

Turns out John is speaking today at ACORN in Philly.

Here's the link to the story:
http://acorn.org/index.php?id=2716

[redqueen]

9. Fitting... ACORN is awesome.

And so are you.

Thanks for trying. :)