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RSS icon Comments on Re: John Edwards Admits to An Affair

1

Can I be mad at both? Breathtaking hubris...

Posted by Jubilation T. Cornball | August 8, 2008 12:41 PM
2

Definitely the former, for me. If anything he's reinforcing that people made the right choice by picking Obama over him.

Posted by leek | August 8, 2008 12:41 PM
3

Not fury so much as relief at dodging that big bullet. I was really crushed when Edwards didn't do better in the early primaries, and thought he was the best of the three major Democratic candidates.

Okay, maybe a little fury on poor Elizabeth's behalf. I imagine the donors to the Edwards campaign are a tad furious, too.

I was sort of hoping for Edwards as Obama's AG, too. Damn.

Posted by sad | August 8, 2008 12:44 PM
4

In America, his career is over. He'll never hold another significant political job.

Posted by Fnarf | August 8, 2008 12:44 PM
5

I'd be more mad at him if he actually had a snowball's chance in hell of winning the nomination.

Posted by demo kid | August 8, 2008 12:44 PM
6

If you post a poll, be sure to have an "I don't give a crap" option.

Posted by Providence | August 8, 2008 12:45 PM
7

A is pretty bad. If he had won the nomination this obviously would have been a disaster. I'm also a bit sore because I initially supported him.

I'm not so mad about B. There has been a lot of buzz about this lately and he probably figured that it would inevitably come out. Better now than right before/after the convention or in October.

Posted by w7ngman | August 8, 2008 12:50 PM
8

living proof you should never trust a man who looks like a JC Penney mannequin...

Posted by michael strangeways | August 8, 2008 12:51 PM
9

"I’m off in feature-writing land, and as a result am a little late in learning about the Edwards affair."

Honestly?

Posted by minderbender | August 8, 2008 12:51 PM
10

Re. B: The convention is still 2+ weeks away, plenty of time for this to wash over before then. And Obama is on vacation starting today, so it's not like there will be any major policy/campaign announcements from his camp that this will overshadow. We're still months away from the election. And this is a summer Friday, and the first day of the Olympics. If anything, this seems like as good as the timing can get. It will be hyped around a bit, but will be dusty before anything of note happens again.

So, my answer would be A, and C: it was a shitty thing to do to his wife.

Posted by Organized Lightning | August 8, 2008 12:52 PM
11

If you post a poll please make sure there is a "for cheating on his wife as she slowly and painfully dies of cancer" option. (You would think he'd have other things on his mind these days.)

Posted by You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me | August 8, 2008 12:52 PM
12

@8 FTW
But i did like his whole "2 Americas" theme.

Posted by mickey in AR | August 8, 2008 12:54 PM
13

@7

What "convention in October"?

Posted by You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me | August 8, 2008 12:55 PM
14

How do you all know so much about Elizabeth Edwards's reaction when you haven't heard anything from her?

Posted by Fnarf | August 8, 2008 12:55 PM
15

Big deal. He didn't have a shot anyway. Yeah let's get real bent out of shape over this. You can have our current model, where he is no longer in the race and we're bored out of our fucking minds with the election so we'll give him shit for this, or you can have the other model, where we chose a candidate who already failed in the previous election regardless of whatever springs up during the "race".

I think this is hot. Go Edwards!

Posted by Mr. Poe | August 8, 2008 12:58 PM
16

I think your B option isn't true, in fact his is the prefect time to admit to the affair. By doing so he is controlling the news cycle which is always good. He is also 'coming out' while Obama is on vacation, so it does not actually distract at all from the Obama's campaign. Even better, the story is only distracting the press from, McCain- so he gets to go a another week without controlling the news cycle and being regulated to a below the fold news story at best. I mean how does it really look when someone who has been out of any significant political race get much more media attention than an actual presidential candidate?

I don't think it blocks Edwards from any political office. It is pretty chic to have a mistress. If he is taking financial care of the love child, I think it eventually turns into a positive...or is that only if one is a Republican?

Posted by GDC | August 8, 2008 12:59 PM
17

@13 re-read please

Posted by minderbender | August 8, 2008 1:00 PM
18

C) I don't care because it's not a big deal and says more about America's deep-seated sexual psychosis than it does about Edwards's character or the election.

Posted by Fnarf | August 8, 2008 1:00 PM
19

Sort of explains why he dropped out before Super Tuesday.
Given that he has finally fessed up it might be a good time to requestion McCain.

Posted by Zander | August 8, 2008 1:02 PM
20

Damn, it's sad when the National Inquirer turns out to be a trusted news source.

Posted by Fly-Over Illinois | August 8, 2008 1:03 PM
21

First, I am sadder about Edward's wife than about Edward's career.

This story had been going around for weeks and it was Fox News and The Enquirer who exposed this now, rather back in February when they first heard about it.

Posted by elswinger | August 8, 2008 1:07 PM
22

Now I understand, besides needing a break, why Obama's headed to Hawaii sans his campaign machinery.

He can leave the week's newscycle to Edwards without needing to respond in front of a camera.

Well planned.

Posted by rlv | August 8, 2008 1:09 PM
23

C. Fuck you for asking.

Posted by heywhatsit | August 8, 2008 1:10 PM
24

I just don't care.

Posted by Balt-O-Matt | August 8, 2008 1:11 PM
25

@10:

I couldn't agree more. There has been a lot of Obama in the news lately, so much so that many Americans are getting sick of all the coverage. With Obama's vacation and the Olympics distraction, this is prime timing. Edwards had to air this sometime, and better now than any time closer to the convention.

Not bad strategy.

Posted by Jake | August 8, 2008 1:13 PM
26

He did it for Ann.

Posted by Mr. Poe | August 8, 2008 1:13 PM
27

@19 I know, right? While we're on the topic of candidates who've done shitty things to their wives...

And I am waiting for ECB's take on this. I recall that even before all the Clinton hoopla on Slog she was a declared and fervent Edwards supporter. She can't be happy about this.

Posted by Hernandez | August 8, 2008 1:14 PM
28

Barack ... please, please, please, PLEASE keep it in your pants. That's all I can say.

Posted by tsm | August 8, 2008 1:14 PM
29

The Democratic Party needs to stop letting these man-whores enter presidential races. All of their dirt always comes out at the worst time when the country should focused on the upcoming convention. Fucking Pig!

Posted by Robert | August 8, 2008 1:24 PM
30

Actually, I think his timing is fine. The affair was arguably stupid, but if it was going to come out, and he has to make a grand confession, I'd rather he do it now than in mid-October. By the time the election rolls around, this will all be a distant memory, and won't effect the election at all. If the Edwards shit hit the fan right before the election, it might actually have some impact.

Posted by Reverse Polarity | August 8, 2008 1:24 PM
31

just as arogant as that barack hussein obama in my book.

Posted by VWBUD | August 8, 2008 1:25 PM
32

" he was banging cocktail waitresses two at a time!!"

Posted by SeMe | August 8, 2008 1:26 PM
33

at least the Breck Guy asserts he likes pussy

I liked him, stupid pig indeed

I have been boosting him for AG for months. Do I FEEL betrayed, you bet.

Then, why did we believe in a trial LAWYER?? How stupid, how collectively stupid.

Posted by Adam | August 8, 2008 1:33 PM
34

I'm just pissed! Probably though the timing wasn't as much in his control as the story was starting to get out there. Certainly here's a guy that I really liked and who, I thought, had a bright future in politics. I had seen the tabloid stories and dismissed them because, well hell, who believes the Enquirer any damn way. I feel like someone pissed in my Wheaties!

Posted by JB in Silver Lake | August 8, 2008 1:34 PM
35

Wow - let the unleashing of people living in glass houses throwing stones begin! Something the political climate yearns for and does best.

I think it's best to leave things between he and his wife to work out between them. We have no idea, nor should we care, what they are dealing with in their relationship.

Posted by dawicksta | August 8, 2008 1:37 PM
36

It's stupid that Americans care about this shit. But Edwards knows that they do and if he won the nom we would be toast now and we'd have an R president, again, for sure.
So, if he cared about the issues he claims to, he should've had the affair and not run.
Absolutely A.
It does need to be said: People shouldn't care. Who knows what his deal with his wife is and it's none of our business.

Posted by Poster girl | August 8, 2008 1:38 PM
37

Before making too much out of this it's worth remembering that another politician who cheated on his sick wife is the presumed Republican presidential candidate.

Posted by levide | August 8, 2008 1:39 PM
38

@32- Thank you, Moe Greene.

Posted by krab apple | August 8, 2008 1:40 PM
39

it's been said before: monogamy just ain't natural.

but if america forgives mccain for his arguably more egregiously shameful affair, then i guess it will just blow over quickly.

right?

Posted by max solomon | August 8, 2008 1:42 PM
40

A. for me. But not just that. I remember his response to gay-marriage was, "I'm just not there yet."

As far as I'm concerned anyone can fuck whoever they want as long as they don't preach that sanctity of marriage bullshit.

And C. that's a fucking shitty thing to do to your wife. I hope she leaves him

Posted by monkey | August 8, 2008 2:04 PM
41

Re: A, fuck you for assuming that a news story is a divorce court deposition. Edwards had every right to lie about the affair, because look what kind of shit happens when it comes out. Who he's fucking or not is between him, his wife, and the other woman. That doesn't leave room for you, so butt out.

Posted by Greg | August 8, 2008 2:06 PM
42

Comments 19, 35-37 & 39 are spot on!

Posted by Fitz | August 8, 2008 2:07 PM
43

Mrs. Edwards has known about the affair for at least two years longer than you have.

Posted by Fnarf | August 8, 2008 2:12 PM
44

How about a politician who says "by the way, I love to fuck and I have tawdry daliances." "Any objections?"

Posted by Vince | August 8, 2008 2:15 PM
45

one might also suppose edwards would not have visited her at a hotel were he actually the nominee...

Posted by infrequent | August 8, 2008 2:17 PM
46

Well A, but definitely not B. Cheating on your sick wife? Hmm, let's have a national conversation about that. Don't forget about McCain's first wife! Oh look, there's happily married to his first wife Obama, having a family vacation. Considering that we are in a negative Obama news cycle, this was about perfect.

Posted by jkjk | August 8, 2008 2:19 PM
47

The press has actually known about this since October, 2007. They were just too afraid to print it and be wrong.

Also, Elizabeth's cancer was in remission when it seems to have happened so she wasn't technically dying, and the report says she has known about it since 2006. Considering how strong of a supporter and surrogate she was for Johnny Reid, easily the best spouse of 2008, she may not have cared that much.

It really was great timing. Anyone else watching the opening ceremonies tonight?

Posted by BTB | August 8, 2008 2:19 PM
48

"The press has actually known about this since October, 2007. They were just too afraid to print it and be wrong."

Maybe you should check the news, on 08-08-08 he admitted to it, meaning there's some hard facts now. Everything else was just a guess, now we know the truth. Maybe you should read the article before you post.

Posted by Chris | August 8, 2008 2:24 PM
49

Monogamy is a farce. People, consider that his wife might have given him permission. She hasn't been healthy. And he's probably a total sex maniac, just based on my own personal desire for that to be true. So, maybe she's just GGG and this isn't even a thing.

Of course, they can't come out and just SAY that in our delusional and prudish culture. So it becomes a thing. Aurgh!

Posted by violet_dagrinder | August 8, 2008 2:24 PM
50

I choose:

C. Cheating on his wife one-hundredth as often as John McCain did, but having the media ignore that basic contradiction so that Family Values Voters will continue to vote for the wrong person.

Posted by Will in Seattle | August 8, 2008 2:30 PM
51

Um, I choose C) cheating on his very cool wife who HAS CANCER!!!

Posted by arduous | August 8, 2008 2:43 PM
52

Which option do I pick if I want the Democratic party to implode?

Posted by David Wright | August 8, 2008 2:47 PM
53

He should move to Canada, France, or any other civilized country if he wants to continue to run for high office.

Sadly, given how long naturalization takes, he probably can't run before 2015, if he chooses to do that.

Or ... he could switch parties and run as a Republicant - this is pretty par for the course for them, but he'll have to get better at lying and hating America.

Posted by Will in Seattle | August 8, 2008 2:47 PM
54

@52 - um, that would be:

D. Another victory for al-Qaeda and our plans to help the Republicans destroy America!

Posted by Will in Seattle | August 8, 2008 2:52 PM
55

Is there anything lower class he could have done to a faithful wife who is facing a death sentence from cancer? I think it is despicable. She was probably praying for 6 more months with their children while he was having sex with the twit.

Posted by Diane Manley | August 8, 2008 2:58 PM
56

Eli, I'm tired of trying to make you understand how wrong these self-selected polls are, you fucking retard. Fucking retarded Erica Barnett claimed last week that an online poll had a smaller "margin of error" because more than 5,000 responses had been recorded. That is fucking retarded.

None of you have any business speaking about numbers. You're too innumerate to report on the price of milk. It's disgusting. You even know how ignorant you are and you don't care. Talk about arrogance.

Posted by elenchos | August 8, 2008 3:03 PM
57

@55

Out of curiosity, why do you refer to her as a "faithful wife"? The rumor is that he's not the only one who strayed from that marriage.

