Shakesville - Latest Comments in John Edwards Under Investigation

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

Redstar — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:48:38 -0000

"I admire some of the ideals for which John has fought, but at the same time to me there was always something a little bit too much televangelist about him for me to vote for him. There was always something about him that rubbed me the wrong way, although I still can't exactly explain what it is."

I never liked this guy, so mostly I feel vindicated, as it always bugged me that people thought he was so progressive. I appreciate that he talked openly about poverty, but if one looked closely at his platform, one would see the same old paternalistic responses to poverty that we've been dishing out for a good, long time.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

cynicalfatty — Tue, 05 May 2009 05:34:37 -0000

Ugh. What a fuckneck. Cheating on your dying wife is bad enough, but this? Jerkface.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

Andee Joyce — Mon, 04 May 2009 20:22:06 -0000

To think I actually wrote in this assclown's name over Obama and Clinton when it came to the Oregon primary. That's how much they were both pissing me off. And at first, when I heard about the affair, it was, "Shit, why do we have to be so juvenile about these things in America? Why do politicians have to pretend to be so simon-pure in their personal lives when they're not? They ALL fuck around; it's more shocking to find one who never has. It would be nice if just one of them had the spleen to admit it."

(I also think Edwards kind of knew he didn't have much of a chance against Clinton or Obama, given that they were going to be much better financed than he was and unlike him were both presently holding office, that his chances came down to both of them fucking up worse than he did. I think we'd have found out about Rielle Hunter a lot sooner if he was leading the race early on.)

But if Edwards was skimming campaign funds to pay hush money to his mistress -- which is probably what this is -- it's no longer just cheating on her, it's cheating on me, too. My tax dollars, goddamnit. For this.

Fuckstain.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

grrrrzilla — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:15:19 -0000

Liss got a phone call from Edwards? Wow look how the wheel of Karma has turned.

I don't think I would be grinding my teeth anymore when its just short of amazing to see it come around so fast. I have a similar experience where-in I lost an election in a feminist organization to a person who was supported (is there a song that has the words turncoat in it?) by a platform that emphasized having tea parties over taking positions that might piss off some people because you all know its better to play nice and just get by then to make anyone angry and that person was supported by a past organizational President who went on to speak at Sarah Palin rallies in support of her and McCain. Very few people in the know ask me anymore why I quit the organization to avoid being associated with it. I am not angry anymore at the players just at the fact that they benched a very vital tool at a very important time with their selfishness. And of course I am blown away with how spectacularly and public they went up in flames.

Isn't there a wow is-this-for-real in there somewhere for you Liss?

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

huzzlewhat — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:34:04 -0000

I think wiggles has the right of it. By the time the primaries were over, people who supported Clinton knew that he'd had at least a few affairs... so we went into the general election and the subsequent eight years with our eyes open. (One of my favorite Hillary Clinton quotes was her rueful, world-weary acknowledgment that "Bill is a hard dog to keep on the porch.") With Edwards, on the other hand, we were led to believe an exemplary family life, and so the feelings of betrayal were added to the disappointment, leading to much more anger.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

wiggles — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:51:31 -0000

I do seem to see a lot more vitriol from people towards Edwards than towards Clinton (that is, people on the left - folks on the right sure dumped all over Clinton, no doubt). Is it because Hillary wasn't ill? So if Elizabeth wasn't ill, would it not be so bad?

Elizabeth's illness doesn't help, but I don't think that's quite it. Bill Clinton was a world class asshole, but he'd demonstrated that so many times already by the time Lewinsky happened that I think people were sick of hearing about it by the time some GOP-hired lawyer brought up an irrelevant question about Lewinsky during a trial about an Arkansas real estate deal.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

ethel — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:11:51 -0000

"when it was Shakespeare's Sister at Blogspot"

Huh? That's where I read it -- is there a different address now? I just tried "shakesville.com" and it took me right back to shakespearessister.blogspot....

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

Vicster — Mon, 04 May 2009 16:34:55 -0000

And if I may remind you, this is the same douchenozzle who had the temerity to lecture Liss on ethics. While cheating on his cancer-stricken wife. And while allegedly funnelling campaign funds to his mistress.

At the time I didn't even know about him cheating on Elizabeth or funneling campaign funds to his mistress but I was deeply disappointed in him for throwing Liss and Amanda under the bus. I so wanted to support him because of his support of a progressive platform even though his treatment of Liss was a huge red flag.

It is profoundly disappointing to realize that he is, it seems, yet another privileged rich dude who believes the rules don't apply to him.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

spryte — Mon, 04 May 2009 16:22:45 -0000

Ugh, it's frustrating for me. I really liked him, really enjoyed hearing someone who was in a place of privilege speak about those who weren't, and not in a condescending way or a tokenizing way. Then hearing about all this, it just saddened me.

But...then I think about Clinton's wanderings, and...I don't know, at the time it did bug me that he cheated on Hillary, but I certainly didn't look at him as now being totally unworthy of anything and a giant piece of crap. No, he was a stupid dude who cheated on his wife and lied and blah blah. Stupid, annoying, maddening...but she forgave him (for whatever reasons - and those are her own and not anyone else's business). I don't know, I do seem to see a lot more vitriol from people towards Edwards than towards Clinton (that is, people on the left - folks on the right sure dumped all over Clinton, no doubt). Is it because Hillary wasn't ill? So if Elizabeth wasn't ill, would it not be so bad? I don't know.

I've cheated on people. I don't think that makes me a worthless waste of space. I do think it deserves criticism, and I do look back and regret it and wish I'd had more self-control or whatever. I've been cheated on and it sucked and made me feel badly, but it doesn't make the good qualities the cheater had disappear.

Meh. /wishy-washy vague ramblings...

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

MTS — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:30:44 -0000

I'm glad to see you guys talking about it. It's shameful the way you were treated at the time, especially in light of all this. I really like Elizabeth too, and yet this weird behavior by John makes me think of, I don't know, almost sociopathic. Not in a killer kind of way but in a "the rules don't apply to me and therefore I will get away with anything" kind of way. My god, imagine if he'd gotten the nomination and then this came out. What kind of narcissist do you have to be to put your party/the country at risk like that?

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

Thealogian — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:24:40 -0000

I think I originally found my way to Shakeville (when it was Shakespeare's Sister at Blogspot) and to Pandagon (also an older address) through their association with the Edwards campaign in 2004. Was it 2004 or later? Details...

Anyway, Edwards was the more progressive voice in 2004 and 2008 and I am proud to support those issues (He actually talked about Poverty like it wasn't a deep shame of the individual!!! That's really revolutionary since Regan invented the "Welfare Queen")

Anyway, who he's turned out to be in her personal life, disappointing, yes, but I think that the American obsession with the bedroom is what allows David Vitter to wear diapers and "use" (rape) prostitutes in a brothel in New Orleans and be considered a sinner but a great family man and Bill Clinton's unrepentant blow job in the White House seem unforgiveable. Republicans can do the most fucked up shit, but as long as they remind their base that they are really for the punishment of women and gays for being dirty dirty sluts, they are golden (also, Baby Jesus makes it better) but Democrats above all cannot be human assholes because we (with the aid of a rabid media) hold those who actually believe in personal responsibility to a higher standard. Also, since Republicans do crazy fucked up stuff--like bestiality and other things that can't be talked about on TV vs. Democrats fairly vanilla consensual, non-paid stuff for mutual pleasure stuff (whether that's in the context of a cheating relationship or not) Republicans will still get away with more because what they do can't be discussed on CNN.

That was a crazy rant.

Anyway, like everyone Love Elizabeth, very disappointed in John, but I don't regret supporting him or sending in my monthly contributions because he did call for a more progressive platform from our moderate heavy weights, Hillary and Obama.

peace

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

Scott Madin — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:41:57 -0000

I'm also deeply saddened that, if not exactly because of Edwards's failings, they, and his defeat in the primary, seem to have made it easier for some of the important issues he was championing — like the terrible crime of widespread poverty in the richest country on earth, and the extraordinary destructiveness of income inequality to the fabric of our society — to be quietly pushed back out of the national political debate.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

sparklepants — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:36:50 -0000

I want my vote back. I know it's been like 5 years, but still. I want that vote back.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

Constant Comment — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:35:58 -0000

I'm glad I never supported him, although I do admire her. His treatment of Liss and Amanda was bad enough; however, his narcissism in thinking that he could get away with this in the middle of a campaign at risk to the whole Democratic party is nothing short of breathless.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

oddjob — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:34:36 -0000

I always thought the best thing about John Edwards was Elizabeth.

I admire some of the ideals for which John has fought, but at the same time to me there was always something a little bit too much televangelist about him for me to vote for him. There was always something about him that rubbed me the wrong way, although I still can't exactly explain what it is.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

deeky — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:25:00 -0000

How come when Edwards is a cheating hypocrite the left writes him off completely but when Gingrich or Limbaugh are cheating hypocrites they're made into leaders of the GOP?

because they police their own... or... ummm... nevermind.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

jabes — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:23:42 -0000

I met Edwards at a political reception a short while after he and Kerry lost to Shrub. The guy was a complete drip.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

everstar — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:15:23 -0000

Makes me wish I'd voted for Hillary. Not that it ended up making much of a difference, one way or the other, but I'd feel better about it now.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

Scott Madin — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:04:09 -0000

I'm not ashamed of having supported Edwards; as far as I knew at the time, he looked like the best candidate. But I'm surely disappointed in him, and saddened that he turned out not to be who I once thought he was.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

wiggles — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:04:08 -0000

How come when Edwards is a cheating hypocrite the left writes him off completely but when Gingrich or Limbaugh are cheating hypocrites they're made into leaders of the GOP?

Just wonderin'

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

Danzig — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:52:07 -0000

I'm now ashamed I ever supported him.

Yeah, I know what you mean. In any conversation I had, I would say how he was my guy. I now cringe when I think of that. It's like putting on a wet, wool overcoat.

Fucker.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

Aunt B — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:42:36 -0000

It's funny how my anger at Edwards seems to grow over time. His treatment of Melissa and Amanda Marcotte had me annoyed and I could see why people were angry. At the time I was all, "how dare he ask these folks to come on-board so that he could have their brains and some of the well-being they've generated in the world and then sell them out like that?" But I, myself, wasn't angry. However, the more that comes out about it, the more I feel like he wasn't just a douche, but that there is something a little evil about him. I mean, how a person like him could lecture anyone on anything without bursting into flame just boggles my mind. The more I learn, the more I just wish everyone who encountered him during the day would glare at him and just ask "How dare you?" It really pisses me off.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

D. Potter — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:14:37 -0000

OK, it seems to be axiomatic that anyone lecturing anyone on morals or ethics has a fairly hideous portrait in his or her attic.

I occasionally say that Americans as a people worship hypocrisy (and I mean the cover-up, not the truth), but I really wasn't expecting to have another illustration of this so early in the month.

Newt Gingrich in the morning, eeeewwwwwwwwww.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

Jay in Oregon — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:13:58 -0000

You have no idea how many times I think back on that phone call and just grit my teeth in rage.

Hopefully, you can take some comfort in the fact that his hypocrisy is now out in plain view for all to see, and his political career is pretty much over as a result. As Graham pointed out, he earns his place in history being lumped into the same category of moral paragons as Newt Gingrich.

Re: John Edwards Under Investigation

samanthab — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:02:49 -0000

I really wanted to believe he would hold true to the stuff he was saying- I was a supporter,- but I did have nagging suspicions about his candor all along. His record and his rhetoric didn't correspond oh so very well

My admiration for Elizabeth Edwards, however, remains boundless. I'm not sure how helpful it is to refer to Rielle Hunter as "pathetic," but Elizabeth Edwards is certainly entitled to anger. I don't feel that I can judge her for that, and she's been such an incredible advocate for progressive issues.