Mark Halperin : John Edwards Thinks Barack Obama Is "Kind Of A Pussy"

[DemocratSinceBirth]

HALPERIN : I can tell you, he's really skeptical of her ability to be the kind of president he wants. But, he kinda thinks Obama is...he thinks Obama is kind of a pussy...He has real questions about Obama's toughness, his readiness for the office.

http://thephoenix.com/MediaLog/PermaLink.aspx?guid=7bc50b07-ec45-44c2-8816-edf18144313c


What is wrong with clowns like him and Shuster?... There is nothing worse than a bunch of white bread guys trying to sound hip or thug...

[maximusveritas]

1. Just to be clear, Edwards never said this

Halperin just made it up.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. Halperin And Shuster Are Total Idiots

They are not a bunch of guys shooting the shit at a local watering hole and should not conduct themselves as such...

[Big Blue Marble]

Halperin is not an idiot per se.

I understand that he is something of a FOB and a Hillshill.

This was intentional. And the number of times it has been posted here this afternoon
is suspect. This is at least the third thread on this sexist statement.

Where is the Hillary supporter's outrage now?

[DURHAM D]

39. "FOB and a Hillshill" - You just made that up. Lie much? eom

[jackson_dem]

2. So does Joe Wilson

-snip-

But will Mr. Obama fight? His brief time on the national scene gives little comfort. Consider a February 2006 exchange of letters with Mr. McCain on the subject of ethics reform. The wrathful Mr. McCain accused Mr. Obama of being "disingenuous," to which Mr. Obama meekly replied, "The fact that you have now questioned my sincerity and my desire to put aside politics for the public interest is regrettable but does not in any way diminish my deep respect for you." Then one of McCain's aides said of Obama, "Obama wouldn't know the difference between an RPG and a bong."

Mr. McCain was insultingly dismissive but successful in intimidating his inexperienced colleague. Thus, in his one face-to-face encounter with Mr. McCain, Mr. Obama failed to stand his ground.

What gives us confidence Mr. Obama will be stronger the next time he faces Mr. McCain, a seasoned political fighter with extensive national security credentials? Even more important, what special disadvantages does Mr. Obama carry into this contest on questions of national security?

[rodeodance]

24. :-) (without using that word)

[VotesForWomen]

40. yes; how halperin said it is the main problem, IMO. nt

[satireV]

36. This is a very important point

It does appear Obama may be too weak to even respond to the reporter who called him a pussy.

These are the attacks that cannot be ignored.

[cjmastaw]

3. Well, Obama is still in it.

And edwards said he was in it all the way... that kind of makes him the p@@@y.

[Tarheel_Dem]

16. excellent point!

and I say that as a former Edwards supporter. Granted this is Halperin's characterization, but John should know that he may run the risk of becoming totally irrelevant to this process if he endorses the "establishment" candidate.

I spoke with quite a few people here in red state NC, and a good number of people said they were turned off by john's "fighting" references. I'm all for a good fight, but at some point we have to work together to get anything accomplished. I think Obama is that person.

[karynnj]

33. Please leave Edwards out of this - attack Halperin, who is living up to

the ideals of the man, he wrote was our Edwards R Murrow, Matt Drudge. (Apologies to Murrow)

[beachmom]

4. Ironic, since even if true, this coming from someone who refused to

be an attack dog, the traditional role, as VP.

Agreed, that this type of language is inappropriate.

[ellacott]

14. I find that ironic also n/t

[Yael]

5. Yeah, that sounds JUST like Edwards' vernacular

Sorry -- he isn't that vulgar. Thanks for playing though!

[rodeodance]

25. its clear in the post that JE did not say that

[dave29]

7. oh, come on.

seriously.

[Sir Jeffrey]

8. IBTL nt

[Yael]

18. Do locked threads count against the 3?

[Sir Jeffrey]

21. I sure hope so nt

[Ian David]

9. Word-up!

"What is wrong with clowns like him and Shuster?... There is nothing worse than a bunch of white bread guys trying to sound hip or thug..."

[Lost-in-FL]

10. Just like the toughness Edward showed us in 2004?

The nerve...

[rodeodance]

28. Do you have a reading comprehension problem?

Just like the toughness Edward showed us in 2004?
Posted by Lost-in-FL


The nerve...

