Edwards makes being a campaign donor affordable

[JohnLocke]

Edwards makes being a campaign donor affordable
By Amanda DeBard--(UT) Daily Texan
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
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Sen. John Edwards stopped in Austin Tuesday to clarify what he stands for, which he said will be his biggest challenge in the presidential primary.
Amid cheers and applause, Edwards called for efforts to end poverty and the war in Iraq, make health care accessible to everyone, and place a national cap on greenhouse gas emissions.
"American people made it clear in November they want things different," Edwards said. "Congress has the responsibility to stand up to this president and force him to end this war."
(...)
"I will close Guantanamo on the first day I'm sworn into office as your president," Edwards said. "We're past the time for small, cautious political calculations."
Edwards' grassroots fundraiser, titled "Small Change for Big Change" and held at the Scholz Garten, was designed to reach supporters who can't make high-dollar donations to the campaign.
(...)
It's unusual for presidential candidates to hold low-dollar fundraisers for the public, said Chris Elliott, chair of the Travis County Democratic Party. Hundreds attended the event, which was $15 per person.
"Most candidates come to town and meet with high-dollar contributors," Elliott said. "It's very important he's here, and I hope other candidates will do the same."
(...)
University Democrats President Ben Trotter said his organization is doing its part to prepare for the March primary.
"We're in a transition phase right now, but we're getting a plan ready for voter registration," Trotter said. "At the fundraiser, 'm going to give an invite to Sen. Edwards to come talk to campus."
Austin is one of six stops on Edwards' grassroots campaign and carries the flag for democrats in Texas, said Elliott.
(...)
"Great movements didn't start in the Oval Office or in Washington, D.C.," Edwards said. "They started on college campuses, like UT, by young people with backbone and courage to speak out on what they knew was wrong."
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Read the rest here.

[liberal N proud]

1. This is one of the many reasons I like John

He remembers the little guy now and then

[Czolgosz]

2. "Most candidates come to town and meet with high-dollar contributors," Elliott said. "It's very

important he's here, and I hope other candidates will do the same."

Someone tell Hillary to gas up one of her corporate contributors' jets.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

3. HRC is too busy courting Hollywood moguls to bother with regular folk nt

[ElizabethDC]

7. HRC hosted a $20/person fundraiser last week . . . 8,000 people showed up

link: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/blog/view/?id=7754

[draft_mario_cuomo]

12. I stand corrected nt

[Mind_your_head]

4. How much gubmint can I buy for $15?

Well, if there are 100 million of us....quite a lot, I would think.

But it's still *buy the gubmint, isn't it*? That wasn't how it was intended to be. (I'm such a hopeless idealist, I KNOW...*sigh*)

[IndyOp]

6. For a cost of a six-pack of beer per year - we could buy the gubmint...

If each American were taxed the price of a six-pack of beer - we could publicly fund federal elections and the corporations would no longer own the government.

The members of Congress would save the 3+ hours per day they spend on the phone DAILY begging for dollars and, instead, meet with constituents and read and think and write on our behalf.

[Mind_your_head]

9. I'm all for publicly funded federal elections.....

but, heh, that ain't gonna happen for a loooooooong time, most unfortunately. There's too many other problems to solve first. Although, I'm not an organizational expert, so mebbe 'that' (federally funded elections?) should come first? I dunno anymore. :crazy:

[IndyOp]

10. We simultaneously must deal with militarism,

global warming/ecology, healthcare, poverty, education, publicly financed elections.

Once people are able to dis-enthrall themselves from the shared illusion/fantasy held about the state and status of the nation, action can happen quickly when truth sets in...

When I think about the change in consciousness of the American people I think about Fahrenheit 911, An Inconvenient Truth, and SiCKO -- once people were jarred our of their trance re: Iraq and terrorism they were more open to seeing global warming for the urgent threat that it is. Once they see SiCKO they will awake to the extent to which the super-rich are perfectly willing to let them die for health care profits.

Huge numbers of people are donated to Dem candidates in the 2008 race and turning out to get involved in their campaigns.

All of this contributes to our getting "unstuck" from where we are -- and once unstuck -- we could, potentially, move quickly and effectively on many fronts.

Don't get me wrong, I am anticipating severe economic hardships over the next few years and a lot of backlash as necessary changes are made in tax structure, business law... It is going to get worse before it gets better.

Still... Hope isn't just a town in Arkansas.

:hi:

[Mind_your_head]

11. self delete

"I dunno if huge amounts of people will turn out for Dem Candidates.....

It's gonna be like "every man for himself!"

After all, as the song goes:

What has a Dem done for me lately? (What have you done for me lately?)

Not verry much at all....... pffffft (there's always hope, but there also must be a 'promise' of hope in order to believe....)"

on edit: I just deleted the whole above post b/c I will come up with something better than this in the morn' (I hope) ;-).

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Yep. he's got my vote.

[illinoisprogressive]

8. Edwards is my second pick and I like him. Go john

[demommom]

13. campaign contributions affordable?

Most of the campaigns are affordable for the average person. You may contribute as little as $10. :eyes: