An open letter to Senators Clinton and Obama, and Candidate John Edwards:
Congratulations to all of you on your stellar careers! It is truly exciting to see a woman, a person of color, and a man who dares to speak of poverty as the three top contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination. Perhaps in the next election I will see this country returned to the values that I, and a majority of Americans, hold dear: compassion, fiscal health, environmental health, health care and quality of our lives, and America standing as a beacon for international stability, for a start!
However, we have not yet won. I believe we will, if we can convince swing voters of the truth: that we have the best interest of all Americans at heart. With that in mind, I have a radical proposal that I hope you will all consider very carefully:
I beg of you to completely refrain from any negative statements or ads about each other in the coming campaign. You read that right: completely refrain.
Although I'm pretty sure that my political preferences are more progressive than those of any of you, any of you would be better than a Republican. I don't think I need to remind you that the survival of the human species depends on environmental choices in the next five years which the Republican party has shown no interest in making.
I suggest using that as a touchstone: all three of you will be more powerful than any of you alone in swaying popular taste to supporting democratic ideas. Let's work together to say, "It doesn't matter to us which one of us you vote for. What we need is for any one of us to be elected. American needs a Democratic President. We all have varying strengths and resumes which you can see on our websites. But we all believe in each other's abilities to be the next great president, and we trust America to vote for the Democrat that they feel best about."
I ask you to ask yourselves, which would you prefer? Your Democratic opponent as president, or a Republican?
Please, let's use our collective campaign money to change the world, together. Put the good of the country ahead of your individual careers, and leave the name-calling against Democrats to Republicans. I believe that a united, positive front will do a great deal to court voters, and that a negative one will push them away, which we cannot afford. I beg you to test my theory. The fate of our civilization lies in your hands.
Sincerely,
Lythande