John Edwards is Back…With, Of All Things, the “Fear Card”

SInce his stage act with Barack Obama in May (only a week after telling People Magazine that he wasn’t ready to endorse anybody), John Edwards has stepped out again, this time with a fundraising letter from the DSCC and its KickOut campaign, complete with a somber pamphlet in brown depicting “the havoc Bush has wreaked on America” (sic).

As you may recall, Al Gore stuck his toe in the water with a fundraising letter for the DSCC in early June. (See below for related posts when the dam broke for Obama.)  When I first wrote about the Gore letter, some people questioned whether is really was from the DSCC because of the address.  Well, Edwards letter comes from the same address–Merrifield, VA–so I don’t think there’s any question about the address this time!

The Gore letter made me queasy at the time, because I thought it was paving the way for a full-blown endorsement of Obama but by the time he actually took the stage with Obama a couple of weeks later, I wasn’t shocked at all, because by that time, the Rules and ByLaws Committee on May 31 had enraged me so completely by their actions that I no longer considered myself a Democratic. (What perfect timing THAT was, Al!)

It was the initial endorsement of Edwards that was the opening body-blow as far as I was concerned. He had been my candidate, mostly because he was so outspoken about corporatism.  Embracing Obama so quickly after Clinton’s big win in the West Virginia primary really got to me. Edwards’ endorsement was part of that pattern of people coming out to prop up Obama after losing.  Edwards had run against corporate power and Obama was the darling of the Wall Street crowd in terms of money. I was nauseated by what Edwards did. What made it even worse was the fact that he had told People Magazine only a week earlier that he wasn’t ready to endorse anybody.  Snake…it was all in the works then, no doubt.

Then came NARAL, and later Wes Clark, whom I had supported in 2004, jumping on the bandwagon as soon as it seemed that Obama was the “presumptive nominee,” in a move so fast it reminded me of how when he quit the race in 2004, he dashed over and hugged John Kerry and shed his dignity in the process.  At least McCain waited a few years before hugging Bush…

So here’s Edwards, this time exhorting me to “Stop Senate Republicans from Blocking the Will of the American People.”  Yeah, right–because the Democratic Senate has been so strong against Republicans!

Memo to J.E.–please tell me what you think of Obama voting for the FISA bill…

The whole letter is pretty strident, with underlined statements like these:

But what truly frightens me–and should frighten you, too–are the 49 Republicans in the Senate who are already planning to stonewall Barack Obama and continue George Bush’s agenda even after he’s gone.

Oh, please!  Obama doesn’t need to be “stonewalled”–he’ll bend over for Republicans any day, as he showed with his rewrite of his nuclear safety bill at the behest of the GOP for the benefit of Exelon. And his vote for FISA already has HIM continuing the Bush agenda…

As Democrats…as Americans…you and I MUST take action to restore America…join me in supporting the DSCC in its mission to elect more Democrats to the Senate who will aggressively oppose the GOP’s agenda.

Yawn. Like who? Someone to join the bend-over Democrats we have now?  Don’t point to Tom Udall as an example yet, either–yeah, he sounds great on the environment, but he’s beholden to Big Pharma, so he’s not immune from being converted into Senatorial mush…

Then comes the clincher…

Having been on the receiving end of their tactics, I can tell you we should plan for the worst–and expect it, too.

Dear John, your own party and Obama have already given us the worst, as they’ve thrown democracy into the dumpster using many of the same tactics the GOP uses.  And the ‘havoc,” in many cases, has been aided and abetted by your chums in the Senate.

A couple of months ago a letter like this would have gotten me extremely upset, but since the rise of PUMA, at least I feel some support for my utter disgust at this sort of crap. This time, I was inspired to DO SOMETHING!

Instead of just withholding a donation (which is supposed to be tripled–didn’t Gore’s beg letter also talk about doubling or tripling the donation, too? I can’t quite recall which…), I went over to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and bought a collapsible pet carrier and brought it to the animal shelter, which is trying to become a no-kill facility and has put out a call for donations for things like leashes and carriers.

Afterwards, I felt wonderful.  Spiritually clean and joyful!  When I got home, I kissed my dogs and shredded the letter…which will become part of the piles of shredded paper that will go to the animal shelter for cage bedding.

At least this DSCC mailing will get used properly…

Related posts:

More Bilge from Obama–Another Empty Fundraising Letter (Which I Reflect Upon with Help from Charlie Chan) (UPDATE 1X) 7/8/08

Al Gore Can Stuff It…(Obama Endorsement) 6/16/08

Al Gore Resurfaces for the DSCC…(Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee) 6/3/08

GUTSY Elizabeth Edwards Not Part of Endorsement–Outshines Husband in “Courage of Convictions” Department (only a week after couple tells “People” they won’t endorse) (UPDATED)(UPDATE 2) 5/15/08

John Edwards, MAJOR Disappointment…NARAL/Obama Doesn’t Surprise Me, A Perfect Fit 5/14/08

Al Gore Resurfaces for the DSCC…(Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee)

The other day I was contemplating doing a post wondering what Al Gore was thinking about the Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting’s indefensible actions on May 31. My thoughts were that Gore must be reflecting on how his own party was disenfranchising voters, which probably be painful for him. I remembered his stirring speeches on the media and the Bush Administration’s trashing of the Constitution that he did in cooperation with MoveOn and felt he surely would disapprove just on an intellectual level as well.

Today I got a letter marked with “Vice President Al Gore” at the top left. Inside, with the same title on the letterhead, was a two-page missive detailing the horrors of the Bush Administration. There was also a little brochure: