Slime story: John Edwards pays off aide to lie about paternity?

OK., purely frivolous, salacious non-news. This section is always so damn heated, figured it's about time for something political that is about as important as "what color underwear does the Prez wear?"

Anyway, Karma's a bitch, I guess. Not proven yet, steam is building that may bring Edwards into hot water, for a host of things - including improper use of campaign monies to still his mistress - but asking his aide to take the rap for knocking up his mistress, and a host of other things.....tsk, tsk. Edwards' career, R.I.P.

However you feel about him, any oddsmakers on whether this usual cycle of politico "sin-mea culpa - public memory effacement - redemption" will actually work, in this instance?

 

I don't see how anything he did was worse than what Gov. Sandford, Sen. Ensign, or Sen. screwed hookers for 12 years can't remember his name in Louisiana did... (edit: VITTER)

And they still all have their jobs!

If Edwards was a Republican he could just say he found Jesus again and he'd be fine.

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I am very thankful that Edwards didn't win the Democratic nomination. Even if he had managed to win the Presidency I can only imagine what would be going on right now if he were President... it'd make the whole Bill Clinton BJ thing look like small potatoes, I imagine. The media loves SEX. And to right wingers, someone having sex outside of marriage is far worse than you know... lying about war and getting thousands of people killed.

 

You just flat out CAN'T say a Democrat did a bad thing can you? ROFL! It's like against your religion. You are so blinded by bias it's amazing.

NPT didn't say a WORD about party affiliation, but you just HAD to try and point out completely unrelated Republican problems in fear your precious Dems might look bad. Seriously man, some of us vote by individual, not by whether they wear a D or an R in their title.

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Now on topic, yes I think John Edwards is a very slick, sleezy, and downright dirty lawyer that karma is catching up to now. I really feel bad for his wife and the others burned in this.

 

Obama was the biggest beneficiary of this lie. When Edwards, Clinton, and Obama were the top candidates for the Democratic nomination, the issue of Edwards cheating came up. Edwards openly lied about it. If he had simply been honest he would have dropped (or been run) out of the race and Clinton likely would have beat Obama in a head to head match up in many of those first states. Because Edwards cheated on his wife and lied about it Hilary Clinton is not President.

The sad irony for Clinton is that this is the second time a cheating husband has figuratively screwed her.

The moral of the story: Some people are real scumbags.

 

That's interesting, Brown - what's your reasoning on this? My memory of it is how everyone was floored by Obama's early win in Iowa; how the win took everyone - including, I'd imagine, Obama himself - by surprise, since it was such a decided victory....Obama 35, Clinton 17, Edwards 4. My impression from around that time was a kind of sea change - that "the kid" could actually do it, could actually be more than an energizing force, and could actually be a candidate to reckon with. Clinton did in fact win the next 3 contests - New Hampshire, Michigan and Nevada - and by Michigan, Edwards had dropped out.

I guess my reasoning is that while Obama won while Edwards was in, it was only in the first ballot, Iowa; he lost the next three, and with New Hampshire, Edwards was out...so they were head to head from that point on, and Obama got elected nevertheless.

Armchair quarterbacking, I'm concluding, anyway, that Obama would have taken it with or without an Edwards in the race, from early on (since he lost the relevant races with him in, anyway, and won the nomination nonetheless).

Anyway, would love to get your reasoning. Interesting.

@Zibblu: Agree with Reseq, no party is full of saints, no party full of sinners. This is simply an apparent scumbag who got caught, and it spells the end of his career, I conjecture.

 

HA. You're missing the point. I am not defending what Edwards did. Obviously it was sleazy and I do feel bad for his wife (to the extent that I feel bad for people I do not know personally...) The point is the ridiculous hypocrisy of the right wing media which runs a story like this into the ground and says that his political career is over while not thinking twice about the fact that a "family values" Republican like David Vitter can be caught screwing hookers for 12 years and still be considered a viable candidate to win another 6 years in the Senate.

It's ludicrous!

Particularly when a politician like Edwards has never made "family values" a cornerstone of his politics like the Republicans who do such things do.

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Seriously - why is Edwards career considered over for having an affair but Vitter's is not for seeing prostitutes for TWELVE YEARS. The double standard is absolutely insane. I think the thing is, people are so used to this double standard that they don't even really stop to think about how ridiculous it is. Like I said: If Edwards was a Republican he would just say he found Jesus and he'd be back where he was within a year or two.

Nonsense. There's absolutely no reason to think that Edwards dropping out would have helped Clinton. In fact it makes much more sense to see it as Edwards & Obama fighting over the anti-Clinton vote. Remember - Clinton was the "coronation candidate" - she was the one that was supposed to win. Everyone else was initially seen as alternatives to her. The more liberal side of the Democratic party was split between Edwards & Obama - if Edwards wasn't in the race - most of his votes would have gone to Obama --- and that's exactly what did happen when Edwards dropped out! I know a lot of people who supported Edwards and when he left the race they all switched their support to Obama.

 

True. I gotta admit that the funniest part of this thread tho is that I'm looking at the Adsense advertisement in your post and at the moment it looks like you're endorsing Rick Perry (GWs handpicked successor in Tx Guv mansion) for his bid seeking another term. LOL. Hell I'm not even endorsing that one (you closet Republican you).

 

Refresh! Refresh the page, dammit, before the old precinct walker I was pops a gizzard!

LOL - that is funny. No, what I have now are "digital hearing aids." Probably belongs in the "mandatory breast enhancement" platform you've got going over in healthcare.

 

It was just my impression of the flow at the time. I think a lot of the Clinton voters were also Edwards voters. I think had Edwards not been in the race a lot of his supporters would have moved to Clinton. I just think it would have been enough of a shift to change the outcome of the primaries. Also, I think it would have focused more critical attention on Obama earlier. It is impossible to guess what might have happened but the debates and things like that can be radically different with only 2 serious candidates. We will never know so I will stick by my claim that Clinton would be President if Edwards hadn't cheated on his wife.

Because he flat out lied numerous times to the public and the press about having an affair. It is not simply a question of his personal failings in having an affair - he actively set out to deceive the people.

When you are asked questions and repeatedly lie in response then you are not qualified to serve in government.

Or do you have no problem with politicians who knowingly lie and deceive the public?

 

Party affiliation doesn't seem to be a factor... there's always been a fair assortment of sexually promiscuous slimeballs on either side of the aisle. As stated by Henry Kissinger who as a middle aged nerd was dating a Hollywood type (oddly wasnt it Marlo Thomas?)... "Power is sexy".

There have been guys that thought with the wrong brain since the dawn of hot young girls (ie - forever), and politicians often have the opportunity to exercise impulses that the guy driving a truck might just dream of yet not indulge, not because he has more moral fiber, but because he has less chance of success. That's life. I wouldn't take it as an assault on either party... more a simple confirmation that letter shown in the pin on their jacket doesn't make a huge difference in their personal shortcomings. Neither owns the high ground in that respect.

 

You crazy rob. Next you are going to tell us that there are assholes in every religion.

 

Yes, but how is that worse than being a Senator seeing prostitutes for 12 years while simultaneously representing yourself as a "Family Values Republican."

Ah, the hypocrisy! It's just like when right wingers tried to make Bill Clinton's Lewinsky affair about more than the affair. It was about how he "lied" about it. How ridiculous. The very nature of an affair is that you lie about it. And speaking of lies; How many did Gov. Sanford tell?

The point is not Edwards, the point is that Republican politicians get away with much worse all the time.

 

There's a difference between people's personal moral code and breaking the law.

I can't speak in all cases of which these all fall under not knowing the details off the top of my head so someone correct me if details are incorrect:

In the case of Bill Clinton, people have moral issues with getting a BJ while on the job in the White House. Where the real problems came are from LEGAL issues with him saying under oath that he had no sexual relations with her. But he then said he doesn't consider a BJ sexual relations because it wasn't intercourse.

With John Edwards, again, people have moral issues with him cheating on his wife with cancer who stood by him. Where the real problems came are the LEGAL issues with the under the table payoffs that are believed to have used campaign funds to keep people quiet.

 

From a simple standpoint of credibility it probably did Clinton no favors to go on TV and wag his finger at the public accusingly while lying. Personally as a guy about the same general age he was at the time I'd have found the story inspiring and full of hope. Of course I still don't begrudge the man a fling, cause if I was married to Hillary I'm pretty sure I'd have beaten his dalliances all to hell.

I'll grant you I did find it scary that the guy that held the nuclear football looked at this 20-something intern that flashed her thing at the leader of the free word and his response was to think "Now *here's* a girl whose discretion I may rely on".

LOL. Damn... chalk one up to the evil nature of that other brain. That dumb sumbitch has gotten me in trouble too, and he never makes sense later even though at the time I agree with him wholeheartedly.

Gotta pull the partisan chip off the shoulder Zibblu... there arent any winners on this topic, or any reason for either side to point fingers. It isnt a political issue, it's a human nature thing.

 

I think Edwards should move to France and try to become a president there. In France it is obligatory for presidents to have a mistress, otherwise people will not vote for him since he is not considered a real man.

 

John Edwards always reminded me of a slick used car salesman. He probably always was the slimeball ambulance chaser that right wingers accused him of being.

 

Right now, it looks like Paul is endorsing Bob Mcdonnell for governor!

Haven't kept up with this story, but it sounds like a soap opera. One bizarre detail I've read is that The National Enquirer was the first to report about Edwards back in 2007, but no one ever believes anything The National Enquirer reports.

 

He is a slime piece of sh!t. No doubt.

 

Funny how it takes a scandal to deprive the once worshiped as fallen. Odd.

Either way, I always thought Edwards stood the most chance of winning. He always seemed so sincere and confident. Looking at all he achieved in terms of wealth via TORT of all things, he seemed best poised for a leadership position IMO.

Of course all of these opinions were formed prior to the "scandals". Either way, regardless of his sins, how is this any different from a sitting president fooling around on his wife in the Oval Office and lying under oath?

Why is that any less severe a "slime ball" act, or wrong?

 

In case this is lost on anyone;

This actually was intended as a more or less light-hearted thread. Not a platform to launch a propaganda spin on the sin of every politician not of one's party. I'm speaking to anyone here who thinks their particular political party don't stink, not just our pal Mia.

Can we not most agree, anyway, scumbag is scumbag, and it doesn't come with a party card?

Also, in case this is lost on anyone:

Let me take the opportunity to say nice to see you here, Jer', your spin notwithstanding. Particularly given that I am a "violent sociopath, delusional lunatic crybaby whining bellyachin' stalker in need of a restraining order, who has attacked, hounded, chased, harassed everyone away from and is universally hated on DP" kind of fella, very surprising to have your participation here, but hell - nice to see you, come on in, the water's fine.

In other news, I read more on his paramour...not a bad film producer, at least more than I expected...the viral web campaign for Edwards was a first of its kind, and she was, in her way, a trailblazer. Shame it was for such a loser.