"Cheating on your wife is a deal breaker for Republican voters -- but only if you're a Democrat."

[babylonsister]

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/01/zing_2.php?ref=fpblg


Zing ...

With polling showing Sens. David Vitter and John Ensign both re-electable, Tom Jensen of Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling observes: "Cheating on your wife is a deal breaker for Republican voters -- but only if you're a Democrat."

[Bolo Boffin]

1. The Republicans have officially ceded any right to talk about the Clenis.

Amazing, isn't it?

[peace frog]

2. IOKIYAR

Repeat as needed.

[Independent_Liberal]

11. Or maybe instead of repeating that, we should...

...just call them on their hypocrisy, loud and clear 24/7.

[patrice]

3. Probably going to get my butt kicked for this: but WHY do we assume that John Edwards is completely

useless now?

[peace frog]

4. Because Edwards has been abandoned by Dems

as well as excoriated by Repukes. Maybe he can find his way back in some small role after a good long while, but for right now he doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell.

[patrice]

5. Waste of a good man, over something that MANY others have been forgiven for. :-((((((((((((~

[mopinko]

7. because his action confirm what a lot of us always thought about him.

i always thought he was a slimy, lying ambulance chaser. :shrug:

[laughingliberal]

10. not only that but he was the only primary candidate who made poverty an issue!

oh...wait...

[unc70]

12. Attacks on EE credibility, too. HCR and poverty.

I posted over in the JRE group that the recent NY Mag article from the book by H & H seemed particularly a hit job on EE, with the JRE part containing little new except a description of his initial meeting with Hunter. (That description seems more believable to me than alternate versions, including the two attributed to Hunter.)

I argued that the article, beginning in its second sentence, sets the tone by describing as a mirage the image of EE as the virtuous wife/women (alluding to Jonathan Edwards and the proper role for a wife) who could remain blameless. H & H even suggest that her behavior contributed to his straying.

The argument they were making was that JRE and EE were motivated by gaining power, saving the marriage, confronting illness and death, ego trips, a need to torture staff members, or almost anything other than that either might actually be motivated by or care about the issues related to poverty or healthcare. In spite of some really stupid behavior by JRE, I believe that their commitment to these issues was and remains real.

Why? Because I was a year ahead of EE at UNC Chapel Hill, a couple of years behind Wellstone, and we all share much the same experiences and goals. (Dean's brother was here, too.) One rarely sees University President Emeritus Bill Friday without him asking "What are we going to do about poverty?"

They, DK, and Howard Dean were among the few speaking from populist/progressive positions on these issues. I never expected that Edwards would win the nomination, particularly after I realized the money, MSM, and powerful interests behind Obama, but I had hoped that he and Elizabeth would have remained as effective advocates. Once the scandal about Hunter became public and I learned how many people had set on the story until Edwards was no longer needed to prevent HRC winning Iowa, then I saw little chance of they would be allowed any ongoing role.

[appal_jack]

15. Edwards was useless as a Senator

Edwards was useless as a Senator ('Senator Gone,' author of the IWR and the PATRIOT Act, supporter of the drug war, two-faced-slick-&-greasy-smarm-monger), useless as a VP candidate (sulked through the campaign at having to play 2nd fiddle to Kerry, couldn't debate Cheney worth a darn, failed to call-out election fraud in Ohio despite his much-vaunted lawyerly 'skills') and useless as a presidential candidate (used New Orleans as a prop, talked a line about poverty but had done nothing to fight it when he had a chance to, and yes, broke his marriage vows at a time when he still had a shot at the nomination (thus jeopardizing the efforts and donations of all Democrats in the name of his Dick).

So I'm not assuming anything. I KNOW that John Edwards is useless, and that he has been for YEARS.

-app

EDIT to add that I believe that Sens. David Vitter and John Ensign have no place being in the Senate, or even County Dog Catcher's office. They are both sub-moronic, mean-spirited, hypocritical assholes. Next to them, John Edwards looks like a Saint/Rhodes-Scholar/Savior all rolled into one. But sorry, better than Vitter/Ensign is not enough to impress me. I want principled leaders whose beliefs do not change with the winds, and whose talk during the campaign is followed by sustained progressive action in office.

Also, k&r for bringing awareness to the whole IOKIYAAR bullshit.

[cbdo2007]

16. It isn't the infidelity that hurt Edwards.....

it's lying about it for so long, doing it during the campaign when we're all putting our trust in him, and while his wife has cancer.

If he did it like just as a fling and came right out about it it would have been a whole different story. Plus he's got a kid with the lady.

[hughee99]

6. Being a Democrat is a deal breaker for repuke voters...

that's why they are repuke voters, cheating on your wife is just an excuse they might give.

[Laelth]

9. +1 n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[Joanne98]

8. Exactly!

[Scurrilous]

13. K & R

:thumbsup:

[laughingliberal]

14. It's always good to look at who gets destroyed

I tend to assume there is some skeleton in the closets of most people in power. The interesting thing to me is to watch who gets their covers pulled and what were they advocating for before they took 'em down. I'm thinking Spitzer-about to take on some Wall Street abuses, Edwards-fighting for the poor. Not saying he didn't make a stupid mistake in his personal life but others are in power who have also. They just haven't pissed the wrong people off yet.