Diarists Note: This is an ongoing dollar for dollar match up to $2500 for John Edwards. Remember your first $250 should be directly to John Edwards to get federal matching dollars. Donate your $251st dollar and beyond through this Act Blue site and it will be matched as well.
As I stated in my original diary the matching funds are not just mine. On behalf of my friend, I am reprinting the reasons they have for joining this donor match here.
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If you believe the country is moving in a more progressive direction and that the next President will enjoy a Democratic majority in the House and the Senate, you’d have to agree that there is a real window of opportunity for change. Furthermore, when the Bush tax cuts expire and spending levels for the war begin to come down, there may also be resources available to fund this progressive agenda. These opportunities don’t come along everyday, so we should be particularly excited that the next President will inherit a historic opportunity to create a better country for all Americans.
If you believe—as I do—that this opportunity is the time to "push the envelope" and lead with a vision of equity and opportunity, then middle of the road won’t fit the bill. We should demand spending priorities and programs that are designed to ensure the quality of life of tens of millions of Americans. If this race really is about recognizing and talking about our country’s ills and realizing a vision for a better America and not just playing it safe and trying not to lose, my candidate is John Edwards.
When Presidential campaigning increasingly means looking for the best catch phrases and adopting those approaches that poll best, John Edwards has put together an internally consistent and aspirational platform that seeks a better country for all Americans. I think it speaks volumes about Edwards that he launched his campaign from the Lower 9th Ward, that he was willing to make a poverty tour part of his summer campaigning calendar, and that he alone thought it might be a good idea to tax hedge funds at the same tax rate that applies to the rest of America . Those are the kinds of things that separate Edwards from the rest of the field and suggest he is both willing and able to make the most of this historic opportunity.
UPDATE ON DONORS RESIDENT STATES:
Alabama, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York...so far