NEWSFLASH: John Edwards is NOT a sleazeball

[PresidentObama]

He is, however, human.

He makes mistakes, and like all of us has lied when it seemed easy.

Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton made tragic mistakes in the past.

Where are all the threads where people are calling Ted Kennedy a sleazeball?

Where are all the threads where people are calling Bill Clinton a sleazeball?

They were both given a chance to make it right, and they did. Clinton and Kennedy are two of the top Democratic leaders in our parties long history.

Why won't some of you give Edwards the same chance?

He has an opportunity to do good, and he's got the energy and passion to push issues like poverty forward.

Granted most of the attacks on Edwards are from the same obsessive people who attacked him through the primaries, but still.

It's time to move on, and let Edwards get back to work for causes he (and we) believe in.

[blueclown]

1. John Edwards is a charlatan.

Maybe if he finds an accomplishment you can start comparing him to Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton. But until then, the comparison is absurd.

[PresidentObama]

4. So Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton get a free pass then? Hypocrisy n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. That's the funny thing, ain't it?

"John Edwards is a sleaze ball. God bless Bill Clinton."

:rofl:

[PresidentObama]

13. Edwards nor Clinton are sleazeballs, nor is Kennedy. That's my point. They make mistakes n/t

[blueclown]

9. We give Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton free passes because they have actually accomplished things.

John Edwards on the other hand... what has he accomplished for the Democratic cause other than talking a good game yet being unable to keep his dick in his pants?

[AlCzervik]

17. wait so if Edward's got shit done you'd overlook his indiscretions?

that's quite a principled stand you're taking there, better be careful, the stand looks a bit rickety.

[msallied]

176. We can forgive indescretions in politicians who actually do their jobs.

If they don't, then they're just empty suits who fuck around on their cancer-stricken wives.

[MadBadger]

18. He co-sponsored the IWR....

Isnt that an accomplishment?

[XemaSab]

151. Snap!

:o

[stevenleser]

238. It's a 'Snap' if you assume people hold IWR as the quintessential bogeyman

I am sure I will get attacked for this, but the reality is, with a non-criminal President, there is nothing wrong with the passage of the IWR. An honest President uses IWR as Dumbya did at first to pressure Iraq to get weapons inspectors into the country.

March 7, those inspectors issued reports saying "No Iraqi WMD found". An honest President at that point says "Oh, OK, we now know there is no threat" and that is the end of it. Because our pResident was Dumbya the criminal, IWR led to the Iraq war.

The question then becomes, if someone abuses something that you did and uses it to commit a crime, are you responsible. Does that necessarily mean the original thing was 'bad'?

I dont think the answer is necessarily in the affirmative. In the hands of almost any other President we have had, IWR turns out to be good policy.

[Drunken Irishman]

23. Nope, they don't.

But time heals all wounds and Clinton and Kennedy have had a chance to rehabilitate their careers. In ten years, I doubt our opinions TODAY of Edwards will be the same. However, for now, he's scum.

Just like Clinton was and Kennedy was.

[falcon97]

27. I think the comparison comes from their personal lives.

I was an Edwards supporter to start the primary season and then switched to Obama. I was very disappointed in Edwards when the news of his affair was confirmed. But, as a liberal Catholic, I believe in redemption. That makes me gullable at times, but I want to beleive that JE can make positive contributions going forward.

The most damning part was the timing, in relation to Elizabeth's health, IMHO.

[Occam Bandage]

2. What prompted this?

Full disclosure: I think Edwards is a sleazebag and have since 2004.

[PresidentObama]

6. The bitter attacks on him in another thread. n/t

[Occam Bandage]

10. Alright. Didn't catch that thread, so

this seemed kind of bizarre.

[PresidentObama]

16. Sorry, I should have linked to the thread n/t

[Occam Bandage]

54. No worries, looks like a carbon copy has spun up here.

[Yes We Did]

24. DESERVED attacks I would bet.

He is a sleazeball. He cheated on his dieing wife. That makes him a sleazeball in my book.

[NYCGirl]

3. So did he pay off his girlfriend with campaign money? NT

[AtomicKitten]

235. No questions! You must not deviate from OP's narrative lest you be called a hater.

doncha know

:hi:

[LittleClarkie]

267. If Kerry had cheated on Theresa, and then paid off the mistress with his supporters contributions

I would not fault those who were at the least peeved by such an event. That people reacted negatively to Edwards after his trouble should not get them labeled "hater" just as criticizing the war doesn't mean that any of us "hates" America.

[MadBadger]

5. My issue with Edwards is that I always thought he was a bit of a fake

And just when he was starting to make me forget about that view, the affair came out. It kind of confirmed by believe that he was a fake.

[Occam Bandage]

8. Same. The affair dd not convince me that he was a fraud,

it simply reinforced a belief that I have held since 2004.

[MadBadger]

11. Exactly

[PM Martin]

12. As you said.

Edwards is but an ambulance chaser.

[1corona4u]

79. Ditto.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

110. I didn't trust Edwards before it was cool not to trust him.

He was a weasel who was a corporatist before he conveniently remade himself into a populist. He threw both Clinton and Obama under the bus every chance he got during the primaries. He made me want to puke when he stood up at that debate claiming he was the "only adult here". No shit Sherlock, it's not hard to be calm when no one is paying attention to your ass.

Oh yeah, and he sucked in his 2004 debate against Cheney. How the FUCK does a seasoned trial attorney lose to a guy no one likes?

[Robeson]

113. "How the FUCK does a seasoned trial attorney...

...lose to a guy no one likes?"

:rofl: :rofl:

This thread is a riot.

[stevenleser]

241. Saying Edwards lost is revisionist History. All the polls afterwards said that he won.

As was everyone here at DU.

[Robeson]

261. All? Your post is revisionist history. ABC had Cheney winning.

...Both vice presidential candidates got some encouragement from post-debate polls. Cheney fared best in an ABC News poll of a Republican-leaning group of registered voters who watched the debate, with 43% giving Cheney the edge, while 35% said Edwards won.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-10-05-debate_x.htm

[Skittles]

111. I agree

there was always something about him that bothered me

[iris27]

192. Word.

I always liked his stance on the issues best of all the candidates, but couldn't get over the inexplicable "used car salesman" vibe he always seemed to give off.

The affair coming out was a big ol' MYTH CONFIRMED for me.

[Fabio]

202. completely agree

[Clio the Leo]

14. Um yeah .... he still cheated on his wife.

Great leader yes ..... great husband .... not so much.

[WinkyDink]

15. I think a dying wife, a baby, and continual lies might enter into the fray.

[PresidentObama]

19. The baby has NEVER been proven as his. Her cancer was in remission. Lying isn't helpful n/t

[MadBadger]

22. How bout he is a sleazeball for running at all with this kind of story in his past

If he had gotten the nomination and this came out, he would have been done, and so would we. All our causes would have gone down the drain with a McCain presidency

[PresidentObama]

25. Not really. Was Obama done after Rezko, Wright or Ayers? NO.

[NYCGirl]

30. And you think that those examples are the same? You do have a problem then.

[PresidentObama]

34. Excuse me? n/t

[MadBadger]

32. Can you really not see how an affair and possible child is different in this country?

[PresidentObama]

38. Possible child? Prove it n/t

[MadBadger]

43. Possible means I dont have to prove it

If I had said it was his child, then I would. SOme people say it is, so I said possible. But lets take that part out, and address what I actually said next time.

[progressoid]

213. Some people say it's possible he ATE that child too.

Innuendo and out the other. :eyes:

[Occam Bandage]

49. We can't, because the mother refuses a test.

And I'm sure that has nothing to do with the fact that Edwards' campaign finance director has been writing checks to her and her husband for an undisclosed purpose.

[PresidentObama]

65. Well that's not Edwards fault, is it? He offered.

[jenmito]

74. Sorry to butt into this conversation, but MY guess is he offered knowing the woman would refuse. n/t

[PresidentObama]

77. You're assuming, and you're more than welcome to butt in jenmito :)

[jenmito]

87. Thanks for the 2nd part. Of COURSE I'm assuming but it seems like a pretty safe assumption

if you ask ME and many others. :)

[PresidentObama]

89. Well, thank you for your input and opinion n/t

[mopinko]

161. like any good trial attorney would do.

sorta like- don't ask the question if you don't know the answer.

[Edith Ann]

230. Paternity Test

I agree.

[Occam Bandage]

84. We have no idea if the offer was legitimate.

It seems to me--and I am aware that this is purely speculation, so do not take it as anything but--that the checks were written as hush money, and that his offer was a pure PR move that was made with the agreement that Rielle would deny the test.

[PresidentObama]

91. Not to cherry pick your post, but as you said it's "purely speculation" on your part.

[Occam Bandage]

98. It is. There is no proof, and yet there is no proof against.

We therefore are left to simply speculate, and decide how to weight the players, motives and evidence for ourselves.

[PresidentObama]

101. You're correct n/t

[Tinksrival]

138. I think the best way to defend Edwards is to not even try!

This is Edwards daughter......

...

[cali]

64. lol. and you have the nerve to attack other people for their opinions of JE?

Using Ayers and Wright is totally freeper like. There was absolutely NOTHING wrong with his association with either. He did demonstrate a lack of judgment with Rezco, but it's hardly the same as running for president with a secret that was bound to come out and bound to doom him had he been the nominee- and doom all of us. Not mention that cheating on a terminally ill wife in the public spotlight is disgusting behavior.

[PresidentObama]

70. I'm not "using" Ayers or Wright, smartass. I'm using them as examples.

Read, it helps.

[cali]

86. that's what's commonly known as a distinction without a difference, genius

also known as splitting hairs or

utter bullshit.

[Renew Deal]

82. lol, you must miss the good old days

:nuke:


:rofl:

[MadBadger]

88. I miss them

:-(

[JuniperLea]

146. Obama didn't screw around on his dying wife either...

Get a clue.

[karynnj]

158. Did you mean to post that i your FR window?

Obama sat for 4 hours with the board of the Chicago Tribune, w very Republican paper, and went through every detail of his relationship with Rezko - and they agreed that there was nothing that disqualified him - and he became the first Democrat they ever endorsed - and they've been around at least 150 years.

Wright was the pastor of his church - at the very worst he listened to things that were not good.

Ayres is currently a well reputed professor of education, funded by people like Annanberg, who has been consulted by people like the current Mayor Daley.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edwards may have had few political options after the election - after this it might be nothing.

[LisaM]

45. Which explains why he folded so quickly. He saw the writing on the wall.

I do applaud him for his message on poverty. I believe in his "Two Americas" theme. It resonates with me. I also note that in January 2007, HE was the candidate running on the economy, which proved, in the long run, to be the pivotal issue this campaign.

[Catsbrains]

272. Word.

[WinkyDink]

36. Please. AS IF he'd go visit and hold "Andrew Young's baby" at 3:00 a.m. in some hotel.

And your excuse about E's cancer is REEEEEALLY stretching decency.

[PresidentObama]

40. He visited Hunter n/t

[WinkyDink]

47. Whatever. The kid looks just like him. Truth will out.

[PresidentObama]

53. "The kid looks just like him" Wow, what damning evidence you have *rolls eyes*

Put down your National Enquirer, and get real.

Are they still saying that the Clintons are aliens?

[WinkyDink]

152. First of all, if you're going to insult the NE, get your stories straight: No aliens therein.

Secondly, you are insisting that, without the irrefutable DNA evidence I and a host of others are incapable of getting---because of Rielle's baffling refusal to get the testing---we cannot opine strongly on this issue.

You would be incorrect. And you are taking this Edwards matter WAY too personally. *Rolls eyes in return*

[Medusa]

164. The kid looks like him

sorry but cheating on a dying wife and then lying about a kid makes you even more of a rat bastard.

[JI7]

170. the baby looks very much like him

especially when you look at the eyes and eyebrow area.

[Yukari Yakumo]

211. The baby has also NEVER proven NOT to be his too.

Which lead me to thinking...

Why stonewall on taking a simple test that would prove he did not father the baby?

He had plenty of time and opportunity to do it.

So, there is only one truth here;

He refuses to take the test, because it would prove the baby is his!

If he had any doubts, he would have taken the test at the earliest opportunity.

[stevenleser]

250. It hasn't been proven not to be mine either...

:-)

[northernlights]

258. remission is not cure

remission is cancer lying in wait for eough stress to make a comeback.

Edwards created that stress. His shitty behavior to Elizabeth, who very possibly got cancer as a result of giving him those last 2 children way past her child-bearing years, aside from being a rotten thing to do, may well be the cause of her shortened life.

[Pisces]

20. He is a fucking idiot that could have cost us the election. As well as he cheated on a dying woman!

Sleazeball is the nicest term I would use for this loser!!!

[Bleacher Creature]

28. What she said. n/t

[SlowDownFast]

112. Yup.

And to think I voted for him in the primaries...

:grr:

[zulchzulu]

21. I personally never believed Edwards' rhetoric

Whether he's a nice guy or whatever is open to discussion... I remember first seeing him up close in November 2003 in Iowa at the Jefferson-Jackson gathering in Des Moines, Iowa and there was something about him that I thought was awry.

Whatever... I wish he and his family well.

[SurfingAtWork]

26. Here is why I harbor animocity. Had he been the nominee, he would have cost us the election

He knew that he had this, but he ran in the primaries anyways

[Occam Bandage]

35. Well, the same could be said about Kucinich...

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

125. Yeah, But John At Least Had A Modicum Of A Chance Of Winning.

Kooky Kucinich? Yeah, not so much.

[SoxFan]

143. Kucinich was less viable than my cat

Edwards was the 2004 VP nominee, had a solid amount of congressional and union endorsements, and was a proven fundraiser.

His actions were rash, selfish, and, yes, sleazy.

[karynnj]

160. Not quite - he had few Congressional endorsements

and he was less good at fund raising than Obama nand HRC.

[file83]

226. BzZZT!! Wrong answer. Kucinich isn't holding skeletons in the closet - Edwards was.

Go directly to jail.
Do NOT pass GO.
Do NOT collect $200.

[Parche]

29. i agree

we all make mistakes

look at rush with oxycotin....well maybe that wasnt a mistake
:rofl: :hi:

[susanwy]

31. GIve it time

After all, it took Kennedy many years to gain the stature he has now and many STILL think Clinton is a sleaze, despite all he has done as an ex-prez. Edwards will recover. I think now is the time to work behind th scenes and help his wife make what ever contribution she can with the time she has left, and make sure he can take care of his young children. I agree with you, he is human and made a tragic mistake, that like all mistakes of this nature, should be between he and his wife. But, this does not mean he is a sleaze that will never have anything positive to contribute to the war on poverty. In fact, I admire him for being the ONLY candidate in the last election cycle to even mention the poor.

[DU GrovelBot]

33. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

==================
GROVELBOT.EXE v4.1
==================



This week is our fourth quarter 2008 fund drive. Democratic Underground is
a completely independent website. We depend on donations from our members
to cover our costs. Please take a moment to donate! Thank you!

[Occam Bandage]

37. NEWSFLASH: Grovelbot is NOT a sleazeball.

[PresidentObama]

42. Yes he is, I knew he was since 2004 :P

[NYCGirl]

44. Hmmm...the other day I saw a little teeny toaster that looked a lot like Grovelbot.

I hear he's been around.




:evilgrin:

[mrreowwr_kittty]

120. ROFLMAO!! DUzy!!

:spray:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

197. It produced a piece of toast with Edwards face burned into it.

Currently bid @ $12.00 on EBay.

[AlCzervik]

52. you can actually put grovelbot on ignore, he has a habit of showing up at unfortunate

moments. Someone was grieving the loss of their grandparent and up popped Grovelbot.

[PresidentObama]

56. Oh my god, are you serious? That's horrible.

Damn Grovelbot :(

[Occam Bandage]

58. Looks like you were right about him. nt

[AlCzervik]

61. i wish i were kidding but i'm not.

[PresidentObama]

68. I would contact the DU staff about that. I get the point of grovelbot, but that's inappropriate.

[AlCzervik]

69. i did, i don't know if there is much they can do about it.

[JI7]

184. doesn't he automatically show up when threads reach a certain number of posts ?

[WildEyedLiberal]

39. Sorry, cheating on your terminally ill wife makes you a sleazeball

Newt Gingerich was a sleazeball when he did it, too. Sleaziness knows no party lines, and I'm not going to overlook disgusting behavior just because someone has a D behind their name.

[Samantha]

171. Yep, that's the problem

It is truly the most unforgivable political sin when you add the hypocrisy to the mix. People understand a sexual mistake if one apologizes, but to compound that mistake by lying, well, ....

And now some do categorize him with Newt, who served his wife with divorce papers while she was in the hospital being treated for cancer. It was truly unforgivable. He had said she was too old and too ugly to be the First Lady ... but, of course, he was nice enough looking to serve as President. :eyes:

Edwards situation is compounded by the length of time of the deception and the number of occasions. He not only betrayed his wife and children with this affair, but he misrepresented himself during the campaign as being a total family man. Right. He used his relationship with his family as nothing more than a political tool.

I hope one day to be able to see this differently, because I truly admired this message -- but not today and not tomorrow. I hope Elizabeth does. What is the situation with the two of them now?


Sam

[NCarolinawoman]

203. He is living on Figure Eight Island, NC. Elizabeth lives in

their home near Chapel Hill. The Figure Eight Island home--they have owned for years. It is in a gated community off the coast. When Al Gore was VP, he would vacation in the area.

On the local news about a month ago, Elizabeth was asked how her husband was doing. She kind of shrugged and said that she got a google alert that he would be speaking somewhere in Indiana in November.

So I guess one can draw their own conclusions from this. Perhaps in time, their situation will improve.

[AspenRose]

204. .

:-(

[WinkyDink]

270. THAT tells me it's his child. I think an affair-only would be forgiven. Unless JE "just can't quit"

Rielle.

[mnhtnbb]

279. I'm glad to hear she threw him out. I was such a Deaniac in 2003-- I didn't

support Edwards in 04. Surprised myself by supporting him this time around. Should have paid more attention to my instincts.

[cali]

41. he's not only sleazy, he's a self- serving, monumentally egotistical

phony, who's done practically nothing for the poor and disenfranchised, and has actually done more that hurt that population.

He's contemptible- though not just because he fucked around.

[PresidentObama]

46. As someone who obsessively attacked him, we know where you stand.

What's new?

[cali]

72. and you obsessively attacked obama, and then you supported him and

then you didn't. and then you did again.

loony stuff.

[PresidentObama]

73. You're not smart. I opposed him in the primaries, there is a difference.

You never stopped bashing Edwards.

[cali]

76. bwahahaha. yeah, right. and sorry, I don't stupidly start threads about

Edwards or the primary. starting this thread was boneheaded.

[PresidentObama]

80. I'm sorry I don't go to you about what threads I get to post.

Your posts are boneheaded. We're even.

[Occam Bandage]

92. Starting this thread was a bit like

painting a bullseye on your window and telling the neighbor kids, "Hey, I bet you can't throw a rock through this!"

[PresidentObama]

95. I feel strongly about the Edwards issue, so I posted this.

Cali doesn't get to choose what I post.

He/she is just another obsessive Edwards poster.

[Forkboy]

129. It's about the only thing you don't start threads about.

:hide:

[rvablue]

104. Don't know if Cali did or not, but I never attacked Edwards or Obama or anyone

as I signed up for DU after the primary is over.

Obviously, you really admired Edwards and his efforts.
There is nothing wrong with that.

But he could have cost us the White House had his message won over the majority of Dems and then we would have lost the White House because of him not being honest with himself, his family and all of us.

That is the point people are trying to make. And I don't think there's much to argue with there.

WE. WOULD. HAVE. LOST. IF. EDWARDS. WERE. THE. NOMINEE. PERIOD.

[democrat2thecore]

48. It's part of a pattern

It's not just doing stupid things during the campaign and lying about it to your contributors, volunteers and campaign staff. Put in perspective, the whole John Edwards affair is part of a larger pattern of deceit and opportunism. Without going into all the details, just remember how many votes he "regretted" on the campaign trail. He voted as a corporate Democrat in the U.S. Senate and ran as an anti-poverty, populist crusader. He put Elizabeth front and center in his campaign to "highlight" her bravery in fighting against cancer - while cheating. Somebody above used the term "charlatan" and I'm afraid that's not too far off. I "regret" having to admit it.

[grantcart]

50. Edwards continued his quest for the Presidency knowing that

his wife was dealing with a fatal disease and that there was a high likelihood that his affair would become public.



The following is entirely possible


Obama stumbles and Edwards becomes the dominant Clinton alternative. Edwards gets the nomination and before the election his affair is exposed and he loses the election.

McCain gets the nomination and shortly after his election suffers a stroke and whoever his Vice President selection is becomes the President.

Edwards is absolutely reckless and completely delusional about the game he was playing. Its not a question of morality but a question of self awareness.


Since this thread didn't go the way you wanted, like the other one, are you going to start another?

[PresidentObama]

60. I expect better of you, grantcart n/t

[democrat2thecore]

67. You're in self-denial. Most of us would expect better from YOU -nt

[PresidentObama]

71. Fuck off n/t

[democrat2thecore]

81. Dish it out over and over but you can't take it? -nt

[SlowDownFast]

114. Now, now...

Mustn't let truth and an overwhelming DU majority opinion get in the way of your logic (or lack thereof).

[grantcart]

93. with a couple of small turns Edwards could have put McCain/Palin in the WH

What is particularly galling about his affair is that we all got a tutorial on what happens if you chase tail in the pursuit of high office or in high office. First Hart and then Clinton. A lot of people can't stop chasing, its in their blood. But you don't put your family, party and nation at risk because of it. We dodged a bullet and I have a lot of sympathy for the Edwards but most of all for Elizabeth. Think about it. She is very sick. He not only has an affair he does it while campaigning for President, a sure invitation to be found. So now she is not only sick she has to face public humiliation as well. Its funny because my best friend and I had a violent arguement about Edwards a year ago and he found Edwards a phony from the start. I never saw it and can't see what they saw but in the end Edwards proved them right.

[redqueen]

219. It's not in their blood. It's in their brain.

They *decide* to do reckless and idiotic and hurtful and cruel things. Their blood does not serve as any kind of excuse.

[Whalestoe]

51. He's just a man.

Everyone makes mistakes. Get over it, people who are hatin' on Edwards.

[Roland99]

55. He CHEATED on his wife (suffering from cancer). Explain to me....

how that's different from Limbaugh and/or McCain?

They're all slimeballs.

[Orangepeel]

57. eh. I supported him during the primaries and I vote sleazeball

It is none of my business whether or not he had an affair. It is my business whether he took my support and squandered it on a campaign that was doomed to fail, and whether he used my campaign contributions to pay off his girlfriend.

If he really believes in the causes he said he supported, I hope he continues to work on them (out of the limelight). I'm skeptical that he really does, since he was willing to risk them all by trying to win the nomination when there was no way he could beat the republican.

[Laurab]

224. EXACTLY! And I vote sleazeball, too.

it's none of my business whether or not he had an affair, either. I only donated to him once or twice, because I liked Obama from the start, but it surely IS my business if he took my support and used it to pay off his girlfriend. It's ALSO my business because, had he gotten the nomination, he could have GIVEN the election to the repukes.

He chose to put himself in the spotlight, he chose to run for President, thereby making his actions a LOT of peoples' business.

He did always kind of remind me of a used car salesman, but I listened to the people on here, and kept an open mind. I never could figure out the house he bought, when poverty was such a big part of his platform. There was SO much he could have done with that money, and still build a house much larger than anyone needs.

My personal opinion of him now is that he's a REALLY sleazy sleazeball. I don't believe his wife was in remission the whole time, I do believe the child is his, and I think it's unlikely that we see him in the public eye again.

[Edith Ann]

231. $325

I agree with you and I want my $325.00 back.

[carnie_sf]

59. Don't forget JFK

maybe the biggest womanizer in the history of the presidency

[PresidentObama]

62. Yep n/t

[democrat2thecore]

66. He also didn't reinvent himself fifteen times for political expediency

Or have a terminally ill wife. And, times were different. John Edwards KNEW that if he were caught it would end his campaign. Thank GOD he was not the nominee. He put the COUNYTRY at risk. Private lives were private in 1960. This is 2008 and Edwards knew the rules.

