I'm writing to
you from New
Orleans, where
tomorrow I will
announce that I
am a candidate
for president of
the United
States.
I'm announcing
here because no
place better
demonstrates the
two Americas
I've talked
about for a long
time. But even
more important,
no place better
demonstrates the
power people
have when they
-- not
Washington --
take
responsibility
and take action
to build the
America we
believe in.
Click here to
watch a preview
on YouTube of
what I'm going
to talk about
tomorrow.
I'm running to
ask millions of
Americans to
take
responsibility
and take action
to change our
country and
ensure America's
greatness in the
21st century.
And I'm asking
you to play a
crucial role in
this campaign.
Last week I
asked if you
were ready to
take our effort
to change
America to the
next level.
Thousands of
letters have
come in, and the
answer was an
overwhelming yes
-- we're in this
together.
That's why I'm
asking you to
help spread the
word in your
area by holding
your own local
"Citizens'
Launch" event
tomorrow. It
just takes a few
minutes to set
up, and anyone
can do it.
We know what we
need to do.
Changing our
country means:
Providing moral
leadership in
the world --
starting with
Iraq, where we
should begin
drawing down
troops, not
escalating the
war
Strengthening
our middle class
and ending the
shame of poverty
Guaranteeing
health care for
every single
American
Leading the
fight against
global warming
Getting America
and the world to
break our
addiction to oil
That's not just
my vision –-
it's our vision.
And we can't
wait for the
next president
to take office
to begin
fundamentally
changing our
country.
And the truth
is, we don't
have to wait.
Since I left
Washington, I've
seen firsthand
the power that
ordinary people
have when we
work together.
We worked with
thousands of
volunteers to
raise the
minimum wage in
six states – and
we got it done.
We're making the
first year of
college free for
young people in
Greene County,
North Carolina.
And we've been
working from the
grassroots up to
organize workers
so they can
stand up for
their rights and
earn a decent
living.
And this week in
New Orleans,
I've been
working with
young people who
gave up part of
their Christmas
vacation to work
on rebuilding
and helping
those in need --
just like the
hundreds of
college students
who came here to
work with me
during their
Spring Break
earlier this
year.
This is the kind
of commitment to
solving our
problems that
I've seen time
and time again
over the last
two years – and
it reaffirms one
of the great
lessons of my
whole life. The
power of America
doesn't lie in
Washington; the
true power of
America is in
the people of
America.
That's why we're
getting ready to
launch a
campaign that
says to everyone
who wants to
take
responsibility
for our future:
we can't wait
until tomorrow.
We must act now.
Tomorrow begins
today.
Your friend,
John
P.S. Please
forward this
email or the
YouTube video to
your friends and
family and ask
them to join us.
P.P.S. And join
me Thursday for
an Online Town
Hall live from
Des Moines,
Iowa. Visit
JohnEdwards.com
to participate.
The event begins
at 6PM ET / 3PM
PT