Thank you, John Edwards.

[DjTj]

I think I'm going to get rid of my Edwards avatar pretty soon, but there's a few things I want to say first.

Thank you, John Edwards, for getting me excited about this Presidential race, for getting me interested enough in the Democratic Party to start posting at Democratic Underground, and for turning this casual observer into a political junkie.

Thank you, John Edwards, for showing your opponents that Democratic voters did not want negative campaigning in their primary season this year. Thanks for helping bring this party together with your positive campaigning.

Thank you, John Edwards, for spreading the message of "Two Americas" that made so many nod their heads in town hall meetings across the country. You have shown the Democratic Party a way to deliver our message without falling into the trap of "class warfare."

Thank you, John Edwards, for putting the issue of poverty at the forefront of your campaign. This is an issue too often neglected.

Thank you, John Edwards, for using your campaign to give a voice not to those who spoke the loudest, but to those who have no voice in politics. You reminded your supporters in every speech that the government did not exist merely to further our own personal interests, but that there are other issues that are just as important, even though they affect people that do not have the money to donate, do not have the time to spare, and may not even have the desire to vote.

Thank you, John Edwards, for showing us that the son of a millworker with limited political experience can seriously contend for the Presidency of the United States. You gave hope to those of us who dare to dream, and you showed us that in America, anything is possible.

Thank you, John Edwards, for leaving the race gracefully and reminding all of us that John Kerry stands for the same things you do. You have done the right thing for the Democratic Party and for the United States of America.

And a special thank you to AP, Purity, chimpy, spooky, katie, sgr2, JohnLocke, Bombtrack, and the rest of the DU Edwards crew that have made me proud to support John Edwards. You were among the brightest stars at DU during this primary season, and you made my first few months at DU a very rewarding experience.

[JohnLocke]

1. One more thing.

Add to your list Mattman. And Amen.
:toast: :toast: :toast:

[spooky3]

2. Thank YOU, DjTj. And EJ Dionne agrees with you...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31978-2004Mar4.html

"John Edwards won just one primary, yet he leaves his party with a legacy. Such an achievement usually eludes also-rans.


Edwards's strengths were said to lie in his smile, his warmth and his trial lawyer's gifts of persuasion. But these do not define his most important contribution. What Edwards leaves behind is an argument -- an analysis of what ails our country and an approach to putting things right that will survive his campaign.

Edwards talked everywhere about "two Americas," one for the privileged, one for the rest of us. Most political types said it was one of the best stump speeches they'd ever heard. It will galvanize Democrats much as Ronald Reagan's great speech on behalf of Barry Goldwater 40 years ago galvanized conservative Republicans.

The Gipper called his address on behalf of the 1964 Republican nominee "A Time for Choosing." Many liberals mistakenly dismissed it as representing the ravings of the radical right, much as Edwards's critics write off his speech as run-of-the-mill populism. But like Reagan, Edwards had a larger goal than winning applause. He sought to reframe the choices of American politics. Edwards was a pioneer in explaining what President Bush's tax policies mean: a transfer of the burden of taxation from "wealth" to "work." "

more

thanks also to other Edwards supporters--awsieDooger, jenk, arewethereyet.

[chimpymustgo]

3. Thank you, John Edwards. And thanks, DjTj!

I am so proud of JRE's campaign - and proud of his supporters across the country and here at DU. I think we have a clear, positive vision for America, and now we will take our ideas and ideals to fight for our party and our country in the upcoming election.

Hope guides us.

[spooky3]

4. kicking

[AP]

5. Edwards will be president of the US.

Hopefully it won't be in circumstances such as those when FDR became president. However, I worry less about the future of America knowing that there is someone who will be president soon who cares about what FDR cared about and can turn this country around when we need it, the way FDR did.

[JohnLocke]

6. Kick