Benny's World

Friday, August 25, 2006

Another CJ Post from Tues, Aug 22

Sorry I missed this from last Tue:


Citizen Journalism...and JRE agrees, it's the best way the get the voices heard..and out. This is a democracy! It was neat that NCDem and Nan were able to get "backstage" with JRE.

Kewlness.

Tags: John Edwards, JRE, Nan, NCDem, Citizen Journalists, CJ, Ashville, Heath Shuler, Benny's World

JRE Buzz (21): Friday Night Edition

Today JRE is in Africa, and since yesterday's JREB update, there's not been a lot of news, but thought I'd put up a few things.

Remember the video I put up yesterday of JRE and Shuler by Nan and NCDem? Well you wouldn't know it was them as I forgot to mention their names! Anyway, they put it that fine piece of CJ (citizen journalism for those who don't know the acronym)--NCDem's first--on the Daily Kos, and it was on the recommended list for quite a while yesterday morning. Way to go, CJ's!

Speaking of Kos and other blogs, Zeitgiest Rover and Iddybud put up two separate pieces related to Chuck Todd's piece from Hotline that I mentioned on my update. They did a great job in teasing it out and putting up more poll data to prove their points. What was uncanny were 2 different reactions: Wes Clark Jr showed up (again) on ZR's post and went negative for a second time. Iddybud had a nice, nice post from a blogger who wrote: "I ADORE John Edwards and think he is our hope."

The Center for Poverty, Work, and Opportunity announced a 2M donation by a couple of nice alums. I wrote a quick diary about it on OAC, so I'll just post the link.

Podcast to be recorded on the 28th or 29th next week. Submit your questions here or you prefer, use the OAC GCast to make a quick toll-free call. Here are the directions. It's kind of like calling C-SPAN, but leaving a voice mail that is electronically sent to OAC.

Speaking of the Carolinas..

Joe Biden sez he's not too worried about JRE's chances in South Carolina. This is what was reported by Jim Davenport of the AP:

GREENVILLE, S.C. - U.S. Sen. Joe Biden says his former colleague John Edwards has more to lose in South Carolina's 2008 presidential primary than he does.

Edwards hasn't entered the race yet, but the Delaware Democrat has. It's the second time around the track for Biden, who ran in 1988 before dropping out.

snip

And Edwards isn't a deterrent.

"I think it's an encouragement," Biden said. "If John loses South Carolina, he's done."

Biden says he'd face the same fate if he didn't carry his home state.

Edwards grew up in the Upstate before earning his law degree and becoming a North Carolina trial lawyer and U.S. senator from the Tar Heel state.

And South Carolina Democrats gave Edwards his only primary win in the 2004 presidential contest. He was a strong enough factor in the primary that Democrats tapped him as U.S. Sen. John Kerry's running mate.

Edwards "has some real leftover support," Biden said. "So I think John is a real player" and he's far more worried about his polling well in Iowa.

"I take John real seriously," Biden said.


Well, if I were Joe Biden, the feller who was discovered with plagarism during the 1988 campaign, I think I'd be worried about the old crap rather than John Edwards, although certainly the current Dem primary season set for 2008 looks mighty promising for Edwards--and he just got through stumping for Spratt and Clyburn, and if they win...well, even Hillary knows that. But that's a long time from now.

Berkeley Bubble writes a nice summary of a NYT article about Bayh and Romney gearing up for 2008. S/he also believes JRE and Hillary will be the main contenders, but favors Edwards' global message by seeing the Darfur petition action link on the OAC site. BB's site is also about progressive politics and foreign policy, that so that is its slant. Nice, BB, and hope you will join many of us at the OAC blog. We'd like to have your thoughts there.

The Next Prez has JRE back in second for 2008 contenders, as steady. Low negatives are the reason.

Columbia Journalism Review Daily interviewed Roger Weisberg, who produced a film entitled Waging a Living for PBS series, P.O.V, and discusses how the press covers the topic of poverty. Mr. Weisberg credits John Edwards for bringing up this topic in the 2004 election and how minimum wage may become an important election issue. The film follows the daily struggles of four low-wage earners fighting to pull their families out of poverty. Waging a Living makes its national broadcast debut on PBS on August 29.

I'll be watching Tuesday night.

Speaking of PBS, there was a good program last night on Primetime called Out of Control: AIDS in Black America. Gwen Ifill was critical again of JRE on the debate, and of course, they didn't show the part where he made his recovery about the topic, but at least she wasn't as nasty about it as she was at SLA; she was more critical of Cheney for not knowing the numbers.

Deborah White at usliberals@about.com and Crossleft were considerate in mentioning John Edwards' reflections about Katrina which was sent an e-mail this morning. With that, I will leave you with Edwards' e-mail that I did receive, and it is poignant. BW readers are welcome to share their thoughts about Katrina by leaving comments.

Here's what JRE wrote so eloquently as Deborah White put it:
Nearly a year has passed since Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast near New Orleans, killing more than 1,400 of our fellow Americans and driving hundreds of thousands from their homes.

Who could possibly forget the images from that awful week?

People stranded on rooftops. Chaos at the Superdome. The desperate anguish of those unable to escape, simply because they didn't have a car or the cash to evacuate, or because they didn't want to leave behind the few meager possessions they had.

I know that I can never forget the faces and stories of the people I met when I toured evacuation shelters in Baton Rouge shortly after Katrina hit. Hurricane Katrina didn't just blow away lives and dreams, it blew away the shroud that was hiding the invisible poor and, for the moment, put home grown poverty in the epicenter of the national consciousness. It was a horrifying wake-up call.

How could this happen right here in our own country?

To be sure, this disaster also brought out the best in America.

Good neighbors all over the country opened their hearts, their homes and their wallets to people they'd never met. Many gave their precious time to bring comfort and relief to those who suffered in this disaster.

I saw it with my own eyes; it was inspirational and my spirits soared when I joined 700 college students who gave up their Spring Break last March to help dozens of families devastated by Katrina clean up their homes in St. Bernard Parish.

Individual Americans reached out to help one another. But individuals eventually have to get back to their lives.

Pace of recovery is agonizingly slow

In recent months it has become increasingly clear that, a full year after Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the pace of recovery is agonizingly slow. People continue to hurt in a big way.

Despite all the official promises about "doing what it takes" to get New Orleans back on its feet, much of the city still looks as if the hurricane hit yesterday.

Thousands upon thousands of homes remain deserted, windowless and covered with flood grime in desolate neighborhoods.

The water and sewer systems are still in terrible shape.

Fewer than half of the city's hospitals have reopened, and there are not nearly enough health clinics to adequately serve all the low-income families who need care.

Vast areas are still littered with mangled cars and piles of debris.

Schools Turning Away Children

Last week, the news media reported that New Orleans schools are turning children away because there just isn't enough room for them as the educational system struggles to recover.

"It's hurting to your heart when a child says 'Mama, I want to go to school,' and you can't find one," one resident was quoted as saying.

To hear of a child being turned away from a school is disturbing enough. But how do we even contemplate the notion of a new and better New Orleans without there being a decent educational system to lead the way?

Just as Katrina's wrath exposed the two Americas in our midst, the sluggish road to recovery serves as a reminder to us about the everyday challenges faced by the underprivileged in our society -- not just in the Gulf Coast but in impoverished neighborhoods and communities across the country.

The lesson is that the fight against poverty is an ongoing one -- for government, for communities, for all of us.

I know you join me in demanding accountability and pressing government leaders to do what's necessary to get hurricane-ravaged areas back on their feet.

Joining together with the beleaguered residents of the Gulf Coast, something good can come out of this tragedy. The resurrection of the Gulf Coast can herald the rebirth of a core American value that we are all one nation, moving forward together -- and that no one shall be left behind.

For the moment, in their hours of desperation, I ask that you continue to keep Hurricane Katrina's many victims foremost in your thoughts, remember their plight, and offer what you can to help and comfort them.

And let us continue to work together to ensure that America fully responds to the wake-up call delivered on Katrina's winds one year ago.

Your friend,
John




Just Sing for One America (great vlog by mbair101 on Youtube)


Peace.

More buzz l8tr...

