JRE Buzz: Friday Morning Edition

Good morning BW readers! I haven't typed a buzz column in awhile, so I thought I would do one today. Guest anchoring for the Edwards Evening News at the Daily Kos inspired me to do this one and I will cross post some of what I wrote there.

(photo courtesy of Sirus)

This morning's buzz begins with the latest about Wolfie's Resignation from the World Bank and Edwards' response:

"It's about time. I called for Paul Wolfowitz's resignation a month ago when it became clear that his leadership was undermining America's ability to lead the fight against global poverty. Wolfowitz's tenure at the World Bank was marked by serious questions of financial integrity that alarmed our allies.

"Now, President Bush must choose a successor who will help restore America's credibility and moral leadership in the world. We need a leader who can convincingly make the case for global anti-poverty investments that can lift up billions of lives and make the world safer and more secure."

Edwards was the first to speak out about Wolfowitz. Not surprised that Edwards saw the problems of ethics and moral responsibility immediately, as Edwards traveled the globe for two years and heard stories about the US being ignored as a moral authority.

Raising Money for Southern Candidates, or the 50-State Strategy

Here's what Channel 11 in Atlanta reported:

The former North Carolina Senator and Vice-Presidential candidate was ushered into the event with the help of the Washington High School marching band, which electrified the crowd with their musical athleticism.

Former Georgia Governor Roy Barnes introduced Edwards to the cheering crowd as “the next President of the United States, John Edwards!"

Still raising money for other candidates, just as he did in 2006. It was estimated he raised $600K at the dinner yesterday for the party. What Attorney General Mark Taylor said is so true:

"It is a long, long, long campaign,” said former Lt. Governor Mark Taylor. “And again, it is going to be a campaign for the experienced campaigner, with the strongest organization and that's the strength Senator Edwards brings from ‘04."

Support the Troops, End the War on Radio

Edwards was a guest on Ed Schultz's show again. Here's the audio clip in case you missed it.

Edwards still pushed out his message "that we need to end this war". Notice though how Schultz saw the folly of Mike Huckabee's hit on JRE on the Debate two nights ago:

"..he's saying you are dam*ed good lookin' man.

JRE had to laugh at that one. Then they discussed how none of the Republican candidates and how that comment had to do with getting out of Iraq or what to do about health care."

Also, some good discussion about the escalation too, and how it's not working. Give it a listen.

Speaking of Supporting the Troops and Ending the War, did everyone get an e-mail from David Bonior today, in which the campaign received some personal responses about the patriotism we wish to show on Memorial Day? Tracy posted this on JRE's blog this evening:

In Raeford, North Carolina a woman whose husband is serving in Iraq is hosting a prayer vigil. She writes:

My husband is in Iraq, and I pray each and every day for the Troops and that maybe someday soon there will be an end to this war. Please join me in praying for my husband and all the troops that are deployed throughout the world.

In Milton, West Virginia, the mother of an Iraq War veteran is organizing a letter writing drive to Congress and the President.

And from Fort Riley, Kansas, a soldier writes simply:

As I get ready for my third tour into Iraq, I just want to say "BRING US HOME!"

You don't have to be a military family or a veteran to speak out now. You just have to be one of the millions of Americans who are done letting George Bush abuse the rhetoric of patriotism to defend policies that hurt our country and misuse our troops.

Real patriotism is about standing up to do what's right for our nation and the men and women who defend us. This Memorial Day weekend and beyond, let's wear our patriotism on our sleeve--and put it on our bumper--for all the world to see. Support the troops. End the war.

And remember--on Memorial Day itself (Monday the 28th)--let's all take time to solemnly honor all of those who have served in our armed forces and given their lives for our freedom.

http://ww.johnedwards.com/supportthetroopsendthewar

Edwards on Congress Not Standing Strong for our Citizens

Edwards had a few other things to say at the J-J Dinner last night too. Here are some snips from the Albany Herald:

Congressional Democrats aren’t using their newly-won power to stand up to President Bush and minority Republicans, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said Thursday.

The 2004 candidate for vice president and former U.S. senator from North Carolina criticized his ex-colleagues in Congress for giving in too much to Republicans on both immigration reform and the war in Iraq.

“The Democratic leadership needs to show some strength and stand their ground,” said Edwards, who served as the keynote speaker Thursday night at the Georgia Democratic Party’s annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.

Illegal immigration was in the spotlight on Thursday, with Senate leaders announcing a bipartisan agreement with the White House on a comprehensive reform bill.

The deal would set up a way for illegal immigrants already in this country to live and work here and eventually obtain legal residency and citizenship.

But the first priority, under the proposal, would be improving border security, cracking down on employers who hire illegals and establishing a high-tech identification program to screen for undocumented workers.

Edwards said the agreement has the wrong emphasis.

“We have a responsibility to keep our borders secure,” he said.” (But) there needs to be a pathway to citizenship.”

On Ed Schultz's show, he believed that those who wish to live here need to fess up and pay a fine, plus learn English. I think that's fair.

Edwards Continues to Be a Leader in Social Networking Tools

From Freshnews.com

Eventful, Inc., the leading global events website, announced today that it is working with several presidential campaigns including John Edwards, Jim Gilmore, Barack Obama and Ron Paul, to help candidates reach potential voters across the United States. The campaigns are benefiting from Eventful Demand, a free online service that empowers supporters to lobby for political figures to come and speak in their local town. Using Eventful, the candidates are able to track where they are most in demand, schedule appearances based on this data and also communicate directly with the Demanders via email.

“Our goal is to connect with every American who shares our vision for change and get them directly involved with the campaign. Eventful.com helps us identify supporters who are looking to get engaged and make sure we reach out where it matters most,” said Ben Brandzel from the John Edwards Campaign. “Politics should be a two-way conversation, and we’re committed to making conversation a central component of our campaign.”

Eventful Demand is a viral service that has transformed the way that audiences interact with public figures and performers, empowering them to directly influence where events take place. Eventful’s viral tools make it easy for campaigns and supporters to spread the word by including links and widgets in blogs, MySpace pages, Facebook groups and other social networking sites.

I did a search for Champaign-Urbana. Sigh. No demand. Oh well, the site is new, after all.

NPR's Marketplace had a nice little story on Social Networking yesterday to a younger audience The reporter, Alana German, liked John Edwards' site the most with this comment:

John Edwards' page is my favorite. MySpace is all about being yourself. And in his pictures he's playing with his children on the beach and having lunch with volunteers during a clean-up after Hurricane Katrina.

I haven't been to MySpace in a couple of weeks. Maybe I'll check it out.

Here's a cool little tool that the Edwards campaign came up with for the Memorial Day weekend:



You can add your event if you choose.

The Tightrope

Last week, I was in Copenhagen, and I heard a speaker talk about what consumers are looking for from business libraries, but it seemed applicable to Edwards. She said that library users are wanting from libraries:

dissatisfied with the status quo
want to offer their own content
want a voice
want someone who is willing to be the change to promote change
want authenticity from librarians and leaders in general
want trust
want respect

And that in looking towards the future, each person on the tightrope takes baby steps first, looking down, but once they have the grasps down, they look ahead, and no longer look down as they reach for the future. That's Edwards. He took baby steps in the first election, but now he is confident and reaching towards the future. Not looking back, just moving forward.

I'm reminded of Elizabeth Edwards's comment in Des Moines last summer concerning healthcare for all, which was a window to the walk on the tightrope: "too many tomorrows have come and gone. We need universal health care."

She should know.

More buzz l8tr..