Thank You

From an email last night from John:

Let me start by saying, "Thank you." You have stood with Elizabeth and me throughout this campaign. Your support has sustained us as we have traveled across this country.

Earlier today, I suspended my campaign for the Democratic nomination for the presidency.

I made this announcement from where our journey began just over 12 months ago: New Orleans. I began my presidential campaign in New Orleans to remind the country that all of us -- as citizens and as a government -- have a moral responsibility to each other, and what we do together matters.

Now, it's time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path. We do not know who will take the final steps to the White House -- but what we do know is that our Democratic Party will make history. And, along the way, all of you who have been involved in this campaign and this movement for change and this cause, I am asking you to continue speaking out for those who have no voice, just as Elizabeth and I will continue to do.

We need you. Do not turn away from the great struggles before us. Do not give up on the causes that we have fought for. Do not walk away from what's possible, because it's time for all of us -- all of us together -- to make the two Americas one. We need you.

... Elizabeth and my family join me in thanking all of you for your support and for working so hard on my behalf. We are truly blessed to have such friends.

Thank you.
-- John Edwards
January 30, 2008

Must read articles on Edwards

By Meteor Blades at DailyKos.
By TomP on Madeline Stowe at Daily Kos
By Mark Maynard at his blog.

JRE Steps Offstage, Phil Keeps On

I thought about you today, Phil, as I dropped my husband off at his school and saw a dad walking his two kids through the terrible wind to their school. I hadn't heard of Edward's announcement, but I had a suspicion that it was going to happen, actually from the time you posted about starting a progressive blog for the Western parts of MI.

I want you to know that I appreciate all you did for this campaign. There's no other Michigander, other than John Boniors, who did as much for Edwards, in my opinion. I'm glad that you're staying active in democratic/progressive politics in Michigan - following JRE's older message "I choose to be inspired". It is a choice, if hard at the present moment.

Thanks for the blog, for helping draw attention to our execrable state "leadership" in the primary travesty, for getting out the "uncommitted" word, and very importantly, for keeping many of us in the state feel a connection to progressive ideals against the political currents of this day.

I hope that someday, you will run for office, if your family is willing. I don't know what kind of a speaker you are - historians have a bad rep as speakers that is mostly undeserved - but you have good insight into campaigning, courage to say the hard things, and a fine understanding of what's important in life. You persevered for JRE's campaign, in spite of pressure to stop. You took on Tracy Russo's incompetence directly, and you were dead on about that. Your concern for young families, too often unmentioned in today's political currents, shows personal and political values essential to our country's future.

Paul Wellstone, my prof in college, is my all-time model for a progressive pol. You have good deal of those same qualities.

Don't lose them.


Kidspeak


If you do run for office some day, I might even donate some money to your campaign.

I choose to be inspired.

Like all of us, I have learned a lot of lessons in my life. Two of the most important are that first, there will always be heartache and struggle — you can't make it go away. But the other is that people of good and strong will, can make a difference. One lesson is a sad lesson and the other's inspiring. We are Americans and we choose to be inspired.

We choose hope over despair; possibilities over problems; optimism over cynicism. We choose to do what's right even when those around us say, "You can't do that." We choose to be inspired because we know that we can do better — because this is America where everything is still possible.

What we believe is that you should never look down on anybody, that we should lift people up. We don't believe in tearing people apart. We believe in bringing people together. What we believe — what I believe — is that the family you're born into and the color of your skin in our America should never control your destiny.

-- John Edwards (2004 Withdrawal Speech)

I choose to be inspired.

The Withdrawal/Suspension Speech

Thank you all very much. We're very proud to be back here.

During the spring of 2006, I had the extraordinary experience of bringing 700 college kids here to New Orleans to work. These are kids who gave up their spring break to come to New Orleans to work, to rehabilitate houses, because of their commitment as Americans, because they believed in what was possible, and because they cared about their country.

I began my presidential campaign here to remind the country that we, as citizens and as a government, have a moral responsibility to each other, and what we do together matters. We must do better, if we want to live up to the great promise of this country that we all love so much.

It is appropriate that I come here today. It's time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path. We do not know who will take the final steps to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but what we do know is that our Democratic Party will make history. We will be strong, we will be unified, and with our convictions and a little backbone we will take back the White House in November and we'll create hope and opportunity for this country.

This journey of ours began right here in New Orleans. It was a December morning in the Lower Ninth Ward when people went to work, not just me, but lots of others went to work with shovels and hammers to help restore a house that had been destroyed by the storm.

We joined together in a city that had been abandoned by our government and had been forgotten, but not by us. We knew that they still mourned the dead, that they were still stunned by the destruction, and that they wondered when all those cement steps in all those vacant lots would once again lead to a door, to a home, and to a dream.

We came here to the Lower Ninth Ward to rebuild. And we're going to rebuild today and work today, and we will continue to come back. We will never forget the heartache and we'll always be here to bring them hope, so that someday, one day, the trumpets will sound in Musicians' Village, where we are today, play loud across Lake Ponchartrain, so that working people can come marching in and those steps once again can lead to a family living out the dream in America.

We sat with poultry workers in Mississippi, janitors in Florida, nurses in California.

We listened as child after child told us about their worry about whether we would preserve the planet.

We listened to worker after worker say "the economy is tearing my family apart."

We walked the streets of Cleveland, where house after house was in foreclosure.

And we said, "We're better than this. And economic justice in America is our cause."

And we spent a day, a summer day, in Wise, Virginia, with a man named James Lowe, who told us the story of having been born with a cleft palate. He had no health care coverage. His family couldn't afford to fix it. And finally some good Samaritan came along and paid for his cleft palate to be fixed, which allowed him to speak for the first time. But they did it when he was 50 years old. His amazing story, though, gave this campaign voice: universal health care for every man, woman and child in America. That is our cause.

And we do this -- we do this for each other in America. We don't turn away from a neighbor in their time of need. Because every one of us knows that what -- but for the grace of God, there goes us. The American people have never stopped doing this, even when their government walked away, and walked away it has from hardworking people, and, yes, from the poor, those who live in poverty in this country.

For decades, we stopped focusing on those struggles. They didn't register in political polls, they didn't get us votes and so we stopped talking about it. I don't know how it started. I don't know when our party began to turn away from the cause of working people, from the fathers who were working three jobs literally just to pay the rent, mothers sending their kids to bed wrapped up in their clothes and in coats because they couldn't afford to pay for heat.
We know that our brothers and sisters have been bullied into believing that they can't organize and can't put a union in the workplace. Well, in this campaign, we didn't turn our heads. We looked them square in the eye and we said, "We see you, we hear you, and we are with you. And we will never forget you." And I have a feeling that if the leaders of our great Democratic Party continue to hear the voices of working people, a proud progressive will occupy the White House.
Now, I've spoken to both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama. They have both pledged to me and more importantly through me to America, that they will make ending poverty central to their campaign for the presidency.

And more importantly, they have pledged to me that as President of the United States they will make ending poverty and economic inequality central to their Presidency. This is the cause of my life and I now have their commitment to engage in this cause.
And I want to say to everyone here, on the way here today, we passed under a bridge that carried the interstate where 100 to 200 homeless Americans sleep every night. And we stopped, we got out, we went in and spoke to them.

There was a minister there who comes every morning and feeds the homeless out of her own pocket. She said she has no money left in her bank account, she struggles to be able to do it, but she knows it's the moral, just and right thing to do. And I spoke to some of the people who were there and as I was leaving, one woman said to me, "You won't forget us, will you? Promise me you won't forget us." Well, I say to her and I say to all of those who are struggling in this country, we will never forget you. We will fight for you. We will stand up for you.

But I want to say this -- I want to say this because it's important. With all of the injustice that we've seen, I can say this, America's hour of transformation is upon us. It may be hard to believe when we have bullets flying in Baghdad and it may be hard to believe when it costs $58 to fill your car up with gas. It may be hard to believe when your school doesn't have the right books for your kids. It's hard to speak out for change when you feel like your voice is not being heard.
But I do hear it. We hear it. This Democratic Party hears you. We hear you, once again. And we will lift you up with our dream of what's possible.

One America, one America that works for everybody.

