Edwards pledges to continue work on poverty issues

[liskddksil]

...Edwards spoke at the IU Auditorium as a part of the Indiana Memorial Union Board’s speaker series. The talk was his first public appearance since August, when he admitted to having an extramarital affair with a campaign staff member when his wife was battling cancer. During that three month period, Edwards remained out of the public eye as Sen. Barack Obama campaigned for the presidency...

He said the central cause of his life was eliminating poverty and said he would work for the rest of it to achieve it.

http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=64421&comview=1

[mth44sc]

1. John

give me my money back!

[MadBadger]

2. By poor do you include those who are morally bankrupt?

Buhdumchhhhh

[awoke_in_2003]

19. Are you calling him morally bankrupt...

because he had an affair? How puritanical of you.

[olkaz]

25. I'd call him morally bankrupt for doing it while he was taking campaign donations.

And potentially derailing EVERYONE's election efforts.

Edwards was my guy, but what he did is indefensible.

The idea you would call the parent puritanical over this is laughable.

[awoke_in_2003]

26. I think our views on sex...

are laughable. What is the big deal, it is just a physical act. His wife has forgiven him, why can't we? Hell, in France, a much more forward thinking country than we are, if a candidate doesn't have a mistress (or the female equivalent) they ask "What is wrong with this person?" Jeez, it is a biological function, and as long as all parties involved have no problem with it, what is the issue? Damn, if all our elected officials got laid more often, this world would be a better place- because, who wants to start a war after you have been well laid?

[olkaz]

27. It's a moot point. It's about him acting recklessly in the middle of a campaign.

You can keep going on and on about how uptight everyone is, but the fact is that what he did was morally bankrupt in regards to all of us who believed in him and donated to his campaign. It was reckless, stupid behavior, unbecoming of a president. He owed his supporters more than that.

But whatever. At this point he could run the bunny ranch and none of us would care.

[helderheid]

35. I agree.

[msallied]

43. Betraying one's own dying wife is, well, pretty fucking low.

But spin it how you like. One thing that has always fascinated me about we liberals is how we try to find nuance in even the most craven of acts. For once, it might behoove some of you to call John Edwards's actions for what they are: the ones of a cretin.

[AspenRose]

3. *sigh*

:-(

[PresidentObama]

4. The haters can do as they will, John Edwards should continue to fight for what he believes in.

Go John, go!

[liskddksil]

6. Thank you for some sanity

Just because the messenger was not perfect doesn't mean he should stop conveying his message.

[PresidentObama]

7. Absolutely n/t

[AspenRose]

11. That's true

It just makes me sad....what could have been, you know?

And from now on the media will preface everything he does with 'what happened.' It blunts the message.

[hlthe2b]

17. What would some here have him do in terms of redemption?

He can't change his horrible lack of judgment, but I think delving into poverty as his life cause seems a fitting tribute to Elizabeth. I have no reason to doubt his sincerity, IF Elizabeth does not (and that seems to be the case).

Look at all the good Ted Kennedy has done since that horrible episode in Chappaquiddick and his many indiscretions. While feelings towards Edwards are understandably raw, I far prefer he return and re-commit to the causes of life... Shouldn't we all?

[awoke_in_2003]

20. "have him do in terms of redemption?"

Buy me one of those new aluminum Macbooks :)

[hlthe2b]

23. Hmmm...maybe I should get in on that...

heh heh....;)

[awoke_in_2003]

24. Yes, you should...

Apple..embrace the dark side :)

[AspenRose]

34. A Jet Ski sounds good.

:hide:

[ecstatic]

5. Maybe he is going to run as a republican in 2012? Edwards/Palin?

:shrug:

[PresidentObama]

10. Not funny, but Edwards will never be a Presidential candidate again.

He's made clear his cause.

[rwheeler31]

8. Good poverty is never talked about. Get back out there.

[Starry Messenger]

9. That's nice.

Hope it works out for him.

[Mojambo]

12. His actions will be welcome. n/t

[liberalmuse]

13. I'd like to see this man back on the National stage.

I don't give a shit who he's fucked. If Elizabeth forgives him, who in the fuck cares what you or I think? It doesn't matter. It would be a shame to waste a good soul because of a sexual indescretion.

It's amazing to read these posts. There are sad, sad excuses for liberals here. If I wanted to hang with a bunch of judgmental self-righteous pricks, I'd be a Republican.

[DoctorMyEyes]

18. Hey - stop stealing my thoughts!

I couldn't agree with you more. I think I was about to type the same thing you said.

[kevinds13]

29. I don't give a crap either

because his wife has forgiven him. What does piss me off was that he was doing this while running for President and had he won the primaries, we would have been fucked come general election time. Surely you don't think its a bad thing to NOT want our Democratic Nominee derailing our chances of winning...?

[bdamomma]

32. with all the crimes of the bush regime has committed.

John is a babe in the woods for what he did. I like him, he was my first choice for presidential candidate. I wish the best for him.

[yodermon]

37. +1

Thank you.

[Lisa0825]

14. Good.

If he continues to make this cause his life's work, similarly to how Al Gore has worked on Global Warming, I will eventually let go of my disappointment in him. He has to earn it though. I really want him to earn it. I want that for my own selfish reasons, but more importantly because I think he really can make a difference if he commits to it, and that can save lives.

[PresidentObama]

16. Thank you for this response. It's reasonable to make him earn your trust and respect again.

But I'm glad you welcome his efforts.

Some people are telling him to "go away" and "shut up"

He has a lot left to offer to this country and the world. We should give him a chance, we all make mistakes. Edwards will make it right.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

15. He disappointed me - he knew the U.S. was filled with @$$holes peeking into everyone's lives

Edward's message was awesome! God I loved it. But all along he was crapping all over his campaign and over us, those who donated to him. :(

It wasn't right that he cheated on his wife while his wife was so sick. It's the same thing McCain did and we called McCain to task on it). But it was more than that. It was that Edwards KNEW already what would happen to a Democrat cheating in an environment where only Repukes were being allowed to get away with immorality and all kinds of shit.

I know no one is perfect, but Edwards knew perfectly well that tho Republicans were, are, and have always been involved in cheating and immorality, that we've all been living in an environment where the media has allowed Republicans to hide their immorality, but it didn't allow Democrats to hide theirs.

Edwards knew this. And he went ahead and put his penis first anyway.

And of all times to cheat! The very campaign!

Last of all, and I know this is going to sound incredibly silly but I don't care. If he was going to risk it all, did it have to be with someone that worthless, who is nothing but a ho?

Tragic, and a waste of my money since I donated to his campaign.

[MrSlayer]

21. Good for him. The issue needs to be addressed,

And it was one he was good at. We need to let the affair business pass and let him back into the fold. He'll never be a national candidate again, that's punishment enough. His ideas are worth listening to.

[cali]

22. How much did he charge for his speech last night?

And what the fuck has he ever done for the poor and disenfranchised.

[NYCGirl]

36. $35,000. Nice work if you can get it. NT

[helderheid]

38. Cha ching.

[NYCGirl]

39. And there is this blonde videographer he helped raise out of poverty. NT

[Honeycombe8]

28. Goodnight, John Boy. nt

[budkin]

30. He should get started working on himself.

Asshole. And to think he was my main choice for a while.

[gauguin57]

31. I'm glad John is still working on poverty issues ... that'll be needed in this economy.

With people losing jobs and homes, food banks serving more and more working families, etc.

BUT ... I'm not going to apologize for being royally pissed at John Edwards for running for our party's nomination for president when he knew he had a personal issue that could blow up in his face at any moment. He knew the media would be picking through his garbage.

If he had somehow been chosen the nominee, and his affair came out in the middle of it all, we'd be talking about President McCain and Vice President Palin right now. And that still makes me furious.

It's easy for us on DU to say, "an affair doesn't matter," but we do live in America, and, rightly or wrongly, the voters still care about that stuff. And they wouldn't have supported him for president.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[cap]

40. a little perspective

you know the Right Wing has forgiven Bristol for not being able to wear white on her wedding day. And they seem to have overlooked Palin gyrating her hips with joy before they got married. You know her first child was born 8 months after they got married. Palin hasn't been exactly forthcoming about her premarital life. They don't seem to mind that Palin runs around preaching abstinence, are willing to let her run for VP and are lining her up for President in 2012. They are touting her as a representative of traditional values :).

We don't even want to get into McCain's personal life.

Ok.... so let me get this straight... Edwards fooled around on his wife and had a kid out of wedlock. He wasn't forthcoming about his sex life because he was afraid the American voters would reject him because traditional values look down on monkey business. He stopped campaigning for President because he couldn't represent traditional values.

Does anyone see a lack of consistency here? Why wasn't Palin asked about her own affairs and yet Edwards was?


So Edwards can't go around the nation and talk about poverty? Life still goes on and he has a lot to contribute. I say give it a rest. Maybe I won't go to Edwards for advice on marital problems but on poverty, I do think he has a lot to say.

[cali]

41. no, you don't have it right at all.

first of all, I don't know a worse argument than so and so did it too. secondly, for me, his affair was simply absolute proof of what a sanctimonious, creepy, self-serving phony, Mr. Hedgefund Rah Rah War Supporter is. And lastly he cheated on his terminally ill wife while they were in the spotlight and he was running for prez/

[NYCGirl]

42. Edwards stopped campaigning because he GOT CAUGHT. NT

[gatorboy]

44. Oy. He canceled the "College for Everyone" program after losing the primaries.

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

That doesn't say "central cause of his life" to me.

My guess is he's hoping for an Obama cabinet position.

[Marrah_G]

45. Good for you John!