[southernyankeebelle]

63. Gee

It isn't our place to forgive him or not. It is his wife's place. It isn't our business what these people do on their private time. Get over it people. Gee.

[walldude]

85. Well considering the stakes in the election I think we do have

a right to bitch about him and not to forgive him. I don't think he's "scum" but he is an asshole. What if he had gotten the nomination? Just because there are a dozen Republicans who left their wives or cheated on them while they were dying or hospitalized doesn't mean they wouldn't have used that to kill Edwards' campaign. Fucking Democrats need to learn how to keep their goddamn pants zipped. You want to cheat on your wife? Don't become a fucking politician.

[AspenRose]

173. Lots of folks here gave money to his campaign

They certainly have a right to know how his campaign funds were spent....and if it was spent trying to hide the affair or hush the mistress, then it's certainly their business.

[karynnj]

75. You do realize that with a subject like that one you are creating flamebait

The thread you disliked at least had positive content and the discussion was partially civil. This HURTS the very people you likely wanted on your side - Edwards supporters - past and present. It is a gold plated invitation for people to dispute it - I recommend you alert on yourself asking it be locked. Many Edwards supporters likely are hurt that they keep having to hear these things said.

I speak as someone who was never an Edwards supporter. Also, neither Clinton or Kennedy got free passes. I resent that you reduce Ted Kennedy down to a mistake he payed dearly for, ignoring that he also wrote and sponsored more bills that improve people's lives than anyone else. He went to DC to start work on the healthcare over a week ago. He is an exceptionally dedicated man, who does not deserve having his name thrown up to defend someone with few of his accomplishments - especially at this time. As to Clinton he paid an incredible price too - it permanently damaged his reputation and greatly harmed his Presidency. He knows that when Chelsea has kids, one thing his grandchildren will learn in school is that their grandfather who went from being the child of a poor single mom to the Presidency, was impeached for lying about a seedy affair.

Edwards, on the other hand was a "golden haired boy", pushed by the party and the media. He was given extraordinary opportunities and he blew them. His choice now is whether he can find a way to actually quietly work on issues that you say he cares about - then like Clinton and Kennedy - he will be remembered for his accomplishments.

[PresidentObama]

83. Another obsessive Edwards basher. NEXT n/t

[karynnj]

96. You read nothing but my name to say that

You are the one throwing this stuff in people's faces.

[PresidentObama]

99. Well, it's true...isn't it? n/t

[karynnj]

153. No read what I said

It was questioning YOUR judgment in creating this worry troll thread. You've done the same to Kerry and the Clintons in the past - do you really not see that all it does is create a thread of attacks?

I was saying this thread is likely one that Edwards people would prefer not seeing - and look now - a third thread with a poll - where you can vote on whether it was a mistake or he was a sleaze. You are fanning the fire.

[PresidentObama]

162. You don't get to pick what I post, but thanks n/t

[karynnj]

225. Of course, I can't pick - but look through this entire thread and see

what you created. This has become primarily another thread that has people outdoing each other in disputing your contention that Edwards was not a sleazeball. If you like him as much as you say you do, how does this make you feel. Not to mention - it brings out the many really good people who were for Edwards to try to defend him as well as they can.

If you really want to help the Edwards, post things when they actually do good things. This speech, which likely is available in the IDS (Indiana Daily Student) or the Bloomington paper, could have been posted. The discussion could be on his words and thoughts. It should be clear that only doing some real work or leading on something people want will he get past this.

[AtomicKitten]

256. The OP is a poorly veiled loyalty oath with absurd expectations.

I suspect it's a herding instinct to corral differing points of view into one neat tidy bundle, suggesting we pay no attention to the details which are the crux of this sordid story line.

Sometimes it's best to just let sleeping dogs lie.

I applaud your efforts to inject reason into this mess. Thanks for that.

[Araxen]

78. He's worse

He's human scum and I'm very glad I didn't vote for him or donate any money or time to him or his campaigns. Worst of all he proved Bill O'Reilly was right that Edwards was slimy which pisses me off even more that Edwards proved O'Slimey was right.

[BeyondGeography]

90. John Edwards is horny

And he's got company, dammit.

[PresidentObama]

97. "John Edwards is horny" LMAO. Now I've seen EVERYTHING on DU n/t

[Kalyke]

94. Because there was never anything good about John Edwards.

Forget the cheating - that just confirmed what I already suspected about the man: he's vain, he's egotistical and he's selfish.

Honestly, do you guys REALLY think he went into personal injury law to help people? No. Considering he never took a pro bono case and only took cases he thought he could win, it's obvious he was in it for the money.

His poverty "center" was nothing but a means to keep his name in the news for four years until he could run again. It's defunct, now, isn't it?

And, running for president after having an affair could have put the entire Democratic Party in jeopardy had be become the nominee. Fatal.

So - no quarter for that creep.

[Renew Deal]

100. I think "sleezeball" is too kind for Edwards.

He's a fraud as well. Let's see. Edwards has a sick wife at home. He gets himself a concubine. It appears that he got her pregnant. He tries to cover it all up AND run for president at the same time knowing that if he's found out we get another 4 years of Bush.

Edwards is so slimey that he continues running for president while his sick wife has a terminal illness. But OK, let's say he's trying to inspire cancer victims. Then he's cheating on her. Oh, and then he puts her on the campaign payroll in a job that she's not qualified for. That's certainly unethical.

And what are we going to give Edwards a chance to do? He's never actually accomplished anything other than being elected Senator and losing an election for VP. He was a "good" lawyer who hid his money.

Edwards is a fraud, a phony, a disgrace, a disgusting piece of trash. He should crawl into a whole and never come into public view again.

[PresidentObama]

102. Tell us how you really feel n/t

[democrat2thecore]

106. Reminder: YOU started this flamebait thread. YOU DID. -nt

[PresidentObama]

108. Yawn n/t

[SlowDownFast]

118. Yeah, we're a little tired of your Edwards defense, too. n/t

[sfam]

277. He's a personal slimeball for cheating on his cancer ridden wife, but that's not my issue. Mine is..

that he lacked the self-awareness to realize that this event could have doomed the country for another four years had he won the nomination. What he does to his wife is a personal matter. What he almost did to the country is worthy of shame and derision.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

103. Mr. Edwards, posting these kinds of threads will not help your reputation at

this point.

:evilgrin:

[PresidentObama]

105. LOL......I'm not John Edwards......TWO AMERICAS. MILL. POVERTY. MILL. TWO AMERICAS.

:evilgrin:

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

107. Hey I was gonna vote for you in the IL primary but you dropped out a

couple of days before.

[PresidentObama]

109. What, you didn't stand up against corporate power and corporate greed?

In all seriousness, I saw him days before he dropped out.

I voted for Hillary, instead.

[rvablue]

119. Funny...I was thinking this myself: "John -- is that you?" n/t

[TexasObserver]

115. Yeah, he is a sleazeball.

I can't believe I supported his sorry ass.

[kstewart33]

116. Sorry, not buying it.

Edwards couldn't get elected dog catcher today. Nor tomorrow or next year or the year after.
And that's good news to me.

Elizabeth has stopped wearing her wedding ring.

Seems she has a problem with forgiveness, too.

Perhaps you should email her?

[Secret_Society]

117. I'm never surprised by how quickly...

people here do complete 180s on fellow Democrats. Though I'm disappointed with John Edwards I can't deny that I still like him.

[budkin]

121. Dude... cheating on your wife WHO HAS CANCER?? He's a fucking sleazeball... end of story.

[Beacool]

122. I never attacked Edwards for his indiscretion,

but he should have chosen not to run. He had to know that sooner or later he would be caught. Imagine if he had won the nomination and the info. was released after the Convention? It would have been a mess.

[PresidentObama]

130. Well thank you for your level headed response, I appreciate it...even if I disagree.

My only defense is remember all the scandals about Clinton when he was nominee? Gennifer Flowers.

He was elected President.

I don't know if that would or wouldn't of cost Edwards, if he was the nominee.

Which he wasn't the nominee, Obama was.

[Beacool]

139. I think that it would have hurt him.

It blew up two weeks before the Convention and there was the Elizabeth factor. Most people would have felt that he was doubly a cad for cheating on his ailing wife.

Take care!!!

