Brian is taking pics from the road (here is his stream). First up, Obama HQ:

And here’s Clinton HQ:

(XPosted 1/30/2008 10:10 AM PST on MyDesert.com as BluePalmSpringsBoyz)

The media has reported that former-Sen. John Edwards plans to withdraw as a Democratic candidate for the nomination for President.  It is a sad day as for many supporters, Edwards epitomized someone who early in the process opposed the disastrous policies of the so-called Pres. George Bush in Iraq and Iran, who was overwhelmingly supportive of LGBT issues, who spoke on behalf of the poor and working people of this country, and who set a mature tone for the Democratic campaign in general.

More below the flip…

Edwards had voted in favor of extending to Bush the power to conduct himself as he wished in Iraq.  Edwards, however, later recognized the foolishness of bestowing trust on someone who demonstrated a lack of trustworthiness.  He regretted his vote on Iraq, and withdrew his support from Bush and his poorly conceived and poorly executed occupation strategy.  When he attacked Bush, he did it on a policy level and avoided personal attacks.  He is no Bush or Karl Rove, indeed.

Edwards also espoused almost universal support for the LGBT community and for our issues.  He supported repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, supported the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, supported the repeal of Pres. Bill Clinton’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, supported the ability of LGBT families to adopt, and supported fully funding HIV/AIDS research and treatment.  His only failure was in his failure to support Marriage Equality.  However, the LGBT community did have the support of Elizabeth Edwards in that regard.  It was a breath of fresh air to have the almost complete support of a Presidential candidate rather than being an object of homophobia and hatred as we were during Election 2004 with Bush and Rove.

He derived support from the poor and from unions and from middle class workers in general because Edwards spoke to their economic and employment issues.  Edwards opened his campaign in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans and will apparently close his campaign there as well in order to attempt to refocus the Democratic campaign on the issues rather than on personalities.  He also received the support of many unions and locals across the country because of his stand opposing NAFTA and outsourcing jobs.  On the other hand, Bush and his corporate cronies only serve to enrich the coffers of big business, Halliburton, Blackwater, Brown, Kellogg & Root, and the Defense and Mercenary Contractors at the expense of the poor and middle class.

Already, Sen. Hillary Clinton has posted a statement on her website at HillaryClinton.com

“John Edwards ended his campaign today in the same way he started it – by standing with the people who are too often left behind and nearly always left out of our national debate.

“John ran with compassion and conviction and lifted this campaign with his deep concern for the daily lives of the American people. That is what this election is about – it’s about our people. And John is one of the greatest champions the American people could ask for.

“I wish John and Elizabeth all the best. They have my great personal respect and gratitude. And I know they will continue to fight passionately for the country and the people they love so deeply.”

Sen. Barack Obama released a statement concerning Edwards on his website located at BarackObama.com.  Here is Obama’s statement in its entirety:

“John Edwards has spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn’t popular to do or covered in the news.  At a time when our politics is too focused on who’s up and who’s down, he made a nation focus again on who matters – the New Orleans child without a home, the West Virginia miner without a job, the families who live in that other America that is not seen or heard or talked about by our leaders in Washington.  John and Elizabeth Edwards have always believed deeply that we can change this – that two Americas can become one, and that our country can rally around this common purpose.  So while his campaign may end today, the cause of their lives endures for all of us who still believe that we can achieve that dream of one America.”

Yes, Edwards will be missed by BluePalmSpringsBoyz and BlueBeaumontBoyz and, apparently by Clinton and Obama as well.  Truth will be told in the pudding though.  We shall see if the tenor of the campaign changes and if the focus turns to the issues rather than remaining on petty squabbling.  This will determine who we support on February 5, 2008.

AP Reports and CNN confirms:

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, The Associated Press has learned.

The two-time White House candidate notified a close circle of senior advisers that he planned to make the announcement at a 1 p.m. EST event in New Orleans that had been billed as a speech on poverty, according to two aides. The decision came after Edwards lost the four states to hold nominating contests so far to rivals who stole the spotlight from the beginning – Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

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 condition of anonymity in advance of the announcement. Both candidates would welcome Edwards’ backing and the support of the 56 delegates he had collected.

