Edwards/?
Tag, you’re it

I just joined CAP and was horrified to read that the group has endorsed John Edwards and is active is setting up a grassroots organization for him here in town. What’s up with that? Should we change our name to CAPEDWARDS?

There are plenty of other progressives who plan to vote for Barack Obama and there are plenty of Sacramento For Obama members willing to join CAP...well, probably not now. Was there a vote on who CAP should endorse? If so, obviously I was too late to that party.

Too bad CAP is endorsing a losing candidate who has now slipped to a second-tier with Richardson, et al.

Mark Billingsley
Sacramento For Obama

Well, I’m relatively new to town, so I don’t know all the nuances, but I think Obama has a better shot than Edwards.

there ya go...good on ya

Obama/Powell...every poll so far shows that Obama is the only Dem candidate who can beat the top-tier Repugnantcans

Edwards, Edwards, Edwards. How many votes do I get....

By the way, Elizabeth Edwards will be in Reno on Sunday for the opening of the Edwards for President office.

Sunday, July 15th at 12 noon
Edwards for President Reno Office
700 Smithridge Dr. Suite 101
Reno, NV
RSVP here

Hi there,

Thanks for writing.

At our last meeting the majority of members chose to commit to the Edwards campaign.

No one in CAP is obligated to work or commit to any particular candidate’s campaign. In fact, most of our campaigning will be local (e.g. city councils, school board) and will be engaging voters (in partnership with Labor and ItsOurHealthCare) in discussions about universal health care and other issues as well.

Although we will be supporting John Edwards in the primary, whoever is the Democratic candidate primary winner will receive our support. We think we are very fortunate that the slate of Democratic Presidential Candidates this go around is excellent. At the convention in San Diego, we listened and talked with all the candidates that attended. They all did a wonderful job.

CAP’s position is that people are welcomed and encouraged to support whatever candidate they feel the most affinity with. We’re not judging any choices anyone might make and are going with the philosophy “may the best candidate win.” One of our council members will actually be taking a leadership role in the campaign in Northern CA for Hillary and we’re very happy for him - it will be a great learning experience.

So far, it’s been a very friendly and respectful atmosphere within the activists in CAP in regards to the road we each choose to take. I know that in some groups there is competition between those in the Kucinich camps vs those in the Edwards camp and in other groups between those in the Hillary camp vs. those in the Obama camp. We’re not going to go there. We are going to focus our energies on getting a Democrat in office, registering as many voters as possible and getting the Republicans out of office!

I might also mention that some of us are 100% for impeachment, others are less so, and some think it’s a bad idea. Everyone is entitled to whatever position they chose to take and in the end, majority will rule in whatever official position we may or may not decide to take. We are not going to make judgments about one another and whether or not certain persons are progressive enough or not. There is no way that everyone in an organization is going to be 100% on the same page on each issue/topic/candidate.

Anyway, good luck on the Obama campaign. I have several friends campaigning for Obama and if he is ultimately the primary winner we’ll be very fortunate and his campaign will have our support.

Sincerely,

Cathlyn Daly

By the way, welcome to CAP...we’re happy to have you on board.

It really is to early to begin deciding who has a better chance than whom. Obama may be raising a ton-o-cash but that doesn’t make him a winner. The only reason that Clinton and Obama are considered “front runners” is because the media says so. Let’s not let the media pick the next president.

The only reason Edwards is considered second tier is because the media says so. He will likely be the first choice of unions—he is the first candidate to really come out strongly for working people and speak to the issues that are important to working Americans. He was the first with a comprehensive health care plan. And he is the only one talking about a serious problem that other candidates won’t face up to in this country—poverty.

The Reps are hoping we pick Clinton. They know she will be their easiest target between the top three. She has the baggage they can use to weigh her down.

Obama likely won’t make it past the early primaries. Once the novelty wears off he will begin to be seen as not experienced and more people will begin to see that he has no substance. He will make a great president after serving two terms as Edwards’ veep.

That is, if Edwards wins Iowa, which I think he will. If Edwards wins Iowa, I believe he wins in November ‘08. If he loses Iowa, he packs up and goes home. For Edwards it’s all about Iowa.

The above is how I see it today and subject to change. As with all things political you never know what disaster awaits you tomorrow.