:hi:

[PresidentObama]

148. I see your point, I don't think he would have admittted it if he was the nominee.

Not publically, right or wrong.

And you take care as well :)

[karynnj]

214. There was a huge difference

The Flowers affair was by all accounts in the past. This allowed the Clintons to do the 60 minutes show where he admitted to "causing pain in his marriage" and HRC stood behind him. The message was that it was something long ago resolved. It did leave a cost - I know I was wary of him as the nominee because of the pattern of scapegoating and playing with the truth - but, after he got the nomination - I supported him because of the positions he had - and because GHWB was terrible.

We also ended up paying a price for ignoring it - as the same action in the WH and the same scapegoating and playing with the truth hurt the Democratic party. Would a man, who was a mean drunk until 40, have been able to run with the slogan of restoring honor and dignity to the White House" otherwise. The Democratic party would not have intentionally nominated anyone having that problem in 2008. (Remember that ALL the other candidates thought that Kerry, in spite of all his credentials, would implode if the intern lie had any truth - and he was at that point far ahead in delegates.)

With Edwards there were also two differences. the affair was either recent or likely (given photos) current when he officially started running. The other thing is that Edwards, far more than Clinton or Kerry, ran on the image of being part of a near perfect family in 2004 - and many actually loved EE more, so his doing this as see was recovering from cancer was sickening. (and that is accepting his appalling "she was in remission excuse.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

123. Actually, In A Personal Sense, He Probably Is A Sleazeball.

In a personal sense, Bill is probably a sleazeball as well.

And Ted, way back when, was also likely a sleazeball.

[Danger Mouse]

124. Edwards is most certainly a sleazeball who nearly cost us the election.

If he had been our nominee, we would've been screwed. He ran for office, KNOWING this would come out.
Fuck him.

[mokawanis]

126. That's the bottom line

I don't care who he sleeps with but his affair would have cost us the election if he'd been the nominee...so fuck him.

[Danger Mouse]

128. Exactly. I don't care about the affair either, I care about the risk he took.

[Arugula Latte]

206. Yep. That's my view, too.

And he was my first choice for the nomination, largely because of his anti-poverty, go-after-the-corporations message.

[WI_DEM]

127. one difference is that Clinton didn't cheat on a wife suffering from cancer, but who am I to judge?

[file83]

227. But Hillary was dying of power envy.

Have you no sympathy for her?
:rofl:

[Edith Ann]

232. Wife

A wife is a wife sick or not. No pass for cheating for any reason.

[Bluenorthwest]

131. For me, the big deal was Edward's outrageous posturing

about his Baptist roots and how he sees marriage as so sacred that he sort of gags when he thinks of gay folk being allowed to sully the sacrament he shares with Elizabeht. All of that rot pushed forth at the expense of others, just to throw the dogs off the scent of his own personal shortcomings. No one made Edwards, in mid affair, sick wife by his side, paint himself as a gaurdian of holy matrimoney. The hubris and cowardice of that action are beyond contempt in my book. He did this more than once. Of his own free will. Went out of the way to play Deacon Edwards vs the gay agenda, with full choir and talk of Dixie o' his youth.
Just repugnant. Teddy and Bill never attempted to play holier than thou judge of others in the public eye. Edwards rushed to do so. Sorry. But it stinks. Here, let me make a ham and cheese and lecture you about eating kosher John.

[Zombie2]

132. I don't care what he does in his bedroom.......

He's a great man... I think he deserves a little extra on the side.

[Stand and Fight]

133. Kicked and recommended. n/t

[vssmith]

134. I liked and supported Edwards but I always liked his wife better

When he hurt her I fell out of like with him.

[northernlights]

135. cheating on your wife is human

cheating on your wife who has cancer is sleazeball.

[jenmito]

136. I thought of Edwards as a phony BEFORE the affair went public. He refused public funding in order

to be competitive with Hillary and Obama (he said so himself) but when he failed to raise nearly as much money as them he changed his mind and declared he was taking public funding "on principle" and challenged Hillary and Obama to do the same. And he went on and on about how "the presidency shouldn't be for sale" or whatever. If he DID raise as much money as the others, he would never have taken public funding. He also went from being the "happy candidate with the sun on his face" (Chris Matthews' description of him) to the angry candidate.

[Dennis Donovan]

137. I feel very sorry for his family, especially Elizabeth...

In regards to John's indiscretion, I cannot fairly judge a man who tragically lost his son and then was faced with losing his wife to cancer. I think I can safely say his mind was not sound when he made the mistake of infidelity.

However, I DO think his run for POTUS in this last election cycle was a mistake, given that he KNEW the truth about his indiscretion could come out at any time.

I don't think he's anything but human.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

140. Neither Kennedy nor Clinton ran in a *primary* while concealing an affair.

That's the element that makes Edwards' conduct hard to forgive, as far as I'm concerned.

Having an affair and concealing it may be contemptible, but it's not the electorate's business.

However, attempting to become the only person capable of stopping the Republicans while concealing something that would have made it very hard to do so *was* the electorate's business.

If he'd run in an actual election while concealing an affair I wouldn't have been so angry.

[PresidentObama]

142. Two words: Gennifer Flowers n/t

[Donald Ian Rankin]

155. So far as I know, that wasn't an affair.

Still damaging, I agree, but not as potentially lethal.

[PresidentObama]

156. Ummmm, yes? n/t

[MadBadger]

163. Did either of them cheat on their wife who has cancer?

That means a lot to the story

[SoxFan]

141. Wrong.

Cheat on your wife while she is battling cancer.

Lie to her.

Lie to your staff.

Lie to the media.

Throw the Other Woman under the bus.

Try and get a staffer to take the fall for you.

These are the actions of a sleazeball.

[JuniperLea]

144. Ted and Bill did their time at the whipping post...

Now it's Edwards' turn, and no amount of whining on his behalf is going to stop it.

I was a rabid Edwards supporter during the primary. He can kiss my lily white ass now.



No one mentioned him until this failed attempt at rehabilitation... he needs to back off and lay low for a decade or so.

[AspenRose]

174. What a cute little ass!

}(

[JuniperLea]

205. Why, thank you!

:spray:

[ileus]

145. who hasn't cheated on his wife, or three???

I know I haven't

[SoCalDem]

147. The difference is this...

Kennedy & Clinton (and many others) did NOT "play up" their family values to the extent that Edwards did..

This is the flaw that many politicians, not just him, fall prey to.

When you USE an "aw, shucks, family-man, goody-two-shoes" angle, you BETTER BE that person, because the truth almost always comes out...and not in a good way.

There have been many philandering, and yet successful pols, but everyone KNEW they were "wanderers", and the never tried to convince people they were anything but who they were,.

It's always the hypocrisy...not the "crime" or "sin"..

[sampsonblk]

149. Wow... Are you serious about this???

[4_Legs_Good]

150. I just don't see the allure of John Edwards

The cheating asside, I just don't like him that much. He's a one term Senator and a failed VP candidate who doesn't ressonate with me.

Had he been able to help carry a single state in 2004, particularly his home state, I would probably see the value, but I just don't see it. I think he should strike out on his own for a bit, run for Governor of North Carolina and then come back to the national stage when he's proven himself a bit more.

David

[bluedogg]

154. His wife had cancer

That makes his cheating even worse than Clinton's and Ted's.

[XemaSab]

157. Don't think of a sleazeball.

:P

[Whoa20]

159. I don't believe Edwards and Clinton are

sleazeballs. I don't necessarily think Ted Kennedy is one for Chappaquiddick, as who wouldn't try to avoid jail for a long time if he could? Its not like Ted Kennedy has a mens rea, or intent to do what he did. Rather, he was grossly irresponsible.

[ecstatic]

165. Clinton and Edwards are great men who faltered; Edwards is a phony who faltered

so he won't get the same amount of leeway. He has never done anything to demonstrate that he is a champion for the poor. He shut down all his programs after his campaign ended. Sounds harsh...I know.

[Medusa]

166. Why are we discussing him anyway? He's toast.

His political career is over.

[ClarkUSA]

167. Any man who cheats on his wife is a sleazeball, whether he's John Edwards or Bill Clinton...

or Teddy Kennedy when he was married to his first wife or Joe the Plumber. There's a reason Elizabeth is no longer wearing
her wedding ring. Let's not put lipstick on that pig. :eyes:

[Elidor]

168. I will leave aside the question of his measure as a man

And merely note that as a leader, he made me regret my support.

