Email of the Week (v7)

Thursday is 'Email of the Week' day, when I plow through a hundred or so emails from the handful of Democratic presidential candidates I'm following to see what's going on.

So, what was in my inbox? 116 emails from the candidates I'm following: Mayor Pete, Amy Klobuchar, That Guy From Vermont (TGFV), Elizabeth Warren, and Andrew Yang. I promised you I'd add Tom Steyer - and I did that, but just today. I also added both Deval Patrick and Mike Bloomberg. I can tell you that Steyer is now looking to get himself 250K donors so that he can be on stage in the February debate - I've seen a number of Facebook ads looking for just a dollar from me to help. 

Most of the emails were about the Iowa caucus, donations, and various fundraising deadlines (some met, some missed). We also learned of endorsements; Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren were both endorsed by the NY Times, and Klobuchar picked up the endorsement of the Quad-City Times.  Mayor Pete got a couple - former Obama Economic Advisors Council chair Austan Goolsbee, and actress Sharon Stone, who let us know that

Pete is a stark contrast to the typical Washington mindset that we're used to -- one full of anger and political warfare. He reminds me of why I became politically active as a young teen and fell so deeply in love with this democracy.

Elizabeth Warren let us know she'd gotten Megan Rapinoe's endorsement. Rapinoe, you'll recall, was the heroine of the USA women's World Cup championship. She's also a noted activist.

Every day, Megan is fighting for big, structural change, and we could not be more excited to welcome her on to Team Warren.

All of the candidates - with the customary exception of TGFV who has ignored all of the easy-peasy opportunities (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's) - sent messages commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. 

Andrew Yang spoke of King's championing of a "guaranteed income that would give those struggling a floor to stand on..." and of King's desire to eradicate poverty, noting

We are still fighting this fight. We are working to empower people to live their lives without scarcity, to be able to breathe easier, and to feel some relief from daily struggles.

Senator Klobuchar's message was simple and direct.

At a time of blistering rhetoric and divisiveness, I believe there is still more that unites us as Americans than divides us. We must heed the words of Dr. King, that we are all “tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."

Senator Warren said, in part, we honor "His struggles and his triumphs, his courage and his conviction." And, she said,

Dr. King was the heart and hope of the civil rights movement. His dream shocked the conscience of our nation and challenged us to live up to our highest ideals... As I've traveled the country on this campaign, I have seen first-hand the dream that Dr. King imagined so many years ago... 

And Mayor Pete noted, in the longest email, that

In 1967, Dr. King created the Poor People’s Campaign, calling on the country and the American people to bridge race, class, and faith to live up to the teaching: “I was hungry and you fed me. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.”  

And strange as it may seem right now, what I have seen in my life and my travels around this country fills me with hope. 

But the coveted Email of the Week goes to TGFV, who on MLK Day shared a vision not of the past, or of today, or next year, or even the year after that. Nope: he shared a utopian vision of four years from now.

Friends - 

Imagine four years from now. President Bernie Sanders - having passed Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and canceled all student debt - will be gearing up for a re-election campaign to continue our incredible progress transforming our country. 

Imagine college for all. Imagine health care guaranteed as a right. Imagine all that we can do for working people. It CAN happen. And when it does, we will look back to right now. 

Sixteen days from today is the Iowa caucus. If we win Iowa, it will set us up to do VERY well in the rest of the primaries, no matter what the corporate media and political establishment throw at us. Victory is in sight.

It starts with as many Bernie supporters as possible making a contribution to our campaign today. 

Can Bernie count on you for a $2.70 contribution to our campaign today? Every donation puts us on the path to a future with President Bernie Sanders.

Our donations we make to Bernie add up very quickly. All of sudden, it's ten more organizers, and then another day of advertising in a key state. And then we win - and get to the business of transforming our country.

Thanks for all you do for our campaign. 

I'm not sure I'm ready for utopia - his version, or anyone else's - but I guess you've got to give his team credit for putting this out there.

See you next week.