Edwards racks up more endorsements

Showing his labor strength, this week John Edwards has received the endorsements of UNITE-HERE Midwest and the Nevada Communications Workers of America. And just yesterday, longtime activist and singer Harry Belafonte announced his support for John Edwards too! Belafonte was a close friend of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Like Robeson and other African-American entertainers, Belafonte's success in the arts did not protect him from racial discrimination, particularly in the South of the United States. As a result, he refused to perform in the South of the U.S. from 1954 until 1961. In 1960, President John F. Kennedy named Belafonte as cultural advisor to the Peace Corps. Belafonte was an early supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and one of Martin Luther King's confidants. He provided for King's family, since King made only $8,000 a year as a preacher. Like many civil rights activists, he was blacklisted during the McCarthy era. He bailed King out of the Birmingham City Jail and raised thousands of dollars to release other imprisoned civil rights protesters. He financed the Freedom Rides, supported voter registration drives, and helped to organize the March on Washington in 1963.

Here's the news video of his endorsement.



And now today, Edwards picked up the endorsement of the Valley Daily News, a small daily in rural Shenandoah, Iowa. This shows that Edwards has appeal in the rural areas of the country.

There are many reasons why we're supporting John Edwards as the Democratic nominee for President - not the least of which is his proven ability to unite voters from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Unlike his Democratic challengers, Edwards' support doesn't come from a single demographic, but rather from all demographics.

Simply put, he represents the best of what this country has to offer.

If given the opportunity, we believe the former senator from North Carolina will work tirelessly to fight for the little guy as he has done for the past 30 years.

As the only Democratic candidate with rural roots, Edwards knows first hand about the daily trials and tribulations of the working poor. As a result of his upbringing, he has by far the most specific, most progressive and most far-reaching ideas to improve our nation.

And remember, this week began with Edwards getting the endorsement of Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01), a freshman Democrat who was one of the 30 Democrats that helped us win back the House last November. Braley is the first Democrat to represent that seat in almost 30 years. You may remember Braley as the one who did such an awesome job grilling Lurita Doan back in March for misconduct at the General Services Administration, for politicizing the non-partisan office into helping elect Republicans for 2008. Of course, Braley is also a trial lawyer, so he knew what he was doing when asking those questions. :-) Here is the video of her testimony that made her look as bad as Alberto Gonzales did under testimony.