My pledge to you folks. No Hillary Bashing

No Obama Bashing. No Kucinich Bashing. No Biden Bashing. etc. etc. You've all got understandably good reasons for supporting the candidates you do.

I believe it is very personal for us to launch into an attack against a person running for office since so many people here have personalized these candidates by evaluating the field and choosing them.

IT is equivalent to telling the others on this boad. "YOu're stupid!" or "How dare you disagree with me!"

I happen to believe the best things I can do for John Edwards are three fold

#1 I can donate money and time to his campaign. My wife and I have already donated some, but we haven't come near our individual limits so we may do more as time goes on. IN addtion, I haven't volunteered for his campaign yet but I will. I'll call people, send letters, etc. Whatever he and ELizabeth and the team ask.

#2 I can talk him up at work, with my family and friends, with you folks. I can talk about his personal story, his convictions demonstrated by his actions, and his leadership. NO one can for sure take what a person says 100 percent at their word in this kind of deal, but we can see who they are beholden to, etc. and divine for ourselves whether they look like the type who will act appropriately and with honor as president of the United States. I will continue to let you know why I root for him to win the nomination, and I hope I can do so without downgrading someone else who happens to be running.

#3 I can vote for him. NOw, this presents problems for me because I live in Oregon. It is likely the case will be long decided by the time this little state gets a chance to raise it's voice, but I will vote for him regardless.


Okay, carry on with your usual election season internecine wars.

but why are you supporting someone who is attacking other candidates?

but I'm not going to be drawn into that discussion with you. He whose candidate is without sin may cast the first stone.

I get so tired of people twisting other candidates' positions, instead of just saying why they support whoever they do.

I like different things about each of the top candidates -- and all of the rest -- so I'll have no problem getting behind whoever is the nominee. But I'm afraid a lot of people here are already too angry to vote for someone who isn't their favorite.

I mean, this country needs a REALLLL turnaround. What we've been enduring is garbage. I will never forget the apex of Bush's power when he and GOP majority leadership bullied their Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate and continually defied the will of the U.S. people. Now, his power is receding and he still continues to behave like the out of control tyrannical psychopath he always was.

We need everyone to get on board with energizing the Democratic base and turning people's minds toward progressive values and fixing our country as well as obtaining a rational foreign policy.

ALLL Democrats represent some change for the better.

hoping to scare others into not voting for HRC. But I hope that if she does become the nominee, they will have a change of conscience once it's just between them and the ballot.

I've seen plenty of negativity about just about every Democratic candiate right here on these boards.

Here's what I like about Edwards. He built himself up and is not just merely content to make his children's lives easier. He wants to reduce the income gap in the country. He and others see the real issues with the new Gilded Age upon us.

I can get behind that 100%. Additionally, I think he will be humble enough to assemble a terrific cabinet and policy setting adviser.

mercilessly.

getting bashed by the followers of some other candidate. A couple of weeks ago I even made fun of Biden. But I'm determined not to do that and keep it on the high road.

Edwards is a family man who built himself up through his own hard work, the hard work of his parents, and the hard work of his wife.

He's a true American hero who can show us the way out of this wilderness by attracting the top talent and strike the right tone to not alienate vast sections of the country the way others have and would.