Much as it breaks my heart, it is only fair to give former presidential candidate John Edwards equal time with all the other low-lifes like Gov. Sanford. He has confessed to fathering a child by his paramour Rielle Hunter. The child is a [should read GIRL], about 18 months old. Edwards is an even bigger skunk than most because his wife has a terminal illness. This ranks him right up there with Newt Gingrich in my opinion.
What’s wrong with these men in power? Why do they seem to think they can do whatever they want and they won’t get caught? There has to be some sort of syndrome involved.
[ED NOTE: As of 10:45 am 8/14/09 thread is still a rumor. It was based on a Fox News report of late, breaking news that never broke yesterday. ]
Don’t tell me I am not fair and balanced. 😉
The issue is that conservatives don’t care as much about Edwards as liberals do about Sanford. It’s the way of the world, sadly.
You gotta admit. He’s got great hair!
How come nobody, it seems, cares about the despicable behaviour of Newt Gingrich and Giuliani. Both have been considered presidential timber. Both are on their third wives, both of whom (the wives) were involved with the men while the men were still married to their second wives.
No prob!
For that matter, conservative icons Bob and Elizabeth Dole were creeping while he was married …
Edwards showed great self-absorption cheating on his wife at that particular point in time. As to men cheating in general, as Chris Rock says “men are usually as faithful as their options” allow.
Could it be because Sandord was a hypocrite and Edwards was just a rank and file rat bastard? How come conservatives are still talking about Clinton? Help me understand this.
Rick, I am contemplating Chris Rock’s words. I am afraid he is right. Does that mean men in power simply means more options?
yep, especially if they’re good-looking. I assume the rate of infidelity among wealthy men is sky-high. Amonmg all men it’s over 50%.
BLIND MEN in power are known to have affairs.
Money, good-looks, power. How can we women resist?
You mean that NY gov?
Oh, it’s the hypocrisy about family values that makes liberals giggle at Republican transgressions. That and the fact that they were quick to squander money investigating Clinton’s blowjob while a few of their own leaders were fooling around. (Ha ha – I still know of one who has yet to be outted.)
Edwards merely wins the Newt Award for sleazy behavior while is wife is fighting for her life.
Totally agree, Censored! We should compare notes with the not-yet-outted. I can think of 2. 1 is a big fish. The other is a small fish.
The one I’m thinking of has since divorced, remarried, and retired.
That only narrows it a little bit.
No party has a lock on values. Republicans tend to be a bit harsher on their own, when one is involved in a scandle that hurts the brand. Anyone with power and money can be tempted, as the elitism that comes with these things can lead one to believe they are above it all. I lost all repsect for Newt for his infidelity, in spite of the fact that I agree with most of his political positions. As a Christian who votes his values, I wouldn’t vote for Newt. I think Edwards is a terrible man cheating on his terminally ill wife and for denying the child for so long. I hope he’s never considered a serious contender for office again. Same with Newt. Same with Sanford. Much as I dislike President Obama’s politics, I have seen nothing to indicate that he doesn’t love and respect his wife and his daughters. That does count for something with me.
I think that these guys all start out as pretty decent men, then they get elected, get a little power, get their ass kissed, are away from there wives and family for long periods of time and before you know it BAM, their doing some chick (off topic but why are these women never talked about, sleeping with a married man – anyway). All of these dudes, Republican and Democrats are scum.
Also, I totally agree with the whole family values hypocrisy thing. Which is why I keep wondering why nobody questions someone who campaigned on running the ‘most ethical’ administration. Is it ethical to break a law you co-sponsored, is it ethical to fake town hall meetings, is it ethical to sign a bill to not have any lobbyist in the administration and they nominate lobbyist after lobbyist, is it ethical to nominate tax cheats and how ethical is it to pick a convicted felon as your ‘Green Jobs’ czar, what ever that is?
Anyone, is there no hypocrisy there or am I being an extremist?
Hello, both. Just kidding, you are being partisan. A little heat coming down now on Karl Rove. Same type of issue I guess.
Now, going back to the first part of the paragraph, about the women…I guess because they were nobodies for the most part. The moral of that story is to never fool around with someone who has less to lose than you do if you get caught. That is always the big mistake.
The women want men in power and use sex to get it. Pretty simple. And generally they have nothing to lose and lots to gain. Lewinsky is an example. Sometimes they really are companions. Lucy Mercer.
Looking through history, do we see Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher, Madalyn Albriecht, Corazon Aquino, or Hillary Clinton with their flies down? Oh hell no. Now let’s not play the old and past their prime card. It doesn’t get any older or past the prime than someone like Strom Thurman or that Livingston dude who both had keeping your fly up problems.
The problem with these political men is that they always had much more to lose than the chicks they played with. I guess that boils the entire answer down to arrogance and stupidity?
Great points Moon and I agree with just about everything you said… however, “Could it be because Sandord was a hypocrite”. I know this is about Edwards but you didn’t address the hypocrisy issue I pointed out other than to said I was being partisan.
Are you being partisan in not answering the hypocrisy question I pointed out? Me thinks so… 🙁
Think what you want. Why didn’t I answer? Because I don’t give a rat’s ass about if Rove had people fired of if Obama fired people. I am sure Obama will do plenty of things I don’t like if I sit around and look for it. You are much more in to the minutia of politics than I am.
All of politics are hypocritical when you get right down to it.
Another reason other than simply not caring is that this is a thread about men being unfaithful rats, not presidents firing people who get in their way. (or having them fired) That’s just life in the fast lane.
Kudos to MH for being fair and balanced in her coverage of the “sleaze factor.”
I do not really care that much about Edwards’ behavior. I always thought he was a phony. Sanford’s behavior bothered me a lot more, because I had much higher expectations of him.
You could be right Moon, I could be ‘more into the minutia’… it’s just that when someone rags on someone else due to the hypocrisy on one side and turns a blind eye to the other I get a little frustrated. I can see if you said he is a dirt-bag, which he is, but to bring up the family values thing (which I agree with) is dishonest if you can’t do the same on the other side for even grander platforms.
The higher one sets himself up, the harder the fall.
The thing is, I do feel sorry for Sanford. Sanford is a school boy and probably still hasn’t figured out what hit him. I don’t feel sorry for Edwards–not over this.
How sad to have your life’s worst personal decisions on display for the whole world. I feel the same for all politicians. I have to be honest, the ones who espouse the values holier than thou double speak, when they fall, it is just that much louder when they hit the ground. The pain they cause their families must be overwhelming.
Oh, welcome Tell it Straight 🙂
I bet Sen. Ensign was really glad that Gov. Sanford came along. Ensign just vaporized from the headlines after Sanford hit the scene.
I actually prefer to live and let live. Their maritial problems are between them and their spouses–unless they have been overbearing and told the rest of us how we should live. It is probably more difficult to not be judgemental about Edwards and Gingrich. Both had sick wives. In Edwards case, Elizabeth and I have the school tie.
Again, couldn’t agree more when it comes to Sanford and the ‘holier than thou double speak’. Every one of these jerks deserves what they get, especially those who claim to have ‘family values’. Douches, all of them.
However, I still have not heard a single person respond to my hypocrisy question? Why is that, the only response I’ve gotten is from Moon who accused me of being partisan. Okay, call me what you want, but I still want someone to who argues Sanford is worse because of the family values hypocrisy (and I agree with you 100%) to comment on the Obama hypocrisy I mentioned.
For some reason nobody seems to notice it, acknowledge it, verify it, debate it, or even mention it. You can’t even comment on it except to call someone partisan!? Man, grow a pair! If you disagree with what I pointed out at least say so. Am I wrong or does nobody want to face the truth? Your silence is deafening… If your going to point out hypocrisy on one side at least have the decency to examine the other.
Hello, the silence probably means no one cares. I don’t. That’s politics and the risk you run with these plum jobs. They are political.
I don’t think it is anything like Sanford. Sanford and Edwards are personal life. The other is business as usual. Trying to piss me off with stujff like strap on a pair …oooops…grow a pair…sorry….just going with the intuitive here…isn’t going to make me have interest in that subject. If I were going to discuss it, I would never compare it to personal morality or decency. I would compare Obama to the firing of the federal prosecutors. Was it right…probably not. but its in a heat/kitchen environment.
You are comparing apples to oranges and yes, you are partisan. Compare Sanford, Gingrich, Clinton, Edwards, et al to each other. Compare executive office firings to executive office firings.
strap on a pair… LOL. Ah, man, good one Moon. 🙂
“I would compare Obama to the firing of the federal prosecutors.”…
okay, then lets talk! Please compare Bush firing the NM prosecutor to Obama (who vowed to run the most ethical administration) breaking the very law he co-sponsored when he gave Gerald Walpin 24 hours to resign or be fired?
Hello, I agree with you in principle that the Obama administration has been very hypocritical, but the issue is very tired and very partisan. Both parties attack the other as hypocritical and regardless of truth it contributes to political white noise that many people tune out.
However, I do think that the current healthcare debate demonstrates Obama’s lack of credibility. The anger is has resulted from the hypocrisy. For such an outstanding speaker, it is astonishing that Obama’s job approval is tanking so quickly and bully pulpit is becoming ineffective so quickly.
Hi Kelly, “it is astonishing that Obama’s job approval is tanking so quickly and bully pulpit is becoming ineffective so quickly.”
I think that is exactly why his approval rating is tanking so quickly, I could be wrong but I don’t recall the White House ever calling the public a mob or ask people to report on their neighbors who disagree with their political views… Can someone come up with an example of this ever happening before?
Marginalizing and insulting opposition only makes it stronger, they are biting the hand that feeds them so to speak.
I am tired of the ‘reporting people’ scare. We have always been able to report people. Right now, I can report people to neighborhood services, the country police, the state police, DHS on any number of hotlines, the FBI, ad nauseum. Granted, it might not get very far but the annoyance factor is a real butt pain.
I am convinced that the ‘reporting people’ was more to straighten out misinformation and rumors. Why would the White House want to create their own gestapo? If you see brownshirts marching down PA Avenue, then I am wrong, but I don’t think I am.
Meanwhile, back to rat bastard, philandering men….
On a related topic, it appears besides cheating people out of money, Bernie Madoff had a mistress on the side – see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/14/AR2009081402416.html?referrer=emailarticle . He was not only a crook and a thief, but also a philanderer! There is also some interesting elements of this affair related to the Hadassah organization, but I’ll just refer everyone to read the article instead of going into any detail here.
Thanks for getting us back on track, Gainesville. I wonder where this mistress is now Bernie is in the big house? I hope the feds went after the money from her also. Mistresses always end up sitting on a wad of money.
Well, she wrote a book so she’s trying to make money that way. The problem is the organization she was in a senior position in, the Hadassah which is a Jewish women’s group – they invested with Madoff because of her, and apparently got money back from him – so now the fed’s may be going after some of their money. Of course, she claims she doesn’t know anything about Madoff’s scheme. With this book that came out, she may be one of the few to make any money out of the whole mess.
It almost makes me want to buy the book. Maybe the book can be used to pay off some of those poor old people who were scammed out of their life savings.