John Edwards, gimma a break

[madame_zora]

I love the power of positive thinking, I think that much would fail to be accomplished without it. That being said, I can't help but feel that John Edward's continuing political campaign after his wife's diagnosis is a bad judgement call on his part, both for his wife, and for the country.

I hope Elizabeth's cancer progresses slowly, or perhaps even stalls, but that is a personal wish from one person to another, it has nothing to do with how this influences what is in the best interest of America. Surely we have enough serious issues for our next leader to address that we will need that person's undivided attention, to the extent that it's possible to get. Yes, everyone has personal issues, but one as glaringly obvious as this, I would think anyone with any kind of conscience would step down and allow someone with less on their plate to run. He's still young enough to run at a later date, should he be in a different position.

Whether he is continuing because of personal ego, or just a misguided belief that "life goes on", he's clearly only thinking of his family, not the nation. I don't think he's in any position to be a world leader right now. We can't afford to be leaderless while he grieves the long process of a slow painful illness and eventual death just because it's good for HIM to "stay positive".



John Edwards to continue campaign, despite wife's cancer - International Herald Tribune

 

[invisibleman]

Yeah, John Edwards is THE man. He is very respectable.

A lot of people are calling him "gay" and a "Breck Girl". You know straight men don't escape homophobic taunts at all.

Look at Ann Coulter--she doesn't have a man. And she's calling John Edwards by implication and asides that he is a "faggot". Ann Coulter needs to stop taking those testosterone shots and just get mellow.

(I think that John Edwards is sexy though. :smile: ) I wish I had a few minutes with Ann Coulter in a janitor's closet. I would "bitchslap" her AVON rep silly and ass fuck her up with a broomstick.

 

[mindseye]

My mom and Mrs. Edwards are both being treated at the same facility for cancer. They haven't met, but some of the doctors who've spoken on television about Mrs. Edwards are doctors that have seen mom as well. I can't afford to take time away from my job to care for my mother full time; she has to muddle through parts of her treatment alone. They do an outstanding job there of treating cancer (my mom's been a survivor for 15 years so far!), and I manage quite well to balance a full-time job with her treatments. Are you suggesting John Edwards' is somehow less skilled at juggling two responsibilities than I am?

I don't think there's a need for him to drop out over a medical condition that was detected early and is manageable. It does add to his plate, sure, but to suggest that it leaves no room on his plate to continue his career overstates the magnitude of this news.

 

[B_big dirigible]

he's clearly only thinking of his family, not the nation.

It doesn't really look like he's even thinking of his family.

Maybe he sees this as a fleeting opportunity to get an electoral boost from his new "victim" status. The voters just love victims of circumstance, and as we know will even vote for a dead candidate, apparently out of sympathy.

 

[upstatebiguy]

I respectfully disagree with Madame-Zora's remarks.

I am admittedly biased. In the last election, I campaigned for John Edwards. I think that he is talking about issues that few others in the campaign have discussed. I don't remember a candidate in recent history talking about poverty, and the issues related to poverty.

I can't suggest that I know what Mr. and Mrs. Edwards are thinking. But, my bet is, that she has been very encouraging on his continued candidacy. She seems like a woman of great fortitude and personal convictions, and I can't imagine that she'd want to stop the campaign.

I'd rather have 75% of his time than 100% of Bush's. Besides, I sometimes think that personal tragedies help someone lead better.

 

[madame_zora]

My mom and Mrs. Edwards are both being treated at the same facility for cancer. They haven't met, but some of the doctors who've spoken on television about Mrs. Edwards are doctors that have seen mom as well. I can't afford to take time away from my job to care for my mother full time; she has to muddle through parts of her treatment alone. They do an outstanding job there of treating cancer (my mom's been a survivor for 15 years so far!), and I manage quite well to balance a full-time job with her treatments. Are you suggesting John Edwards' is somehow less skilled at juggling two responsibilities than I am?

I don't think there's a need for him to drop out over a medical condition that was detected early and is manageable. It does add to his plate, sure, but to suggest that it leaves no room on his plate to continue his career overstates the magnitude of this news.

No, I'm not suggesting he is less capable then you, but then your list of responsibilities does not include governing the United states. I never said he'd have NO room to devote to this, but IF the worst happens with her, which could very well come to pass in the next six years (two campaigning and four more, IF he were elected) I would not want him as my president.

It doesn't really look like he's even thinking of his family.

Maybe he sees this as a fleeting opportunity to get an electoral boost from his new "victim" status. The voters just love victims of circumstance, and as we know will even vote for a dead candidate, apparently out of sympathy.

So true. If the repubs wanted to protect their positions, they should start backing Edwards emphatically, noting his good Christian values, rather than calling him a 'mo.

 

[madame_zora]

I respectfully disagree with Madame-Zora's remarks.

I am admittedly biased. In the last election, I campaigned for John Edwards. I think that he is talking about issues that few others in the campaign have discussed. I don't remember a candidate in recent history talking about poverty, and the issues related to poverty.

I can't suggest that I know what Mr. and Mrs. Edwards are thinking. But, my bet is, that she has been very encouraging on his continued candidacy. She seems like a woman of great fortitude and personal convictions, and I can't imagine that she'd want to stop the campaign.

I'd rather have 75% of his time than 100% of Bush's. Besides, I sometimes think that personal tragedies help someone lead better.

I'm not disagreeing with his politics, nor your opinion about the value of having gone though something- but that's AFTER it's over, not while it's happening. I worked for MoveOnPac for the Kerry/Edwards campaign, but my personal opinion of him as a man is different from my view of his current situation, and where his priorities will be IF she takes a turn for the worse, which must be acknowledged as a realistic possibility.

 

[mindseye]

but my personal opinion of him as a man is different from my view of his current situation, and where his priorities will be IF she takes a turn for the worse, which must be acknowledged as a realistic possibility.

Do you have any evidence to suggest that Edwards' response to such a possibility would interfere with his duties, or is this just a "gut" feeling you have?

Woodrow Wilson lost his wife Ellen in office, during World War I, and still managed to bring the war to an end, negotiate a peace treaty, grant citizenship to Puerto Ricans, and support the 19th Amendment. (He even found time to date and remarry!)

You're right that my responsbilities don't include governing the United States. On the other hand, I don't have a cabinet or a team of secretaries and advisors to share my responsibilities. He'd have a strong network of people who can help carry some of the load for him if need be.

If you oppose him on his record, or his position on issues, that's fine. But it's presumptive of you to pass judgement on how much responsibility he can handle.

 

[mindseye]

I'm gonna follow up on this:

Zora, you're engaging in innuendo and smear, using a hypothetical situation to make a candidate weaker, and your tactics are no more noble than those of FOX news.

"Barack Obama attended an Islamic school. He might be a terrorist!"

"Hillary Clinton is a strong, independent woman. She might be a lesbian!"

"John Edwards has a sick wife. He might be too much of a pussy to handle it!"

Any presidential candidate, on either side of the aisle, mighthave to deal with personal trauma during the course of their presidency. Singling out just one candidate as being unfit for office for that reason is unfair and spiteful.

 

[madame_zora]

I'm gonna follow up on this:

Zora, you're engaging in innuendo and smear, using a hypothetical situation to make a candidate weaker, and your tactics are no more noble than those of FOX news.

"Barack Obama attended an Islamic school. He might be a terrorist!"

"Hillary Clinton is a strong, independent woman. She might be a lesbian!"

"John Edwards has a sick wife. He might be too much of a pussy to handle it!"

Any presidential candidate, on either side of the aisle, mighthave to deal with personal trauma during the course of their presidency. Singling out just one candidate as being unfit for office for that reason is unfair and spiteful.

Gee whiz Heath, how is it being a pussy if someone becomes overwhelmed with dealing with the death of a spouse? What I'm saying is just that we are in a very serious time, and I wouldn't want a leader who has a very realistic possibility of having a very serious issue to address that it would only be NORMAL to take a great deal of his attention. I'm talking about WHILE he's in office- I thought that was obvious since I stated it clearly.

You know how I've voted, and how I feel in the issues- why would you even bring up Obama might be a terrorist because he want to an islamic school fourty years ago? Edwards is dealing with this NOW, are you really that dense?

How would Hilary being a lesbian affect her ability to do her job, even IF it were true? What's your problem, other than me?

 

[mindseye]

I wasn't claiming that Obama was a terrorist, nor that Hillary was a lesbian; I was pointing out that your slur was parallel to slurs that commentators on FOX have made about other candidates. I thought that italicizing them and putting them in quotes would have made that clear.

You ask what my problem is "other than you", but it's your thread...of course the exception I take is going to involve you. My exception is that you, with less information about Elizabeth Edwards's condition, with less awareness of her course of treatment and prognosis, and with less understanding of her and John's abilities and priorities, are attacking him for the decision he made with more information and with her blessing.

Hell, the guy's already proven that he can carry on after the loss of a family member.

 

[madame_zora]

I wasn't claiming that Obama was a terrorist, nor that Hillary was a lesbian; I was pointing out that your slur was parallel to slurs that commentators on FOX have made about other candidates. I thought that italicizing them and putting them in quotes would have made that clear.

You ask what my problem is "other than you", but it's your thread...of course the exception I take is going to involve you. My exception is that you, with less information about Elizabeth Edwards's condition, with less awareness of her course of treatment and prognosis, and with less understanding of her and John's abilities and priorities, are attacking him for the decision he made with more information and with her blessing.

Hell, the guy's already proven that he can carry on after the loss of a family member.

Okay, I was stating that I'd prefer a leader with a clearer plate, but maybe you're right- I have been watching FOX today, and perhaps DB is just drawing me over to the darkside. Don't hate me man, you've seen his pics.

 

[GoneA]

Eh. I guess it's all a matter of how you look at it. Consider, if you will, The Church. I believe one of the chief reasons why they will not allow members of the clergy to marry is because they feel it's rather difficult (or even impossible) for one to be completely effective in that vocation with a spouse. Is that a logical belief?

Well, yes and no. You don’t have to be too clever to realize that people who’ve been ordained for religious services can manage both their ‘higher callings’ and ‘a married life’. You also don’t have to be any smarter to see how a life outside of ‘the ministry’ can tremendously distract them from it.

The same is true in John Edward’s case. While I can’t exactly say I agree with the notion of him dropping out of the race because of his ill wife, I can say I understand how one would agree with that. Edwards is only human; it’s only reasonable to believe that the death of his wife will affect his ability to run the country. But, how exactly?

God forbid (and I don’t know the severity of his wife’s illness, so this is all speculation), if wife were to die during his presidency, how would he cope? Would he turn into a pessimist, and lose sight of any visions and plans he has for America? Would he step-down at a time when the U.S. needs him most? Or, perhaps, would it have an entirely different effect? Would the death of his wife be the catalyst behind an increased desire to see our country succeed? Would he feel that he owed it to his wife to be someone great in his role as President?

Who knows, I say. I guess it’s a chance you have to take when voting season comes around. Hell, I’m voting for Barack Obama, anyway.

 

[B_big dirigible]

and perhaps DB is just drawing me over to the darkside. Don't hate me man, you've seen his pics.

DB?

Database? Decibel? Demi-basilisk?

 

[Onslow]

DB?

Database? Decibel? Demi-basilisk?

How long have you been coming around these parts? DB=Dunderhead Bush--

 

[B_big dirigible]

How long have you been coming around these parts? DB=Dunderhead Bush--

What, he has pics?

I thought he didn't show up in mirrors or on film.

 

[swordfishME]

Mr. Edwards will be fine in the eventuality that his wife does pass away. He does not look like the a person who cares about anyone but himself; so the death of the mother of his childeren (if it happens) might be more of an annoyance if he manages to get himself elected or a boost if he is still running for the job.

P.s: I agree somewhat with Ann Coulter. John Edwards is a closet case. He is a closet republican.

 

[Onslow]

What, he has pics?

I thought he didn't show up in mirrors or on film.

You're confusing him with Duck (Hunter)Cheney--the hologram v.p.. Bush just doesn't know how to get his picture on film.

 

[B_big dirigible]

P.s: I agree somewhat with Ann Coulter. John Edwards is a closet case. He is a closet republican.

Hmmm. Closet Republican, or actual Democrat. Not an attractive choice.

 

[madame_zora]

DB?

Database? Decibel? Demi-basilisk?

Oh crap, the typo queen rides again. I'll just stick to calling you Big Dirge.:biggrin1: