When John and Elizabeth Edwards announced that her cancer had returned, I felt compassion for them. Now it appears they were banking on that, literally.
Visitors to the Edwards site who choose to “send a note to Elizabeth and John” are first taken to a heartfelt letter from the candidate that was written the day after he learned that his wife’s cancer had returned. Edwards thanks readers for their “prayers and wishes,” vows that he and Elizabeth will “keep a positive attitude always look for the silver lining” and declares that “our campaign goes on and it goes on strongly.”
Anyone who then chooses to send a note of sympathy to the Edwardses — and, thus, provide his or her e-mail address — automatically becomes part of the Edwards campaign’s online e-mail database, a list that is crucial to any campaign’s ability to raise vast amounts of money over the Internet.
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“John, Elizabeth and you have created something incredible together. Our grassroots campaign for change is raising the bar for what leadership means in America — and it’s strong enough to win,” Bonior wrote.
So, not only was the press conference their way of putting the “no longer touchable” Elizabeth in the forefront of the stem cell debate, but it also served as a financial catalyst for his campaign.
During the press conference, John Edwards said they weren’t looking for sypathy. It’s obvious now that what he was looking for was another ambulance to chase, even if his own wife was riding in it.
