The Candidate's Wife

[m berst]

I fully believe that had people had the opportunity to speak directly with a candidate's wife 35 years ago - say Ethel Kennedy - that no matter now much admiration they had for Robert Kennedy or Ethel, that 90% of the messages would have been hard-hitting and tough with a sense of urgency. Hero worship and adulation would have been saved for oh, say, the Beatles.

Robert Kennedy went to the people, whether it was on 12th Street in Detroit or in the coal mines of West Virginia, he didn;t expect the people to come to him nor to put him on a pedestal like an entertainment figure. He earned admiration by his courage.

Certainly the Kennedy's had celebrity qualities, but not to the degree that these took precedence over the people's needs. The people are hurting in this country like never in recent memory.

Have we become mere consumers of mass media culture and celebrity worshippers so that we no longer recognize and understand what true leadership is and what our response to it should be?

[crispini]

1. Is this a slam on the DU response to Elizabeth Edwards' dropping by?

Methinks it is.

Hey, everybody's just being nice and polite and welcoming her to our "cyber-home." And she just got diagnosed with CANCER for pete's sake. People would like to express their sympathy.

There is nothing wrong with saying "Hello" and making some polite chitchat with someone in the first five minutes of meeting them. That's what those 700 posts were about.

[m berst]

2. understood

Just asking the question. I was careful not to criticize DUers nor Elizabeth Edwards. That was intentional, out of respect, and not a sly way to imply criticism without saying it out loud.

[crispini]

3. Hokay chief.

:shrug:

[m berst]

4. I think it is great actually

Glad to see that she joined us. Anything that brings the people and their representatives closer together has to a good thing.