Here at the EENR team, we realize that the key to getting progressive reforms enacted is a progressive Congress. To that end, we continue to seek out and endorse the best progressive candidates. We've taken a look at each of our endorsees on the issues, and believe that their platforms are compatible with the comprehensive progressive platform proposed by John Edwards in the presidential primary. For that reason, we call them Edwards Democrats, no matter who they may support now.

Tonight, EENR 4 Progress is proud to endorse Jerry Northington (also known on the blogs as possum) for Delaware's at-large district!

In one of those synchroncities that sometimes occur in life, shortly before I began to hear about the current unrest in Tibet, I had begun to read a book called The Essential Dalai Lama: His Important Teachings, edited by Rajiv Mehrotra and published by Penguin Books. The book is a compilation of essays and lectures on Buddhism by the Dalai Lama. It is a relatively thin book, under 300 pages, but I have yet to finish it a couple of weeks later, because each of the essays in the book is so full of meaning and deserving of further thought that I cannot read too much of it at once without stopping to absorb and ponder it.

On Monday, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law released its 2007 Congressional Poverty Scorecard. The President of the Center, John Bouman, noted that in states with the highest poverty rates, their congressional delegations tended to score the worst.

"Poverty is everywhere in America, but it is interesting that in states with the highest concentrations of poverty, the Congressional delegations seem least interested in supporting initiatives that fight poverty," said John Bouman, president of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, which released the study. "This appears deeper than simply opposing spending. A member could have opposed any of the measures we analyzed that called for new spending and still could have voted to support half of the poverty-fighting measures on our list."

Health care is a human right. In my own definition of the progressive movement, I count that as a basic progressive principle.

For various reasons, from my own personal perspective, it is simply unacceptable to settle for anything less than true universal health care. Some of those various reasons are my experiences with health care in the United States, as well as those of my friends and family, some of whom have serious or chronic conditions.

In tonight's EENR for Progress, we look at why we need universal health care, proposals for universal health care, and what progressives can do to achieve it.

As I write this, I realize that John Edwards met with Hillary Clinton on Thursday, and is meeting with Barack Obama today, so an endorsement may well be coming before I vote tomorrow. on Saturday, after her meeting with John Edwards, I know that Hillary Clinton had something very interesting to say:

"There is a lot John and I have in common. I will be a fighter, and I intend to ask John Edwards to be a part of anything I do in the White House."

As of this moment, I still plan to vote for John.                                      

Well, it seems like some people in the Obama camp may want to mislead you on this, so I want to let everyone know that John Edwards has endorsed NOBODY at this time.

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards did not endorse another candidate for president before today's Super Tuesday primaries despite an avid courtship by his former rivals, especially Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

You may have seen a misleading diary title here or there. If a story I heard from another blogger is correct, the Obama campaign may even be making fundraising calls and incorrectly telling Edwards supporters that Edwards has endorsed their candidate.

The fact remains that Edwards has endorsed NOBODY at this time.

I don't know when our party began to turn away from the cause of working people, from the fathers who were working three jobs literally just to pay the rent, mothers sending their kids to bed wrapped up in their clothes and in coats because they couldn't afford to pay for heat.

We know that our brothers and sisters have been bullied into believing that they can't organize and can't put a union in the workplace. Well, in this campaign, we didn't turn our heads. We looked them square in the eye and we said, "We see you, we hear you, and we are with you. And we will never forget you." And I have a feeling that if the leaders of our great Democratic Party continue to hear the voices of working people, a proud progressive will occupy the White House.

-John Edwards

I think we all know that tonight the real news is the South Carolina Democratic Primary, but while we await the results, we can hang out here and share other news of the day. Whatever happens tonight, we continue to fight to have the voice of the real change candidate heard over the media brownout and the plastic fantastic celebrity candidates.

At this time, CNN and MSNBC are already calling the SC race for Obama, just a few minutes after the polls closed, but they are saying it's a tight race for second place. 0 precincts are reporting, but this is based on exit polls.

By now, you may have heard about the letter that Martin Luther King III wrote to John Edwards earlier this month. Then again, perhaps you haven't. The media has not covered it much.

Here's my favorite part:

So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father’s words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.

My title made you look!

"...what I was trying to do was represent the grown-up wing of the Democratic Party last night."

-John Edwards to David Letterman, in reference to Monday night's Democratic debate.

That and so much more in tonight's Edwards Evening News.

John Edwards spoke today at the NAACP's King Day rally at the Dome on the grounds of the state Capitol in Columbia, South Carolina. He spoke passionately about the importance of speaking out for all the disenfranchised in our society. He emphasized that all of us are in this together, and that we can no longer stand silent in the face of oppression.

UPDATE: See letter to John Edwards from MLK III at the end of the diary.

For everyone who so generously contributed to the grassroots fundraising effort yesterday, David Bonior has a very nice thank you post on the Edwards blog.

He says Friday was one of their best fundraising days ever! Check beneath the fold for his message.

Today, John Edwards was greeted by what I would have to assume was a larger than usual crowd at one of his town halls -- 1500 people in Reno. After last night's debate performance, I guess some of them probably came out to see the man who is speaking truth to power, even though the media seems determined to silence him.

UPDATE: Video Link

Tonight's really big news is the Democratic debate tonight at 9 P.M. Eastern/6 P.M. Pacific on MSNBC. If you're like me and don't have cable, you can watch it here. Join us here for discussion!

This is going to be a very short diary, because I just want to give Edwards supporters on Daily Kos some excellent news.

The race for the Nevada caucus is in a statistical dead heat, according to a new poll.

A new poll by the Reno Gazette-Journal shows a neck-and-neck three-way race among Democrats for Saturday's caucus. On the Republican side, U.S. Sen. John McCain has taken his first lead in Nevada of the election season, and Mitt Romney, who has been working Nevada harder than any other Republican, is trailing in fourth place.

A look at the top line results (more will be posted later this morning):

Barack Obama: 32 percent
Hillary Clinton: 30 percent
John Edwards: 27 percent

There is a margin of error of 4.5 percent, putting Edwards within the margin of error - statistically tied with Obama and Clinton.

OK, John Kerry. It's time for a reckoning. Where's my money? Where's my Democratic president? And where's my country?

Let's review all the reasons why John Kerry was wrong and John Edwards was right in 2004, shall we?

I've been away from my home for three weeks. I was in New Hampshire helping the Edwards campaign, then I went to Michigan for Christmas, then I was in Iowa for the caucus. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of hard work. Sometimes it was an emotional roller coaster. Many things happened during that time, but through it all, one thing never changed: I will support John Edwards through the convention and beyond, no matter what.

Happy New Year to everyone! I'm in Iowa volunteering for the Edwards campaign. I had a memorable New Years Day, and this will be my photo and video essay. There won't be much text in this diary, because I don't have much time today. Enjoy the photos and videos.