...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Tuesday, February 10, 2004
      ( 5:21 PM )
 
Plea to the Candidates

[An Open Letter from the Mama]

Dear Gen. Clark, Sen. Edwards and Gov. Dean:

Please, please, PLEASE do not drop out of the race after this week or next week! No matter how you do in the primaries these two weeks, please do not drop out, no matter what the "conventional wisdom" or the pundits on tv say. Well, Gen. Clark, you can drop out if you feel you have to, but don't feel pressured. You should work together to burn up delegate votes from Kerry. Dean supporters, vote for Edwards in the south. Edwards supporters, vote for Dean in Wisconsin. Don't let Kerry walk away with massive leads in all these primaries because you had to split the leftovers. Split the leftovers later. Your voices will be stronger towards the end of the process if you can stay in this race. And this race NEEDS your voices. Don't let this be decided for Kerry before 75% of the voters in the party have even had a chance to cast their vote.

Last week in Washington, we know from personal experience that in the caucuses we attended in support, 7 out of 8 precincts in one and 8 out of 10 in another all said they preferred Dean but felt they should go with Kerry because the party had already chosen him. This is no way to vote!! The primary season is where you're SUPPOSED to vote your first choice! We can't allow the problematic scheduling of the primaries or the fact that the media has already crowned Kerry to get in the way of the better candidates (you three).

I confess to preferring Gov. Dean over all, but would happily vote for any of you before I'd vote for Kerry. I know that most of the democratic party in their hearts feel this way, but yet they feel pressured to vote because they see the media portraying Kerry as the only one who can beat Bush. Any ONE of you can beat Bush! Please stay in the race. Make this a contest worth winning. Challenge Kerry to the end and keep your voices in the process until and through the convention.

Just one voter's plea for a contest that actually means something. Do what you came to do. Stay in the race. Please.

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