I am a John Edwards Netrooter

Lately I have been in the cross hairs of blogs, some of which are trying to declare that John Edwards campaign is DOA because he is accepting public finance monies. Kos, Taylor Marsh, etc, are saying that Edwards could do without it because the netroots are helping candidates raise more money in general. But Edwards had a bit slower 3rd quarter fundraising than some of the others. No one denies it, and now anyone's contribution, since many of them are smaller than $2300, are matched one for one up to $250. I am one of those who cannot donate like Oprah Winfrey, so my donation is actually worth more because of the match.

JSamuel in his comment at the Daily Kos gave 10 good reasons why Kos is misguided in his views:

1. You criticize Edwards for taking public financing because it benefits him (which I disagree with, but not the point).

2. You however do not criticize Clinton and Obama for not taking public financing because it benefits them.

3. A 527 is not a Washington lobbyist.

4. The DNC is not a Washington lobbyist.

5. Public finanicing is the way to get big money out of our primary.

6. The DNC will only be in use AFTER the primary is held so that it does not conflict with the message of public financing, which you continuously ignore.

7. You have no problem with the Dem nominee having 150M but you have a problem with the DNC having 150M.

8. Do we want to support party building and the 50 state strategy or not?

9. John Edwards does not control, run, or have any responsibility for what 527's do or the money they raise.

10. You only seem to have a problem with 527's when they are brought up by the Edwards campaign.

He is on the mark. Kos says the netroots can help as it did with Dean. But now that Kos has attention of the traditional media, he has become more like them. Taylor wants to be like them. Both are out of the traditional places media writers come from: law, journalism, entertainment, and sometimes academia. Kos is a lawyer, Taylor Marsh is out of the entertainment business and in radio. Both appear more concerned about the "image" of the campaigns rather than the ideology.

The truth is Kos, Open Left, Digby, Taylor Marsh, etc, have become the elitists that Mudcat Saunders spoke of a few months ago. Their self-indignation arose when their attitudes were correctly called out by an old cowhand in the grassroots with this comment:

I have bitched and moaned for years about the lack of tolerance in the elitist wing of the Democratic Party, or what I refer to as the "Metropolitan Opera Wing". These are the people who talk of tolerance but the only true tolerance they ever exhibit is for their own pseudo-intellectual arrogance.

Maybe I like old cowhands from rural areas, but I've always thought Edwards was right to follow his instincts and not sell out to the big interest groups. That includes Fox News. Kos, Bowers, Stoller, and Taylor insisted that Fox News was not a legitimate news organization and no candidate should allow himself or herself to be framed by them by appearing on their debates, and to an extent, to be on their shows. Edwards was the first to say "No" to FN.

Then Clinton appeared on FNS over a week ago. Suddenly the big Netroots sites heard crickets on this topic. I made a comment about it, and it was still crickets, even with netrooters over at the Daily Kos.

It's my opinion, that for someone who created a website for those who felt strongly about the netroots, Kos has transformed his own site away from the netroots. Or else I have been transformed into a real netrooter, in which case Kos did his job for awhile, but I think he, along with Taylor, etc, have sold us out in the name of big money in politics. I'm clearly very frustrated by it. I thought ideas mattered more than money, and at the Yearly Kos, it was very clear the Netrooters were sick of being sold out to the big interests. Edwards received the most applause at the forum there. But now, such is not the case with Kos or Taylor Marsh anymore. I think they are beginning to be worried that if they don't kowtow to the Clintons in the event they become the nominee (and the pronoun is correct, it is not she, but they, since Hillary Clinton cannot get the nomination without her husband's recognition), they will be frozen out in media calls, etc. It's nice that Peter Daou makes them feel included at the moment, but Kos, Jane Hamsher, and Taylor Marsh are being sold a bill of goods and I can bet that like the health care plan and other people the Clintons have known in their lives, those blogs are used, disposed, and they will move on, regardless of the outcome of the election.

Today, I took out links to Kos and Taylor Marsh from my blogroll because they don't share my values about the progressive blog sphere anymore. It's not to say, don't visit their sites or listen to their shows. Both people are dynamic in their own rights.

I will not sell out John and Elizabeth Edwards to anyone, and that's why I am fortunate that I don't depend on blog ads or clicks for this site. I just blog. I get noticed occasionally, and I'm glad when I do. But I've always been here just for my own musings and to promote the good things about the Edwards family. They are good to their core, and that's why a lot of folks other than myself do like them. They want decency, fairness, justice, and they live it in their own lives. John Edwards has not changed in how he conducts business. He takes risks, always has. If anything, he took a big risk on his vote on the war. He was wrong. And has said so.

Now, having learned a lesson or three, he wants to correct the course of our country. He has the most progressive plans of any candidate. I have no doubt he could change the course, if given the opportunity.

Note: more links to be added later.