Edwards Walked The Walk (TRANSCRIPT OF HIS FAREWELL SPEECH)

EDWARDS DROPS OUT WITH ELOQUENCE AND GRACE

At a press conference in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, still decimated from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, John Edwards announced today that he is suspending his candidacy for President of the United States.

With his family and Habitat for Humanity volunteers standing behind him, Edwards gave an eloquent speech that should live for all time. Anyone who saw it shall never forget it.

Throughout this campaign, his opponents have drawn numerous comparisons to JFK, RFK, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – but it is John Edwards who rightfully deserved the credit for keeping the populist progressive dream alive. His message echoed President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, FDR’s New Deal, Robert F. Kennedy’s Poverty Tour, and Dr. King’s Poor People’s Campaign.

While other candidates talked the talk, John Edwards walked the walk.

Sadly, the media has all but ignored Edwards’ campaign in recent weeks, as the pundits focused on the fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Even more distressing is the fact that the only way to get John Edwards back on the front page was for him to abandon his campaign.

Edwards may have abandoned his campaign, but not the struggle for economic and social equality in America. No sooner had he delivered his announcement today, he picked up a hammer and got to work building a new home in Musician’s Village for those displaced by Katrina. This in itself was a powerful statement - and he wanted all the world to see it.

As a journalist, I’ve covered every presidential race since 1988, and have seen a lot of candidates come and go. But never have I seen a candidate drop out of the running with as much eloquence and grace as John Edwards did today. His words of farewell moved me deeply, and I sincerely hope they are not forgotten.

The following is a transcript of this moving and memorable speech by John Edwards. Please share it with your friends and family, and ask them to put pressure on whichever candidate they support to incorporate Edwards’ anti-poverty mission into their platform:

PLAESE TAKE 5 MINUTES AND READ THE ENTIRE SPEECH HERE:
http://rfkin2008.wordpress.com/2008/01/30/edwards-drops-bid-for-the-presidency/

I didn't think he'd quit at this point. I didn't even believe he'd be done, within a week. I hope we have more info soon on exactly why, but if some deal was made, I hope it will serve him well. If he doesn't have a VP deal or cabinet position, I can't help but grieve over the loss of someone that really would've gotten us out of this mess! Best wishes John, Elizabeth and family!

...seems to reflect the level of concern about poverty in America today.

Economic Ruin: Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You
(Maybe then people will care)

This thread just sunk like a rock. His speech today was so important, and I fear it will be forgotten.

Worse, I fear what Edwards calls "the mission of my life' will be forgotten, too.

Damned selfish Americans. If we don't care about the lesser among us who are struggling, we deserve whatever we get.

Tears in my eyes, because John in the only candidate I have believed this election.

He speaks from the heart, he speaks so passionately about the poor and forgotten, and it's very moving. It's a great loss that he's dropped out of this race.

The only time I spoke was when he said that the other 2 candidates had pledged to make poverty a central campaign issue. I muttered "bullshit", because I don't believe they will change anything, except perhaps to get my support.

I was supposed to take my daughter to go see him speak in San Jose on Friday, making this even more sad for me today.

I'm in the camp that will certainly vote Dem in November, but I feel America has lost a great opportunity. That said, John's a great man and I expect him to find some way to contribute outside of the Presidency.

never was here......

This is an all too familiar story, that has been told many times and many elections ago.

We have a lot of people to "thank" for this loss.....but I put up the good voters from Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina at the top of the list.


By golly, they had their way and now onward and upward toward history.

economic collapse.

I was enthusiastic about John Edwards' campaign because he was talking about the real problems facing this country in the next few years. The massive trade debt and the massive federal debt are threatening to crush this country. The average person does not understand the economic tsunami that this country is facing.

Edwards was pointing out the reality and more and more people were taking notice. More people were getting tired of the Clinton - Obama horse race and were starting to think about real issues. The Democratic party elite are just as corporate as their Republican counterparts. I have no doubt that they sabotaged John's campaign from within just as much as the right-wing media did from without.

What difference does the gender or color of the next president make if that person will not confront the issues that this country faces? What difference does it make whether that person was raised in the South, the North, or the West if that person ignores the interests of half of the citizens in the country?

Clinton is corporate (Bill gave us NAFTA, media deregulation, open trade with China, Republican inspired welfare "reform"). Obama must think that corporate executives are like puppies and kittens -- pet them and they become your friend for life.

We are so screwed.

Damn shame. It's
a damn shame to lose
Edwards as a candidate.
:cry:

He was our best shot -- the most potentially "reachable." But his words DO NOT match his deeds. And they won't as long as he keeps rationalization his opposition to impeachment.

and that Edwards failed to stand for what is right on that issue, along with every other Democrat in this race. I have disagreed with Edwards' stance on many issues in the past, but I also respected him for having the guts to say when he was wrong and reversed his position.

But Edwards won my eternal respect on his crusade against poverty and making it a central issue in this campaign. Long before the economy took a nose dive, Edwards was the only guy out there who gave a damn and tried like hell to get the rest of us to give a damn, too.

sadly, not enough people listened and voted accordingly (no thanks to the media for quashing his message.)

To have been useful, impeachment should have been started by Congress when Democrats took over after the 2006 election. The threat of impeachment could have been used to rein in Bush, and prevented the excesses of the past year.

However, it became a toothless threat when Pelosi said that impeachment was "off the table". That was one of the dumbest statements by any Democrat one could imagine.

Stop criticizing Edwards for not making what would be a very negative policy statement for a presidential candidate to make.

I almost went anyway. I'm so glad that I didn't go. I don't think I'd have handled well hearing this while having a stomach virus at the same time.

:(