Fmr. Sen. John Edwards admits to having affair in 2006

Tenigma · 08-08-2008, 01:51 PM

Fmr. Sen. John Edwards admits to having affair in 2006

Yes, he admitted it. But he denies the baby is his (yeah, right). I feel very sorry for his wife, who was battling cancer while this was happening.

That said, let me quote what Ezra Klein said in his blog:

Quote:

Insofar as there's anything political to be said, it's worth remembering how uncertain predictions about fallible human beings are. One of the prime arguments for Edwards in the primaries was that he was the safe bet. As opposed to the polarizing woman and the inexperienced African-American with the Islamic name, Edwards was a white, male, southern populist who with an extremely likable wife, a bevy of adorable kids, and the experience of a national campaign under his belt. Yet it turns out he was the riskiest candidate of the three.

and...

Quote:

No one forces you to devote your life to national advocacy of important issues. But if you decide to do follow that path, with all the plaudits and moments of roaring applause it entails, you have to make certain sacrifices, and shoulder certain realities. Among them is that if you falter, you can harm all that you're advocating and deny help to all whom you claim to represent. I don't know if it's true that Edwards' affair started and ended in 2006, but if so, that's actually the most morally unforgivable of possible timelines. If Edwards had won in Iowa and captured the nomination, this could easily have lost him the election, and thus destroyed the country's chance at health reform, withdrawing from Iraq, and so forth.

If I were working in his campaign I'd be pretty pissed about now.

Word is that his wife has been invited to speak at the DNC but he has not. There's talk that he might not even attend, so as not to be a distraction.

scaeagles · 08-08-2008, 02:03 PM

I believe there were some who mocked me in another thread for even bringing the story up because of the ties to the National Enquirer. Hmph!

I am justified!

3894 · 08-08-2008, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I believe there were some who mocked me in another thread for even bringing the story up because of the ties to the National Enquirer. Hmph!

I am justified!

I have worked as a journalist and lemme tell ya, The National Enquirer ferrets out a whole lot and breaks many stories. They have a lot of money to spend and their people are fearless (also shameless).

Motorboat Cruiser · 08-08-2008, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3894

I have worked as a journalist and lemme tell ya, The National Enquirer ferrets out a whole lot and breaks many stories. They have a lot of money to spend and their people are fearless (also shameless).

Interestingly enough, another person has come out and claimed that they are actually the father of the child. If that is true, then the Enquirer was certainly shameless to print pictures of Edwards holding a baby and stating that it was his. They may have gotten the story right, as far as the affair goes, but they failed miserably to be accurate with their depiction of the photos.

Or, maybe the other guy is lying. I suspect we will know soon enough as this story will likely be getting some major coverage for quite a while.

Tenigma · 08-08-2008, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3894

I have worked as a journalist and lemme tell ya, The National Enquirer ferrets out a whole lot and breaks many stories. They have a lot of money to spend and their people are fearless (also shameless).

Back when I was in journalism school, we were told that if we wanted to get the highest salaries, we should go work for the National Enquirer. We used to joke about how the salary was so high because that's how they'd have to bribe journalists to write for them. I think it's the price for selling your soul.

I realize it probably isn't as sleazy now (when you have people like Perez Hilton) but back in my day their stuff was really salacious and no journalist in their right mind would stoop to work there. We figured once we sold our soul, we'd have to kiss our careers good-bye.

3894 · 08-08-2008, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tenigma

no journalist in their right mind would stoop to work there. We figured once we sold our soul, we'd have to kiss our careers good-bye.

That still pretty much holds, right?

A personal wealth manager and a loan-until-payday clerk are both in the banking business but at different ends of the spectrum. Same deal with a journalist at The Washington Post and one at The National Enquirer.

Motorboat Cruiser · 08-08-2008, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I believe there were some who mocked me in another thread for even bringing the story up because of the ties to the National Enquirer. Hmph!

I am justified!

When the National Enquirer broke the story that Bush was boozing it up in the White House, did you consider them to be bastions of journalistic integrity then?

A broken clock is right twice a day.

Regardless, it is interesting that he will be called every name in the book for this indiscretion, and he probably should. But, let's not forget that what McCain did really wasn't any different and yet he is polling just behind Obama.

scaeagles · 08-08-2008, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Motorboat Cruiser

When the National Enquirer broke the story that Bush was boozing it up in the White House, did you consider them to be bastions of journalistic integrity then?.

No, but when the Weekly World News had pictures of Rush Limbaugh meeting with aliens, they had me.

Scrooge McSam · 08-08-2008, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I believe there were some who mocked me in another thread for even bringing the story up because of the ties to the National Enquirer. Hmph!

Present!

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3894

I have worked as a journalist and lemme tell ya, The National Enquirer ferrets out a whole lot and breaks many stories. They have a lot of money to spend and their people are fearless (also shameless).

I am NOT buying the National Enquirer. How are you supposed to separate the wheat from the chaff with them?

Quote:

Originally Posted by alex

When masturbation is available I just can't see any piece of ass being so overwhelmingly alluring as to muddy the cost-benefit risk assessment.

Indeed

This "I had the affair but I'm not the father" schtick better not turn into another "I did not have sex with that woman, Ms. Lewinski".

I'm so tired of being lied to.

Kevy Baby · 08-09-2008, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morrigoon

Are you suggesting that all men suck and are prone to cheat?

No, many of us lick

08-08-2008, 02:03 PM	#2
scaeagles I LIKE! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,819	I believe there were some who mocked me in another thread for even bringing the story up because of the ties to the National Enquirer. Hmph! I am justified!
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