The day after the Democratic and Republican parties  nominate their 
presidential candidates, there will be a push to skew the  conversation to the agenda 
of the lobbyists and special interests. You can be  sure as today is monday 
that the life of such a cockamayme conversation will  rest entirely on the 
quality of the candidates nominated. Who is more likely to  keep the conversation 
trained on Democracy, the rule of law, and the  preservation of due-diligence in 
the corridors of power????? Enjoy my friends  and coleagues:
 
Dear Haruna,

The choice in this election is  simple. If we want a president who will lead 
America to the big, bold changes we  need and change the conversation in 
America, Democrats should choose the  candidate who has led the field in ideas and 
shaped the conversation in this  race so far.

In this campaign, John Edwards has led on the issues --  the other candidates 
have merely followed.

But don't take it from me  -- let me share with you some of the things people 
are saying about  John.

As Paul Krugman writes today in The New York Times: 

"On the Democratic side, John Edwards, although never the  front-runner, has 
been driving his party's policy agenda. He's done it again  on economic 
stimulus: last month, before the economic consensus turned as  negative as it now 
has, he proposed a stimulus package including aid to  unemployed workers, aid to 
cash-strapped state and local governments, public  investment in alternative 
energy, and other measures."
And as Christopher Hayes writes in The Nation: 

"The fact remains that the Edwards campaign has set the domestic  policy 
agenda for the entire field. He was the first with a bold universal  health care 
plan, the first with an ambitious climate change proposal that  called for 
cap-and-trade, and the leader on reforming predatory lending  practices and 
raising the minimum wage to a level where it regains its lost  purchasing power."
In this campaign, John Edwards has led the other candidates in standing  up 
for progressive change.

As Ezra Klein writes in The American  Prospect: 

"Much more so than Obama, it was Edwards who forced a new style of  politics, 
untethered by the fear and timidity of the 90s, adamant that  liberalism was 
an electoral boon and economic justice a popular sentiment.  Knowing they had 
to defend against his challenge, both Hillary and Obama edged  closer to his 
appeal.

"It left the Democrats in a much stronger  position overall, and forced them 
to argue for, and commit to, a much broader  and more inspiring agenda than we 
otherwise might have seen."
In this campaign, the other candidates have followed John's lead in  talking 
about the special interests -- but the special interests understand the  
difference between rhetoric and reality. That's why corporate lobbyists are  united 
against John Edwards.

As Kevin Drawbaugh reports for Reuters: 

"Ask corporate lobbyists which presidential contender is most  feared by 
their clients and the answer is almost always the same -- Democrat  John Edwards. 
One business lobbyist said an Edwards presidency would be a  'disaster' for 
his well-heeled industrialist clients.

'I think Hillary  is approachable. She knows where a lot of her funding has 
come from to be  blunt,' said Greg Valliere, chief political strategist at 
Stanford Group Co.,  a market and policy analysis group."
Want to help John's field-leading campaign for change? Then please take  a 
moment to forward these quotes on to your friends and family who live in the  48 
states that have yet to cast a vote for the Democratic nominee. Tell them  
that you are standing with John Edwards -- and ask them to join  you.

Here's the bottom line in this election. We need a president who  has the 
vision to put forth bold, progressive solutions to the challenges facing  America 
in the 21st century. John Edwards has shown he has that vision -- and he  has 
led on it throughout this campaign.

Thanks for taking  action.

--Jonathan Prince
Deputy Campaign Manager, John  Edwards for President
January 14,  2008




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