One America where struggling towns and factories come back to life because we finally transformed our economy by ending our dependence on oil.

One America where the men who work the late shift and the women who get up at dawn to drive a two-hour commute and the young person who closes the store to save for college. They will be honored for that work.

One America where no child will go to bed hungry because we will finally end the moral shame of 37 million people living in poverty.

One America where every single man, woman and child in this country has health care.

One America with one public school system that works for all of our children.

One America that finally brings this war in Iraq to an end. And brings our service members home with the hero's welcome that they have earned and that they deserve.

Today, I am suspending my campaign for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency.

But I want to say this to everyone: with Elizabeth, with my family, with my friends, with all of you and all of your support, this son of a millworker's gonna be just fine. Our job now is to make certain that America will be fine.

And I want to thank everyone who has worked so hard – all those who have volunteered, my dedicated campaign staff who have worked absolutely tirelessly in this campaign.

And I want to say a personal word to those I've seen literally in the last few days – those I saw in Oklahoma yesterday, in Missouri, last night in Minnesota – who came to me and said don't forget us. Speak for us. We need your voice. I want you to know that you almost changed my mind, because I hear your voice, I feel you, and your cause it our cause. Your country needs you – every single one of you.

All of you who have been involved in this campaign and this movement for change and this cause, we need you. It is in our hour of need that your country needs you. Don't turn away, because we have not just a city of New Orleans to rebuild. We have an American house to rebuild.

This work goes on. It goes on right here in Musicians' Village. There are homes to build here, and in neighborhoods all along the Gulf. The work goes on for the students in crumbling schools just yearning for a chance to get ahead. It goes on for day care workers, for steel workers risking their lives in cities all across this country. And the work goes on for two hundred thousand men and women who wore the uniform of the United States of America, proud veterans, who go to sleep every night under bridges, or in shelters, or on grates, just as the people we saw on the way here today. Their cause is our cause.

Their struggle is our struggle. Their dreams are our dreams.

Do not turn away from these great struggles before us. Do not give up on the causes that we have fought for. Do not walk away from what's possible, because it's time for all of us, all of us together, to make the two Americas one.

Thank you. God bless you, and let's go to work. Thank you all very much.

It's Over, Thanks Everyone

Most news outlets are reporting that John Edwards will drop out of the race today

The AP reports that John Edwards will withdraw from the race later today.

Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voters' sympathies but never diverted his campaign, The Associated Press has learned.

CNN Confirms Edwards departure from the race.

Former Sen. John Edwards is quitting the Democratic race for president, two sources inside his campaign told CNN Wednesday. The former senator is expected to make an announcement in New Orleans at 1 p.m.

There apparently will be no immediate endorsement of Hillary or Barack:

The former North Carolina senator will not immediately endorse either candidate
in what is now a two-person race for the Democratic nomination, said one
adviser, who spoke on a condition of anonymity in advance of the announcement.

and please stick around for a while until I get the West Michigan progressive blog off the ground (if you're in West Michigan).

Toward a New West Michigan Progressive Blog

As I mentioned a week ago, I'll soon be announcing a new West Michigan Progressive Blog. It'll be on SoapBlox, will hopefully be a group blog (if not immediately, then soon thereafter) and will concentrate on Kent County, Third Congressional District, and then to Muskegon and the 2nd Congressional District and eventually to Kalamazoo & St. Joe and the 6th Congressional District. It'll discuss local politics, and representatives from West Michigan in Lansing and Washington.

Any nominations for what I should name it?

I'm leaning away from anything with the word "blue" in it, since leftists have been "red" since the early 19th century (we've been "left" since the French Revolution), and I'm not going to let some arbitrary decision by CNN to use blue for Gore on a November night in 2000 change the political color scheme. So,

Grand Valley Blues, Blue Grand Valley, On the Shores of the Blue Grand, etc are out.

I'm currently leaning toward: Left in West Michigan. As I really want to have the phrase "West Michigan" in the blog.

Other possibilities
The West Michigan Progressive (a take on MichiganLiberal)
or something to do with Second Left Coast (if Michigan is the "third coast" then the Michigan side of Lake Michigan is the Second Left Coast....

I haven't given it too much thought yet, though I plan to go live in 1-2 weeks. So, let me know what you think a good name would be. Hopefully you can be more creative than I was above. -- Phil

Bonior in South Carolina on the Campaign

Thursday Debate

January 31, Thursday: CNN and the Los Angeles Times host a debate of the Democratic candidates in California

Edwards Goes to Plan B: The Marathon

A short, but interesting article by Rob Christensen at McClatchy that let's us know the state of the campaign as we move toward Super Duper Tuesday.

Essentially the strategy is like the NCAA basketball tournament: Survive and Advance (and continue to raise enough money to compete).

Edwards' four-state strategy to propel his presidential bid has not worked out (in many ways, the strategy was correct, but Obama eked out the win in Iowa thanks to the Chicago Machine and then he got even more media and more momentum while John has been under a media brownout).

So, on to Plan B:

A marathon run in which they plan to stay in the race with the hope that one or more of the two front-runners, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, will implode.

"We believe it will go to the convention," said Joe Trippi, Edwards' chief strategist. In the worst case scenario, they say, Edwards will enter the Democratic national convention in Denver in August as a power broker, helping drive the agenda on issues that he has championed such as health care, poverty, and the inequities of bad trade deals.

But, in the Miracle Plan, Edwards survives Super Duper Tuesday -- on the power of strong showings in Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri and Tennessee and delegate wins in California, Minnesota and Alabama -- as a viable alternative to Clinton and Obama and begins to catch fire as we enter into the part of the race with more Southern and industrial Midwestern states. Near the end one of the two celebrity candidates collapses -- last week this looked to be Obama, this week it could be Hillary. In this longshot, but possible, scenario Edwards ends up with a plurality of delegates in Denver. A contested convention ends with an Edwards nomination and the second place finisher being offered and accepting the Vice Presidential nod.

And they say that anything can happen in this topsy-turvy political year. As proof, they point to Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who has moved from front-runner, to politically dead, only to become a front-runner again.

Adding to the volatility is the increasingly negative and polarizing tone of the campaign, with Clinton and Obama making personal attacks against one another. Trippi pointed to the acrimonious debate held in Myrtle Beach last week, where the two front-runners clashed while Edwards scored points by staying above the fray."If you want to know why we're still in it, go look at the debate," Trippi said. "There are two people trying to tear each other down. We can win this thing. People will get sick of that real fast."

Thanks! Edwards Online Fundraising Record for January

From the campaign:

In the first 25 days of this quarter, campaign has raised more online than the whole 4th quarter – the vast majority of which will be doubled by federal matching funds

As a sign of John Edwards’ growing grassroots support across the country, today the Edwards campaign announced that it has raised more than $3 million online during the first 25 days of the quarter – more than it raised during the whole 4th quarter of last year. Just yesterday, the campaign had one of its best fundraising days, taking in more than $230,000 in contributions. The vast majority of online contributions will be doubled by federal matching funds.

“First, we want to thank everyone who has contributed,” said senior advisor Joe Trippi. “More and more Americans want to get involved in our campaign because they recognize that John Edwards is the only candidate in this race with the backbone to say we are in a fight for the middle class and we can’t negotiate or take money from powerful entrenched interests if we are going to have change – we have to take them on. Our campaign relies on the support of regular Americans, and with their support we can bring real change to America.”

The Edwards campaign has been built on reaching out to all Americans – not just those who can give the maximum donation to the campaign. Edwards is the only candidate who has never taken a dime from Washington lobbyists or PACs. He continues to gain new support as he travels the country to talk with voters about his plans to fight for the middle class.

- Edwards enjoys strong grassroots support with 93 percent of online contributions coming in amounts of $100 or less.

- Fifty-two percent of those making contributions online this quarter are new contributors.

Americans are also responding to Edwards’ Tuesday night debate performance, where he remained focused on the issues that really matter to voters. During the hour following Tuesday night’s debate, the campaign saw a significant spike in online fundraising – setting the pace for days of donations arriving in record amounts. Building on the momentum from Tuesday’s debate, today the campaign released new two ads in South Carolina that highlight Edwards’ commitment to talking about the challenges facing America, instead of attacking his opponents.