[Lost-in-FL]

37. I could read your post tho...

:blush:

[rodeodance]

50. add partial.

[saracat]

11. Edwards did NOT say this .Halprin did.

And I agree with Edwards about Obamas "lack of toughness" or "readiness for office".

[beachmom]

29. Oh, really? Please enlighten me as to Edwards's readiness for office?

Obama has more legislative experience -- 8 years in the state legislature and 3 in the U.S. Senate, known as a quick study on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in addition to his stellar work on ethics reform, immigration reform, and nuclear non-proliferation. Edwards had one term as senator (2 years of which he was absent), and then a perpetual presidential campaign, lasting 6 years. How one runs their campaign certainly can count as experience, but I am wondering how being a trial lawyer counts as more experience compared to being a community organizer, President of the Harvard Law Review, civil rights lawyer, lecturer at a top law school, and a state senator for 8 years.

Look, I have no quarrel with Edwards. He can endorse whom he wants, or not endorse anyone. I will not begrudge him his right to do that. But the idea that Obama is less ready for the WH than Edwards is quite laughable.

[karynnj]

41. I agree, also Richard Clarke thought Obama "got it" on national security

Last August, A very close friend of mine met Clarke at a wedding and commented on the excellent national security speech Obama gave a bit earlier that people said Clarke had worked with him on. Clarke spoke of how he was a quick study, asked the right questions and got it. On the SFRC, his questions are ususally very good followup questions on threads started by Kerry, Feingold, and Boxer. This is impressive as it is easier to read a prepared statement and prepared questions. (Something that HRC appears to often do on the armed services committee. ) That Senators Kerry and Kennedy are impressed with his ideas on foreign policy means a great deal to me.

I would guess that Clark and Lugar have had more contact with Obama, than Wilson, who was an ambassador when Clinton was in office (I think he was also one during the Bush 1 years.) Pay Back?

This was not an area of strength for Edwards, but in 2004, Kerry did not need someone with foreign policy expertize as he himself was strong in that area.

[Bicoastal]

12. I vote we send all Male pundits to charm school! Who's with me?

Prepare the bars of soap!

[tularetom]

13. Um edwards is the one who quit

Maybe he's a pussy

[BeyondGeography]

15. Halperin on Edwards: "A pussy beat me."

[Yossariant]

17. Don't know about the vernacular, but the sentiment is spot on.

:thumbsup:

[Big Blue Marble]

22. Then you concur with reporters making gross sexist statements.

Did you defend Shuster last week?

Did you call that vernacular. Gee, I must have missed your arguments in his defense.

And will you be you be agreeing with this sentiment in the fall here on DU?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

26. Shuster And Halperin =Idiots

I'm consistent...

[Yossariant]

42. Sissy? Momma's boy? Wuss? Wimp? Pantywaist? Cry baby? Chicken-livered? Jellyfish?

pussy:
Slang, A man regarded as weak, timid, or unmanly.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pussy

[Big Blue Marble]

43. Pussy is a gross sexist word that demeans women.

So are many of your other examples by the way.

Did you defend Shuster last week. Many here said that was just slang too.
I said it was gross. Did you?

[Captain Hilts]

19. Complain: [e-mail] I did. nt

[Guava Jelly]

20. For being "kind of a pussy"

He is holding up rather well in this process.

[FrenchieCat]

30. A "pussy" who was able to pass Ethics reform in the US senate in his first few years.....

To me, it is Barack who kicks ass...and it ain't based on how "mad" he can appear to get either!

Here's some detail on this pussy!
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/271/

[karynnj]

45. He had to stand against some of the most powerful Senators in the Democratic party to do that

Reid did not want real ethics reform - just as the Democrats took over and Schumer wanted the lobbyists' help in campaign fund raising. Obama outmaneuvered them on the latter and was with a small group of Democrats who wanted real reform (no HRC no included).

On lobbying: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/20/us/politics/20ethics.html?_r=2&scp=3&sq=Senate+ethics+bill&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
"Given the reliance of many lawmakers on lobbyists as fund-raisers, the idea of requiring them to disclose their roles usually meets stiff resistance on Capitol Hill — all of it behind the scenes and almost none of it in public. House passage is far from assured, and its adoption by the Senate by a roll-call vote of 96 to 2 followed some backroom resistance among senators in both parties to allowing the idea to come up for a vote at all.