And I feel I must add—I will wholeheartedly support whomever the nominee is. I do not dislike any of the candidates and believe they all have much to offer. When you get right down to it, this is just way to early. We have a great team, and my not mentioning Richardson, Dodd, Biden, Kucinich, and Gravel shouldn’t be seen as non supportive, I just don’t believe they stand a realistic chance—with the exception of Richardson as a long shot.

I agree, it is a great field of candidates for the democrats and it is very early in the game, but we should remember that the primary will be effectively decided by February and that is only 6-7 months away.

My concern is that there seems to be so little actual hard policy debate thus far. In fact the election seems to be a policy free zone. Healthcare is getting a bit of a run, but that is being driven outside the beltway. However candidates need to be asked the hard questions about their healthcare plans.

Edwards seems to be the one candidate with some detailed plans. The lack of policy specificity amongst other candidates makes me question what exactly it is about them that is influencing the decision to support them.

And this is what concerns me about Obama. Do not get me wrong - he is very inspirational. However he is making his way thus far by providing audiences with something they seem to want to hear. He is telling americans who they are at a time when many have lost sight of what used to sustain them - a faith in america and being american. He is reassuring.

However I am not sure that he is not really a conservative.

I certainly want to hear some specifics from him.

p

The only reason why you say Obama is inexperienced because the media said so. Do you realize he has more elected legislative experience than both Hillary Clinton AND John Edwards? Look it up. Edwards has six years total of elected experience...a little less than Clinton and much less than Obama’s 10 years combined in both the Illinois state legislature and as a first-term Senator.

Once the novelty wears off?...that’s hilarious. If Obama was so inexperienced and didn’t have any substance the wheels would have fallen off his campaign by mid-April at the latest. And he certainly wouldn’t have raised THREE TIMES the amount of campaign dollars as Edwards did last quarter. And you know, the funny thing is, how many fat cats do you think were part of that PRIMARY RECORD 258,000 donors last quarter? Ah, ZERO! So it’s safe to say that the the vast amount of his donors, the ones who are giving $5, $10 and $20 are working-class people - the same people you claim that Edwards so ably represents. Seems to me that the support of the working class is solidly behind Obama while Hillary busies herself sucking up every last PAC dollar out there and Edwards wonders what happened to his momentum. Why didn’t the man just go to the nearest Super Cuts for God’s sake? It’s not like his comb over style has never been seen by the scissorhands at Super Cuts.

Edwards has spent almost every day in Iowa since 2004. With his investment in time, effort and money, he should be way out in front of Hillary and Obama in Iowa and he isn’t. Are you going to blame that fact on the media? Yeah, Edwards is the son of mill worker who rose up to become a millionaire many, many times over. Good for him...but the perception many people have is that he’s just another rich dude. Obama, while certainly not hurting for money now, came up just as hard, became the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review and yet went into public service rather than turn his Ivy League education into millions working for some huge law firm.

That shows the man has substance.

He opposed the war in Iraq when it was unpopular to do so...vet few politicians had enough guts to put it on the line like he did.

That shows the man has substance.

Edwards voted for the war. Yes, he admitted he made a mistake and he also admitted he didn’t read the full report given to the Congress before their vote. What does that say about his preparation for arguably the single biggest vote of his short political career. Read the damn thing John...it was only 90 pages or so.

Obama was the first presidential candidate to release both his tax records and his list of earmarks. He has nothing to hide. He plays by the rules and tells the truth without having to be told to do so or by some deadline.

That shows the man has substance.

He went before a predominantly black audience and told them what he thought they needed to hear, not what they wanted to hear. Big difference.

That shows the man has substance.

Republican senators have said they enjoy working with Obama, that he listens to everyone regardless of what side of the aisle they sit. He deliberates, asks questions and ponders his decision before casting a vote or throwing his support behind a piece of legislation. Most of his bills and amendments have been co-sponsored by Republicans.

That shows that he has substance.

I think I’ve made my case about why Obama deserves CAP support BEFORE the primary just as much if not more than Edwards.

I look forward to Obama getting CAP’s support in the general election and beyond. He’ll need it when the Repugnantcans bring out the sharp knives come summer 2008.

If you want specifics, or at least as specific as anything Edwards has put out, go to http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

Did you see the results of the Move on Poll?  Edwards integrity and willingness to stake a position and follow through with a plan are amazing: 

The people have spoken! This week, MoveOn.org, the League of Conservation Voters and other progressive groups brought over 100,000 Americans together to watch all the Democratic candidates present their plans to solve global warming and then vote for the best.