Keep Fighting: My Father Martin Luther King Jr. Would be Proud

A fantastic netroots production by Astrogirlsirius and RedJet that puts the letter from MLK III to pictures and in voice.



The transcript is below.

Johnny Back Home in Seneca

New "Grown Up" Ad in South Carolina

Frickin brilliant.



The latest radio ad in the same vein, with the transcript here (and a link if the above doesn't work ... but give it some time and Quicktime will load and play).

South Carolina Rising: Edwards Surging in Polls

First, the 90 second TV ad



Donate to help keep this ad on the airwaves in South Carolina.

From the campaign:

I'm contacting you with an urgent request. If we can raise $65,000 today, we can get a great campaign spot featuring John on the air in South Carolina for the last 24 hours before the primary this Saturday.

Can you make a contribution today to help us broadcast this spot in South Carolina tomorrow?

John is currently campaigning across the rural areas of South Carolina, drawing large crowds as he talks about his economic recovery plan for rural America. While one of the other candidates has already left the state, John is taking his message directly to primary voters.

Your contribution today will allow his message of change to reach voters in all areas of the state. You can make a difference by helping us get this spot on the air.

Thanks for your support. I'll let you know how we do!

Sincerely, --Jonathan Prince Deputy Campaign Manager

The polls

Clemson University's Palmetto Poll
Released Thursday, taken 15-23 January
Obama 27%
Clinton 20%
Edwards 17%

Update: Much of the polling is here and here.

In short, I wouldn't be surprised if we end up with:
Obama: 45%
Edwards: 30%
Hillary: 25%

I think that's enough to get John back in the media play and with the bad economic times and the increasingly negative attacks of the others we are beginning to see the possibility of a miracle increasing.


So ... Phonebank for JRE NOW

His numbers are rising, but he needs OUR help to bring it home....

http://johnedwardsphonebank.com/

You can do it.....It's so easy......Just go to that site, register, they'll confirm your identity, and you're IN. You'll be given one number at a time...hell, they even give you a script....and all you have to do is call and ask whether they intend to vote and whether Senator Edwards can count on their support!

That's ALL, folks......The voters in SC don't register by party so you may get repubs or bad numbers or no answers....but your main goal is to find out if they're a JRE supporter (or leaning towards being one), which means they're one of the GOOD GUYS, or if they're a repub (BAD GUYS).

GOOD GUYS get another call on Saturday to GOTV; BAD GUYS get eliminated and they get what they deserve....which is nada.
So make some calls......Even 10 or 5 or 1 call can make a difference. John Edwards needs you...so do it.....DO IT NOW.

http://johnedwardsphonebank.com/

Edwards on O'Reilly: "Most of what he says is Crap"

John Edwards was on the David Letterman show last night.



TomP has a very informative diary on O'Reilly and Edwards.

CNN South Carolina Debate Wrapup

Amy has all the video and some immediate pundit reaction at DailyKos, check it out there.

Update with YouTube Highlights:

The Part the Media is Talking About Today

Are there three people in this debate, not two? This kind of squabbling...how many children is this going to give health care, how many people are going to get an education from this, how many kids are going to be able to go to college because of this. We have got to understand, this is not about us personally. It is about what we are trying to do for this country, and what we believe in.

Edwards on Economic Stimulus in the Face of a Possible Coming Recession



Edwards-"I can go anywhere in America and compete and beat McCain"



Edwards on Universal Health Care



On Poverty as a Central Part of His Campaign



What John Edwards thought about the debate:

Edwards receives letter from Martin Luther King III, "My father would be proud"

The background is here.

Here's the full letter from Martin Luther King III:

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.

New Economic Populism Blog

Just got an email from these folks.
Let's all check it out: http://www.economicpopulist.com

Michigan for Edwards Blog Goes Over 10,000 Visits

I think we would have gotten far more hits if we'd actually had a primary. But, in general, I think this was a useful effort and I encourage folks to blog for their candidates. I thought state-blogs would really take off this cycle and that hasn't exactly happened as far as I can tell, but there is slow, steady progress.

FYI: Soon I'll be announcing a new West Michigan Progressive Blog. It'll be on SoapBlox, will hopefully be a group blog (if not immediately, then soon thereafter) and will concentrate on Kent County, Third Congressional District, and then to Muskegon and the 2nd Congressional District and eventually to Kalamazoo & St. Joe and the 6th Congressional District. It'll discuss local politics, and representatives from West Michigan in Lansing and Washington.

Any nominations for what I should name it?

Grand Valley Blues
Blue Grand Valley
On the Shores of the Blue Grand
The West Michigan Progressive
Third Coast ....

I haven't given it too much thought yet, though I plan to go live in 2-3 weeks. So, let me know what you think a good name would be. Hopefully you can be more creative than I was above. -- Phil

This Friday is Mass Donation to Edwards Day

Online activists for Edwards are trying to raise $7 million for John Edwards in one day with a "money bomb" -- a day of mass donations.

So, reach into your pocket again, or for the second time and let's get John the money to win Nevada and South Carolina and move on to the 5 February States:

Alabama
Alaska
American Samoa
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Democrats Abroad
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Kansas
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Utah

Edwards should do well in all those states, but especially in Oklahoma, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee, Minnesota, Alabama, Kansas, Colorado and California.

Donate Here

Donate $50 if you can, but give at least $20. Did you know that Edwards' donors give more times on average than any other campaign -- last I heard, folks donate an average of 2.1 times. So, even if you've given before, give a little more and increase that average. So, join Kathy and Mark and millions of others and donate to Johnny Edwards.

Heck, if we can get to $7 million, the media will have to cover us and John.

New Poll in Nevada

Clearly, the obituaries for the campaign were a bit premature -- New Hampsireites just don't vote for Southerners and have a horrible track-record at picking electable candidates.

ARG Nevada Poll
600 Likely Caucus goers, MOE 4 points, 9-14 January 2008

Clinton: 35
Obama: 32
Edwards: 25
Undecided: 8

Obviously, that's pre-debate and roughly follows the

Research 2000 Nevada Poll
500 Likely Caucus goers, MOE 4.5 points, 11-13 January 2008

Obama: 32
Clinton: 30
Edwards: 27
Undecided: I'm guessing around 9-10, but the story didn't list

These are the only two polls since early December. Many polling firms aren't sure how to poll "likely caucus goers" in a state with no history of large, early, and important caucuses, so let's just say this race is blurry and basically even. If only the national media dished out the stories on an even level with the results so far and the polling in early states.

Michigan Delegate Allocation in the Congressional Districts

From Grebner's The Michigan Democratic Primary -- The Math, Part II at Michigan Liberal we learn about how the votes from last night will play out in the Michigan Delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August. There is more information there and it's formatted better there.

Complete unofficial returns indicate that the Michigan's 128 potential delegates will be distributed:

Clinton: 73 delegates -- 57% of the total delegates
Uncommitted: 55 delegates -- 43% of the total delegates

These delegates will be selected under state party rules beginning in March. Who knows if they will be seated -- my guess is that 1/2 will be seated as delegates with limited voting rights. In any event we will next go through the process of electing these "delegates." Anybody interested in the process should consult the delegate selection plan at the MDP website. I would just note that February 28 is the deadline for a candidate for delegate to file that intent with the state party.

Here are the important numbers, as of about 9:00 a.m.:

CD CLINTON UNCOMM TOTAL CPCT UPCT DEL Clint Uncom
1 19553 9150 30249 64.6 30.2 5 3 2
2 16427 10174 27834 59.0 36.6 5 3 2
3 14957 12732 28976 51.6 43.9 5 3 2
4 17376 9400 28136 61.8 33.4 5 3 2
5 22558 14493 38219 59.0 37.9 6 4 2
6 15822 11031 28221 56.1 39.1 5 3 2
7 16665 9921 28125 59.3 35.3 5 3 2
8 20098 13684 35832 56.1 38.2 6 4 2
9 25864 20074 48545 53.3 41.4 6 3 3
10 24278 11930 37982 63.9 31.4 5 3 2
11 26809 16606 45763 58.6 36.3 5 3 2
12 30879 22386 55795 55.3 40.1 6 3* 3
13 29674 29004 60673 48.9 47.8 6 3 3
14 33334 35000 70537 47.3 49.6 7 3 4
15 28591 20747 52898 54.0 39.2 6 3* 3

AL 342885 246332 617785 55.5 39.9 28 16 12
PL 17 10 7

GRAND TOTAL 128 73 55


Grebner explains the table: The first three columns are raw votes for Clinton, Uncommitted and the total of all votes. Note that in no place do any other candidates come close to the qualifying percentage for delegates so they have been omitted. The Clinton and Uncommitted percentages are proportions of the total. The next column has the total number of delegates to be allocated. At the bottom, AL refers to the at-large delegates and PL to the pledged party leader delegates, both of which are apportioned statewide based on the statewide total of votes. The last two columns are the delegate allocations for each pool between Clinton and Uncommitted.

The stars in the Clinton column in CDs 12 and 15 indicates that in each district Clinton is just a little short of the votes needed to win a fourth delegate (and Uncommitted is close to losing a delegate). These are the districts where even a small change from the unofficial to official totals could affect delegate totals.

"Primary" Thoughts

The final statewide numbers (from CNN).

Clinton: 55% -- 328,151 votes
Uncommitted: 40% -- 236,723 votes
Kucinich: 4% -- 21, 708
Dodd: 1% -- 3,853 votes
Gravel: 0% -- 2,363 votes

Overall, I'm just amazed that 40% of those that voted, took the time to go out and vote for "nobody" given there was no campaign to speak of, just some small grassroots work on LTEs and email lists. Especially given that Team Hillary Michigan sent out glossy mailers and held rallies for Hillary. I also credit the media which around here and I know in Lansing, got the word out that Edwards and Obama supporters were advocating Uncommitted.

County Results

Results from some of the larger and more Democratic counties (U=Uncommitted, C=Clinton, K=Kucinich)

Washtenaw: U 47, C 44, K 9. A major county with an Uncommitted Win! To which I can only say: Go Blue!
Kent: C 50, U 45, K 3. I really feel like the local activists for Edwards and Obama were able to hustle out hear and get media and LTEs and email lists and flip the national average by 10%. Congrats to Celia, Melissa and all of us that played a role.
Wayne: C 50, U 46, K 3.
Oakland: C 51, U 44, K 4.
Macomb: C 64, U 31, K 3. Disappointing.

So, in the big cities and in our premier college town, among our most informed Democrats, Uncommitted did very well, about 10 points better than state-wide (other than Macomb).

Seems like the message just didn't get out to some of the medium cities in Michigan.
Saginaw: C 61, U 36, K 2.
Genesee: C 57, U 40, K 2.
Muskegon: C 61, U 36, K 2.
Livingston: C 59, U 34, K 4.

though other medium cities did vote for Uncommitted at a rate higher than the state-wide rate:
Kalamazoo: C 52, U 42, K 5.
Ingham: C 52, U 41, K 5.

It'll be interesting to see where the 5 delegates from the Third Congressional District go. My guess is 3 Hillary and 2 Uncommitted with maybe the Alternate going Uncommitted.

On Turnout

In Michigan, according to the CNN website:
Total Voters: 1,456,098 voters, a 21% turnout among registered voters.
Republican-ballot Turnout: 864,303 voters, or 59% of total turnout.
Democrat-ballot Turnout: 591,795 voters, or 40% of total turnout.

We haven't had a primary in years, so it's near impossible to compare apples and oranges as far as turnout goes since caucuses are Party-run and have far fewer polling places (but, so you know, 162,929 people voted in the 2004 Democratic caucus).

However, what we can look at is comparative turnout with Iowa and New Hampshire. In both cases, Democratic turnout far surpassed Republicans (68% Democratic, 32% Republican in Iowa; 58% Democratic and 42% Republican in New Hampshire, both traditional swing states).

In the New Hampshire primary 58% of registered voters participated. In Iowa, turnout was a historically high 17%, which seems low, but remember you're asking folks to run out after dinner and sit in a room with their neighbors to discuss politics for about an hour and a half.

In Michigan, our turnout was a dismal 21% of registered voters. Of those Michiganders that voted, 59% voted in the Republican primary and just 40% in the Democratic "primary."

So, here in Jennifer Granholm's Michigan, the Republicans, even though they're disheartened in general, outpolled Democrats 3-2, reversing national trends of Democrats outvoting Republicans almost 2-1. Michigan, with its Blue voting record, a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators should have been part of the nation-wide enthusiasm for our Democratic candidates and the Democratic Party in general. We weren't, largely because our governor was able to strongarm our Party into this farcical primary. The legacy of Jennifer's "primary" is confused and angry voters as well as unenthusiastic and very angry activists. The effects of this purposeful fiasco will be felt in November for the detriment of the Michigan Democratic Party, Michigan and maybe even America.

How Did Democrats Vote?

Remarkably, 40% of those Democrats that did turn out voted for "nobody," with another 5% voting for minor candidates, one who dropped out 2 weeks ago, while from my math it seems that about 10% of Democratic voters switched over to the Republican ballot.

If we could look at the Democratic vote on both ballots it would be something like.
Hillary Clinton: 49%
Uncommitted: 36%
Various Republicans: 11%
Kucinich or Dodd: 4%

No word on spoiled votes as far as I know, but about 98% of those spoiled ballots would have been Write-Ins for someone other than Hillary.
Add in that apparently 15% of the Clinton vote was made up of folks that would have voted Edwards or Obama had they been on the ballot, and even among those who bothered to go out yesterday, Hillary was the first choice of significantly less than 1/2 of all Michigan Democrats even though she was the only candidate on the ballot.
There's also the interesting fact that 2% of those voting on the Republican side voted Uncommitted. I wonder if those were mostly Democrats who heard the message that "the Democratic ballot is largely meaningless, so vote in the Republican primary" and the message "vote Uncommitted" and combined them.

For a study of exit polls, see nirmal's What do the Exit Polls Tell Us About the Michigan Primary? which is very impressive, though it's really hard to tell what would have happened in Michigan had their been an actual campaign (heck, if Michigan was this early and important there probably would have at least been a Michigan UAW endorsement and from all indications I've heard, that would have gone to Edwards). One of the many interesting facts that come out of the exit polls and nirmal's reading is that

According to the exits, the Republican primary vote consisted of 7% Democrats, 25% Independents, and 68% Republicans.

So, for all the scheming of Kos for Romney and others for Paul and Huckabee, must Democrats who didn't stay home, stayed with their Party. The hoped for or feared Democratic ballot-switcher was far rarely than most believed. That's good news all around. And, a plurality of those Democratic and independent voters who went with the Republican ballot voted for McCain rather than the candidates of the failed mischief-makers.

Now, we'll have to see how the delegates are divided among Hillary and Uncommitted in the Congressional Districts and what Uncommitted delegates are elected and which candidate they support. In some ways, there is a second vote for Michigan's delegates on 29 March at the Congressional District Conventions. Join our Party -- it needs some fixing -- and come to the Convention.

Oh, and by the way there was a story on what Democratic activists were thinking heading into the primary by Matt Miller in the Lansing State Journal on Saturday which was very well done (not to mention I'm quoted in it). And, yes, it was this blog that was mentioned on CNN and got a minute of national air time on Wolf Blitzer's The Situation Room (though I still have to check my tivo to watch it, I've gotten several emails, including one from my parents who were largely blissfully ignorant of my blogging, phone calls, and folks coming up to me that saw it. I don't really watch TV, but it's amazing how many people heard that story. Well, that's how little ole voters and activists like me can get heard, just sign up for a blogger account and starting writing and doing. Heck, the governor calls me philgoblue, though now she probably prefaces it with "that damned."

Highlights from the Las Vegas Debate

We had it on at the Uncommitted Victory Party in Grand Rapids, but I didn't hear more than a few minutes.

So, here are some clips for us all to watch and listen.

On Energy



On the economy (medium quality audio)



Question to Obama on Campaign Finance



On How Voters Pick a Candidate



On the Middle Class and Poor



On the Promise of America and on Lobbyists and PACs and their Power

Las Vegas Democratic Debate TONIGHT!

Tonight, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time (6 p.m. Pacific Time ) in Las Vegas, Edwards is participating in the Democratic Debate.
You can watch it live on MSNBC or at MSNBC.com.