Posted by minderbender | August 8, 2008 3:11 PM
58

Remember, elenchos, Golob (SCIENCE!) has certified Slog polls to be "statistically significant but utterly meaningless." That's more than good enough for modern political wonkery (i.e., to get linked by Andrew Sullivan or Daily Kos). In fact it seems to be a prerequisite for modern political wonkery.

Posted by David | August 8, 2008 3:27 PM
59

Minor correction @ 58, the actual quote was "statistically significant AND utterly meaningless."

Posted by David | August 8, 2008 3:33 PM
60

How about a third choice: "I could care less, and it's none of my business"

This morality=good leadership is a stupid, bullshit theory, promoted by the cynical to get the approval of the stupid.

Posted by Catalina Vel-DuRay | August 8, 2008 3:35 PM
61

Oh big whoop. A lawyer and politician has cheated on his wife? Sorry to tell you folks it's almost a prerequisite to the job. Power and sex go hand in hand. I'd rather see someone prosecuting the criminals who are the current White House administration.

Posted by M | August 8, 2008 3:49 PM
62

B isn't such a big issue, thanks to the impending wall-to-wall Olympics coverage. I'm going with A. He's an ass for running for president while lying about a major scandal like this.

Posted by Gabriel | August 8, 2008 3:49 PM
63

@58

Yes. Golob said that because he thinks this is funny. He's not a good scientist. He's an evil scientist.

Not evil in the white-cat-and-giant-laser sense, but evil in the tell-dumb-newshounds-a-bunch-of-statistical-gobblygook-for-a-laugh sense.

Posted by elenchos | August 8, 2008 4:11 PM
64

e@56&63, you need to get more sleep. The newborn is effecting the humor content of your posts. Please get more sleep, or perhaps consider selling your son to carnies. Thanks.

Posted by Big Sven | August 8, 2008 4:19 PM
65

Count me as another who doesn't care about the affair, and didn't care about Edwards as a politician either.

Posted by Ramdu | August 8, 2008 4:19 PM
66

@64

You know I took him to a tattoo parlor, right? I said "do you do babies?" They said "Sure! We do all kinds of babies." Next think I knew I had a cherub tattooed on my ass.

If I was tired I'd sleep instead of reading the Slog. The real problem is that I'm so right.

Posted by elenchos | August 8, 2008 4:25 PM
67

Elenchos, it's ludicrous of you to say such things when you haven't even bothered to find out what kind of prices carnies are offering these days.

Posted by Fnarf | August 8, 2008 4:54 PM
68

There's people who'll pay a lot more than $25,000 for a healthy baby. Why, I myself fetched $30,000 on the black market. And that was in 1968 dollars.

Posted by Big Sven | August 8, 2008 4:58 PM
69

The best tattoos are ones done by your jealous ex-lover after you dumped her/him.

Preferably in a foreign language/alphabet, so that you don't realize what they say.

Posted by Will in Seattle | August 8, 2008 4:58 PM
70

you can't credit Johnboy for the timing -- he got outed. That's why he 'fessed up.

He betrayed everyone who stands for what he stands for by lying about all this and trying to gain nomination knowing that if he won nomination our future would be at risk because this likely would comeout.

Morally despicable in the sense of his public morality -- to us -- conning us when he woulda had this Achilles' heel. What an arrogant idiot.

Posted by PC | August 8, 2008 6:46 PM
71

@70

That's pretty disgusting coming from a liar like you [un]PC. You are such a nasty piece of shit. Fucking nasty. Aren't you ashamed ever?

Posted by elenchos | August 8, 2008 7:52 PM
72

hey know-it-alls,
how can you be certain that John and Elizabeth don't have an open relationship? If they do, we should not know because it's none of our goddamned business! I have no more right to know the President's sexual habits than I do yours.

Posted by call me a snot | August 8, 2008 8:08 PM
73

Well, at least he ended the affair and ask his wife for forgiveness and then stayed with her. Or maybe that was his mistake, maybe he should have acted like your typical republican. You know like Mccain, Gingrich and Guliani, have an affair get caught, dump wife number one and then marry your little "thang on the side". Seems in gop-land as long as you do that, then you've done the honorable thing. Hell, newt even delivered the divorce papers to his 1st wife while she lay dying in the hospital and the conservatives still love him. Must mean it was ok right?

Posted by Sad Comment | August 8, 2008 10:10 PM
74

At least he said he didn't actually love his lover. That counts for something dammit.

Posted by Bob | August 9, 2008 12:30 AM
75

My dear comrade elenchos:

As a human I am ashamed when I do something wrong. I don't see anything wrong in my comment here thus am not ashamed.

There are many levels of betrayal in Johnboy's action and I think many fair points have been made, excluding yours of course, but to me, since the point of all of this chitter chatter is to have the Democrats win, and enact progressive policies, and actually bring about many changes, the most serious betrayal is how Johnboy was willing to lie and fool all of us by claiming he could win when this shit would, if he'd've been nominated, brought us to the brink of disaster.

Your comments about me being a liar, nasty etc. are unspecific so I do not know to what you refer and cannot respond.


As all readers know, these sorts of ad hominem attacks are often made when the attacker doesn't got the goods, or is too wrought up or afraid to enter into actual debate.

Oh btw in my book it's wrong and McCarthyism to sling mud like that, being all unspecific and all, since the target has nothing specific to respond to, it's unfair.

So my comrade to help Obama win, if you thought my comment on Johnboy was nasty, you'll certainly hate this one, too. WE all adore Elizabeth as progressive fighter for health care etc. and as victim valiantly struggling against cancer etc. yet she knew all this adultry shit and went around saying please nominate Johnboy he can win and so she was in on fooling us too.

She, too, engaged in a charade and in essence misled us and put our chances of winning election in the fall at risk, too.

This is wrong, too. Johnboy, she and you, elenchos, should be ashamed. Cuz you did shit that's wrong. And I've told you what it is.

Your loving comrade to help Obama and bring about unity, hope and change,

Posted by PC | August 9, 2008 5:49 AM
76

Ok lots of comments here, 6 am etc. but here's an example of what I am talking about.

McCain ahs ads up saying Obama will increase your taxes and the OBama response is a press release saying McCain's ads lie.

Why isn't Obama putting up ads that say McCain is lying? He, Obama needs to hit back harder and make the attack not just about policy but also about McCain (and demonize the GOP in general, they way they've been doing to us, in case you hadn't noticed, for about 40 years).

Schumer feels the same way. His piece in real clear says "I thought the Britney Spears commercial was powerful," Schumer said, . . ."I would answer back hard. What do you mean he's not one of us? It's John McCain who wears $500 shoes, has six houses, and comes from one of the richest families in his state," Schumer said. "It's Barack Obama who climbed up the hard way, and that's why he wants middle-class tax cuts and better schools for our kids."

Why is Obama's personal character all voer the media when McCain's isn't and he dumped wife no. 1, he married huge money, he has $500 shoes, etc.

This is not an ad hominem attack because (A) it's true, McCain is lying, (b) the whole rich guys support the GOP is a basic truth the Dems have failed to get out there and it is connected to the GOP program of lies, abuse of power special deals for the corporate interests and the rich etc. their mismanagement of our economy etc. they the Dems have let themselves be painted as elitist and WTF up with that? By not making this kind of attack along with bread and butter arguments to help the working and middle classs folks in America they are letting it happen. They don't hit back. They don't like hitting. Another reason they are perceived as above it all.

And this forgery shit? Now it's come out the Cheney got the forged letter not out of the CIA but out of a special outfit he had set up cuz he doesn't like the CIA (they wouldn't lie enough for his taste).

100% impeachable.

Where are Democrats? Where is Obama? Where is Kennedy? Clinton? Don't they believe in the constitution? In using their legitimate power and fulfilling their legitimate role to check and balance against....high crimes?

Is Obama our party leader just going to let a criminal like Cheney get away with it due to a short sighted political calculus?

Seems so.

Posted by PC | August 9, 2008 6:04 AM
77

after thinking about this, i've decided that it was definitely A. edwards copping to this now can't really hurt obama, but it would seem to open the discussion of character and cheating on your spouse... and that can only hurt mccain, not obama.

Posted by infrequent | August 9, 2008 1:17 PM
78

Men have affairs - that is their nature.

Men lie - that is their nature.

Men who have affairs and lie about them are rats but do not deserve your sanctimonious wrath.

People who judge these men with disdain and distrust because they expected better of them are naïve and should move to Ossetia.

McCain and Obama have had affairs [the news would be if the affairs had been with each other]. Call me when the haze of Beijing evaporates and you are once again able to (1) think straight and (2) not care.

Posted by RHETT ORACLE | August 9, 2008 1:32 PM
79

This incident and anything else that may happen between now and the convention, just sets off the spydie sense and leads me to ask one question. Where's Hillary ?

Posted by papillon | August 10, 2008 6:45 AM
80

How about... C) I couldn't possibly care less about the whole situation.

Posted by Patrick | August 10, 2008 6:02 PM

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