Dear John (and all of John Edward's supporters):
I see today you've decided to pull out of the Democratic primary race. I can only assume that the combined effects of coming in at the 15-20% range and fundraising struggles made it too difficult to continue. Its a cliche that discretion is the better part of valour, but in your case, it's true.
As a progressive and modern liberal (and Obama precinct captain), my more aggressive half just wants to clear the field of everyone and march on to victory. However, I do want to thank you and your supporters for running a strongly progressive campaign that generally avoided going into the gutter, as far as its possible in a political campaign.
::More on flip::
I may have some problems with votes you made while you were a Senator, but I've come around to thinking that your move to a more liberal/populist position is mostly genuine. (And I say "mostly" because at the end of the day, you are a politican. And no politician is ever pure, even the guy I support. But I don't expect perfection - its unattainable and the enemy of the good, to borrow from Howard Dean.) You and your supporters staked out a clear ground and message on behalf of working Americans and you didn't flinch in your call to arms on behalf of a more progressive national policy. It helped shape the debate and kept everyone's feet to the fire.
And you never forgot where you came from. I know you catch a lot of flak for the whole "son of a millworker" thing. I hope you can just ignore it. People born of modest means who rise into the professional and business classes carry with them a searing scar for all their lives, as they punch their way to the top, into a social and economic class to which they were not born, and into which they had to struggle to get there. Some try to bury it and pretend it never existed - as the offspring of union steelworkers, I'm glad you wore your scar on your shirtsleeves.
Your supporters were equally passionate and firm in staking out that progressive ground, which serves to help us all. And the clean and respectful tenor of your campaign translated to your supporters as well - who avoided descent into mean-spiritedness, mudslinging or ad hominem attacks - even if a lot of us didn't think you had a snowball's chance in Hell. Bully for them and you.
Keep the faith,
An Obama Supporter