Tuesday, January 15th We might be able to watch it at The Cambridge House in GR at the Uncommitted Victory Party!

FYI: Polling from Nevada has the race in a statistical deadheat with every candidate 3 points within 30%.

Updated and Primoted: Tues, 6 pm

Welcome CNN Viewers

to my little blog for John Edwards. Please feel free to poke around and enjoy!

West Michigan Results Watch Party

Disheartened and Disenfranchized Michigan Democrats: Come join is for a stiff drink and watch the results come in from are farcical "primary"/strawpoll.

Tuesday, 15 January
Starting at 7:00 pm, polls close at 8:00 pm, so results should be coming in around 8:30ish pm.

The Cambridge House
600 Monroe Ave, NW
http://www.cambridgehousegr.com/index.html
Map

There will be media stopping by to cover our Uncommitted Victory Party

We'll also have cell phones so you can call the Michigan Democratic Party and complain about how they took away our right to vote in a meaningful election.

We'll also be kicking off the fundraising campaign for the Committee to Reelect Uncommitted 2012.

Promoted: Tuesday, 4:30 pm

If you support John Edwards, Vote Uncommitted Today

(also if you're for Barack Obama).

Polls open at 7:00 am
Polls close at 8:00 p m

Do not sign Recall Petitions and Right to Work (for Less) Petitions.

Mark Maynard has an interesting take on Granholm's email

at http://markmaynard.com/index.php/2008/01/14/granholm_misleads_the_voters_of_michigan

Let's Be Serious In Michigan: Vote Uncommitted, Not Mitt

By now, we all know Markos has come up with this Michigan Democrats for Mitt idea. It's here and heretoo.

This is a horrible idea dreamed up by a Californian. Democrats should vote in the Democratic Primary where something is at stake -- the media reports after the "primary." They can either read "Hillary On a Roll, Wins Michigan" or "Uncommitted Defeats Hillary, Clinton Can't Win Against Nobody." Supporters of John Edwards and Barack Obama along with those angry at Granholm (trying to get a job in a possible, if now less likely, Hillary Administration) for strong-arming this through the MDP should VOTE UNCOMMITTED.

The main problem with Kos' scheme is that we Michigan Democrats need to worry about picking our own nominee, rather than attempt to have some small impact on their nominee. It's more imperative that we Michigan Democrats do our little part so that we do not end up with Hillary, our weakest candidate and least progressive potential president.

Every vote for Romney is also a vote for the headline "Hillary Wins Michigan, Controls Race."

So, think before you follow a bunch of out-of-staters trying to get you to vote for a Republican and instead







Some FAQ on the Michigan Primary

Hey, what about that wicked cool idea by Markos to vote for Romney?

The Democrats for Mitt scheme has two goals as I see it. If they can help Romney win Michigan, Democrats can extend the chaos in the Republican primary and the political fortunes of the candidate most likely to go negative on other Republicans and if Romney does end up winning it appears now that he would be the least electable of Republicans.

There are numerous problems with Kos' idea.

1. Michiganders really don't need a bunch of outsiders who don't fully understand our politics coming in and telling us how to vote. The Democrats for Mitt group does not include a single Michiganders in its administration. Instead it's made up of folks from California (Markos Moulitsas), Iowa (Adam Fries), and Pennsylvania (Jesse Hoff).

2. It's not a good idea to cause mischief in the Republican Primary since it really would influence only a few points and has little chance of influencing the race and because their is something at stake in the Democratic Primary -- the media headlines afterward.

3. Kos is wrong about the Democratic primary.

Kos wrote:

The Democratic race is irrelevant. I hate to say it to Michigan Democrats, but your governor miscalculated and now the Democratic race means zero. The anti-Hillary Clinton camp thinks if they can keep her under 50 percent by voting "undeclared" that they'll notch some sort of victory. No one will care. You can't even say, "more than half of Democrats don't want her!" since less than half of Democrats wanted her in Iowa or New Hampshire. The reality is that less than half of Democrats want any of our candidates right now in the three-way race. I wish it wasn't the case. And if the primary had been placed on Feb. 5, it would've mattered. But it wasn't. So now the only story that will emerge from Michigan will be the Republican results, and that's the only place Democrats can materially affect the race.

To summarize, this is about letting Democrats actually materially impact this race.

By the way, you can note here that Kos doesn't know a whole lot about Michigan politics. Granholm didn't "miscalculate," all along this was about creating a firewall for Hillary. And it's not "undeclared" it's Uncommitted. Plus, there was never a plan to have a primary on 5 February, it was always to have our traditional caucus on 9 February. But back to the meat of my critique.

Contrary to his opinion from 3000 miles away, the Michigan Democratic Party primary is meaningful, not extremely meaningful, but important enough to stay on the Democratic ballot.

Now, it's not meaningful as far as delegates go. Michigan has been stripped of all its delegates, and while some of those might be returned as pseudo-delegates at the National Convention, it's not at all clear now what will become of our delegation.

No, it's important because of the media story that will come out of Michigan (now it won't be front-page news, but it will be inside papers and it will get mentioned on the 24-hour news networks since they have to talk about something and they love to talk about the horserace.

So, either the media headlines will read "Hillary Wins Michigan, She Now das the Momentum in the Race" or "Uncommitted Defeats Hillary: Michigan Picks Nobody Over Clinton, Boost to Edwards and Obama."

That's the power we Michigan Democrats have on Tuesday, to pick the media headline and influence who has the all-important momentum in the race for the Democratic Nomination.

As Michigan pundit Tim Stubick writes:

Each vote in that [Uncommitted] column is one less for Clinton. Under the worse possible scenario, she could lose to non-committed and the national pundits would have a field day.

Barack Obama and John Edwards can't win the Michigan presidential primary, but they can beat or embarrass Hillary Clinton.

Now some folks I respect a great deal believe that voting on the Republican side penalizes the MDP for the primary farce, and there is some logic to that. But since it helps Hillary win some momentum and potential delegates, voting on the Republican side if you would have voted for Edwards or Obama means that you're rewarding the Forces of Coronation that gave us this joke of a primary.

Note I've got no problem with the morality of switching ballots, it's just that Kos' assumptions are wrong, so it doesn't make sense in this case.

4. Again, this effort is extremely likely to fail. Those Michigan Democrats that switch over are just as likely to vote for the Republican they like the most -- probably maverick John McCain or economic populist Mike Huckabee -- as they are to vote for a choice that will cause mischief -- Mitt Romney or Ron Paul. Indeed, pro-Huckabee PACs are actively courting Democratic voters to vote for the former governor from Hope. Meanwhile, the
troll Libertarians want us to switch vote for Ron Paul (they've also infiltrated and spammed Democratic meetup groups in Grand Rapids. In other words, Democratic switchover votes will go to at least four Republicans and their overall impact on the Republican race will be diluted and therefore minimal. Heck, there's even news that Republicans are switching over to the Democratic ballot. Who woulda guessed?

5. Finally, according to the law that put the "primary" at 15 January, the Republican and Democratic Parties will gain sole access to the voter lists. Thus, if you vote in the Republican primary (and probably achieve nothing but a 1-2% change in the outcome), you'll be paying for it for years and years with Republican robocalls, mailings and knocks on your door. So, if you want Dick DeVos and Mike Cox to call you and visit your house, then go ahead and switch over to the Republican ballot.

As an addendum, I'm not sure Romney will really be all that easy to beat in a General Election. Romney can play the business-man card effectively, has no associations with BushCo, and was the governor of Massachusetts (like a Democratic Southerner, swing voters will assume that a Republican from New England is a moderate by the very fact that he got elected there).

OK, so I'll stay on the Democratic ballot. Now, can't I just write in John Edwards or Barack Obama in the Write-In Space on the ballot?

Write-ins will NOT be counted. They will be considered spoiled and thrown in the garbage since no candidates filled out the forms to be an official write-in choice.

So, if I can't vote for my candidate, shouldn't I just stay home?

If you stay at home, you are simply making it more likely that the forces that brought you the farce of a primary will win and will give Hillary media momentum and all the potential delegates. If you're angry that Granholm-Dingell-Hillary forced the MDP into a no candidate, no campaigns, no delegates "primary," then show that disapproval through actively voting against them -- voting Uncommitted -- rather than engaging in a boycott they'll write off as laziness.