[davidpdx]

169. I don't think he is

But I think those who believe he can be appointed in the Obama Administration are sadly mistaken. It will hamper any effort to get the reforms completed that we need done. The "no drama" theme needs to be continued into the Obama Administration. Regardless of whether people have or haven't forgiven him, it is a scandal and it was pretty recent. To think it can be swept under the rug three months later is arsine.

[Colobo]

172. I feel my mom was right. When she saw him the first time, in 2004, she said

"That guy is a phony. I don't have any proof of it, but he's a phony".

I tend to agree with Mom on this one.

[ContinentalOp]

175. I don't give a shit about his personal life. But the idea that he would run for President...

knowing he had those skeletons in his closet! He can rot in hell.

[GimmeDANEger]

177. because everybody secretely hates everyone more attractive than they are?

But for real--I don't get all this mock outrage. I can't remember the last time that something offended me. I'd wager that most the people out there who are constantly offended are either fishing for attention or too pathetic to find something better to do (US Magazine readers--I'm talking to you). Are you Elizabeth Edwards? Nope? A relative of the family? Nope? Oh shit--this doesn't concern you. I know plenty of decent people who have had affairs, even in my family. We should conclude one thing from the Edward's affair: we should not have a serious romantic relationship with one John Edwards. Got it? If you are going to tell us that anyone is less qualified for the position of POTUS because of an extramarital affair, why don't we just run down a list of former presidents who've done the deed? Or even people we know? We've got half the marriages in this country going down the crapper--maybe you should worry about your own. Quit this petty high school bullshit, block yourself from TMZ, and fucking stop resurrecting the corpse of the moral majority. Edwards stood up for poor people when nobody else made a goddamn sound. We should have some fucking respect!

[apocalypsehow]

178. Fer fuck's sake, why did they do it?

:shrug:

Oh well, that's above my pay grade, and it doesn't really matter in any event.

As to your OP, I was for Edwards before he dropped out. His revealed infidelities were disappointing, but I don't really see a lot of self-righteous sermonizing about it around here.

But guys who cheat on their wives and lie about it are sleazeballs, just FYI. Ask your girlfriend - that is, if you've ever had one.

[PresidentObama]

215. Ask my girlfriend? I would, if I werent GAY :P

[The Hope Mobile]

179. For one thing, its far too fresh. He needs to put some time and distance

between himself and that tragedy.

[Umbram]

180. Funny that it took something like this for people to see through his phony B.S.

Edwards is a salesmen, nothing more. 'Empty suit' used to get thrown at Obama daily around here, but it's always been clear that Obama was selling a product he believes in whereas Edwards was just in it for the commission, even if, as it turned out, it could be at the entire country's expense.

[CarbonDate]

181. He can do all of these things behind the scenes.

And working toward these ends without an ulterior motive (like, say, running for President) would go a long way toward rehabilitating his image.

The onus is on him to redeem himself, not us to give him another chance. He can quietly work toward ending poverty or he can go away. It's up to him.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

182. The Only Difference Between A Sinner And A Saint Is One Man's Saved And The Other Ain't

We all mess up in life but in all three of the cases they showed a tremendous lapse of judgement and profound lack of concern for the feelings of others...

[Tom Rinaldo]

183. Depends on where you draw the line at defining "sleazeball".

There are many who are far more fitting for the term than Edwards. Had Elizabeth not had cancer, and if Edwards had not decided to run for President knowing full well that he was hiding (poorly at that) an affair, he would barely register on the potential cad meter given all the competition. Under the circumstances though, he's in the running. Having said that I believe, leaving God out of it for the moment, that human redemption is always possible. Go for it John.

[Hepburn]

185. What Bill and Ted did had to do with their PERSONAL lives.

What John Edwards did was fuck over those who supported him by hiding a HUGE mistake that could have cost us Dems the presidency. What Edwards did, he did to the PUBLIC.

Big difference.

[always_saturday]

186. Then please explain the difference between what HE did to HIS wife - and what McCain did to HIS

first wife?

If anything, what Edwards did is even worse. Edwards crossed the line of human decency.

And I say this as someone who supported Edwards this time last year.

[Eric Condon]

187. I'd rec this a million times if I could.

The sanctimony and high-horse posturing of some DUers during his scandal was disgusting.

This man has done more to try and further the progressive causes we care about than 99.999% of all other politicians, and people tear him down because he's human.

Honestly, I feel like if Clinton could get a big marquee speech at the DNC, Edwards should've gotten the same.

[grace0418]

188. I'll repost what I wrote elsewhere (and I will say upfront that I never attacked him

in the primaries, I actually was considering voting for him over Obama)...

I'm sorry but what kind of DUMBASS sacrifices his marriage to a well-loved (and incurably ill) women *AND* risks his political career at a time when he must know he will be under incredible scrutiny as a Democratic candidate for President? I know things happen and people are human, but considering the context, that is an asshat move of epic proportions. I personally don't care what two consenting adults do in private, and for all I know he and Elizabeth have some sort of understanding between them. However if you are going to run for President, it's just plain poor judgment to think someone's not going to dig up that kind of information on you and use it to bring you down. To me it says that he places his own hormonal, impulsive needs over the good of his family and his country. I wasn't an Edwards hater before and I'm not now, but I think he needs to rethink his career.

[rcmusic]

189. Gotta say it . . .

Yes he is a sleazeball. I was a big fan and considered supporting him in the primaries for a while. But can you *imagine* the disaster had he gotten the nomination? We'd be looking at McCain/Palin and right wink America as far as the eye could see into the future.

All the guy had to do was keep it in his pants for the duration of the campaign. If we learned nothing else from Clinton's scandals, this was it. Never mind that he betrayed a wonderful woman, that he acted like he was god's gift to family values, that he made his marriage a centerpiece of his public image. He almost killed the liberal revolution we just experienced.

To me, that's unforgivable. It completely altered my previous respect for Edwards. I hold him in very low esteem now, not because he made a "mistake" -- cheating on your wife is a "mistake" like drunk driving is a "mistake," because you do it intentionally knowing you might hurt someone else. Fine, lots of men do it. But a man who is running for president, and who *knows* if he gets the nomination that there will be a "secret" out there that could sink his candidacy, his party, and his country? No way. John, you lost me with that, for good. I have to reconsider everything you ever said that I agreed with and wonder if you were bullshitting us, the same way you were bullshitting Elizabeth.

I don't really care if he cheated or not on moral grounds. It's gross, but it's a private family matter. But he betrayed our movement with an incredibly risky and stupid "mistake" that he could have avoided with an ounce of common sense and will power.

(Plus that woman he slept with is a *ditz* and an airhead. Any man who'd go for her over Elizabeth Edwards, who is one of the most wonderful women in American public life, married or not, is simply stupid. As a guy, I know what it's like to think with the wrong head when in the presence of an attractive woman. But Rielle Hunter wouldn't tempt me, and I'm neither married not a presidential candidate. Her crazy-assed new age doublespeak would have sent me running immediately if I met her in a bar on Friday night.)

[Edith Ann]

234. Rich men

Most rich men would have passed her up for someone with class. Well, then along comes a stupid, North Carolina white trash hillbilly. Bingo-John Edwards. She wasn't John's girl as much as he was her John.

[OwnedByFerrets]

190. Thank you for a brave post.

[SwampG8r]

191. this is the kind of rabid denial of reality

you usually find in hillary supporters

[theboss]

193. I think Kennedy and Clinton are sleazeballs

I have an admitted blind spot with them beacuse they are effective politicians. And they never ran as paragons of virtue, which Edwards did.

[rcmusic]

198. So right

Edwards committed the classic *repubican* sin -- hypocrisy about personal morality. I think that's why I am so disappointed in him.

Kennedy and Clinton, both of whom should indeed be ashamed of their misconduct, were nonetheless very effective politicians (still are, I think) who delivered for their constituents and the American people for years. Neither claimed to be a moral exemplar, ever. And neither tried to legislate other people's morality.

Edwards had a paper thin resume as a senator -- despite longer service and the VP run, it doesn't compare to Obama's at all. What he had was -- apparently -- moral passion to care for the downtrodden. That's a rare enough stance in American pubic life, let alone at the presidential level, that I found it moving indeed.

