Slog - Comments on Edwards NOT Suspending Campaign http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign Earlier reports had it exactly wrong. Calvert DeForest, however, is still dead. UPDATE: Because I believe that people are all basically good and decent--no wait, I mean, louses and shits--I can't help but... wonder... and type... and post... If Elizabeth Edwards' cancer returned, and John Edwards was going to press on with his campaign, all stoical and stuff, why clear his schedule and call a press conference? Why not just, you know, keep on keeping on? The drama of the last 24 hours--the rushing home, the announcement of a press conference, the clearing of Edwards' schedule, and, hey, was that... Copyright 2008 Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:41:29 -0800 Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:46:37 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by monkey Let's see what nasty offensive things Ann Coulter and the "others" of her like have to say.

]]> monkey http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678789 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678789 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:42:30 -0800 Comment by eric leaking buckets are just that some times

PR coup for Edwards, mud on the ass for some bloggers

]]> eric http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678798 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678798 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:46:06 -0800 Comment by Gabriel That's a big black eye for Politico.

]]> Gabriel http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678817 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678817 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:53:47 -0800 Comment by Janej Why call a press conference? Gosh, maybe just to be clear and honest about what is going on - instead of letting the press huff, speculate and manipulate all by themselves...as a couple, the Edwards are a class act.

]]> Janej http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678851 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678851 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:12:56 -0800 Comment by Laurence Ballard Reporting 101:

Everyone has an opinion; having broadband and a blog doesn't make you a journalist.

Politics 101:

Control the spin on a newsworthy story.

]]> Laurence Ballard http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678859 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678859 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:20:31 -0800 Comment by JPF "The drama of the last 24 hours—the rushing home, the announcement of a press conference, the clearing of Edwards’ schedule"

Well, maybe it's because, you know, a couple was faced with serious medical news and actually wanted to talk about it calmly before making a major decision. Give the guy a break.

]]> JPF http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678865 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678865 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:25:15 -0800 Comment by Joey the Girl They're just taking lemons and making a big glass of manipulative lemonade. And I doubt his wife feels too used by the situation, or else she wouldn't be standing up there with him.

Completely unrelated, but does anyone else notice how Sen. Edwards and his wife are aging at remarkably different rates? Granted she has cancer, but still--I don't think he's aged at all in the past 25 years.

]]> Joey the Girl http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678866 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678866 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:26:21 -0800 Comment by Scott I think Jane's right. Media started to spin out of their control, and either you answer with a dead press release or you answer in person. I thought the press conference was strange in tone, to be sure, but strange in that I couldn't sympathize with his choice to have it - and how could I possibly have done so?

]]> Scott http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678868 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678868 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:31:19 -0800 Comment by Carollani I actually felt guilty for wondering if he was using his wife to get sympathy votes as I read your last post, but now I feel less guilty. He's banking on his wife's disease. What a shit.

]]> Carollani http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678870 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678870 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:35:01 -0800 Comment by Gitai Just so you know, Bill Richardson's wife is perfectly healthy. And he's more qualified.

]]> Gitai http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678872 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678872 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:35:40 -0800 Comment by konstantconsumer yes, but bill richardson wears bolo ties.

]]> konstantconsumer http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678877 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678877 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:37:30 -0800 Comment by Shea Maybe the clearing of his schedule was a decision made in haste?

Elizabeth: Honey, my cancer's back, I'm going to die.

John:*on phone to aides* cancel everything, I'm done.

Elizabeth: Let's talk about this, I don't want to to drop out because of me.

He called the press conference to announce to lay his cards on the table. For all we know he might have had every intention of dropping out until 5 minutes before he went on. He's got to be under alot of stress.

]]> Shea http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678887 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678887 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:44:54 -0800 Comment by Some Jerk And behaves inappropriately with the ladies, if the persistent NM gossip is to be believed...

]]> Some Jerk http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678890 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678890 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:45:44 -0800 Comment by Gabriel Yes, they called the conference to be clear and up-front. Not exploitative. Edwards has said in the past that the one thing that could possibly prevent him from running would be the recurrence of Elizabeth's cancer. So of course the return of this cancer would be relevant to the campaign, and they would thus want to key their supporters in. His wife clearly wants him to continue, and they seem very strong, sweet and moving together. Good for them.

]]> Gabriel http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678892 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678892 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:46:37 -0800 Comment by Peter Having actually listened to the press conference before commenting, the two of them each said that they thought the initial news they got yesterday was much worse than it turned out to be after further tests later in the day.

