The national press seems unwilling to accept that the race for the Democratic nomination is a three-person race. Even though Edwards finished second in Iowa, they seem to think that, when all is said and done, Hillary and Obama are our only two viable candidates. And, I suppose, if you just look at their balance sheets, they might be. Hillary and Obama each raised over $100 million in ’07, while Edwards, playing by the public financing rules and turning away money from corporate lobbyists, has taken in just a fraction of that.
Maybe he doesn’t have the cash to mount an effective national campaign, but he’s been doing pretty well thus far, and some seem to think that he’s even got a chance of winning in Nevada on Saturday. To help see that happen, some bright folks have gotten together and hatched a plan. They want to do for John Edwards tomorrow (Friday) what Ron Paul’s supporters did for him earlier in the campaign. They want to drop a “money bomb.” They want to set a new single-day fundraising record.
The goal is $7 million. If it happens, not only will Edwards have the resources to stay viable in the upcoming contests, but the money-focused corporate media will have no choice but to cover the story. If it works, it could be the biggest story going into the weekend, and it may give him the boost he needs to take Nevada… So, if you haven’t given yet, please consider making a contribution. Or, if you have given already, please consider giving some more. Every dollar counts at this point.
Here’s a clip from Edwards last night in Nevada:
…If you’ve been watching the national media for the last year you might have thought there were only two candidates, but if you watched the debate last night you saw there are actually three. Only one of these candidates has never taken a dime from Washington lobbyists and PACs. Only one beats every single Republican candidate in head to head match-ups. Only one will have no corporate lobbyists in White House.
The cause of my life is fighting for working people and the middle class who are being held back by powerful entrenched interests. Middle class families across the country are working harder than ever today, but still struggling to make ends meet. To help hard-working families in Nevada and across America get ahead, we need a president who will fight for universal health care, smarter trade policies and a new energy economy. And to get real change, we need a president with the strength and conviction to stand up against the big corporations and powerful interests who control Washington…
Come on. Give the guy a few bucks. It’s easy. And you know you want to… His message is one that absolutely has to be a part of this debate, and you can make that happen.
[Thanks to Dale for bringing this campaign to my attention.]
9 Comments
Oh shit :P I missed the part about doing it tomorrow – I got all excited and just went and donated… oh well :)
It’s my first donating to a candidate.
Oh no! You fucked up EVERYTHING!
Thanks for posting this, since we couldn’t support John Edwards by voting for him, we can at least give him some financial support. I just did my part.
Lobbyists don’t run the Romney campaign either.
Or do they?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/17/watch-reporter-gets-into_n_82016.html
Meta, thanks for that. I like how Romney tries to prove that lobbyists aren’t tied to there campaign because they aren’t paid.
I don’t pay my bosses, either.
Any word on how the Money Bomb went?
The good news is, even if they fail to make the mark, it’s on a Friday and no one will notice. Tomorrow, everyone will be on to Nevada.
I should also mention that, as I understand it, given that Edwards is accepting public financing, every contribution you make will be matched by the federal government. So a contribution of $40 is really $80.
There is no way this is going to work. Edward’s message appeals to the poor unproductive members of our society that wish to use the government to engage in legalized extortion of the more productive members. They don’t have money to donate, they need to worry about their credit cards getting cut off, because they over-consumed in the past.
The message is plain and simple, “If you don’t let the government steal ‘rich’ people’s property and redistribute it to the ‘poor’, the ‘poor’ are going to engage in illegal activities that will damage the property of those that have a net positive equity position, so the ‘rich are better off to pay the ‘poor’ so the mob doesn’t come and break their leg or some other mafia tactic.”
Judging from the lack of news, it doesn’t sound like it went very well. Neither did Kucinich’s a month or two ago. And I mean this sincerely, I’m sorry that he hasn’t been able to raise more money to compete with the pro-war, empty message Clinton and Obama.
Unfortunately, it’s not just that the corporate media is “money-focused.” If it were, Ron Paul would be getting some real press. Instead, Fox News left him out of Nevada graphics (showing Romney, McCain, and Huckabee; 1st, 2nd, % 4th) last night, and the NYT leaves him off of their online listings (despite having defeated Giuliani in most races). Rather than fundraising, the bias is ideologically driven. Most of the corporate owned media has close ties to the defense (offense?) industry.
Oh. Maybe it is money-focused.
Thanks, Mike… I’m going to copy your comment over in the new Edwards thread as well.