X-posted from Dailykos by permission of author edgery

A California family reaches out to John Edwards and goes to New Hampshire to support his campaign. MSNBC First Read

A little background: On Thursday, the night of the Iowa caucuses, Nataline’s mother was watching MSNBC and heard John Edwards speech and describe their family’s tragic loss.

Friday morning, Hilda reached out to the Armenian National Committee of America. seeking to connect with the campaign but didn’t know how. Representatives from the Armenian National Committee of America called Edwards’ Chapel Hill’s headquarter and spoke to the front desk.

Nataline Sarkisyan’s father said today that there is a hole in his heart since losing his daughter. “Cigna killed my daughter,” he said. “Vote for this man; vote for John Edwards.”

“They tried negotiating with the insurance company,” John Edwards responded. “If negotiating worked, we’d have universal health care already.”

Senator Edwards also laid out three clear criteria for people to ask candidates to evaluate who should be our next president:

1. Are you for fundamental change in Washington or continuing the status quo?
2. If you are for fundamental change, will you fight for it?
3. Is this change personal for you?

Fresh off the debate last night, John and Elizabeth Edwards held a health care forum in Manchester, NH. Accompanying them today were people who understand why it is critical to pass universal health care as soon as possible and why John Edwards is the right person to accomplish this, James Lowe and his wife Cindy, Sandy Lakey, and the Sarkisyan family.

Three separate stories, three separate situations, all part of the narrative of our country’s cruel indifference to people over profits:

• James Lowe – virtually mute until he was 50 years old because lacking health insurance,.he had no opportunity for a simple procedure to correct a cleft palate.
• Valerie Lakey – a happy young child brutally eviscerated because of the known design flaws in a swimming pool drain cover, known that is by the corporation producing the product that chose profits over the children across the country being horribly injured and killed.
• Nataline Sarkisyan – a young woman with a lifetime of promise denied a critical liver transplant by Cigna Insurance Company over the demands of her doctors and nurses, and the uprising of hundreds of thousands supporters on the ground and on the internet.

By now, you know the stories of James Lowe, Valerie Lakey, and Nataline Sarkisyan. John Edwards talks about their stories in explaining both why he is so passionate about fundamental change and universal health care, and why he is equally determined to take the corporate interests standing against change head on.

Last night in the Democratic debate, John Edwards highlighted his work on the Patient’s Bill of Rights as well as Nataline’s story to demonstrate why the issue of corporate interests is personal:

A powerful moment at today’s health care forum was when Nataline Sarkisyan’s family stood up for John Edwards:

“My heart is a hole. This isn’t just about Nataline; it’s about all of us,” Hilda Sarkisyan, Nataline’s mother said. “We fought them, but what about the families who don’t have a voice?”

Fighting back tears, Sarkisyan’s brother Bedig said he promised his dying sister everyone would know her story and thanked Edwards for helping in the fight against insurance companies.

“This is not right. Not in America,” Sarkisyan’s father Grigort said.

Edwards Puts Personal Touch on Health Care Crisis, ABC News

Thank you to NCDem Amy for providing the following videos of today’s Health Care Forum in Manchester:

Introduction by Elizabeth Edwards and introductory remarks by John Edwards:



Remarks by Hilda and Bedig Sarkisyan, Nataline’s mother and brother:



Remarks by Grigort Sarkisyan, Nataline’s father:



Remarks by James Lowe and Sandy Lakey:

When we look at the three leading Democratic candidates against the back drop of universal health care and the middle class, John Edwards is the one candidate who is (1) FOR fundamental change in the way Washington operates–he is stood against corporate interests before and won, and he is ready to do it again; (2) WILL fight for the change needed to make this country work for its people again; and (3) TAKES this fight very personally–this isn’t political to him, this isn’t academic to him, this is personal because he knows and understands the problems facing all Americans.

Here are three ways to help the campaign:

Here for the phonebanking:
http://www.johnedwardsphonebank.com/

Here for general volunteering:
http://www.johnedwards.com/nh/volunteer/signup/

Here for contributions:

Make a Secure Online Contribution

“We have an epic fight ahead of us with these entrenched, powerful, monied interests that stand between you and a democracy that works for everybody. We better be ready, we better be ready for that battle. You better be ready to send someone into the arena that has what it takes inside for this fight.”

Background on Nataline, her struggle and her death:

California Nurses produced a powerful video featuring Nataline’s family and the many people who protested outside of the Cigna’s offices in their effort to turn the Murder by Spreadsheet company’s decision around. Cigna did ultimately relent, but it was too late; Nataline died because the insurance company cared more about its profits than her life.

Daily Kos diaries as background–

• The diary that introduced Nataline Sarkisyan to the netroots:
  Will You Help Nataline Sarkisyan Today PLEASE? by California Nurses Shum
• The critically important and powerful series by nyceve including:
• Murder By Spreadsheet: CIGNA Denies Claim and 17-Year-Old Will Die (action needed) BIG UPDATE!. Dec. 20, 2007.
• Though we mourn, people-power triumphed, you made the ground tremble. Dec. 21, 2007.
• Here’s the truth: A transplant surgeon speaks out. Dec. 22, 2007.
• Cover your a** from the CIGNA medical director (action needed). Dec. 24, 2007.
• Mark Geragos on CIGNA : “We will seek criminal prosecution”. Dec. 27, 2007.
• In memory of Nataline:
• Nataline’s Brother Invites You to Her Memorial Service also by California Nurses Shum.
• At Nataline Sarkisyan’s Funeral by Shockwave

This was just too delicious not to share.

Last night the Republicans held the CNN/Youtube debate in Tampa Florida.  CNN invited 24 undecided Republicans to the debate to see their reactions and whether the debate would cause them to make a decision about who to vote for in the January 29th primary.  

At the end of the debate the undecideds were asked whether they had made a choice.  None had really made a choice among those they saw on the stage but one woman did make a definite statement of who she would vote for.

I was astounded.  She chose John Edwards.  Edwards has had little media exposure, especially in Florida which is seen to be Clinton country.  

Here is a partial transcript:

Sharon, you said you may have decided but probably not a choice that people expect. Who was that maybe? Do you have your…

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have my mike. I’m sorry.

Well, I think if the Democrats have John Edwards, I’d vote for John Edwards.

HILL: So you would consider — because nothing you heard tonight convinced you that any of these eight men are the right choice for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There’s maybe three that could possibly be the right choice. But I’m really going to have to look a little closer at the three that — I had thought about — I had thought about Giuliani. I’d thought about Mitt Romney. Also Fred Thompson. I don’t care for his TV shows, but you know, I thought maybe him being an actor, that was just a facade, and it’s not.

HILL: OK. So none of them really worked out for you tonight. So it will be interesting so see what you actually do on January 29.

A little later they went back to the group.  Still no one had decided on a Republican.  Sharon spoke up a little more about what she liked about Edwards.  

Undecided Voter: “I wouldn’t vote for Fred Thompson now I didn’t like him on TV so I don’t like him in politics either I could not find anybody on there, I just really, maybe Hunter, Congressman Hunter, he’s the closest…”

Moderator: Earlier in the break you had said you would maybe lean toward John Edwards, though, and he’s not a Republican.

Undecided Voter:…yes, but at least he has opinions these guys keep saying the same things over and over again.

Moderator: So he’s the strongest one for you even though he’s a Democrat?

Undecided Voter: Yes.

As grannyhelen in her diary on Dailykos said

What does a candidate who takes strong positions, tells folks he won’t back down and whose campaign is fueled by a progressive populist agenda get?

Votes.

These video clips made me smile all through the night and this morning.  I really believe with John Edwards at the top of the Democratic ticket we would have a landslide win.