Tags: John Edwards, JRE, Joe Biden, Roger Weisberg, Poverty, Katrina, Deborah White, Crossleft, mbair101, Sing for One America vlog, One America Committee blog, One America Committee site, Benny's World, NCDem, Nan, Daily Kos, Iddybud, Zeitgeist Rover

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

JRE Buzz (20)


Welcome to BW where you can get a lot of the latest buzz about John Edwards. (photo credit: Doug Mayer, Ashville Citizen-Times)

JRE was in Hendersonville, near Ashville, celebrating the accomplishments of the three organizations benefiting from the hot dog lunch fundraiser - Habitat for Humanity, the Housing Assistance Corp. and the Mainstay women’s shelter...and doin' a little stumpin' for Heath Shuler, who is running for Congress.

Interestingly enough, the two men are pretty different about most social issues, but not on giving more tax credits for those in poverty. Mr. Shuler called for a $1,500 tax credit for new homeowners.

AP also published an article, and it's being picked up several places. Among the last paragraphs read:

Several supporters at the rally Tuesday wore "Edwards 2008" campaign buttons, but Edwards reiterated that he hasn't decided on whether he will make another run for president. In recent months, he has repeatedly visited Iowa, home of the first party primaries.

"It's something I'm still strongly considering," Edwards said.

Edwards will be speaking in Columbia, SC to SC Dems tonight, stumping for Spratt and Clyburn.

Meantime...

Edwards issued an e-missive to petition our government to push NATO to stop the slaughter in Dafur:
Many times I have asked for your help, and you've come through every time. Never before have I asked for your help on a matter of life and death. Before one more child is tortured, before one more woman is raped, we must urge President Bush to lead the effort to create a NATO force to stop the genocide in Darfur.

Sudan began a genocide against tribes of small farmers in its Darfur region three years ago. Militia groups backed by the Sudanese government have slaughtered an estimated 400,000 people and driven 2.5 million people from their homes. U.N. troops are on their way, but will take at least five more months to arrive in Darfur. NATO forces -- if the U.S. stepped up to moral leadership -- could end the conflict immediately.

Tell George Bush to lead the effort to create a NATO force for Darfur NOW at http://oneamericacommittee.com/action/si gn-petitions/email/darfur_oac.

Sign that petition!

Funny things one notices on the Net...just ankle bittin' snarks..

EDWARDS WATCH [Kate O'Beirne]--from the Corner on National Review Online..
A few updates from my selfless efforts keeping an eye on John Edwards so you don't have to. The former senator has been in Connecticut raising money for Lamont, says Lieberman should get out of the race, and all his senior aides from the '04 campaign have signed on for '08. He has campaign organizations set up in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. The Democratic party has scheduled the South Carolina primary just a week after New Hampshire in 2008. Unlike in 2004, Edwards's native state won't be sharing the spotlight with a handful of others. His political PAC's website (confusingly called "One America") offers podcasts of his conversation with Jimmy Carter and has a special appeal to "citizen journalists." His children remain adorable. John "Two Americas" Edwards, who wants to be president of both of them, is working it hard — he bears watching even if we can't bear watching.

Bear watchin' what, Ms. O'Beirne? An all-around Presidential candidate, who is incredibly smart, visionary, great family, experience as an entrepreneur, a lawyer, a business man, and now more than ever, statesman, who happens to have rock star status? I suggest to interested bloggers check here if you don't wish to keep up the "Edwards Watch" at the Corner, check here. I do a pretty decent job of keeping up with a 53 year old man with the energy of a 40 year old...although, it's a challenge. He's everywhere! Also check the One America blog for JRE News Round-ups, including another CJ report coming from the Hendersonville rally this evening.

Update, August 23...This just in...

Jim Davenport of the AP reports from Columbia, that...

Edwards is a good draw in South Carolina, said state Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin after Edwards spoke to a crowd of more than 100 at an event that raised more than $20,000.

The crowd repeatedly interrupted Edwards' speech, which focused on rebuilding an America that the world looks up to again.

"With elections ahead this year, 'I want us to never forget what's at stake. It is not overstated to say the future of the planet, the future of the world is at stake,' Edwards said. 'It is. The world needs us desperately."


'There is a hunger in America _ a hunger to be inspired again,'
Edwards told the crowd.


I believe him. He's our next president.

More news from Hotline, National Journal..."Meet the Other Dem Front Runner"

You can download a mp3 of the Shuler event here. Choose the wav file. The other ones don't work.

