I was not on the Edwards campaign in '04 or '08, but I liked him and many of my friends gave their all on his behalf for the Iowa caucuses. It was a stunning victory that he beat Hillary in Iowa... a victory only eclipsed by the fact Obama beat them both.
As revelations come out on John's ongoing affair I feel a kinship with the Edwards supporters. Twenty years ago I supported a guy named Gary Hart... yet another married Democrat who couldn't keep his dick in his pants. There were rumors that Hart was having an affair. He issued a blanket denial and challenged the press to follow him. Follow him they did and they caught him with Donna Rice (not his wife) on his lap. Making it all so much worse: It was on a boat called the "Monkey Business." Ouch.
When my party's leaders fool around they do it in trashy style.
What breaks my heart today is the revelation from George Stephanopoulos: Edwards' top aides knew about the affair and planned to scuttle the campaign if John came close to getting the nomination. Stephanopoulus said they were Democrats first, Edwards supporters second. While I agree with their plan think about how depressing that it is. You've poured your entire life into a campaign that didn't have much of a chance from the beginning. Your guy is in the big leagues, fighting it out with Barack and Hillary. In the end it doesn't matter. Even if John breaks out into a lead, his top aides know his achillies heal and the for the better of the party will bring him down.
I became jaded on politics after Hart's escapades in 1987. Something tells me a whole new crop of Edwards supporters feel the same way now.
That would include me. I supported Edwards in the beginning and am just sick at what he did. Okay, he had an affair (which is bad). He had an affair and he had two small kids (worse). He had an affair after finding out his wife has terminal cancer and he has two small kids (getting REALLY worse). He had an affair after finding out his wife has terminal cancer, he has two small kids, AND he had a decent chance of becoming the Democratic nominee for president - which, if he had won the nomination it would have ensured that the Democrats would have lost in droves (the ABSOLUTE worst, at least in my opinion). He could have torn his party apart by his actions.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read or heard enough about Elizabeth - but I still don't get why she went along with this. They both knew that this would come out and they kept going. It would have been a VERY easy out to say he wanted to spend more time with his family, knowing about Elizabeth's health issues. No one would have blamed him for that. But they chose to keep going.
I am just ill about the whole thing - and I sent Edwards a very long e-mail telling him that - and how disappointed I was in him. Ugh.
I feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteNo wait. That was skank sex offender Clinton's line.
I understand your injustice.