Hi, TomP here with another edition of EENR. I have many stories and let's get right to them.
Here's our first. John Edwards is in South Carolina today.
CLEMSON -- An estimated crowd of around 800 to 1,000 at Clemson University�s Military Heritage Plaza on a warm January afternoon gave an equally warm welcome to Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards today.
The Seneca native spoke of his Southern and textile industry roots and his belief that the mill worker is as important as the mill owner.
Damn. Talk like that used to be commonplace among Democrats. Now it's rare. It's one reason why I support John Edwards.
Come around after the fold for more.
- Over One Thousand Supporters Welcome John Edwards Home To South Carolina
John Edwards returned to South Carolina for a rally at Clemson University and was greeted by more than 1,000 supporters.
"What I learned growing up here, is you don't start a fight, but you never walk away from one," Edwards continued. "The fight to restore the promise of America and save the middle class will be an epic battle – but I will never give up. I have spent my entire life standing up and fighting for regular Americans against powerful entrenched interests, and I know if we fight together we can get the change we need and give voice to all of those whose voices are not being heard in this democracy."
Over One Thousand Supporters Welcome John Edwards Home To South Carolina
CLEMSON -- An estimated crowd of around 800 to 1,000 at Clemson University's Military Heritage Plaza on a warm January afternoon gave an equally warm welcome to Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards today.
The Seneca native spoke of his Southern and textile industry roots and his belief that the mill worker is as important as the mill owner.
"The time has come for us to stand up and say everyone needs a voice," Edwards said, citing problems including homelessness, loss of jobs overseas, rising prices and millions of Americans without health care coverage.
Voices of middle and low income families "are being drowned out by lobbyists in Washington, by big money interests in Washington," Edwards said.
snip
Edwards addressed the crisis of global warming, saying that oil, gas and power companies "have and intrinsic interest in making sure that things stay the same." Change will come only when there is a president who is willing to stand up to these interests, he said, drawing applause.
Greenville News
"The United States of America is better than this," he said. "We have to give voice to all those in this country who have no voice, to the millions of Americans ... whose voices are being drowned out by lobbyists in Washington, by big-money interests in Washington."
WRAL.com
- Current ad running in South Carolina:
- Delegate Count Figures as of January 8, 2008
Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries,
2008 Delegate Count Figures as of January 8, 2008:
Barack Obama 25
Hillary Clinton 24
John Edwards 18
Bill Richardson 0
Dennis Kucinich 0
Mike Gravel 0
Total pledged delegates assigned: 67
Unpledged delegates and pledged delegates yet to be assigned: 4004
Total number of delegates: 4049 (796 unpledged "superdelegates" and 3,253 pledged elected delegates)
Delegates required for nomination: 2025
States already polled: 2 (Iowa, New Hampshire)
States yet to be polled: 48
Other electorates to be polled: District of Columbia, American Samoa, Democrats Abroad, Guam, US Virgin Islands
wikipedia
- The speech last night.
You know, last week, I congratulated Senator Obama when he finished first and I finished second in Iowa. One race down. Tonight, I congratulate Senator Clinton and Senator Obama, two races down. Forty-eight states left to go.
So up until now, about 0.5 percent of Americans have voted; 99 percent-plus have not voted. And those 99 percent deserve to have their voices heard, because we have had too much in America of people's voices not being heard. I have met too many Americans whose voices have not been heard in this democracy.
Just this past week, I spent time with the family of Nataline Sarkisyan. Nataline is a 17-year-old girl who, just a few weeks ago, desperately needed a liver transplant. Her parents had health insurance with one of the biggest insurance companies in America.
They asked for the insurance company to pay for her liver transplant operation, and they rejected them. Then, the doctors came to her aid. They spoke up on her behalf. The nurses spoke up on her behalf. And then the insurance company said no again.
Finally, the family stood up and fought. They started to march and picket, along with many other Americans, in front of the offices of this insurance company.
And the insurance company finally gave in, but it was too late. And a few hours later, Nataline lost her life.
A few months ago, I met a 51-year-old man in the mountains of Virginia named James Lowe. James had been born with a severe cleft pallet. Because he had a cleft pallet, he could not speak.
