I think because tackling poverty was of the utmost importance to his father, Martin Luther King III has encouraged John Edwards to stay in this race, to keep voicing a message of core Democratic principles.
Livable wages. Universal healthcare. Universal opportunity to go to college. Stronger labor unions. Stepping stone jobs. More and better affordable-housing programs. A Marshall-style plan to bolster primary education in impoverished nations.
John and Elizabeth Edwards have given every ounce of their energy to this campaign. They've earned the loyalty and SOLIDARITY of their supporters.
In 1992, Democrat Jerry Brown was able to run a credible campaign all the way to the convention on a shoestring budget, outlasting every establishment candidate except the eventual nominee. Brown relied on the most innovative technological tool then available for a grassroots campaign to gather lots of small donations – a toll-free "800" number. Today we have the internet, but it's the same idea.
In the last DailyKos straw poll, John Edwards came in first with over 8500 votes. Supporters of John Edwards have strength in our numbers. Commitment to core Democratic principles. And a candidate who's been tirelessly voicing these principles.
I believe together there are enough of just reading this diary who could pitch in $5, $10, or $20 to allow us to essentially write a $5,000 check (worth more like $10,000, because of matching funds) to this campaign.
That's a nice-sized check.
The idea recently proposed for drawing $200,000 in contributions in just 24 hours (tomorrow) is very ambitious, but there's really no rule that says fundraising has to begin and end in a single day. If I recall correctly, Dean's online fundraisers in the '04 campaign usually lasted several days. I think our friends in the Obama camp our smart to have their current $220,000 fundraising appeal spread out over 10 days.
So, let's those of who can, begin today by writing a $5,000 check - which will be worth more like $10,000 - to the Edwards campaign.
What will it take? Six hundred 550 of us.
- 300 of us who can contribute $5
- 150 of us who can contribute $10
- 100 of us who can contribute $20