Edwards' Astroturf

Looking for a fun new way to show your support for John Edwards? Try his website, which now features a clever tool allowing visitors to send off a quick "letter to the editor" to their local newspaper praising Edwards' health care plan. The process is known as "astroturfing," as it attempts to artificially create the appearance of a groundswell of grassroots support. Check it out [here](http://johnedwards.com/r/5955/806494 ).

In a mass e-mail issued by Edwards' wife Elizabeth, she urges supporters to tell their own personal stories in their letters. But if you can't think of anything, they have provided some helpful "talking points" to make sure the letter stays on message.

Larger newspapers with bigger staffs tend to have no problem weeding these letters out. But smaller newspapers, like the many weeklies listed on Edwards' website, tend to not have the appropriate staffing levels to keep pre-generated letters out of the opinion page. Look to your local paper to see just how effective (or uneffective) this effort from Edwards is in the upcoming weeks.