The Republicans who controlled the Senate last year refused to let it come up. And on Jan. 12, before the details of the proposal had been disclosed, Senator Charles E. Schumer, the New York Democrat in charge of his party’s fund-raising as head of the senatorial campaign committee, used a run-in on the Senate floor to deliver an angry rebuke to the disclosure idea’s lead sponsor, Senator Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois, several people present or briefed on the confrontation said.

In a subsequent conversation, Mr. Schumer said he worried that the proposal could cramp fund-raising by placing an undue burden on potential bundlers, said aides who were briefed and a lawmaker familiar with their talk, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the nature of the talks.

“Senator Obama has not been the most popular person in our caucus in the last couple of weeks,” said a Democratic aide involved in deliberations over the bill. Mr. Obama also this week started a bid for his party’s presidential nomination.

(Aside - this took strength of character to do - especially when he had Presidential aspirations.)

On real reform: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/7/101110/2068
This is an excellent diary explaining some behind the scenes actions early 2007 when the ethics bill was worked on.

Can you give me a single example of when Edwards led on anything in the Senate that was tough and not wanted by powerful people in the Senate?

[karynnj]

46. Here's another example where he worked for a needed change

that would be more likely to lose than win him votes. It is also illustrative of how you can work with all the stakeholders - even those likely to want to fight it tooth and nail and stick to your principles and get something important done.

This explains how he got legislation passed that makes Illinois police tape interrogations. It is a very important piece of civil rights legislation. The victims of coerced confessions are not upper middle class people powerful in their communities.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/03/AR2008010303303.html

This took intelligence, determination and patience to achieve - and it really benefits those without a voice.

[shayes51]

23. But if he really did say this, wouldn't it be

blasphemy? Wouldn't he go to hell or something?

[Bicoastal]

32. Honestly, I'd lose some respect for him. I'd expect this sexist machismo from GWB,

not JE.

But I don't think he ever said or would say it. Flame away.

[Maddy McCall]

35. Edwards never said it.

He may have expressed sentiments of doubt about Obama, but he never called Obama a "Pussy."

[Thrill]

27. What has Edwards ever been tough about? Talk tough?

[karynnj]

31. He is the guy who said that Matt Drudge was our Edwards R Murrow

I seriously doubt Edwards was close enough to him that he would speak of such things - I also doubt that that is the way Edwards thinks or speaks.

If you read his book on 2004, you would see that he places very little value on the truth of items reported - just whether they worked. He even had about 4 pages praising Drudge and the Republicans for a story that took a routine $75 Kerry hair cut and turned it into a hit piece speaking of a $1000 hair styling and coloring, complete with completely made up quotes.

[beachmom]

34. Halperin is paraphrasing in very crude terms. But in the other

article Edwards was to have said that Obama was not "tough enough" for the election. See my thoughts on that upthread.

[karynnj]

48. I was giving Edwards the benefit of the doubt because I hadn't seen that

Obama has shown for strength and determination than I have ever seen from Edwards. Edwards may have been the weakest VP nominee in terms of fighting back that I have seen in my lifetime - only Leiberman gives him a run for his money.

[VotesForWomen]

38. insulting O and women at the same time; don't know what the strategy there is; trying to be a bad-bo

bad-boy i guess.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

44. "Obama is skinny but he's tough" (quote)

[OzarkDem]

47. Oh, don't start this again

I posted a version of this, then edited it. Have been busy all afternoon but came back and saw it caused a stir. Pls. let this one drop. Thanks.

[apnu]

49. he appologized already

Here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4578194&mesg_id=4578194

Still doesn't let him off the hook, IMO. Stupid thing to say.

[mtnsnake]

51. Maybe this is why Obama keeps telling everyone that he's skinny but he's tough.

He must have found out that Edwards thinks he's a pussy, so he's gotta push the "I'm skinny but I'm tough" rhetoric out there. lol

[Silent3]

52. Well, Hillary is kind of a... err, or has kind of a...

...oh, damn. I'm just digging myself in deeper. :evilgrin:

(I voted for Hillary in NH, so don't give me grief!)