In short: Every Democrat who would have voted for Edwards or Obama but is now voting for Romney is essentially voting for Hillary Clinton (she he still supports NAFTA).

OK, so can I do?

Vote Uncommitted.



Voting Uncommitted means, according to The Michigan Democratic Party's Voters Guide for the 15 January "primary" that

A vote for “uncommitted” is a vote to send delegates to the Democratic National Convention who are not committed or pledged to any candidate. Those delegates can vote for any candidate they choose at the Convention.

Supporters of Joe Biden [dropped out], John Edwards, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson [dropped out] are urged to vote “uncommitted” instead of writing in their candidates’ names because write-in votes for those candidates will not be counted.

The Edwards and Obama grassroots, along with all Edwards and Obama elected endorsers such as congressman Bart Stupack and State Representative Fred Miller (Edwards) and congressman John Conyers (Obama), and the Michigan Democratic Party urge supporters of John Edwards and/or Barack Obama to Vote Uncommitted.

Can Uncommitted Really Earn Delegates and Compete with Hillary Clinton?

Two recent polls show Uncommitted can do well enough to earn delegates and can keep Hillary Clinton under 50%.

A EPIC/MRA poll from Saturday (600 "people," 300 on Democratic side, 9-12 January 2008)
had it:

Hillary Clinton: 56%
Uncommitted: 33%
Dennis Kucinich: 3%
Write-In: 3% (these votes will be spoiled)
Chris Dodd: 0%
Mike Gravel: 0%
Undecided/don't know/refused: 5%

An earlier Rossman/MIRS/Denno-Noor poll (taken after Iowa, but before New Hampshire and the media coverage of Uncommitted; of 300 likely voters in the Democratic "primary," 5.8% MOE; 6-7 January 2008)

Hillary Clinton: 47%
Uncommitted: 28%
Undecided: 11%
All Others: less than 5% each

Michigan election expert Grebner has the Michigan "primary" math showing that even a decent 25-30% vote for Uncommitted could leave it with close to half the "delegates" to the national convention.

Will The Delegates We're Electing Really Be Seated in Denver in August At the Democratic National Convention?

Who knows? On 1 December the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee went out of their way to penalize Michigan more than the rules called for. Instead of stripping halfof our delegates for the MDP's breaking of the calendar rules, they stripped allof Michigan's delegates. The MDP is promising us that our delegates will be seated, however they've made a lot of promises on this primary -- that the DNC would allow our power-move up and that candidates would come to Michigan -- that haven't come true so they've lost my trust in their predictive powers on the primary. The DNC wants to be able to set the calendar rules, so they will push to severely punish Michigan's delegates. However, the presumptive nominee will probably push for a compromise, but mostly on the DNC's side. My guess is that only half of our delegates will be seated, that they won't be allowed to join any committees, including the Platform Committee, that DNC members like MDP Chair Mark Brewer and Debbie Dingell will not be seated, and that if half of the delegation is seated it will only be seated with floor voting rights just before they go on TV to vote for the nominee. If we have a contested convention because Obama has 40%, Hillary has 40% and Edwards has 20%, then our delegates will not be seated at all because there will be a battle for delegates and Michigan will miss out in the most important convention in over 60 years.

FYI: The DNC canceled the hotel rooms for Michigan's delegation earlier this week. At the Kent County Democratic Party meeting last week I overheard someone say, "You can be a delegate, but you won't get a bed or a chair." Ah, the reality of jail-house humor.

But, again, this is more about the media story than it is about the delegates.

What was this moving up from a February caucus to a 15 January primary all about?

First, it's important to remember that although Carl Levin has been hunting his white whale of moving Michigan in front of New Hampshire since the Constitutional Congress, the 15 January plan began as a bill pushed by Republican State Senate Leader Mike Bishop. It was the pro-Hillary faction within the Michigan Democratic Party that saw this Republican initiative taken on behalf of somewhat-native-son Mitt Romney to help Hillary Clinton whose campaign feared a loss in Iowa and needed a firewall. So, Hillary endorsers Governor Jennifer Granholm and MDP powerbroker Debbie Dingell put enormous pressure on the Democrats in the State House and Senate to go along with the Republican bill which passed and was signed by Granholm (I have this based on five separate sources).

Publicly, the purpose of the powerplay to break the agreed upon calendar was to give Michigan more of a voice in the selection of the nominee, force the nominees to address Michigan issues such as the Great Lakes, manufacturing, international trade, and industrial unions, and increase Democratic voter turnout and excitement among Democratic activists and voters.

Privately, Granholm is looking to be Attorney General or maybe Secretary of Energy. Jennifer needs a job since they're aren't any openings in Michigan for 4-6 years.

Why the 15 January "Primary" Was A Horrible Idea

1. It's led to great apathy among Michigan Democratic voters and anger at the MDP among Michigan progressive activists.

2. The goal of increasing Michigan's say in the nomination process has completely failed. While are argue that we'll have a little impact, it'll be extremely minimal, especially now that it seems that two or three candidates will survive Super Duper Tuesday and go onward. Our 9 February caucus could have been a king or queen maker with candidates, campaigns and delegates.

3. The goal of getting candidates to pay attention to our issues has failed as well since they're not here. And this was after Edwards, Clinton and Obama had been to Michigan before the debacle and we're beginning to discuss our situation in Michigan.

4. Late last year Democrats and Republicans passed a budget plan that increased the state income tax (but still not back to pre-Engler taxcut levels) and expanded the sales tax to certain services (since repealed). Another out-of-state groups such as Americans for Tax Reform are trying to take advantage of this to recall vulnerable Democratic representatives who voted for the tax increase including Grand Rapids' Robert Dean and Royal Oak's Marie Donigan (thus putting the Democrats majority in the State House in jeopardy). Now, with a state-funded Republican primary (instead of a much smaller caucus), Recall petitioners should be able to collect the 11,000 signatures in each district necessary to recall the Democrats since they'll have around a million Democrat-hating and tax-loathing Republicans to ask for their signature. Governor Granholm has put her desire to get a job in some potential Hillary Administration above both the interests of Michigan Democratic voters, but also the state of Michigan and the Democratic State House Caucus. Shame.

5. Another group of out-of-state petitioners will be collecting signature tomorrow -- to make Michigan a Right to Work (for Less) State and turn us into Michissippi. They'll also have a million Republicans has potential signers. Great job Jen, you're ruining the state.

6. Michigan's future delegate count is determined by how many people vote on the Democratic side of this primary. So if turnout is really low on the Democratic ballot, that means we'll lose a significant amount of delegates for 2012. That's another reason to vote on the Democratic side.

7. And on top of it all this state-funded primary for political parties is costing our cash-strapped state around $15 million dollars.

So, if the 15 January primary was such a bad idea, what did you do to stop it?

Michigan grassroots and netroots activists organized emails and phonecalls to the MDP to urge them to back out of the 15 January primary and return to a DNC-sanctioned caucus. We had resolutions to that effect passed in most of the most populous counties at County Democratic Party meetings, including Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw (Ann Arbor) and Kent (Grand Rapids). We even put forward a formal Implementation Challenge to the MDP (which we did not release to the press since we tried to do this all internally) which our Party never responded to. Finally, after receiving no feedback from MDP leaders one of our activists and her attorney was forced to sue the MDP and the Secretary of State in federal court. Heck, the MDP and State of Michigan have now been sued three times (it was one vote away from being ruled unconstitutional in the state "supreme" court), now that the ACLU has filed suit against the primary.

More info on this in a nice diary by brainwrap at MichLib.

What Else You Can Do (Other Than Telling Your Friends and Actually Going to the Polls for Uncommitted)

Join the Vote Uncommitted Facebook Group or contact Georg at voteuncommittedmi

Michigan Bloggers for Uncommitted:

Stone Soup Musings

There's more (indeed I can't think of any subscribing to this idea, the alternative in the Michigan blogosphere seems to be for Ron Paul), but this is getting long and I have to get ready for class and canvass my neighborhood for the traffic calming meeting tonight (yes, I do national, state, county, city (2), and neighborhood politics).

