Scores of Georgians Join Edwards' Fight for South Carolina Votes

Don't count John Edwards out just yet. This morning, scores of Georgians, including former Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, Chuck Byrd, Julie Simon and Steve Leeds, rose early and traveled to Greenville, South Carolina to knock on doors for John Edwards. Some supporters met at the capitol in Atlanta to caravan together, while others from Middle and South Georgia traveled directly to Greenville. This time yesterday, we were expecting about ten Georgians to make this trip, but at eleven o'clock today, Chuck Byrd called to report that more than thirty Georgia volunteers had already arrived and more were on the way. The canvassing trip today is a part of the ongoing efforts of Georgians on behalf of Sen. Edwards. Those efforts include hosting events with Sen. and Mrs. Edwards, recruiting volunteers and fundraising.

You might wonder why, at this stage of the race, these Georgians would get up at dawn-thirty on a Saturday morning to travel to South Carolina. The answer is simple: despite the media's continued efforts to pronounce the Edwards campaign dead, we believe that voters deserve a choice and that John Edwards offers Democrats the best opportunity to win in November. Those of us from Middle and South Georgia also recognize that Edwards is the only candidate of either party who has paid two wits of attention to rural Georgia. Word has it that the rest, when asked to draw a map of Georgia, used I-20 as the southern-most boundary.

Go get those V2's guys! And send pictures to post here.

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Joe Trippi, John Edwards and the Politics of "We"

In December of 2006, Joe Trippi wrote an insightful piece on MyDD about the difference between the transformational politics of "we" versus the transactional politics of "me." Here's a portion:

All modern campaigns and transactional campaigns are built around a candidate who proclaims to the nation "Look at me -- aren't I amazing?". The Dean campaign (and any transformational campaign successful or not) was built around a candidate who proclaimed "Look at you -- aren't you amazing?"This strikes me as essential. More than ideology, or any other factor -- true transformational leadership can only come from a candidate who fundamentally gets that it isn't about him/her -- its about us. So in terms of 2008 is Hillary capable or realizing that she is not the center of the universe -- that the political world and even her own campaign does not revolve around her? Obama? Edwards? Who? Anyone?

Trippi was dead on the money in this analysis, and in the early stages of the his campaign, it was clear that John Edwards "got it." Last April, just days before Trippi joined the Edwards campaign,, I heard it in Edwards' powerful speech in Macon. Edwards spoke eloquently about how no one can do it alone, about how change does not happen in the Oval office so much as it happens in living rooms like the one we were standing in. "Together we can change this country" was his challenge to us, and at that point if John Edwards had asked me to pick up a shovel or pen a check, it would've been my pleasure to do either. The powerful "we"was evident in the structure of the campaign, particularly in the strong embrace of Web 2.0 and the One Corps program. I have no doubt that Edwards still "gets it," but sometime during the summer, even though he has continued to say "it's not about us [referring to the candidates] the message got muddy and Edwards-and all the other candidates both Democrats and Republicans-ceded the "we" message to Obama.

It is beyond ironic that Joe Trippi, who clearly understands the power of "we," allowed his candidate to move to "I will fight for you."

When the analysis of this primary season is done, I suspect that this change will stand out as one of the critical turning points. Ultimately, the candidate who wins the Presidency, will convince the American people that "we" are in this together, and that "we" need a leader who will help "us" fight to take our country back. John Edwards can take back the "we" message-it is authentically a part of who he is, but he needs to do it right now.

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Glenn Beck Completely Missed the Point

Writing about the uncaring medical staff he encountered during recent surgery on his rear and the "excruciating pain" that followed, CNN personality Glenn Beck observes that what we really need in health care is people who "care." Sure, that's important, but completely moot for the forty-seven million Americans who lack health insurance. Before you can evaluate the demeanor of the medical staff, you have to be able to get in the front door of the hospital. The "secret" is both access and care.

He goes on to say:

That's why I don't want to hear anymore about universal health care or HMOs or the evils of insurance companies until each and every hospital in this country can look me in the eye and tell me that they their staff is full of truly compassionate people who treat their visitors like patients, not products. Hire and train the right people, and then and only then come talk to me about everything else you need. Our politicians are right; we do have a health care crisis in this country. But it's not going to be fixed by them, it's not going to be fixed by some government agency, and it's certainly not going to be fixed by throwing more money around. No, if you really want to fix our healthcare system then look no further than the word "healthcare" itself because the secret is right there. The secret is "care."