But consider the comparison to Barack Obama. Barack also had limited experience, though his real world accomplishments demonstrate a much greater level of commitment to public service and helping the powerless and thinking about the big questions of history than JE's did. One of the *key* arguments for many people who voted for Barack, especially for independents and conservatives and swing voters, was that Barack spent two years showing us that he lived his values all the time, that he was super-competent as a manager and a leader because he was running a devastatingly massive and effective campaign organization that morphed into a genuine social movement and rolled over the GOP like a Mack Truck. You could look at Barack and say, yeah, he's green in some ways, but there was no way to find a crack in his argument that he was exactly as good as he seemed. That's execution, baby. And we've seriously lacked for execution from Kerry and Gore (sorry, but it's true -- who the hell appoints Donna Brazile as a campaign manager?) and even Bill Clinton (executed, but in a death defying manner that relied purely on his charisma to get over problem after problem). Edwards would have -- at best -- been another Clinton, with distractions overwhelming the message (but I think he lacks the charisma Bill CLinton still has, of course). At worst, he would have become a laughing stock, tarred as a hypocrite the same way Kerry was, though much more fairly. Don't underestimate the extent to which McCain lost because of the hypocrisy of saying "Country first" and appoint Palin as his VP nominee, and of saying "honor first" while running a dishonorable campaign.


The moral fiber and mental toughness of the candidate *do* matter. You can win with scandals (ask Bush and Clinton), but they render you less effective if you do, they distract and divide your constituents and the media, and they tarnish your reputation for truthfulness, a precious commodity for a leader.

What Edwards did was disqualify himself from serious consideration as a leader. That simple. He could reinvent himself with a long, sincere show of humility and public service at a low and unrewarding level. He could become a legal champion for the uninsured or immigrants or the poor not as a cut-taking trial lawyer, but as a forceful courtroom advocate -- obviously he's good at that. In other words, become the pro bono plaintiff's council for the poor. But we'd all know he was making up for a lot of lost time.

John Edwards has moved me to tears with his speeches. That's precisely why I'm more angry at him than I would otherwise be. It's terribly sad and he's just another human being. But saying what he did was OK because others have done it is really a poor argument for anything. He wasn't anyone else. He was a candidate for president in the most important election of a generation, at least, who ran in part by asking us to believe in him, personally. So did Barack Obama, to be sure. And so far, it's looking like we made a fine choice back in the primaries.

Had we chosen JE, we'd be crying in our beer right now.

[AspenRose]

207. Welcome to DU, by the way.

[NoSheep]

194. I think he's basically a sleezeball. They are just so common these days it seems normal.

I like his politics...just sorry he doesn't take them personally.

[genna]

195. I agree. John Edwards needs to go back to work with infidelity/baby daddy scars and all.

I will be the first one to say I hit Bill Clinton during the primaries hard for just being WAY TOO LOOSE when it comes to his personal issues. I said it would be connected to HRC in that one of my chief question was and probably will be: HOW can you control Bill?

Some argued it was not her job to control him. He could control himself. :hangover: His behavior since his time in office had been exemplary :think: and that his experience would help HRC govern. :dem:


I don't think Edwards advocating poverty is a problem. I don't require public people to be perfect in their image or bearing. I don't think its our business how many times a public leader falls short in being faithful to their spouse or figuring out all their sexuality issues.


The biggest problem Edwards will have is gaining public trust if he should ever decide to run for political office again. Edwards can give as many speeches and advocacy platforms as he wants. The amount of dirt slung on his management of contributor's donations is not easily overcome. Did campaign donations go to hiring and maintaining his paramour?


If they did, how could he convince other people to donate in some future campaign? How will he convince those who supported his presidential bid this time to put that kind of volunteer time in him when he lied to them about his relationship with Elizabeth?

[Honeycombe8]

196. Yes, he is. Buh-bye, Johnny. nt

[undeterred]

199. John Edwards DEFINES sleazeball.

[NJGeek]

200. kinda sleazy to cheat on your dying wife. sorry!

[Fabio]

201. The affair is not why some off us think he is a sleazeball

...though it kind of was a nail in the coffin...

..particularly because his wife is terminal with cancer...


I thought he was/is a "sleazeball" because in the 6 years I watched him, it was evident to me that he'd pretty much say anything for political gain.

[ChiciB1]

208. I WAS Going To IGNORE Everything Being Said Here About Edwards... BUT

decided to say something!

I agree with the OP, I'm offended by the vitriol and find all this "name calling" nothing more than that. Leave him alone or SHUT-UP!! There's some saying about "glass houses" and unless you were born of the VIRGIN Mary... I doubt any of us could pass muster on a myriad of issues!

And NO, I will not reply further and I could say much more about how I REALLY feel, but this is JMHO!!

[Moloch]

209. Yes he is below a sleazeball...

to cheat on your spouse is ultimately forgivable but to cheat on your spouse when she has a terminal illness is sub-animal.

[Yukari Yakumo]

210. Edwards is a phony, a charlatan, *and* a sleezebag.

Edwards is a political gadfly who doesn't have solid positions on anything. He is narcissistic to a hilt ($400 for a haircut?). And is a cheating s$#@bag while his wife suffers from cancer.

He gets no sympathy from me whatsoever.

[gatorboy]

212. He's not just a sleaze ball.

He's uber sleaze ball:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/higher_education/story/1160097.html

[Richard Steele]

216. And here I sit with no fucking marshmallows. Curse the luck! nm

[AspenRose]

218. Here, have some popcorn instead.

:popcorn:

[Nye Bevan]

217. He is a sleazeball squared.

He is the sleazeball-in-chief of sleazeballs.

Just imagine if he had won the primary and his extreme sleazeballness caused us to lose the election to McCain. Just imagine.

He needs to STFU, stay out of public life and try to make some sort of amends by supporting and caring for his cancer-stricken wife.

The sleazeball.

[redqueen]

220. I donated and worked for his campaign.

While it is true that everyone is human and makes mistakes, it's way too soon to expect most people to be able to look past the fact that he ignored how dangerous his nomination would have been to our party, not to mention this country and the world.

[mcg]

223. He said he would not quit the primary, I donated $250, a couple days later he quit.

That's $250 I could have contributed to the main election. At best he broke his promise to his supporters, at worst he outright lied to his supporters, but I still didn't quite get it. This affair showed sleaziness, recklessness, and further lying. He's dead to me. In retrospect, I did have misgivings about him: bad votes, e.g. he voted for the Iraqi War Resolution, his apparent vanity, losing the 2004 election, less experience than Clinton and Obama. I have to wonder now a little about his regrets about these votes.

I supported him because he talked about helping the poor, etc., and because I thought he was the safe bet, being the southern white guy with the safe name. Obama was certainly a far better choice, and Clinton would have also been a far better choice. I am much more impressed with Obama and Clinton than I was, they are both highly motivating to their supporters, and that is *very* important in an election.

[Stuckinthebush]

221. My vote: Sleezball

Sorry. I was a die hard supporter. Now I'm disgusted with him.

[youthere]

222. I don't like John Edwards...and I could care less about his affair.

But I do see the hypocrisy, but FWIW...I disliked John Edwards when it wasn't cool.

[fed_up_mother]

228. He's currently a sleazeball subject to change in a few years.

Lots of folks cheat, but to cheat on your wife who has cancer while in the public eye?

[Tveil]

229. Why include Bill Clinton in with them two?

Clinton is nothing like those other. He has integrity.

[karynnj]

233. This entire thread is flamebait - and it does lead to

attacks on all three. Of the 3, I admire Kennedy most for what he has accomplished. He is right now down in DC working as he has been for the last 2 or so weeks on a healthcare bill. His action that places him on this list was despicable, but he has spent a life time paying for it - but he is the one of these three who had the clearest principles of what he wanted to do in his public life - and he has been true to them.

If I had to pick just one of these men as having integrity - it would be clearly KENNEDY.

[PresidentObama]

236. It's not flamebait, it's fair. And my point is fair.

I admire Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton.

I admire John Edwards, too.

I will accept your point and others point that he isn't as accomplished as Teddy or Bill.

BUT, like them he's human. And he has a powerful energy and passion, and I would love to see him be the voice of the poverty issue.

