A plea to all the candidates

[question everything]

Please stay in the race until after "Super Duper Tuesday" February 5th.

No matter who wins Iowa and/or New Hampshire, many states moved their dates forward so that more citizens will have a vote.

Iowa and New Hampshire are not a good sample of the voting population, even though they provide a forum for candidates to express their platforms.

There are only 33 days between the Iowa Caucus and the "Super Duper Tuesday."

You don't have to spend money or to actively campaign in all the states. You probably cannot, unless you are Clinton or Obama (or Romney).

But, please, let as many voters as possible vote before you decide to drop out. Who knows? You may be surprised.

Please?

[question everything]

1. self kick (nt)

[Nutmegger]

2. That sunk fast ...

R&K

[question everything]

3. Yes, was hoping for more reactions

positive and negative..

[K Gardner]

4. I'm praying for the same thing. We need ALL these wonderful candidates to stay in..

to give the American people a REAL choice, not just who the MSM decides to harp about. Most of us in the "outlying" regions, i.e., EVERYWHERE but IA and NH, hear absolutely nothing about the entire field. There is no coverage, no visits, nada. It is unfair, it is undemocratic. Excellent post ! K&R

[question everything]

5. And if the winner of IA and/or NH

is not the final nominee, as happened in 1988 in both parties, perhaps we can finally move to a rotating primary system. OK, let IA and NH be the place for "Retail Politics," but let the candidates know that there are 48 more states in the Union.

[question everything]

6. and one more kick (nt)

[AuntPatsy]

7. I hope they all stay in the race myself., Regardless of who likes who

in the Democratic race in Du we still have the best possible group out there right now with exception of Feingold not being one of them compared to the absolute nut cases that are representing the repugs these days, wow, if I were them I would be so embarrassed, its no wonder we have some of them coming on DU to start wars about our candidates, in some ways I feel sorry for some of the republicans today, it must be heart wrenching to know you've aligned yourself with such losers...

Stop bashing our Dems in mean spirited ways, chastise them in good taste and in intelligent ways, not really very hard to do, be proud Du, I am, I seriously am of our candidates, all of them, its okay to state "facts" about what a candidate does or says even if it doesn't make them look perfect, but can we at least attempt to be more honest when doing so can we refrain from middle school gossip unless of course it is about a repub whom are more than deserving of such treatment?

Can we refrain from giving snippets of something one of our candidates said just to make them look bad without giving the whole story?

Can we have some sincerity back in our lives, some honesty, some fact checking before spouting off second hand gossip? Such has been taken away from us for far too long, lets demand we ourselves act accordingly here at DU, lets act the same way we wish those representing us to act, with grace, with dignity and with true compassion for all our candidates that is obviously what is needed to ensure the change we so desire, how can we demand our candidates quit acting like third grade bullies if we continue to act in the same manner with each other?

Okay, end of sermon....

[question everything]

10. And an honest sermon it is

Personally, I stay away from threads that are aimed at bashing other candidates.

I shudder to think that, once we do have our nominee, that all the Republican party will have to do is use material from these pages.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

8. That's an excellent appeal

[asdjrocky]

9. I'm with you.

I'd love to see the Ca primary mean something for a change.

[question everything]

22. And I think that Edwards can really benefit from staying

The "common wisdom" says that if Edwards does not win Iowa he is done. Yet, I think that he has many supporters in CA.

Of course, nothing is more disheartening than spending a whole evening caucusing, having your candidate wins your caucus and the one next door (a different classroom at a school) and to hear, on the news as you drive home, that your candidates quit - as happened to me with Edwards in 2004..

[gateley]

11. We need to ask THEM to hang in there. Great idea -- thank you. Rec!

[question everything]

12. Since THEY have so many operatives on DU

I am hoping that some of this will find them... though with the scant comments on this I am starting to have doubt... sigh.

[gateley]

13. Well I'm going to write to MY candidate and put forth this plea and reasoning.

I'll ask other Bidenites to do the same, and I hope other supporters write to their candidates as well.

[blondeatlast]

16. I'm going to write for all the second tier ones.

Minus the top two, we have a really, really quality field, IMHO, and I want to see one of the second tier come out strongly.

Right now, I'm liking your guy, Edwards, and Richardson a LOT and I really am having a tough time pinning it down to one.

[gateley]

17. That's a great idea! nt

[blondeatlast]

14. Absolutely, totally, unquestioningly, 100% AGREE. We have some outstanding

second tier candidates (which is why I'm undecided), I'd like at least one of them to have a fighting chance.

K&R.

[blondeatlast]

15. Damn--too late to recommend. I'll kick this one as long as possible, though. nt

[Mark Twain Girl]

18. Absolutely agreed! nt

[blondeatlast]

19. I posted a link in GD for this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2409958

Let's keep both of these threads up top, gang.

[blondeatlast]

20. An idea worthy of much more attention.

:kick:

[rucky]

21. Iowa will be close enough among the top 5

to keep Obama, Hillary, Edwards, Biden and Richardson in the race. Kucinich will stay in regardless.

Super tuesday is split by state.

I think this is going to be a tight 3-way race until the end. I'm just not sure which three.