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Together

In the last municipal elections in Macon, if we learned nothing else, we learned that a positive message of inclusion won the day. Maconites are sick of infighting, backstabbing and "ya-yaing." Experience is valuable. Fresh faces and fresh ideas are valuable. Most of all voters expect elected officials to put aside their personal agendas, their personal differences and work together, sharing knowledge, expertise and vision to benefit the city. "It's not about me" would be a pretty good motto for elected officials.

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No Accounting for Taste

Ralph Reed??? That's it. No more CNN tonight.

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Death By 200 Taxes

Want to pay tax on your ATM fees? I mean ,really, the government wants to tax your ability to access your own money??? According to the DPG, Richardson's tax plan may be worse than anyone imagined. Hidden in HR 900 are more than 200 brand new taxes on everything from your wedding to your funeral.

Talk about a "death tax." Glenn may have written his own political obit.

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Shipping and Handling

On the not-so-GREAT Plan, now aimed at schools, my husband said:

"If we send tax dollars up the road to Atlanta, just for politicians to send them back down to us, we'd better be prepared to pay the shipping and handling."

That's right.

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Clinton Short of Cash?

How in the world do you raise a hundred million dollars and find yourself short of cash? If MyDD is right, that's exactly what's happened to Hillary Clinton. She "only" has fifteen-twenty million left and a high burn rate with her heavy staff. And, rumors are floating that if she does not do well today in New Hampshire, where-like Iowa-voters are turning out in record numbers, she may skip Nevada and South Carolina in order to focus on the February 5th states.

I don't believe for one second that Clinton will officially walk away from either of these contests nor do I think it would be a good strategy for her to do so; however, it is amazing that this candidate who was "inevitable" a few weeks ago is increasingly viewed as desperate and non-viable. I did hear that she's trimming staff, and that would not be surprising. How quickly things change! Obama and Edwards would do well to remember that there is still a lot of territory between now and the convention, so who knows what else will change-or change back.

On a related note, I am thrilled about the turnout in Iowa and New Hampshire. One of the ways things can "change" is through the involvement of lots of new people. Perhaps that's how we break partisan gridlock. As a friend said, not since the 1960's have I seen this level of interest and enthusiasm.

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Infighting Grounds Georgia GOP

Gov. Perdue, Lt. Gov. Cagle and Speaker Richardson planned a "fly around" last week as a show of unity prior to the session opening next week, only the plane never got off the ground. No, there were no mechanical problems with the plane-just an inability of Georgia's top leadership to agree on a agenda. Here's what the AJC had to say:

Things are so dicey that when state officials tried to organize a fly-around with Perdue, Cagle and Richardson this week, they were unsure if they'd be able to get together on an agenda.

Can't get together on an agenda? Are you kidding me? Drought plagued North Georgia and metro-Atlanta were on a day-to-day water watch, gridlock keeps Georgians in cars for hours, our schools struggle not to be last in the nation, tens of thousands of Georgians lack access to health care and our three top leaders can't agree on an agenda? These "leaders" are focused more on their own political futures than on the needs of Georgians.

Maybe we do need that prayer meeting.

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Does God Watch CNN?

I'm willing to bet that God doesn't need press releases in order to hear our prayers. Today, there is a letter to the editor of the Telegraph thanking Gov. Perdue for holding the prayer vigil for rain. After all, it was raining as the writer penned the letter. Here's a portion:

As I sit here listening to the rain pouring down outside, I want to take a moment and few words to commend and thank Gov. Sonny Perdue and the other civic and spiritual leaders who, last November, took part in the very public event to pray for rain here in Georgia. It was a very bold effort on the part of Georgia believers to conduct such an event.