Obviously the big question is how his votes will get redistributed. For us in California it’s especially interesting, because if Obama can peel off enough of the Edwards supporters, we’re going to have one dramatic night next week.

An added wrinkle is the votes already cast. Edwards’ supporters have been among the most dedicated and loyal in this campaign, and many of his California supporters have already mailed in their ballots. As Brian pointed out yesterday, the VBM return rates are “low” overall so there may be a significant chunk of Edwards backers who haven’t voted and could decide the outcome here.

So what will they do? Or, if you’re an Edwards supporter, what do you plan to do?

(xposted as BluePalmSpringsBoyz on mydesert.com)

The National and local news media usually only focus on who ‘wins’ the caucus or primary race.  They provide little information on election night regarding the important race, that for delegates.

This is interesting stuff from CNN.com for the Republican totals and CNN.com for the Democratic totals (kudos to grodriguez for providing the link in his blog).

The magic number of delegates for the Democratic nominee is 2,025.  Thus far, 443 Democratic delegates have been chosen, including those from today’s South Carolina Democratic primary as well as the so-called Super Delegates (e.g., governors, U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives).  This means that only 10.94% of the Democratic delegates are committed to date.  

More below the flip…

Hillary Clinton leads the field far and away (I have deleted the Democratic candidates who have thus far dropped out of the race).  The results are as follows:

Hillary Clinton:  230

Barack Obama:  152

John Edwards:  61

Mike Gravel:  0

Clinton still has more delegates committed to her than all of her challengers combined.  And, kudos to Obama and to his Election 2008 team for today’s win in the South Carolina primary.  The challenge for Obama is clearly to increase his appeal to the White voters as he apparently only won 24% of the White vote in the SC primary.  Obama follows Clinton with 152 delegates, while Edwards has 61 delegates.  Edwards has his own challenge: win a primary or caucus state!

The magic number of delegates on the Republican side is 1,191.  Thus far, 148 Republican delegates have been chosen including the Super Delegates.  This means that only 6.22% of the Republican delegates are committed thus far.  Mitt Romney leads the Republican candidates, but John McCain has moved from third place in the delegate count into second primarily because of his primary win in the South Carolina last week.  The totals are as follows:

Mitt Romney:  73

John McCain:  38

John McCain:  29

Ron Paul:  6

Rudy Guiliani:  2

Very few Republican delegates have been chosen, but Romney has almost as many delegates as his challengers combined.  The pressure will be on Rudy Guiliani next week in Florida’s primary as he has put all of his 9/11 eggs into that one basket.

February 5, 2008, looms on the horizon when another 22 states hold their primaries and caucuses.  The picture will be much clearer then, when over 50% of the delegates on both the Democratic and the Republican sides will have been chosen by the end of that day’s primaries and caucuses.

This year’s California primary was intended to be unusual for several reasons, not just the move to February 5. It was a common assumption that more voters would choose to vote by mail, and that those voters would be sending in their ballots early, forcing the presidential campaigns to shift their tactics accordingly.

But how is it actually working out? The answer depends on where you are. In Santa Clara County, where more voters (56%) are registered as vote-by-mail than any other high-population county, it seems to be business as usual. From the Mercury News:

Historically, about 25 percent of absentee ballots are dropped at polling places or the registrar’s office on Election Day. And so far, there doesn’t appear to be a lag in votes already cast in Santa Clara County or statewide, officials say. Weir said some counties are even seeing a bigger early vote count than normal, while Santa Clara County officials say the flow is about normal at roughly 4,000 a day.

While down here in Monterey County, most folks seem to be waiting. From the Monterey Herald:

Despite requesting a record number of absentee ballots for California’s Feb. 5 presidential primary, most Monterey County voters are hanging onto them, apparently still undecided whom they will choose as their party’s nominee.

As of Friday, county Registrar of Voters Linda Tulett said fewer than 11,000 absentee ballots had been returned out of 81,000 issued, with a little more than two weeks to go until the state’s primary.