Michiganders,
We've still got to worry about our own Party's nominee before we worry about their nominee. And Michigan will either be a win for Hillary or it won't. It's really that simple.

Vote Uncommitted.


This is just as much for Obama folks as it is for Edwards. The progressive, pro-change candidates need to ally here in Michigan. Sorry, I haven't seen any Obama yardsigns in town.

Crossposted at MichLib: Let's Be Serious In Michigan: Vote Uncommitted, Not Mitt

My Letter to the Editor in the Grand Rapids Press

Vote uncommitted

I encourage all supporters of John Edwards, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson and Al Gore to vote uncommitted in the Democratic "primary" on Tuesday.

I've been privileged to lead the local grassroots movement for John Edwards the last year. We've had great successes. We marched in the Labor Day Parade, held a reception for Elizabeth Edwards, picketed with her and striking GM workers at the Wyoming plant, attended county party events, had numerous parties, and some of us even traveled to Iowa for their caucuses.
We were looking forward to launching a big campaign in West Michigan for Edwards.

Unfortunately, the Michigan Democratic Party decided to break national party calendar rules and therefore all candidates pledged not to campaign in our state. Our candidate ethically lived up to his promise and took his name off the ballot. We had hoped our state leaders would see reality and move back to a caucus in early February, but they continued their failed policy of brinkmanship.

Now we Democrats are left with a confusing ballot that includes only one serious candidate. While "Write-In" is on the ballot, the state will not be counting any write-ins, so do not be fooled. Do not spoil and void your ballot. Instead, vote "uncommitted." Uncommitted delegates will be free to vote for Edwards or Obama at the national convention in August.

Along with the Michigan Democratic Party, the West Michigan for Edwards Grassroots Group urges Edwards and Obama supporters to vote "uncommitted" in the Democratic primary.

-- Philip Skaggs/East Grand Rapids

Vote Uncommitted Letter in the Kalamazoo Gazette

This letter will be published soon, in the Kalamazoo Gazette. Its author sent it to me. If you have a letter, send it to me and I'll put it up here.

An Open Letter to Michigan Voters:

On Tuesday, January 15th Michigan will hold its primary election. This election is to decide our delegates who go to the National Convention in August. This is what has happened.

The State of Michigan broke National Party rules by holding its primary against the agreed upon calendar dates. This decision was made in order to make Michigan more noticeable in the primary process, but in hindsight it actually may have hurt us. In response to this decision, John Edwards and Barack Obama removed their names from the Democratic party primary ticket here in Michigan.

BUT...Michigan voters still need to get out to their local precincts and vote on January 15th. Our votes will count and our voices will be heard. If your candidate is NOT on the ballot, please vote UNCOMMITTED. Write-in votes will not be counted and will be thrown out. Supporters of Edwards and Obama should vote UNCOMMITTED (this will move the delegates away from Clinton and make an Edwards surge in South Carolina more possible).

Edwards and Obama did not remove their names to hurt Michigan, but to pass along the message that they are in favor of sticking to the rules of the democratic process. The Michigan Democratic Party and supporters of Edwards and Obama are encouraging Democrats to vote UNCOMMITTED as the Uncommitted delegates will be free to vote for Edwards or Obama at the party convention in Denver.

Please pass along this message to your family and friends. Please pass this along to neighbors and those in your workplaces. Michigan is in despeate need of change and although the Clinton campaign claims they know this, perhaps a TOTAL change in Washington is needed. The 'same old, same old' may cause more detriment to our state than uncertainity.

John Edwards stands for us. His plan to build One America is one that should be looked at. Do not take my word for it; research the candidates and vote for who YOU think will bring the change about that we so need. John Edwards knows from personal experience what it is like to live in poverty...and he struggled to make a life for himself. That is what we need; someone who knows how hard it is to feed a family of four on minimum wage. A President who remembers what it is like to not have health care. A person who can stand up for those of us in Michigan who are struggling every day.

Go to your local precinct on January 15th and vote YOUR way. Do not follow what others think...research it for yourself. If your candidate is NOT on the ballot, vote UNCOMMITTED. Let us come together and stand up for what we know...that Michigan is a MAJOR player in this election and we will be heard, no matter when our primary is held.

-- Deborah Ash, MScEd in Colon, Michigan

Economists Support Edwards' Populism

New York Times, Economists Warm to Edwards.

The group “Economists for Edwards" as formed this week.

The 34 economists released a joint statement saying they were endorsing Mr. Edwards because his campaign was “the single best expression of progressive political values in American politics today.” The group includes Edward Wolff, a New York University economist known for his research on wealth; Clyde Prestowitz, a former Reagan Administration trade official; and Harley Shaiken of the University of California, Berkeley. Mr. Edwards’s Web site cites the full list.

“This campaign has been uniquely serious about carefully framing policy alternatives,” Mr. Galbraith said in an interview. He said that Barack Obama’s emphasis on consensus-building has “a certain level of vagueness” to it, while Hillary Clinton was largely pursuing a continuation of her husband’s economic policies....

With inequality now greater than it has been since the 1920’s, Mr. Edwards had a stronger commitment to making sure wages rose and poverty fell, Mr. Galbraith said.

“This would be a more activist presidency,” Mr. Galbraith said. “The focus would be on what the major goals are – climate change, infrastructure, employment – and not on what the constraints are.”

Results Watch Party

Even though it's a bit pathetic, I thought we could have a results watch party at the Cambridge House on Tuesday at around 8:00 pm. More information later. Hey, it's an excuse to have a drink at the very least.

Vote Uncommitted on Tuesday

I'll turn this into a full post on the reasons later today, for now:

Vote Uncommitted

and tell all your friends.

Write-ins WILL NOT be counted. They will be considered spoiled and thrown in the garbage.
It's not a good idea to cause mischief in the Republican Primary since it really would influence only a few points and has little chance of influencing the race and because their is something at stake in the Democratic Primary -- the media headlines afterward. Either the media headlines will read "Hillary Wins Michigan, She Now das the Momentum in the Race" or "Uncommitted Defeats Hillary: Michigan Picks Nobody Over Clinton, Boost to Edwards and Obama."

New Ad in South Carolina

Looks like the campaign is making a big push to win South Carolina and head into 5 February with some momentum.

Here's the new ad "Mill"



"I'm not running president because I read something in a book," Edwards says in the ad. "I'm not running for president because some political consultant told me what I'm supposed to say. I'm running for president because of 54 years of my life, I have believed to my soul that the men and women who worked in that mill with my father were worth every bit as much as the man that owned that mill."

Maybe the Next President of the United States

If we nominate Hillary or Obama, who poll show would lose to the two likely Republican nominees -- McCain and Huckabee -- in the key states of Ohio and Florida (Edwards defeats all Republicans in those states, except he's tied with McCain in Florida) we'll end up with this:

Phone Bank from Michigan to South Carolina

South Carolina is where we win and transform the race.

You can call South Carolinians from Michigan for the campaign: http://www.johnedwardsphonebank.com/login.php

Write Letters to the Editor for Uncommitted Today

Michigan for Edwards,

TODAY, it is vitally important that you write letters to the editor to your local newspapers.

I was on a conference call with the campaign last night and they are very optimistic about John's chances in South Carolina (remember Obama won Iowa next to his Illinois, and Clinton won New Hampshire just a few hours drive from her New York). Soon, it'll be our turn. To help John out we need everyone in Michigan to vote Uncommitted and to spread the word.
On the night of 15 January we'll either get the headline: "Hillary Continues Momentum With Win in Michigan" or "Uncommitted Wins, Michigan Democrats Would Rather Have None of the Above Rather Than Hillary." If Hillary is weakened here in Michigan, the chances of an Edwards win in South Carolina and in numerous 5 February states goes way way up. This primary season is not over, remember John has gotten 25% of the vote so far and has about 30% of the delegates (NH was largely weak since New Englanders never vote for Southerners in primaries).

