To Edwards fans--Tell Edwards to Endorse Obama

James Forman and his friend with an appeal to Edwards supports to push him to endorse Obama:

Friends: This is an email that I got from a good friend, who, as you can see, was originally an Edwards fan.  She is, appropriately I think, worried that Edwards may be thinking about endorsing Clinton.  As you can see from the note below, she is encouraging all Edwards fans who, like her, have moved to Obama to write Edwards and tell him why he should support Obama, or at least stay neutral.  If you were an Edwards person, pls join her in writing Edwards . . . . .

Pls feel free to forward this widely to anybody you know who was an Edwards voter.  Here's Michelle's email:

Dear friends:

I am becoming increasingly alarmed by media reports that suggest that John Edwards is seriously considering endorsing Hillary in this race.  See http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/Story?id=4281404&page=1.  The fact that it is even a tough call for him is baffling to me, since he railed against her in his campaign as a "status quo candidate," and stated more than once that he and Obama are the candidates for real change.  

One might think that an Edwards endorsement of Hillary wouldn't mean much at this stage, but it could mean the difference for 1% or 2% of the voters which, as we know, could make all the difference.   Last night, on an impulse, I went to Edwards'  website and sent him an e-mail telling him how disturbed I am by reports that he might endorse Hillary.  It later occurred to me that perhaps he needs to hear from more of us.  If Edwards were to endorse Hillary, it would be huge news, and would invite a lot of second-guessing about whether Barack really is the best choice for progressives. 

Attached below is the e-mail I sent to Edwards.  I hope you consider sending one of your own.  You can submit an e-mail at www.johnedwards.com/about/contact/form/.  Or, if you have a better e-mail address for him, please use it and share it.    - Michelle

Here is the text of the email that I sent to John Edwards:

Dear John,
I understand that you are trying to decide who to endorse for the Democratic nomination.  I am stunned this is a difficult choice for you.  I am writing to ask, to beg, you to please endorse Barack Obama!   If you endorse Hillary, I will be terribly disillusioned by you.  At the beginning of this presidential campaign, you were my first choice.  As I learned more about Barack, I was torn between you and him.  I believed that both of you were determined to end politics as usual in Washington, and to build a movement for change that would unite America and put people, not corporate interests first.  I never considered voting for Hillary because she represents politics-as-usual.  As you, yourself, said, "she is the status quo candidate."  She has accepted more lobbyist money than any of the Republican candidates, while Barack and you accepted none.  She has refused to admit that voting for the Iraq war was a mistake.  You had the courage to admit the mistake, and Barack had the foresight and good judgment to oppose the war from the beginning.  Most importantly, though, it is abundantly clear that Barack is inspiring a truly progressive movement - a beautifully diverse and passionate movement that includes young people and people who were previously disillusioned.  Progressives across the country have been mobilized and energized like never before.  If you endorse Hillary now, you will be dealing a blow to that movement.  And you will disappoint many, many people like me who once believed in you - believed that you were serious about real change.