Leadership Amidst The Nonsense

The following endorsement was received by the John Edwards campaign…

January 20, 2008

The Honorable John R. Edwards
410 Market Street
Suite 400
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Dear Senator Edwards:

It was good meeting with you yesterday and discussing my father's legacy. On the day when the nation will honor my father, I wanted to follow up with a personal note.

There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of back and forth in the political arena over my father's legacy. It is a commentary on the breadth and depth of his impact that so many people want to claim his legacy. I am concerned that we do not blur the lines and obscure the truth about what he stood for: speaking up for justice for those who have no voice.

I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are - a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.

You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system. They don't have lobbyists in Washington and they don't get to go to lunch with members of Congress. Speaking up for them is not politically convenient. But, it is the right thing to do.

I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign. I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America.

From our conversation yesterday, I know this is personal for you. I know you know what it means to come from nothing. I know you know what it means to get the opportunities you need to build a better life. And, I know you know that injustice is alive and well in America, because millions of people will never get the same opportunities you had.

I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives.

So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father's words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.

Sincerely,
Martin L. King, III

And here is additional information (in your face, Markos and Julian Epstein…)

Dear Friend,

I just finished talking with John -- and he's committed to going all the way to the Democratic Convention, taking the nomination and then on to the White House.

We're going to win delegates in South Carolina -- and we're going to win delegates in other critical states on February 5. And with John McCain emerging as the likely nominee for the Republicans, it's becoming clear there is only one Democratic candidate who can win against him in November -- and that is John Edwards.

Poll after poll shows it is John Edwards who can beat any of the Republican candidates in the general election. Now is the time when John Edwards needs your support the most.

That's why I'm making a special appeal for a contribution to help keep John and this campaign fighting for the boldest agenda of change of any candidate.

Click here to make a contribution now.

Your support allows us to expand the broadcast of our campaign spots in those states where we know we can win delegates on February 5, put additional phone banks into place for South Carolina this week and move field staff into the next round of contests.

Click here to make a contribution now.

Over the past two weeks, thousands of you have responded with contributions -- and your support has truly sustained this campaign. Many of you have given for the very first time to John Edwards in the past two weeks.

Can you do it again for John and for our campaign? Can you give us another contribution and help keep us competitive to the convention? John is committed to this fight -- together, we can win!

Thanks for all you do.

Joe Trippi
Senior Advisor, John Edwards for President
January 22, 2008

P.S. I hope you had a chance to watch last night's debate on CNN. Here's a moment from that debate you need to see (here):

And here’s more from Daily Kos diarist JedReport (and to help, click here).

Update: Take note of this, you South Carolina Dems (and everyone else).