[cali]

237. care to list JE's accomplishments?

What exactly are the highlights of his Senate career in your eyes?

[stevenleser]

239. You mean besides US Senator and Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee?

I'd like to list those two items on my resume.

[NYCGirl]

243. Cali asked you for the highlights of his Senate career. I'd like to hear about those,

too.

And, BTW, the two accomplishments you mention make him just a little bit above Sarah Palin. (The difference being that she is a governor.)

[stevenleser]

251. Actually, the person didnt ask 'me' I wasnt originally involved in the discussion...

and please, lets not tar everyone as stupid as Sarah Palin just because they dont have oodles of experience. Neither of us have as much 'experience' as she does.

[PresidentObama]

244. You aren't a major candidate in two elections, and the VP nominee in one by doing nothing.

Cali is an Edwards smearer, plain and simple.

[cali]

247. lol. can't respond, can you? all you can do is smear me.

it's called hypocrisy, dearie. you're a real champ at that dubious art- figures you'd be so besotted by JE.

[cali]

246. I asked for the highlights of his Senate career? Obviously you can't and don't

want to respond.

[XemaSab]

253. Ted Stevens, Larry Craig, Bob Packwood, and Strom Thurmond also have "Senator" on their resumes

Dick Cheney, Dan Quayle, Spiro Agnew, and Richard Nixon have "Vice President" on their resumes.

Sarah Palin and Geraldine Ferraro have "Vice Presidential Candidate" on their resumes.

Edit: Almost forgot Lieberman. :banghead:

[PresidentObama]

242. I'm sure you choose to ignore any and all accomplishments of John Edwards...

Here are some examples from his tenure as Senator:

Bill of patients rights (major piece of legislation), several bills on domestic security, bill to call for a new agency to take the responsibility of stopping terrorism away from the F.B.I, bill aimed at pushing down the cost of prescription drugs by allowing more competition from makers of generic drugs.

They all either died in committee or failed. Thanks to who? The Republicans.

By the way, he only served one term. And for much of his term, the Republicans had control of the Congress.

And let ask you, what did JFK accomplish as a Senator?

President Kennedy was a great president, wasn't he?

If you'd like to I would love to talk about his accomplishments as a trial lawyer and post-Presidential run in 2004.

But of course, you'll have none of that. You just want to smear him.

[NYCGirl]

245. JFK? You might want to google PT 109. NT

[cali]

248. More of Mr. Hedge Fund's Senate highlights: Co-sponsored an IWR

voted for Yucca Mountain, voted for a shitty bankruptcy bill.

JE is done, and it's extremely amusing watching you defend and promote him. Do carry on, dear.

[MonteLukast]

262. I thought the bankruptcy bill passed in 2005...

... After Edwards was out of the Senate.

Now, I *can* beat up on MY Senator, Ken Salazar, for voting for the bankruptcy bill.

[cali]

264. Not the same bankruptcy bill. n/t

[bitchkitty]

240. It's the penis patrol - they're in every segment of society -

left, right, rich, poor, young, old - what you do with your genitals is their business, and don't you forget it!

:sarcasm:

[nomaco-10]

249. A champion of the poor doesn't live in a 28,000 sq ft mansion and...

get $400. haircuts. I could never reconcile his message with his lifestyle.

Most of us have moved on. Come join us. It's a wonderful time to be a dem in america.

[stevenleser]

252. FDR lived in a bigger mansion for his entire life...

care to list someone who has done more for the poor or disadvantaged in this country than he did?

[nomaco-10]

254. FDR was born with a silver spoon in his mouth....

Edward's was the son of a millworker. BIG DIFFERENCE. HUGE DIFFERENCE.

[stevenleser]

255. You are making my argument for me.

Thanks!

[nomaco-10]

260. You're in denial.....

bill gates and warren buffet have donated the bulk of their fortunes to the poor. Edwards has not.


Jimmy Carter has spent most of his political afterlife GIVING to worthy causes, edwards has not.

edward's extramarital affair, not to mention his constant appearances of phony photo ops of caring for the poor have not been backed up by his personal fortune.

Can he redeem himself? Absolutely, but I have not seen anything close to redemption as of yet. But, as far as I'm concerned, We've Moved ON. Maybe, just maybe, john can catch up. I hope he does. I really do.

[cali]

263. pulled that right out of dark orifice, didn't you? a) I doubt Hyde Park is

28,000 sq ft, and b) it's a different age. FDR was born in that house. And it really isn't 28,000 square feet. Furthermore, that wasn't a time when environmental considerations were in the picture.
This is a different epoch and it's simply ahistorical to try and compare the two homes.

[Danger Mouse]

257. This thread makes me happy. Many many DUer's recognizing Sleazeball Edwards for the sleaze he is.

Ahhh :)

[stevenleser]

259. I'm a true bleeding heart...

I feel sorry for people that have done bad things. I havent been a perfect person in my life either and because I hope for forgiveness I dont want to condemn other people, outside of campaigns of course.

I also realize that what John Edwards did is very hard to understand. Those mistakes in his position are just mind boggling.

But give him a scarlet letter and say he is no good forever as a result? Nope, I wont do it and I really wonder about anyone else who does.

[Danger Mouse]

265. I think we're perfectly justified in being angry at him for awhile.

Everybody gets a shot at redemption of course.
Lord knows how many times I've screwed up.

[TexasObserver]

266. We don't have to worry about the $400 haircut any more.

This still doesn't help, of course.



John has ripped his future in the party. He can't fix this, at least not sufficiently to run for elective office again.

[LittleClarkie]

268. I'm more pissed at his for the things I heard about the 2004 election

he was our Sarah Palin. He never got into the VP role, never stopped running for president. Didn't take on the role of VP attack dog as he should have, then blamed Kerry for not letting him fight. Sang Kerry's praises in his last speech to the Senate, then threw him under the bus when he toured his home state.

I had admired him and Elizabeth. Neither turned out to be the people I thought they were.

[sniffa]

269. Good points

:thumbsup:

[No Elephants]

271. I mind Edwards cheating on his wife while she is dying of cancer. I mind more that he

fathered a child knowing that his wife and the mother of his already born children was dying of cancer. What I mind most of all, though, is that he ran for the Democratic nomination knowing all that.

BTW, who on earth has been stopping him from working for the causes that he believes in? I know I haven't. I would not want to, but, if I did, I would not know how to stop him. If he is not working on the causes in which he believes, that is on him, not DU.

[cali]

273. Edwards is no longer supporting the poverty programs which he started

or was associated with. The asshat does NOT put his money where his disgustingly sanctimonious mouth is. He made investments, not in aiding people in poverty, but in his own misbegotten egotistical drive to be president. Once that was over, little johnny hedge fund, took his marbles out of the game.

from an article published in today's News & Observer:

"Edwards is no longer affiliated with the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity that he helped start at UNC-Chapel Hill.

"I know he'll continue to support the ideals of the center but there is no expectation that Sen. Edwards would return," said center director Gene Nichol.

One Edwards initiative, the non-profit Center for Promise and Opportunity, has shut down. Another, a program that provided college scholarships in poverty-stricken Greene County and which Edwards touted as a national model, ends in May."

<snip>
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1294121.html

[sfam]

278. His hiding this event while running for President is what should bother us...

That's the part that could damn the country for another 4 years. So yeah, that's fairly slimy and self-centered.

[No Elephants]

274. The threads here--Hillary, Edwards. Have I been dreaming? Is it still 2007? Will DU

EVER move on from the 2008 Democratic primary? Or will posters still be trying to vindicate the Clintons and Edwards in 2011, when Obama starts running for re-election?

MOVE ON. That was a good idea after Monica and it's an even better idea now.

[Orsino]

275. If you're referring to Kopechne and Lewinsky, those are old, old stories...

...unlikely to spawn enough recent threads to satisfy you.

But all three men you referenced are (or were) arguably sleazeballs.

[Teaser]

276. I'm so tired of people conflating "did some wrong" with "made a mistake"

If I drop a carton of eggs, I've made a mistake.

If I cheat on my wife, repeatedly, lie about it when confronted with it, and spit on the faith my followers have in me, I haven't made a mistake.

I've done bad things.

[cali]

280. the OP is a gigantic FAIL

pathetic, really.