Welcome everyone to the Edwards Nightly News Roundup. Everyone come in sit down and take a load off and spend some time here talking about one of our favorite topics...getting John and Elizabeth (and family) in the White House.
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Most of the campaigns including the Edwards campaign put most campaigning on hold for the day due to the recenty tragedy at Virgina Tech. The Edwards campaign did issue the following statement...
"We know what an unspeakable, life-changing moment this is for these families and how, in this moment, it is hard to feel anything but overwhelming grief, much less the love and support around you," Edwards said in a joint statement with his wife Elizabeth. "But the love and support is there."
I'm proud to say that Edwards is looking good in my home state of Tennessee with his plan to revitalize rural America. According to this article from The City Paper...
John Edwards may have more friends in Tennessee than anyone – including any of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination – is bargaining for.
It is no secret that, at least right now, the former N.C. Senator and Democratic vice presidential nominee is doing well in the key states that may very well determine the eventual winner of both the Democratic and Republican primaries.
He is also gaining support in Tennessee, if his visit Monday was any indication. The state’s primary date is expected to move up after a vote of the state Legislature, putting the Volunteer State’s voters more in play to help choose both parties’ nominees.
A March 31-April 1 poll conducted by Southern Political Report, which surveyed 600 Tennessee Democrats, showed N.Y. Sen. Hillary Clinton leading among all Democrats with the support of 35 percent of those polled, followed by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and John Edwards, each at 20 percent
snip
But if the immediate response to Edwards’ visit to Nashville on Monday is any sign, the North Carolina native’s support may, in fact, be strongest in the region Democrats recently have done poorly; the South.
Edward’s tour of the Nashville Farmer’s Market, where he first discussed details of his "Rural Recovery Agenda," was a hit, those interviewed afterward said.
It was Edwards’ second visit to the Volunteer State since he announced his intention to seek the White House in 2008.
In discussing his plan to revitalize the rural areas of the country he said have been in a steady economic decline at hands of policies that favor U.S. cities and urban centers, Edwards said it is time to refocus energy on growing rural America, including family farms.
"We have an obligation to strengthen the families that live in rural America, that are in many ways the heart and soul of this country," Edwards said.
"So much of the capital in America ends up in the larger cities and urban areas," he continued. "Speaking for this Democratic presidential candidate, I intend to fight with my heart and soul and everything I’ve got for rural America."
Noting that last year the top 300 wage earners in the United States earned more than the bottom 150 million combined, Edwards called for a pumping of federal dollars back into rural areas of the country, including investments in broadband technology, infrastructure, heath care, education and small agriculture.
That was music to the ears of Farmer’s Market tenant Joshua Robertson, whose family runs a co-op of 20 family farmers across some 500 acres in Davidson and Smith counties.
"The middle class has been overlooked so long, it’s just heartbreaking," Robertson said. "That’s why we’re pulling for him. Because anybody that wants to help us, we want to help them."
Robertson said he is a Democrat, but also said that among his entire family, which he described as spilt evenly between Republicans and Democrats, Edwards has strong support throughout.
"I personally am a Democrat and my family is split down the middle," Robertson said. "But about 90 percent of my family is voting for Edwards this election. They’ve already stated that."
http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/...
Here from the Tuacalosa News we see that Democrats out raised Republicans in the southern state of Alabama by almost double and Edwards took in the lions share of the money.
WASHINGTON | Jimmy Carter was the last Democrat to win Alabama in the Presidential general election, but in the fundraising race for 2008, the Democrats have taken a substantial lead in the state.
Democratic presidential candidates raised more than $444,000 in Alabama in the first quarter of 2007, compared with the $187,000 raised by Republican candidates, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
The top fundraiser in the state was John Edwards, whose war chest received a $314,000 boost.
There is a lot more good information in the article. Who said we could not be competitive in the south? From all indications the south loves John Edwards!
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/...
Another good bit of fundraising news from Western New York...
Sen. Hillary Clinton has raised more money nationally than any other presidential candidate, but she isn't the frontrunner among Western New York contributors.
That distinction belongs to former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., according to a new analysis of Federal Election Commission data by the New York Times.
Edwards received $143,225 in contributions from residents of Western New York during the first quarter of this year. Clinton, D-N.Y., raised $101,360 in the region.
http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/...
For a slow news day, I would say this is some pretty good news for John Edwards. :D
On a more serious note and getting away from politics for a moment, I would like to try to embed a video from Bill Withers that reminds us the need to be a friend and the need to seek out our friends in times of trouble. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the people at Virginia Tech and the surrounding community. May God bless each and every one of you.