So, write letters TODAY(so they get to the paper in time to make it in before Tuesday, it may need to be in by 4:30 pm today). They just take about 30 minutes and it's important that we get the message out that Democrats should vote in the Democratic Primary, should not Write-In Edwards or Obama (since write-ins won't be counted), but should vote Uncommitted. Here are some talking points that you should include in your letter.
Start with something like: I encourage all supporters of John Edwards, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson and Al Gore to vote Uncommitted in the Democratic “primary” on Tuesday, January 15.
Explain briefly why you support Edwards: labor issues, opposes NAFTA and bad free trade agreements, real universal healthcare, withdrawal from Iraq within a year, most agressive energy program, has a plan to help Michigan's economy recover by investing in new-fuel cars and an alternative energy manufacturing sector, most electable against Republicans in November, etc.
Then explain why John Edwards isn't on the ballot. Again, but it in your own words but something like: Edwards took his name off the ballot because the Michigan Democratic Party broke national party rules and is holding a primary that is against the agreed upon calendar rules. Edwards has ethics, so he stood by his word not to participate in states where the rules were broken and thus he took his name off the ballot.
Then explain that write-ins won't be counted. This is a real important message since Write-In will be on the ballot and people will be fooled into thinking they can write in Edwards or Obama: Write-ins won't be counted by the state and will be considered spoiled and thrown away.
Then, urge them instead to vote uncommitted and note that: Uncommitted delegates will be free to vote for Edwards or Obama at the Party Convention in Denver in August. You could note that voting Uncommitted helps us elect one of our two best, most progressive, and most electable Democrats as our nominee.
Conclude with a single-sentence summary like: Edwards supporters throughout the state, along with Obama supporters and the Michigan Democratic Party, urge Democrats and independents supporting Edwards or Obama to vote uncommitted.
[we're together with Obama supporters on this so it makes sense to include him so we inform his voters as well, the important thing here is to weaken Hillary and the attempts by her supporters to coronate her in Michigan with a one-candidate election -- no one will ever know if most of those uncommitted were really Edwards or Obama votes].
Usually Letters should be no more than No more than 250 words. I've written to the GR Press. We should try to get at least 1-2 letters in every major paper.

How to send in Letters to the Editor:

Detroit News: letters@detnews.com
They've written that Edwards and Obama disrespected Michigan, so you might want to rebut that. Something like, after Bush's spinning to get us into war and not following numerous laws, we need a president that will live up to his word and promises and follow the rules.

Saginaw News: http://www.mlive.com/mailforms/sanews/le tters/index.ssf/Grand Rapids
Flint Journal: http://www.mlive.com/mailforms/fljournal letters

Grand Rapids Press: pulse@grpress.com
Muskegon Chronicle:http://www.mlive.com/mailforms/muchronicle/letters/index.ssf/
Kalamazoo Gazette: http://www.mlive.com/mailforms/kzgazette/letters/index.ssf/
Holland Sentinel: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/lettersubmit/

Jackson
Lansing State Journal

Other newspapers, you'll need to check out their webpage and look under Opinion or Contact us for a link to submit letters to the editor.

Really, take a few minutes to really help the campaign. Thanks and let me know what you send and where.
-- Phil

West Michigan Yard Signs

West Michigan, I've got Edwards yard signs and special "Vote Uncommitted" attachments. Email me and we'll find a way to get one to you (especially if you live on a high-traffic road).

New Hampshire

With most precincts in:

Clinton 39
Obama 36
Edwards 17
Richardson 5
Kucinich 2

Disappointing, but Southerners just don't ever do well in New Hampshire (they vote for Kerry, Dukakis and Tsongas), and it is an improvement over 2004.

It does mean that Obama isn't going to run away with this. It also means that this race can change on a dime on any given day. So, stay strong, stay frosty, and get to work in your state or better yet in Nevada or South Carolina.

John's Speech Tonight:

Grand Rapids for Edwards Meetup Today

Fifth Grand Rapids for Edwards Meetup
TODAY: Monday, 7 January
at the Wealthy Street Bakery at 6:00 pm.

We'll be discussing Letters to the Editor to Vote Uncommitted and Yard Signs (as well as a possible update on the lawsuit agains the "primary").

New TV Ad Up in New Hampshire: The Underdogs and Edwards Surging

FYI: Rassmussen Reports has the national race at
Clinton 36%, Barack Obama 25% and John Edwards 23%

Edwards is up 9 point in the last week and Obama has no bounce after Iowa, though Hillary is down 7 points.

6 January 2008 (3 days after Iowa)
Clinton 36% (-7)
Obama 25% (+1)
Edwards 23% (+9)

29 December 2007
Clinton 43%
Obama 24%
Edwards 14%

More analysis from Political Insider:

In a blizzard of New Hampshire polls, one national poll has been largely overlooked -- the Rasmussen national daily tracking poll. In that poll, there's a huge surprise: while Hillary Clinton has dropped seven points since December 29th (from 43 percent to 36 percent), Barack Obama has only gained a point (from 24 percent to 25.) So where has Hillary's support gone?

To John Edwards, who has surged nine points in a week from 14 percent to 23 percent. How can this be?

One possibility is that the saturation media coverage of the Clinton vs. Obama battle in Iowa made Edwards' second place finish a relative surprise. Even though the pundits argued that the state was do-or-die, merely defeating Hillary was novelty enough to give Edwards a bump....

If Edwards can top Clinton for second place on Tuesday, it will be interesting to see if voters who leave the Clinton camp continue to move to Edwards.

Edwards needs a second in NH (or at least a tie) and we need to do what we can to end Hillary's campaign in Michigan by voting Uncommitted. Then Edwards gets a one-on-one against HOPE. He can win that contest.

Michigan Democrats Take MDP to Federal Court Tomorrow

From the Grand Rapids Press story, Edwards backer heads to court over primary date

[Grand Rapids Democratic activist Martha Hays] will be sitting in a federal courtroom in Grand Rapids [on Monday morning], where her lawyer will argue that the Michigan Democratic Party took away her rights and the rights of other Democrats to participate in the nominating process....

Her lawyer will ask U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker to stop the statewide primary election; if not for both parties, then at least for the Democratic party.

"I can't vote and I'm sort of mad about that," said Hayes, who said she belongs to a group of local Edwards supporters who began working on his behalf more than a year ago.

"The actions of our state party have made it so that I can't vote for my candidate," Hayes said.

What annoys Hayes is the game of political brinkmanship that Michigan Democrats have played with the national Democratic party.

In a bid to make the state more relevant to the nominating process, Michigan Democrats decided to hold their presidential primary Jan. 15, one week after New Hampshire and before most of the other state primaries.

The national party, which decided Michigan should hold a primary election or caucus on Feb. 9, has said it would strip Michigan of any delegates nominated outside of its rules.....

Hayes, who spent five days last month volunteering for the Edwards campaign in Iowa, says the state party's effort to become more relevant has backfired badly.

"We have had no candidates, no community meetings. We have no press coverage, no advertising -- we have no campaigning here whatsoever," she sighed.

"... Our Michigan issues are not being discussed."

I'll try to keep everyone updated as the lawsuit story develops.

Best of luck to Martha and her lawyer tomorrow.

On the ABC Debate see this diary

by NCDemAmy at DailyKos. She's got blogger and pundit reactions to the debate and video highlights.

Some video highlights of the debate.

Edwards on the most important thing he did in the Senate -- pass the Patients' Bill of Rights with Kennedy and McCain



On Saving the Middle-Class



On Bipartisantship and Partisanship: "You cannot nice these people to death.... This is a fight for the American people against those that are stopping change."

Edwards On His Second Place in Iowa

I'll write my account tomorrow, but I think Robert has a lot of smart things to say on this at Mark Maynard.

I'm Back from Iowa

I'll have a report tomorrow or Sunday, in the meantime, a quote from our candidate

What happened was, the People of Iowa said: 'We want John Edwards' Voice to be heard!'

I mean, I basically beat the Clinton Machine, where I was grossly out spent by them, and I was competitive with Senator Obama. And now what we know is: we're going to have a 'Change Candidate' for the next Democratic Nominee for President.

And the Choice is going to be between me and Senator Obama.

Vote Uncommitted on 15 January.

Off to Iowa

I'm packing now and we are leaving Michigan at 1:00 pm. I hope to have updates.

There is still a chance to join us, see: http://michiganforedwards.blogspot.com/2007/12/road-trip-to-iowa-caucuses-vacation-in.html