It's possible that the conference was in fact called yesterday to announce he was dropping out in the face of bad news, then when they had more information dialed back to just an informational talk to update everyone on this major development in their life and campaign.

]]> Peter http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678922 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678922 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:00:38 -0800 Comment by DOUG. Anyone who thinks they're using her cancer to further John Edwards' politcal career is projecting their own crap-ass relationship onto the Edwards'.

It is possible for couples to make sacrifices for one another. If you think otherwise then I feel sorry for you.

]]> DOUG. http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678925 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678925 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:04:03 -0800 Comment by RS Bitchy, bitchy, bitchy, Dan. What would you have preferred, a quick note on his blog saying "Liz has cancer, it's not curable, I'm still running"? He'd have people right and left screaming at him for being heartless and obsessed with becoming president over the well-being of his wife. And maybe, just maybe, they needed some time to discuss this. Your comments seem like a lame attempt to cover up embarrassment over "breaking" the wrong story by slogging that Edwards was dropping out. Pathetic.

]]> RS http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678932 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678932 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:09:56 -0800 Comment by Gitai Some Jerk, ask yourself this question: Would you rather have a womanizer like Bill Clinton in office, or a teetotaling moralizer like Bush?

]]> Gitai http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678948 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678948 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:17:49 -0800 Comment by monkey Apparently I was wrong, it wasn't Ann Coulter and friends we needed to worry about.

He's never been my first choice for president (though it wouldn't break my heart if he won) but knowing what I know of their past I would never suspect them of using this as a political tool.

]]> monkey http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678962 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678962 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:20:47 -0800 Comment by DOUG. You are a shit, Dan. Maybe I should burn my copy of "The Commitment".

]]> DOUG. http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678979 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c678979 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:27:22 -0800 Comment by catalina vel-duray I don't have any strong feelings about Edwards, so I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Face it: the way the political game is played, it would have leaked that she is ill, they would have photographed her going in and out of the doctor's office, they would have had those push polls with questions like "if you knew that Edward's wife was seriously ill, but not telling you the truth about it, could you trust him to make the right decisions?", etc, etc, etc.

Honesty really is the best policy.

]]> catalina vel-duray http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679027 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679027 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:50:55 -0800 Comment by Brad Unfortunately, in today's political climate there would have been no way Edwards could have just "kept on keeping on," with reports that he is going to suspend his campaign being spread far and wide over the tubes. He had to make an announcement and talk about something extremely private to the world. And despite the fact that he probably wants to break down and do nothing but hold his wife in a tight hug, he had to appear happy, positive, and statesman-like because to appear any other way would have torpedo-ed everything. We should feel for them having to deal with this shit publicly.

And I have to differ with the cynical folks on here who think he is milking his wife's disease. As someone who has been there, you try to do everything possible to maintain the normalcy of life despite the awful fucking nightmare of cancer injecting itself into your life. To outsiders it seems bizarre, but there's a lot of good to living life instead of curling up in a ball and crying until they take you away.

I am a lib, didn't favor Edwards before, probably won't in the future, but haven't made up my mind yet, but really applaud them for making the best decision for them. Respect them, folks.

]]> Brad http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679079 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679079 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 12:27:26 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Well, he'll make a great backup Veep choice for President Gore if Obama won't accept the spot on the ticket.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679106 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679106 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 12:48:59 -0800 Comment by cassandra I'm as cynical as they come, but this is the truth:

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?pid=178129

]]> cassandra http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679212 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679212 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 13:32:42 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Catalina, your out-of-control decency and common sense are wildly inappropriate in today's political climate.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679489 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679489 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 15:40:51 -0800 Comment by prometheusnox Hey, Dan, at least you're willing to admit your cynicism. Congrats on the about face, and I'll admit that I had some of the same thoughts myself. (I figured it was a stunt much like Chuck Hagel's earlier announcement of a major announcement later this year.) I'm sorry also to have been so wrong.

Here's hoping for a day when cynicism has no place.

]]> prometheusnox http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679505 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679505 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 15:53:05 -0800 Comment by wvspk Dan... In this instance, you appear more douchebag than cynic, but maybe I should defer to you since you are an expert on Commitment.

]]> wvspk http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679729 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679729 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 19:07:19 -0800 Comment by Boomer What an incredibly bitchy, cynical post. For shame.

]]> Boomer http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679806 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/03/edwards_not_suspending_campaign#c679806 Politics Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:46:37 -0800