Thanking God for rain? Good idea. Encouraging people of faith to pray when facing the crisis of a drought? Great idea. But scheduling a media event? Not so much. Don't you think that God would've heard the prayers of the Governor and others just as well had the service been private? I do. If his purpose was to set an example for others, couldn't he have simply called on Georgians to pray? In fact, the Gospel of Matthew has something to say about this:

When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. Matthew 6:5-6

I respect leaders who are people of faith, but I don't like it when they use their faith for political gain. I think that's what happened here. The bottom line is that, unless God tunes in to CNN, there was no need for the press to be at the prayer meeting. When the press release dropped, the Gov. crossed a line and the event became more about politics than prayer.

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Iowans Stand Up for Change

Congratulations to Obama! The big story out of Iowa tonight is that Iowans stood up for change-and in a big way. The turnout for the Democratic caucus here topped a quarter million, more than 100% greater than in 2004. Many who caucused were new voters, and many were young. A half to a third of that number turned out on the Republican side, and more than half of those caucusers identified themselves as "born again" or "evangelical," clearly contributing to Huckabee's victory. If those trends hold though the the general election, that bodes very well for Democrats.

Obama had an amazing night, frankly doing what I never thought he could do here, and John Edwards also did well, finishing ahead of Clinton. It's clear that the voters want change-now they have to look hard at Edwards and Obama and decide just what sort of change they really want. Not that I think Clinton is out of the race, but I do think she has to win in New Hampshire. We are staying at the same hotel as the Clinton campaign, and her party was here. I would describe the mood as somber. I wouldn't take anything for the time we spent here. It was an amazing experience watching democracy in action. Here are a few pictures:

Sunset in Earlham, Iowa

Edwards Won Madison County

A Metaphor for the Caucus In Earlham, Iowa

Edwards at Steelworkers' Union on Caucus Morning

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Banking Votes in Beaverdale

Lauren Benedict, Daryl and I are out canvassing this morning in Beaverdale, Iowa. Yesterday, Daryl and I were in Earlham (in Madison County, where Bridges of the same was filmed) and Lauren was in Indianola. One thing-besides the cold and snow-is consistent: Iowa is John Edwards country!

This afternoon we'll canvass another precinct and then get ready to go to the Renaissance for the after party.

I can't tell you who will win, but Edwards does look strong on the ground and has a phenomenal field team. Fingers crossed that we finish first or second. By the way, his new stump speech: America Rising might just be the best political speech I have ever heard.

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Caucus Day!

There was no hope of blogging live last night. The place was too packed. I couldn't move. If Edwards' crowds and the enthusiasm there is any sign, then he's going to have a very good caucus night. I think that some of the excitement I see here reflects the overall strength of the Democratic field. We're headed to Java Joe's to see Sen. and Mrs. Edwards live on Morning Cup of Joe. Then we'll go to the steelworker's union to hear from Sen. Edwards directly. More as the day goes on.

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Blogging Live: Mellencamp and Edwards

Wow! No one thought Edwards could fill the house in Des Moines, but I am at the Mellencamp event and it's packed, packed, packed! The doors opened at 8:30, and, already there's hardly room to move in a venue that holds 3000. This crowd reflects the unmistakable momentum we felt in the field today while canvassing. Mellencamp goes on at 9:00 pm. I'm blogging live, so stay tuned!

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On the (Frozen) Ground in Iowa

Daryl and I are traveling up Highway 92 between Indianola and Martinsdale, Iowa, headed out to knock on doors to encourage Edwards supporters to caucus tomorrow night. Snow covers the ground-even the geese were sitting in it-and it is very cold. The bank clock said 11 degrees. But, the race is very tight, and every vote is important, so out we go. We left Lauren Benedict back in Indianola, where she will canvass. (Did I mention that she's from Florida and not used to the cold?) Chuck and Melanie Byrd headed out to a rural community. Steve Leeds is here, too.

We got here just in time last night to catch Edwards' press avail at the Steelworkers Union in Des Moines. He and Elizabeth were both on hand and on message. He is finishing very strong here, and I predict a tight race.

The eyes of the world are on Iowa. It is definitely the political "place to be.". Daryl stepped off the elevator this morning and-literally-ran into a blue jean clad Bill Clinton. Our hotel is journalist central. The entire FOX News crew is there. The talking heads seem to think Obama's numbers are inflated. We shall see.

We're spending the day canvassing and then will go to the Mellencamp concert in Des Moines this evening. I hear that the free tickets for that event are going very, very fast.

More later-and pictures and video.

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