Joined: 06 Jul 2003
Posts: 7087
Location: Central CA
| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:49 am Post subject: Edwards...As Big A Liar As The Rest Of Them | |||||
There's just nobody left out there anymore. 
From ABC News:
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Joined: 09 Feb 2008
Posts: 1292
Location: Brand Central
| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:57 am Post subject: | |
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I'm not a fan of Edwards ... faaar from it in fact... but since he's no longer a public official, nor a candidate for anything... i'm rather surprised at how much press this event is getting.
Yeah, he lied. A this point, does it really matter? |
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Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 479
| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 2:04 am Post subject: | |
| yes, it matters. He's a politician and it just shows his true colors. Why would he think he could lie about an affair and not suffer the consequences? He's a married man, he took a vow to his wife. Does that mean NOTHING? His integrity and ethics, STINK. Now he's also a liar. | |
Joined: 09 Feb 2008
Posts: 1292
Location: Brand Central
| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 2:13 am Post subject: | |
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I'm not diminishing it, I'm saying that since he is now a private citizen, its not as newsworthy as if he was a public official.
Please understand... I'm a McCain supporter... i voted for W. Bush twice, Dole/Kemp, Bush Sr twice and Reagan...! so i'm no Edwards apologist by a mile I guess the chattering classes in DC feel personally betrayed and that why the coverage is so intense. I'm questioning the press's coverage excitement here, not Edwards' mistakes - he has to deal with his family on that one. |
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Joined: 06 Jul 2003
Posts: 7087
Location: Central CA
| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 3:19 am Post subject: | |
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It doesn't have anything to do with his sex life for me. I don't give a rat's ass about that and my disappointment is not based on it... I don't like him lying about it, that's all. I figure if they'll lie that glibly about these kinds of situations, then they've probably had a little too much practice being a liar and it will probably carry over into other pats of their lives.
It simply goes to his honesty and integrity, something that I'm old fashioned enough to still expect from the people that run the country. If I'm going to vote for someone, I want him to have some little something that recommends him above the rest. I can't tell you WHY I expect anything better than we've been getting for the past 20-25 years but I do and it's always a letdown for me when someone... especially someone who works to present a squeaky clean image and who makes old fashioned family values a key part of his campaign turns out to be just another lying schmuck and no better than the rest. |
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Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Posts: 354
| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:58 am Post subject: | |
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Not backing him up or justifying what he did...because it's terrible...but I mean we are electing humans into office, not robots. How does everyone expect all these people to be perfect? I suppose they should be held to a higher moral standard given their responsibility, but they're still human...they're still going to make mistakes. Alot of them. That's the only way we learn.
Like everyone is surprised? People lie, cheat, steal, kill every day. What makes these people any different? Their high profile status? That doesn't make them any less human. |
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Joined: 06 Jul 2003
Posts: 7087
Location: Central CA
| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:45 pm Post subject: | |
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That's the thing about being old MS... you remember times when a higher standard WAS expected and when politicians at least pretended to aspire to that higher standard. But for me, it all boils down to hypocrisy.
What you're saying... and I have no doubt that you're right... is that America has simply lowered its standards in regard to the people it selects to lead the country. But it's sad, that we accept lying and cheating as acceptable modes of behavior for our politicians OR for ourselves. It's readily apparent that the people that we DO elect according to those lowered standards have no qualms about lowing our standards for us in virtually every endeavor they become involved in also. Some of us still think we have a right to expect better to choose from than a motley assortment of crooks and liars whose only campaign rhetoric involves the "fact" that their sleaze isn't as quite as sleazy as the other guy's sleaze. Perhaps if the politicians themselves would simply stop making such an issue of the OTHER guy's moral and ethical character and concentrate on their own, there wouldn't be this massive hypocrisy evident every time one of the pots turns out to be as black as the kettles he's been ranting about. |
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Joined: 09 Feb 2008
Posts: 1292
Location: Brand Central
| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:48 pm Post subject: | |
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Nofs: I see your point there... and MS is correct as well about people being 'human'
Upon further reflection, I guess I personally never expected anything from the guy, and never bought the image of a trial lawyer as a reformer... and thats why I'm not upset about these events. Your comments do make the media's reaction more logical. |
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Joined: 18 Mar 2005
Posts: 245
Location: 3rd coast
| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:58 pm Post subject: | |||||
IMO, it does matter. True, Edwards is no longer a public official in terms of currently being an office-holder at taxpayer expense, but he certainly was positioning himself to be one, and the highest one at that. Therefore, this merits the current media coverage. As I recall from 2004, Edwards wasn't reluctant to trot out his young children during the presidential campaign. As early as 2002 he spoke of the death of his eldest son, and did all of the things that would support the iconography of a youthful, decent family man. Newseek reports that in 2006 Edward's PAC paid Rielle Hunter, a novice filmmaker, $114K to record Edwards travels to various rallies for broadcast on the Web. Once you do that, you pretty much chuck the private citizen thing out the window. Recently NYT columnist Maureen Dowd wrote:
Well, Mr. Edwards, we now see who you really are, and because of that, we know the results. |
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Joined: 09 Feb 2008
Posts: 1292
Location: Brand Central
| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 3:45 pm Post subject: | |||
The days of JFK sneaking out for a tryst died when every cub reporter in the universe decided they were going to be the next Woodward or Bernstein. Gotcha journalism sells far more papers and TV ads than in depth issues reporting. |
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Joined: 18 Mar 2005
Posts: 245
Location: 3rd coast
| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 8:08 pm Post subject: | |||||
As I understand it, the National Enquirer reported of Edwards's affair last October. To my recollection, no major news media, lest any "cub reporter" with designs to be the next Woodward or Bernstein, picked it up. According to one member of the media (a veteran reporter/analyst/blogger for the entertainment industry) the story wasn't exactly hush-hush.
In a way, Edwards was able to sneak out for a tryst back in 2006. Based on the above testimony, members of media on the west coast ignored it. Edwards denied any such relationship when the story broke last fall. What undid Edwards was a recently scheduled meeting with Ms. Hunter and the baby in a hotel in Los Angeles. The Enquirer was there with a photographer. Edwards sensed a set-up and tried to bolt. The combination of this event and his previous denials created a second interest in the matter. Do I think we have bigger fish to fry? Sure. Is Edwards human? Of course. It's the issue of his judgement (or lack thereof) that I question, and it is the responsibility of the Fourth Estate in our democratic society to ask the questions its readership may have. You, MA, and others may not care and deem this "personal business," "private family matter," whatever. My perspective differs. Can anyone properly govern our nation when he/she may become embattled with personal distractions, and with today's technology, there stands a chance there's a video on YouTube to document it? |
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Joined: 09 Feb 2008
Posts: 1292
Location: Brand Central
| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:02 pm Post subject: | |
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Don't get me wrong, my comments were based on the here and now, and the fact that he is no longer a candidate or public figure.
If in fact the major media outlets chose to ignore this damaging story, it only serves to highlight their extreme bias. |
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Joined: 18 Mar 2005
Posts: 245
Location: 3rd coast
| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:53 pm Post subject: | |||
I'm rather surpised by your above remark. Let's revisit your first statement on this thread:
Maybe the major media declined to pursue the story for the same reasons you suggested: that Edwards is no longer a candidate for anything and is no longer a public figure. Now you are claiming this whole thing is a "damaging story" and furthermore give whiff of criticism towards the media for their "extreme bias." If the affair between Edwards and Ms. Hunter "doesn't really matter," then how is it a "damaging story?"
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Joined: 09 Feb 2008
Posts: 1292
Location: Brand Central
| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 5:53 pm Post subject: | |
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To clarify: I was referring to last fall when he was an actual candidate
My original statement was based on conditions today. Sorry if I was unclear. |
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Joined: 18 Mar 2005
Posts: 245
Location: 3rd coast
| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:58 pm Post subject: "druck" and cover | |||||
To clarify as well, last fall both Edwards and Ms. Hunter denied the story published in the Enquirer, which may be why the national media (including Fox News) did little if nothing further to report it.
I studied journalism and communications in college. When both parties deny a charge, and you the reporter cannot offer any evidence or testimony on the record to the contrary, then any editor or news station manager will probably drop the story. Furthermore, media entities pay huge sums to legal teams who vet stories as thoroughly as editors, publishers, station managers, etc. No doubt the smell of Dan Rather's crash and burn over the infamous memo in 2004 still lingers in the air and has made many a reporter rethink being the next Bernstein/Woodward. As for my link to David Poland's blog, his reference to Edwards's "open secret" could use some clarifying as well. It's "open" because Ms. Rielle Hunter had a penchant for fabulist behavior, re-inventing herself (i.e. changing her name from Lisa Druck) and could not keep her big mouth shut, telling everyone in private the baby was fathered by Edwards. The story stayed a "secret" because Ms. Druck/Hunter would not go on the record with her assertions when pressed. The July meeting covered by the Enquirer forced Edwards to go public, otherwise, it's a good bet we'd never get wind of this. Edwards put himself in the public arena. Though his hat may not be in the ring at this moment, it's a good bet he's clutching it and keeping his pitching arm warmed up. Therefore, I believe the affair merits media attention. Yeah, Edwards is human, and IMO an utterly stupid one at that, thinking no one at the Enquirer would keep him on its radar. I've had waayy to many years of stupid "leadership." I expect better judgement. |
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Joined: 06 Jul 2003
Posts: 7087
Location: Central CA
| Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 1:23 am Post subject: | |
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He may not have much of a pitching arm to wind up anymore.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080813/ap_on_el_pr/edwards_affair |
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Joined: 18 Mar 2005
Posts: 245
Location: 3rd coast
| Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 2:27 am Post subject: Freudians take note | |||
Nice pull Nofs. I found this comment by Edwards telling:
Excuse me? Then again, it's the perfect response from someone who, more and more, looks like he suffers from a stubborn case of arrested development. |
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Joined: 09 Feb 2008
Posts: 1292
Location: Brand Central
| Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 3:34 am Post subject: | |
| Nah, he wants to go back to suing people for a living. | |
Joined: 06 Jul 2003
Posts: 7087
Location: Central CA
| Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 3:41 am Post subject: | |||
Where did you see that? Got a link? |
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Joined: 09 Feb 2008
Posts: 1292
Location: Brand Central
| Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 3:53 am Post subject: | |
| that was a snide remark. | |
Joined: 06 Jul 2003
Posts: 7087
Location: Central CA
| Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 4:08 am Post subject: | |
Oh. Silly me. 
Actually, so was mine. 
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Joined: 26 Aug 2005
Posts: 1454
| Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 4:52 am Post subject: | |
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This whole thing with Edwards epitomises politics in this country - AND the quality of those who choose to enter the political arena.
Look at Kennedy... and then there's Nixon. And Clinton. Regan was a flipping actor! 
Johnson was a cocky Texas bully. 
...... and everybody thinks Carter was horrible. |
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