A simple operation would have fixed his problem, but he had no health care coverage. And so he couldn't pay for it. Finally, somebody voluntarily fixed his cleft pallet, and now he can speak.
The problem is they fixed it when he was 50 years old. James Lowe lived for 50 years in the United States of America not able to speak because he had no health care coverage.
Tonight, a man or a woman whose name is unknown, who served this country patriotically and wore the uniform of the United States of America, will go to sleep under a bridge or on a grate, homeless.
You know, we've had too many Americans whose voices have not been heard in this democracy. That's what this battle is about.
It is not about me. It is about the cause of giving voice to all of those whose voices are not being heard in this democracy.
(APPLAUSE)
Tonight, we stand at a crossroads in the history of America. It is not that we don't know what it is we aspire to. We know exactly what we aspire to: universal health care; attacking global warming; and protecting the environment; ending poverty in the United States of America; standing up for American jobs and for the creation of American jobs.
(APPLAUSE)
The question is not what we aspire to. The question is, how do we get there? What will it take?
Four years ago, I spoke a great deal about the need for hope and inspiration in America. During this campaign, I've spoke about the need for principled action and the need for change in the United States of America.
We know what needs to be done. The only question is whether we have the backbone, and the will, and the determination to go there.
And here's what I have to say about this. Because of people like Alexis, who's a young woman who spoke to me this afternoon who has a serious health condition, and who has made thousands and thousands of phone calls on my behalf, because of the men and women of organized labor, the carpenters, the steelworkers, the service employee workers, because of those who have called, and knocked on doors, and worked tirelessly on behalf of this cause, this cause to create the America that all of us believe in, because of that, I want to be absolutely clear to all of you who have been devoted to this cause, and I want to be clear to the 99 percent of Americans who have not yet had the chance to have their voices heard, that I am in this race to the convention, that I intend to be the nominee of my party.
(APPLAUSE)
And I am in this race until we have actually restored the American dream and strengthened and restored the middle class of America.
And so I ask all of you here and all of you who can hear the sound of my voice, the 99 percent whose voices have not yet been heard in this democracy, to join us in this grassroots campaign to create the kind of America that all of us believe in.
God bless you. Thank you for being here. It's my privilege to be with you. Thank you.
Ny Times: John Edwards’s New Hampshire Primary Speech
- Breaking News: Edwards leads race in Missouri in early absentee ballot (That's singular). An EENR exclusive.
Yes, I have the breaking news: Early results in Missouri show Edwards with a clear lead:
Edwards: 1 vote
Clinton: 0 votes
Obama: 0 votes
Kuninch: 0 votes
Richardson 0 Votes.
My daughter is 21 years old and a junior in college. She will spend a semster abroad (in London) starting later this month. Her first vote ever was in November 2004 for Kerry-Edwards. (And she supported Edwards for the primary, but was too young to vote. I voted for Dean, but don't tell John and Elizabeth. Should have listened to my daughter.)
Anyway, she voted an absentee ballot yesterday at the St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners Office in Maplewood for John Edwards!
For some, this might not be enough data for a prediction, but at Daily Kos, the lack of data never stops front pagers, so why should it stop me? My prediction is ..... [drumroll] that Edwards will be competitive in Missouri.
- Diary Roundup.
Lots of Edwards diaries today. This is not a complete list at all, but here are a few.
Confessions of an Edwards Supporter
Why Edwards Supporters are Sticking to Their Guns
Why I Will Support John Edwards through the Convention and Beyond
Obama vs. Edwards, not an equal choice
Today makes me support Edwards more, not less.
John Edwards decides 2008 on the DNC floor
- Bonus. Music.
I actually discovered this song for EENR a few months ago, although I vaguely remember the music in it from the mid 90s.
Enforcer State; Enforcer tastes. It says it all.
Give them what they want. 10,000 Maniacs
It's time to wake up.
Show Edwards that YOU want him to keep fighting. If you want justice, you must work for it. Go here and hit CONTRIBUTE:
johnedwards.com