Hey all, I'm back again with another installment of Edwards Evening News Roundup. This will be the last EENR I do on Fridays. Starting next week, I will be the Sunday Night EENR girl. Tonight I'm going to focus on how we in the netroots can take action to help elect John Edwards. We've got an uphill battle. The media covers Edwards a lot less than Obama and Hillary. Big business is preparing a 52 million dollar campaign against Edwards. Yesterday I diaried that numerous polling firms are now excluding Edwards from general election polling. What can we do to help elect John Edwards? Plenty! Follow me below the fold......
Join the Fundraising Movement Before Midnight!
To help flex our fundraising muscles, join the movement started by KingOneEye and donate today. I know you've read a ton about this, and boy am I grateful you've been flooded with calls to join the Jan. 18th fundraising movement. The truth is, John Edwards lack of media attention has made it harder to compete with the 100 million dollar candidates. The more we give, the more competitive John Edwards can be in multiple states. The more we give, the more his message is heard. It's just that simple. I donated $25 today, it's not much, but for many of us living below the poverty line, it's all we can afford. Who will step up to the plate and match my $25? You'll get a virtual hug from me if you do ;)
Donate Before Midnight and Make Your Voice Heard!
Volunteer!!!
I know that many of us do volunteer online. We advocate for John Edwards tirelessly, and I applaud my fellow Edwards supporters for being such dedicated activists. However, you know what really helps the campaign? Volunteering in an early state! More boots on the ground means that Edwards message is heard by more people. More people making phone calls means more people are hearing our arguments for John Edwards. When I was in Iowa I saw what a difference it made just having one more volunteer on the ground. It could mean the difference between talking to 25 undecided voters....or not talking to them at all.
It's not just that volunteers help spread the message, they are incredibly valuable to the staffers. When I was in Iowa, the Edwards Campaign Staff was working incredibly hard. When volunteers come in to help, it energizes the staff. It lightens their heavy workload, and seeing volunteers coming from all across the country inspires them.
Volunteering in Iowa Changed My Life
Seriously. No matter how politically involved I have been for a number of years, I never really thought I would want to work for a Campaign. I liked the independence that blogging has given me. I wasn't sure that working for a machine, political or otherwise really suited my personality. My feelings have changed. While I was in Iowa volunteering, I realized that I do want to work for a campaign. I want to dedicate myself to something I believe wholeheartedly in. Right now, I spend a lot of time advocating for candidates I believe in, I work full time...sometimes 6 or 7 days a week and have other interests. It's hard to commit fully to the cause when I need a paycheck. What's the answer? Getting hired by a campaign I believe in, and working my butt of for them the best way I know how. Even if volunteering doesn't have the same effect on you as it did me, it is very fulfilling. Hitting the streets for a candidate you know will better the lives of millions, is well....rewarding to the say the least. It is hard work, but it's worth every sore foot...every harsh voice....every penny it takes to do the grunt work. Please consider volunteering folks, you won't regret it.
Volunteer in Nevada!
Only one day left folks, go by the offices tomorrow and offer any services they might need to get out the vote:
Call the Nevada HQ here: (702)434-3978
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
Volunteer in South Carolina
Next up after Nevada is South Carolina! If you live in South Carolina or in a neighboring state, head on over and help out. Do what you can folks, you know what is at stake.
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
Volunteer in a Super Tuesday State
Do you live in any of the following states?
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Kansas
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Utah
If so, and you'd like to volunteer for the Edwards Campaign go here:
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
Tell Your Friends and Family About John Edwards
I've been trying to convince my family and friends to support John Edwards for years. I got my immediate family on board, (the rest are Republicans), and I have convinced numerous friends to vote for Edwards in the upcoming primaries. One great way to make up for the lack of media attention and the lack of substantive coverage by the media, is to do it yourself! Email your friends, tell them why you support John Edwards. Tell them about his proposals on fighting poverty, his UHC plan, his Stepping Stones Jobs Program, his plans to rein in on credit card company abuses. Any proposal that you feel could affect your life and your friends is worth spreading around. Email them the link to Edwards Issues Page on his website. They can read about his proposals on what issues are the most important to them. It's up to the Grassroots to get the message out for Edwards, the media has made that reality clear as day.
Demand the Media Cover Edwards!
It has been covered extensively here at Daily Kos, the unequal coverage of John Edwards. Whether it's Survey USA and CNN leaving John out of their general election polling; or deciding that his economic stimulus plan wasn't worth reporting on, while Obama and Hillary's were, the coverage has been obviously unbalanced. Unbalanced is putting it nicely. Why not make a stink about it? I think if enough of us call/email the networks and complain maybe they'll take notice. Unfortunately, calling and complaining is our only option....unless someone wants to start a protest at CNN Headquarters. Or...we could always try and start a national boycott of cable news. Hmmmmmm. Until then....here are the contacts for the ol' dogs in cable news:
CNN: http://www.cnn.com/...
MSNBC, NBC Nightly News or Meet the Press http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
CBS Evening News, Scroll Down to Bottom of Page & Click Contact: http://www.cbsnews.com/...
My Favorite Edwards Speech.....Ever!
Edwards has had plenty of amazing speeches. The DNC Winter Convention speech, the one I witnessed in Iowa City and the speech he gave in Brussels a few years back really impressed me. However, the passionate speech he gave at the California Democratic Convention knocked my socks off. I like passion, and Edwards sure has that! Check it out: