John Edwards, gimma a break

B_BristolBill

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I completely disagree.

Both have decided jointly it's right for them to proceed.

Cynicism is one thing and I understand that in today's political climate but to look for something more is just unkind.

More power to both of them.

mindseye said:
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.

Word
 

HotBulge

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I also have to disagree with M-Z. I understand her view that is puzzling how Edwards will manage a campaign and hypothetically govern the nation while being distracted with a wife with a terminal illness. Still, this is one of those occasions where, despite public opinion, it's really no one's business. Mrs. Edwards is supporting her husband and would probably welcome the positive distraction of seeing her husband be successful in the campaign effort rather than worrying about tragedy. Besides, we don't know what additional support she'll have: the Edwards have a daughter who will graduate from Harvard Law School within the near future. Her daughter is of age to help with the illness, even though it's not the most timely of happenings in her career. Perhaps Mrs. Edwards has sisters or cousins who will step up to the plate with support.

Many of us have/are/will face a situation where we have to be the primary source of care and support for a sick, elderly, or dying relative. Yes, strains on the family, one's time, attention, and reources, will naturally occur. People shouldn't be judged for having problems, but they can be judged for how they handle them. The Edwards deserve an A for effort in trying to manage their family problems - the illness. Both Mr and Mrs. Edwards want to continue to be productive: for them, that act of productivity, their goal is to wage a strong political campaign. Of course, having sympathy for the Edwards' situation is not a reason to vote for or against them. So, if Edwards is to be "dismissed", he should be dismissed as a candidate for the relative merits of his political position rather than his family troubles.
 

eyemready

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Since when is running for President "managing a career?" Running for President is probably the most singularly intense, all-consuming activity for the length of time involved (24 months?) imaginable. It's almost impossible on the family to begin with -- let alone on a family facing cancer. So, no, it isn't "manageable."

That being said, I think this is a strictly personal/family decision -- it is just the sort of decision that families make for many myriad stated and unstated reasons. Who knows what is involved for them? For example, ever think this might be HER wish? I choose to think the best of them both. We should BUTT OUT! (Speaking as a Republican faggot!)
 

B_big dirigible

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Well, fancy that - it's been six hours so far and nobody's handed me a ration of shit for making up a word. You people are losing your edge.

True, there's no such thing as a demi-basilisk, but the construction is, I believe, sound.
 

Freddie53

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There are a lot of factors here.

1. As far as actual physical care, the Edwards can afford the finest, the best.

2. As far as emotional support. Mrs. Edwards might be much more depressed and in need of emotional support if her husband dropped out of the race.

3. We don't know. I suspect though that it was her choice for Edwards to stay in the race. And if he decided or she indicated so, he would drop out in a heart beat.

4. We know about this cancer. But as stated earlier President Wilson lost is wife while in office. No matter who is elected, there is always the chance that a family tragedy could strike the family.

5. I am speculating here. The cancer may be such that Mrs. Edwards has a very short time here and the this diagnosis is most likely. Or, this may be a cancer situation where the doctors really believe that they can win without a lot of real "down" time on the part of Mrs. Edwards.

While Zora and I don't often disagree. We do on this one. Though her thoughts are well founded. And if Zora still feels like she does when the time to vote in the primaries, she should vote her conscience.

I am for Hillary Clinton and have been from the start, so I don't' have a decision to make at the polls.
 

JustAsking

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Well, fancy that - it's been six hours so far and nobody's handed me a ration of shit for making up a word. You people are losing your edge.

True, there's no such thing as a demi-basilisk, but the construction is, I believe, sound.
Its just that we are intimidated by your formidable vocabulary. I just assumed it was yet another thing I don't know. Google finds that it has already been chosen as the name of a character in an RPG game. Areyou, by any chance, named Terranigma in an RPG?
 

madame_zora

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Don't get me wrong, I like Edwards. I'm still for Obama as it stands now, although Edwards may be more "electable". My concern is primarily because of where we are in time, with a war going on. Even if we've pulled out by the fall of 2008, I just feel that there will be very serious issues to be dealth with, and almost any normal person would take time off work for the death of a spouse.

The article I posted said that Elizabeth wanted him to stay in the race, and that she enjoys helping with the campaign. Well, if they can get the needed funding, they have every right in the world to do just that, but I doubt the repubs would hesitate to pull their punches on him just because his wife is ill. If she became precarious at a critical time, it could cause a major upset. I'm just too sick of the adminsitration we have now and where it's taken us as a nation to feel good about risking getting stuck with more of the same. Even Hilary does not support my views on the war (nor those of many dems) so for many, it's a choice between Obama and Edwards. I'm concerned about him becomming the Ralph Nader of this election, drawing votes away from a candidate with a better shot.

As viscious as what I'm saying sounds, don't think for a moment it isn't already on the minds of plenty of people who may not voice such an opinion, but show it at the polls.

As I said, he's only 53, there is still plenty of time for him to be pres, and just possibly with better timing. Just an opinion, I'm just one person talking.
 

PatrickMorgan

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I really, really don't like John Edwards, so my opinion is likely to be a little biased here, but personally I don't think that he should run anymore. I mean, the dude's wife has cancer and stuff. Think about that. Okay?
 

B_big dirigible

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Google finds that it has already been chosen as the name of a character in an RPG game. Areyou, by any chance, named Terranigma in an RPG?

Fortunately, no. I have my hands full enough being Big Dirge without getting into RPGs.

Google does have the "basilisk" I had in mind, hidden away under the search terms "animadversions of warre" and "bastard double culverin".

A basilisk was a cannon of the 16th and 17th centuries, sized (usually) between a culverin and a demi-culverin. A demi-basilisk would be approximately a "half-basilisk," a somewhat smaller gun. I don't know that there ever was such a thing, as there was already a common name, saker, for guns the next size down from the demi-culverin. Hence I had to make up the term to fit the abbreviation MZ posted inadvertently.
 

swordfishME

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Ok, my last post in this thread might have been a tad bit harsh so I will try again....

They called a special news conference to announce the recurrence of the cancer; usually when a celebrity announces this kind of news it is followed by something along the lines of "and the doctors are saying that a full and complete recovery is expected", I did not hear this line coming from them. I unfortunately have had personal experience with breast cancer that recurred and spread, and the way they choose to have a special new conference and the wordings that they used point to an unhappy outcome.

While I applaud Mrs. Edwards for wanting her husband to continue business as usual even in the face of her possible detoriation/death, I have to seriously question what John Edwards is thinking here. Any loving caring spouse would drop everything and want to spend all his available time with his wife at this crucial time, this guy seems to be thinking about how he can garner the sympathy vote on a campaign that he probably realizes is otherwise not going anywhere.
 

playainda336

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B_BristolBill

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While I applaud Mrs. Edwards for wanting her husband to continue business as usual even in the face of her possible detoriation/death, I have to seriously question what John Edwards is thinking here. Any loving caring spouse would drop everything and want to spend all his available time with his wife at this crucial time, this guy seems to be thinking about how he can garner the sympathy vote on a campaign that he probably realizes is otherwise not going anywhere.

Could it be that she's as interested in the distraction of the campaign as her husband? In my opinion any "loving caring spouse" would do what his significant other requests of him either by implication or outright statement.

I saw the 60 Minutes Interview. Not a quesiton in my mind they're on the same page.

I don't see "sympathy vote" in Edwards' equation. And I think it says a whole lot about those whose mind would go there first.

We are a nation - after all - of cynics. That's sad state of affairs in many ways.
 

madame_zora

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Could it be that she's as interested in the distraction of the campaign as her husband? In my opinion any "loving caring spouse" would do what his significant other requests of him either by implication or outright statement.

I saw the 60 Minutes Interview. Not a quesiton in my mind they're on the same page.

I don't see "sympathy vote" in Edwards' equation. And I think it says a whole lot about those whose mind would go there first.

We are a nation - after all - of cynics. That's sad state of affairs in many ways.


I agree, I don't think he's after sympathy votes. My concern is that we don't hand the republicans an easy win because the campaign is good for Elizabeth's recovery. I see this as a very real possibility.
 

transformer_99

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Let him do what he wants & can. We've had President's and candidates that were supposedly totally committed do far worse than Edwards can do.

Case in point, Bush while putting together "your child left behind (& not his)" (oops, I meant "no child left behind"), his daughters were guilty of illegal age drinking, then there was the brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, his dughter was writing illegal prescriptions for herself, not to mention a wife that illegally attempted to smuggle 10's of thousands of dollars of jewelry, by not declaring her duty after travelling abroad. And if that's not enough, there's an uncle that made the news today:

"http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8o434100&"

[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif]Former CFO of Defense Company Indicted

[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif]Federal regulators earlier filed suit alleging that Gerhardt directed Landmann to backdate options. That lawsuit said employees, directors and executives got an extra $26 million in pay because of the backdating.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif]One of President Bush's uncles, William H.T. Bush, known as "Bucky," was among those directors, documents showed. William H.T. Bush is the youngest brother of former President George H.W. Bush and was a nonexecutive director of Engineered Support Systems starting in 2000.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif]Bush and the others who sat on the board were not accused of any wrongdoing in the SEC's civil lawsuit in February that named Gerhardt and Landmann.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif]William H.T. Bush made about $450,000 in January 2005 by exercising his company stock options and selling shares, his filing with the SEC shows. Five other executives and directors also cashed in on the company's rising stock price at the time.[/FONT]


I can't imagine we could do any worse with John Edwards.
 

mindseye

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You know, if I were in John Edwards's shoes, I'd continue to run as well. My reasoning would go something like this (and I have no evidence that this factored into his reasoning):

If I quit my work over this, what kind of message would I be sending to my kids? I'm not letting them drop out of school; I'm making them keep up with their homework. If my children are going to learn to carry on and be brave, I need to set an example for them.

People who are criticizing Edwards's decision to stay in the race aren't just criticizing a political decision -- they're also telling him indirectly how to raise his kids.
 

mindseye

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... on a campaign that he probably realizes is otherwise not going anywhere.

Let me put an end to this myth:

Nationally, Edwards is currently polling in third place, behind Clinton and Obama, though he has been gaining on them throughout 2007. In Iowa, where the first caucuses are held, Edwards is consistently in the top two. (sources below)

Don't underestimate the strength of the Iowa caucuses -- John Kerry took the mantle from then-frontrunner (and pre-scream) Howard Dean in 2004. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 1992 to find an election in which the caucus failed to choose the eventual nominee from either party. (In that year, Iowans went for their own senator Harkin over Bill Clinton.)

Here are some poll results from Iowa showing the early advantage Edwards has there. Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack dropped out of the race in February.:
 

B_BristolBill

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I agree, I don't think he's after sympathy votes. My concern is that we don't hand the republicans an easy win because the campaign is good for Elizabeth's recovery. I see this as a very real possibility.


This I understand completely.

You're right. I don't want to hand them an easy win either.

But I think the sheer veracity of the individual (Edwards' person) shows him to be real, dedicated, intelligent and feeling irrespective to his politics. He has a Carter quality to him.

I like how unreponsive he is to the Coulterisms directed to undo him too.

I hope (though I don't know) that no amount of negative campaigning can hand the republicans an easy win given their last eight years of White House occupation.