Letters to the Editor
TheKiddy
Published Letters: 66 Editor's Choice: 3
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Edwards and the Congressional Black Caucus...
[Read the article: McClellan's meaning, Oprah's impact and other mysteries]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I find it noteworthy that there are three members of the Black Caucus actually supporting Edwards. As he is a white Southerner and is not married to the first Black President (Bill Clinton) I would be really interested in a posting that looks at that support and analyzes it and any other Edwards support from Black voters and/or Black state-level electeds. I suspect there is a story there.
It could be his unwavering advocacy and work for the poor including the working poor, and for New Orleans post-Katrina. It could be his policy statements on Iraq and healthcare, and a belief that he has the leadership qualities to get us out of the desert war and to push through universal healthcare. I am speculating, of course.
I had an interesting experience recently soliciting signatures to get John Edwards on the ballot in New York State (every candidate has to get five thousand registered Dem voters to sign petitions.) In lower Manahttan (I live in the Financial District) the people who signed when I approached them appeared to be pretty much upper middle class white professionals with a smattering of blue collar white/Latino thrown in. I got signatures from two African American construction workers, one of whom asked me why Obama's campaign wasn't asking him and also asked me why I thought Barak's campaign had never responded to his expressed desire to become a volunteer. He asked me if I could find out for him how he could get involved in the campaign in New York City.
A few days later, while visiting my mom's senior assisted living residence in Brooklyn, several of the African American/Carribean American aides were eager to sign the Edwards petition and knew exactly for whom they were signing and why.
I hope there is a blogger at Salon willing to look at the full range of candidates getting the support of the Black Community, which is so often treated as monolithic but definitely is not.
PS. I was unable to find the phone number for Barak's campaign office in NYC, so called the office in South Carolina listed on the web site. They were highly suspicious of my call. A campaign staffer was called to the phone, and asked me straight out why I would want to help someone connect with the Obama campaign if I was an Edwards supporter. He would not give me a phone number, but told me to tell my prospective Obama volunteer to go to the web site. I told him that I suspected that a construction worker might not have easy access. (Ok wait a second.)
I looked for my construction worker and found him the next day. I told him they said go to the web site. He said: I already did. Well, so much for stereotyping (guilty as charged) and the digital divide.
TK
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I am so for John Edwards!
[Read the article: Iowa roundup: A pox on the polls]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]So on this Sunday morning in New York City I can feel some level of optimism that on primary election day in Iowa the little old lady will stay home and the folks who caucused for John Edwards in 2004 plus just the needed few more will turn out. I have been wondering about that recent ABC poll and especially about the number of new or more accurately never before caucus goers whose preferences were solicited.
I must say I envy the Iowans who will have the fun of turning the country topsy-turvy soon. Plus, I envy them the caucus process. How cool to feel like you are making a difference and to participate in a process that actually is expressive of participatory democracy!
Go John and Go Iowa! (And now I have no excuse, I have to pull myself out of my Sunday morning coffee, toast, and newspaper mode, and go out and collect the signatures to get John Edwards on the ballot here in New York State as he is surely going to be well in the running going into our primary!).