This just in...



Video of the Henderson Democratic Party event of Schuler and JRE.

More pics of Shuler and Edwards, courtesy of Tim Peck on Bubbleshare (new plog site)



More buzz l8tr...

Tags: John Edwards, JRE, Henderson County Democratic Party, Hendersonville, Ashville Citizen-Times, Heath Shuler, housing, Benny's World, One America Committee blog, Columbia, SC, SC Democratic Party, Tim Peck, NCDem, Nan, Bubbleshare





Sunday, August 20, 2006

Wes Clark's Son Trashes John Edwards on Daily Kos

Today, I put up a post about a Time article that is coming out tomorrow on the Daily Kos. Someone who calls himself Wes Clark Jr, trashed Edwards, and called him a snake oil salesman.

"I understand the appeal of the (your candidate here)/Clark ticket. It's meant to shore up the resumes of candidates with no foreign policy or military experience.

As for why an Edwards/Clark ticket won't happen? I think the man is a snake oil salesman who would ruin the country.

"Apes don't read philosophy." "Yes they do, Otto, they just don't understand it!"

by WesClarkJr on Sun Aug 20, 2006 at 02:12:01 PM PDT


When I asked him if he was Wes Clark's son, he claimed he was.


"Are you WC's Son?
Benny05 on Sun Aug 20, 2006 at 03:29:45 PM PDT

yes
"Apes don't read philosophy." "Yes they do, Otto, they just don't understand it!"by WesClarkJr on Sun Aug 20, 2006 at 04:03:26 PM PDT"

LINK

I found this interesting as most Clarkies as ardent supporters and often the first to trash JRE. Wonder if his dad has been overly critical of JRE in private and that's why the bashing keeps going? I hope not.

I've never been critical of Clark.

Update: August 22, the continuation of the trashing of JRE on the DK:

Wes Clark, JR:

A couple things led me to believe this. First, I believe he is fundamentally dishonest. During the campaign when he questioned my father's integrity with the Hugh Shelton smear. His next smear was that my dad was somehow beholden to lobbyists and that lobbyists were destroying our political system (he neglected to tell his audience that his campaign manager was a HUGE lobbyist or that he raised enormous sums of money through the trial lawyer lobby. But what sealed the deal for me had nothing to do with politics.

A friend of mine hosts a movie show. Celebrities come in and talk about their favorite movies for the promos and interview sections. During the 2004 campaign season, Edwards was a guest. He asked him what his favorite classic movies were and Edwards drew a blank. He couldn't name one. He asked his aide what he thought. The aide recommended DR STRANGELOVE and then Edwards asked the aide what it was about. They restarted the interview and Edwards basically repeated what the aide just told him. Yeah, so the guy lies about movies he's seen, big deal. But what disturbed my friend was how Edwards put on such a convincing performance about not only seeing but loving the moving (which he'd hadn't). He put on such a great performance that Slate did a story about his movie choice and how it somehow told us so much about the depth and wisdom of the candidate that he picked Dr. Strangelove. Maybe you don't have a problem with a President who is a convincing and enthusiatic liar about the little things in life. But my experience here on Earth tells me that if people lie about the little things, they'll lie about the big things.

As far as what kind of President he'd be? America right now is approaching the most dire geopolitical moment in its history (WOT, Iraq, Afghanistan, nuclear proliferation, peak oil and gloabal warming). I fail to see how a personal injury attorney with no executive experience and half a term in the Senate is going to guide us through it.

Oh My: there's one in many families who wish to step up to the political plate. General Clark, I seem to recall you introduced JRE in Wilmington during 2004 after JRE was nodded as VP, and I'm not holding you to this, but unfortunately, your son's comments may become fair game for others. I wish you would have a statement on your blog that other than your wife's blogging, your family's ideas are their own, in order to help clarify. But if you are allowing him to speak for you, well, it may help you, but may backfire on you too. I'm counting on you to be a good party man as you are for Ned, and to take the high road...and encourage your family to do the same, and not be so emotional as to call JRE with pejoratives.




Tags: John Edwards, JRE, Wesley Clark, Wesley Clark Jr, Daily Kos, bashing, trashing