Their choice? John Edwards by a landslide. John’s plan got more votes than our two closest competitors—combined.

This is a victory for substance. The media may want to obsess over trivial things, but Americans are ready for bold change—and that’s exactly what John Edwards has to offer.

I really appreciate your passion for Obama. I heard him at the Democratic Convention in San Diego. He was electrifying.

I have looked at the website you recommended http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

Yes there is more content there. However what is there leaves me with the same question about Barack Obama that has always nagged me about him: will his action match his rhetoric. Is he really a progressive or conservative democrat?

Take his health care policy. Why is it that his policy is not a universal single payer system? Is he afraid to take on the health insurance industry?
Similarly with his education policy: he seems to not want to address the appalling class and race bias in educational opportunity.

Let us be specific about Obama’s Education policies. There are 4 elements:

Increase Funding for Head Start
Extend Summer School Opportunities to Low-Income Students
Place High-Quality Teachers in Low-Income Classrooms
Make College More Affordable

If progressives regard this as an adequate progressive response to the current state of education and access to education then the bar must have been really lowered.

I am not trying to bash Obama. I will gladly work for his election if he wins the nomination.

What I am trying to say is: Why cannot we demand more MUCH MORE of our candidates. Why are people caught up on personalities and rhetoric?

Similarly with ‘economic justice’. The response of most democrats is: ‘a fair wage’. I mean big deal. Is that all there is?

More specifically about Obama’s voting record - I think his supporters need to answer questions about his Senate voting record. It seems to be a record of someone who may not challenge the current status quo in any radical long lasting manner.

Specifically:

Why did he support Joe Liebermann against the candidate democratically elected by the Democratic Party?
Why did he vote to curtail the ability of plaintiffs to file class-action lawsuits against corporations?
Why did he vote down a Democratic amendment to cap the exploitative interest rates charged by credit card companies?
Why was he and reluctance to oppose Alito’s appointment to the Supreme Court? 
Why did he support confirmation of Condeleeza Rice and Negroponte?

What I am trying to get at is this: Is Barack Obama just another talented politician who is so busy positioning himself in the so called ‘centre’ that when you dust away the rhetoric what you get is someone who is not really going to CHANGE the sytem. Sure he taps into a certain outrage current in the community but when you read his policies and look at his voting record in the Senate you begin to suspect that he may not challenge the status quo, but rather tinkle around the edges.

Sure he has mastered a rhetoric, but really where are the radical progressive policies?

p

I’d have to agree with pdaly.  I like Obama, but I don’t think he is a realistic choice for progressive candidates other than his early position on the war.  Everything else makes me question his dedication to change.  I posted this under my choice for Prez, but possibly it is better posted here:

Did you see the results of the Move on Poll?  Edwards integrity and willingness to stake a position and follow through with a plan are amazing: 

The people have spoken! This week, MoveOn.org, the League of Conservation Voters and other progressive groups brought over 100,000 Americans together to watch all the Democratic candidates present their plans to solve global warming and then vote for the best.

Their choice? John Edwards by a landslide. John’s plan got more votes than our two closest competitors—combined.

This is a victory for substance. The media may want to obsess over trivial things, but Americans are ready for bold change—and that’s exactly what John Edwards has to offer.

For every issue Edwards talks about in every speech he makes, he follows with, “I have an idea!” and it is a real plan to correct the injustice.  Besides a man that wages a non-violent war on poverty is the exact yin for the yang of the current administration’s passion for violence and deceit which is putting all of us in poverty both here and in Iraq.

But don’t you all think it is time to make a change from the past in terms of candidates? Obama is that change. Edwards had a chance last time and was unable to get over the line either in the primaries or as VEEP candidate. I admire his pressing the point on poverty, but I am not sure that Edwards really represents a threat to the status quo!!

And a Hilary victory would give us Bush- Clinton- Clinton-Bush-Bush- Clinton over a 24 year period!!!!!

I mean that is nearly, or in fact is, a whole generation!!  Release us from the Bush-Clinton era PLEASE!!!!

While we are at it, isn’t it time for Dems to get over their illusions with Bill Clinton’s presidency?? Talk about a rosey view of the past! I mean what did he really change? I mean name one thing he changed that really changed american society or economy....oh thats right there was one thing… NAFTA.... I forgot!

Obama represents a new face in Washington. I agree all candidates could do with more policy, so lets not hit Obama with that stick.....

Hey where are all the Obama supporters??? Go Obama Go.