What these articles suggest is that the  assumption that vote-by-mail people would send in their votes early as they committed to a candidate just isn’t happening. Instead a larger number of voters seem to be waiting to see what happens in the earlier states, their votes driven by media perceptions of who is “viable” and who is not. Although California’s votes may help determine the outcome, California voters are still depending on the earlier contests, and we may still act merely as a coronation.

The hope that the earlier primary date would get candidates to pay more attention to Californians and Californian issues doesn’t seem to be paying off either. Leon Panetta, former Clinton Chief of Staff and director of the Panetta Institute at Cal State Monterey Bay, expects campaigns to conduct less expensive but high targeted campaigns:

Leon Panetta said he believes the candidates in both parties have already spent so much money trying to build momentum in the early states that they’re starting to watch their budgets and focusing their campaign efforts on the areas of maximum return, both in terms of votes and money….

“I think they’re beginning to watch their dollars and cents,” Panetta said. “This is probably going to be the most targeted campaigning that we’ll see until the general presidential election (in November).”  [From the Monterey Herald article]

While the candidates will be spending more time in California over the next two weeks, they’re also going to have to spread their attention to other important states like Ohio, Illinois, New York, and other places. Meaning that we can expect the CA primary to be won through a combination of GOTV and media buzz.

On a union rooftop in downtown LA, I stood and waited for John Edwards.  I took day off from work to drive from Irvine to LA.  The traffic was bearable and I managed some parking as well.  I ran into other local Edwards supporters from Orange County who were volunteering through the Progressive Democrats of America.  It was nice to see some friendly faces and I was eager to hear John Speak, as was the rest of the crowd.  They broke into changing “John Edwards” and their enthusiasm gave me the chills.

It seemed like people were paying attention, that they knew we had to give him a chance to speak and I really hope more than the people on the rooftop will have a chance to hear what he said, it’s for all of us.

Go here, to Brad Blog for the entire speech, it is well worth the listen and it was amazing.

John made an important point about why California mattered this year.  Are you reading this California? If you support Edwards, it is imparative that you not only vote for him, but that you make your presence known, let people know John is still in the race, not just for you or me, but from them too.

“I am an underdog campaign, but this is where you come in,” he said in closing, his voice rising. “You can help us here in California, help a grassroots movement that spreads across this state, that spreads across this country. When that tidal wave of change is finished, we will be able to look our children in eye and say, ‘We did for our you what our parents did for us.'”

Edwards took the time to criticize Arnold for his massive spending cuts to Education, Health Care, etc.   The state is losing revenue from guess what?  That’s right, the housing crisis.  The last thing we need to cut are services that help families that are on the verge of losing their homes or are upside down on their mortgages due to the huge decline in housing values.  My home has lost 10% of it’s value in one year, what if I have a major illness?  What if I lose my job?  I would be that much closer to losing my home when it’s not even worth what I bought for a year ago.

He fired up the crowd by ripping into California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed education and state health care budget cuts. “The last thing that needs to happen in the state of California is to have any of the funding that is that is necessary to provide health care for Californians cut,” he said, adding: “Who in the world in America thinks we have too much money invested in public education? This makes absolutely no sense.”

Above are three of the people who helped introduce Edwards to the LA Crowd in the downtown headquarters of a local SEIU Union Hall.  I really enjoyed Annelle Grajeda’s introduction the most, she really focussed on why Edwards is the candidate not just for union families, but working families.

“John Edwards is the change candidate in this campaign — the candidate with not only the boldest ideas for change, but the candidate who can win in November, strengthen Democratic majorities in Congress and at the state level, and make his ideas a reality,” said SEIU CA State Council President Annelle Grajeda. “John Edwards can go to any part of the country and help Democrats down-ballot. With John Edwards as our nominee, we can get the change we need.”

“I’m proud to support John Edwards because he understands, better than any other candidate, the challenges facing working Americans,” said L.A. City Councilman Richard Alarcón. “Whether it’s truly universal health care, fixing America’s trade policy or ending America’s involvement in Iraq, John Edwards has offered real solutions to the challenges Americans face, and he’s determined to be a voice for regular people. I truly believe we need his leadership in the White House.”

“After eight years of George Bush, it is critical that we have a Democrat in the White House,” said L.A. City Councilman Herb Wesson. “We need a candidate who can bring real change to America and who can win. That candidate is John Edwards. He can compete and win in every part of the country, including red states and battleground states because Americans identify with who he is and what he stands for – fairness and opportunity and making sure everyone has a chance.”

Alercon made a great point, why are we paying so much attention to New Hampshire and Iowa?  Californians need to change the tone of the race and really send the most important message of all, well monied campaigns are great, but it doesn’t mean they have to win, even in big states like California.

“I’m asking you, California, are you going to follow Iowa? Are you going to follow New Hampshire? Or are you going to stand alone as Californians and also send a message across America?”

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/po…

John addressed an issue that is so important to Californians, alternative sources of power.  I came across this on youtube from yesterday’s rally and wanted to add it.

Didn’t take this one, it was from the opposite side of the rooftop.

The comments that hit me the most are the ones about comparing the the wages and bonuses of CEO’s (Health care CEO makes 200 million) and the profits of large corporations (Oil company rakes in 40 BILLION in profits as families struggle to pay for heating oil!) to the millions of Americans who are lacking Health Care, housing, food and education.  

John Edwards does not want to cut profits and wages, he wants to insure that no one is left behind while the people on top profit to excess.  It’s the disparity that’s troublesome to me, to John and to many others.  At what point is it okay to make a profit while denying coverage to people who pay their benefits?  And John is standing his ground on Mandates, he’s proud to say his plan requires that people get health care and that pre-existing conditions will be a thing of the past.  Your health care should go with you, where ever you work and what ever you do.  Imagine that?

You could tell how much he loved the crowd and how happy he was to be there, his energy level was amazing as was his candor, his honesty and his ability to bring it down to just a few important points.  The system is broken and when it does work, it’s working for far too few and leaving so many out, mostly working families and single household families with working mothers.  (Personal rant, why the hell can’t we help those women who stick, who stay to raise their children?  Why must shelters turn away women with children to go back to the streets?  How is this okay in any society?  I ask this as a child of a single mother, who lived in dingy apartments, relatives basements and other conditions to escape an abusive relationship.  This was a bold move for my mother to make in 1972 and it’s not any easier 35 years later?)

“To get real change, we need a president who will stand up against the big corporations and powerful interests who control Washington,” said Edwards. “The American people – whether they live in rural areas or urban areas, red states or blue states – need a President who will stand up for them. As President, I will make sure the voices of all Americans are heard in Washington. If we fight together, we can get the change we need and America will rise.”

And there were a few times where John had to stop talking because th cheering was just not going to quit.  He loved it, he knew his message was getting to the right people.  

The photo I took as I tried to get closer and talk to John. Ha!  Right.

This is where I was, in the back, happy to see all the media and news vans, thank God.

At the end John was swarmed by so many people and I had chosen to be far back rather than up front where I started.  I regret not being a bit closer, just so I could at least tell him one thing, I’m proud that I support him, I’m proud of the campaign he’s running and I don’t regret being such a vocal supporter of his, he’s really proven to me that I made the right choice.  He’s still fighting, so I too will continue.

This woman and her son were waiting to say hi to John, but she didn’t dare try to push forward, so I asked if I could take their photo.  Her son was so happy to be there too, he was bouncing, he was giggling and he was joyful.  It made my day!

And here are some photos of the rally that other people took, which are so much better than mine.  I need a nicer camera!

I voted for John yesterday as did my Mother.  She was happy too.

I saved this from our kick off meeting, Orange County for Edwards.  It’s Stephanie, my cousin and some kid I found hanging out at my house 🙂

Here is a local report of Edwards’ visit.

And last but not least, please don’t foget today is the day.  Edwards can raise money, please donate!

I waited until today to donate $100.  I don’t have it really but I’m still doing it because I think it’s that important.