Meet John Edwards the Corporate Man

[Skwmom]

He constantly says he’s the “son of a mill worker,” and to hear him tell it, he pulled himself up from poverty so crushing it evokes images of shoeless Li’l Abner. His “Two Americas” rally-pleaser gets much of its power from this poor-boy autobiography, but in making this tale his central campaign theme, Edwards gave his family history a cosmetic make-over, like the one he gave his name.

But Edwards père (a lifelong Republican, like his reactionary boss) quickly climbed upward, becoming a monitor of worker productivity as a “time-study” man — which any labor organizer in the South will tell you is a polite term for a stoolie who spies on the proletarian mill hands to get them to speed up production for the same low wages. Daddy Edwards’ grassing got him promoted to supervisor, then to plant manager — and he finally resigned to start his own business as a consultant to the textile industry.

Edwards’ legislative record — what little there is of it — is hardly populist. In fact, Edwards is a classic, corporate-friendly, centrist New Democrat.

Edwards, who comes from a state where banking is big business, played a critical role in brokering legislation to allow banks to sell mutual funds and insurance, and to engage in other speculative ventures. This law, worth hundreds of billions to the banks, blasted a gigantic hole in the Glass-Steagal banking law’s firewall of protections designed to prevent the kinds of bank collapses that marked the Great Depression of the ’30s — meaning that it put the money of Joe Six-Pack depositors at risk.



http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Jan04/Ireland0129.htm

[Joseph Thule]

1. Let's all take a shit on John Edwards!!

We're done with Kerry, let's move on to Edwards!!

[Skwmom]

2. Have you read the article? Edwards on tax shelters

In Edwards phamplet: “Some tax lawyers make millions through flimsy letters telling clients how to shelter their income. Edwards will stop these abuses,” it claims. But in 1995, Edwards — already a multimillionaire — set up a professional corporation to shelter at least $10 million in legal earnings from having to pay Medicare taxes on them, saving himself some $290,000, according to the News and Observer, which quoted a top specialist from the American Institute of CPAs as labeling this trick “gaming the system.” Populist hypocrisy?

[anti-bush]

12. Okay I've looked

I can't find anything at all regarding Edwards setting up a tax shelter other than what's in this article. Until somebody else finds something, I'm going to consider this false.

[DjTj]

20. He did nothing illegal.

...and quoting an anonymous "top specialist" is rather shady. There's definitely a little bit of hyperbole and editorializing.

Every citizen is entitled to do their taxes in a way that minimizes their tax burden. Would you keep taking the standard deduction even though your itemized deductions would be greater? Would you file a joint return if it were cheaper to fire separate returns? Do you fault people for trying to keep as much money as they can for their families and their children?

John Edwards knows there are two tax systems, and he's seen how they both work. If you listen to him talk about tax, it's clear he has much more knowledge than the other candidates, who are simply spouting rhetoric and some form of wealth redistribution.

I don't have a problem with him being smart with his money. It would be quite refreshing to have a President that knows something about money management.

[La_Serpiente]

3. No one is safe in GD 2004

:grr: Grrrrr

[Skwmom]

4. Why should Edwards be able to hide from his record

or get away with painting an image that is not true?

The Web zine Slate called him “more hawkish than all the Democratic candidates except for Joe Lieberman.” Example: As a senator, Edwards voted to deploy the “Star Wars” national missile defense as soon as possible

[Joseph Thule]

5. He shouldn't, but I don't come here to read about it <nm>

[Toucano]

26. What?

You're here for what reason then? Please offer only praise is POOP!

[mlawson]

6. Don't worry -- he will be gone after Tuesday.

Then you can have the nominee who will not be able to beat bush. Happy, happy, happy...

[citizen snips]

14. You said it mlawson.

The only candidate who can win the south is being attacked by biased media.

[anti-bush]

7. So we're indicting Edwards

Are we indicting him because his father was promoted? There was no time in which his family was rich growing up.

And are you serious about the banking legislation? The argument is that the money that depositers put into the banks is at risk. Does anybody seriously think that their money that is federally insured by the FDIC is at risk? Anybody?

Geez. What a ludicrous smear.

[KoKo]

8. He has much about him which needs to be discussed...

NC here....much about him ...which needs to be discussed. :-( Thanks for a start on this...

[mlawson]

9. ?!?!?!?!?!?!?????

Thanks for the 'start' on this????

[uconnyc]

10. I've jumped off the Edwards bandwagon.

It seems all the Dems candidates are scum, thus I shall vote for the honest, virtuous and pious Mr. Bush Jr.

[uconnyc]

11. Awwwwww man!

Just landed on a pile of shit after jumping off the Edwards bandwagon.

Oh well, time to get back on.

[DjTj]

22. LOL.

...there are piles and piles all over the place in GD:2004.

The Edwards bandwagon is actually one of the cleaner ones, but we're going to do our best to hitch it up to some donkeys and pull it to the White House.

Welcome to DU - we need all the Edwards supporters we can find! :hi

[mlawson]

13. And we wonder why repukes win elections...

I didn't mean that at you, uconnyc. Your sarcasm is noted and well appreciated.

[arewethereyet]

15. I rather only formerly homeless men are eligible for some

There is some problem with a man working his way up to better provide for his family ?

And you have little concept of the nature of the changing financial services business.

We'll ignore the fire he held to the feet of his corporate rivals in the courtroom, effecting real change.

If that's the best you have, no problem. No matter how you cut it, Johnny Reid Edwards (real name) is the brightest, cleanest guy in the pack.

[Skwmom]

24. Sorry to disagree

"And you have little concept of the nature of the changing financial services business." Sorry to inform you but I understand financial services all to well. Have you ever heard of the S&L debacle. To allow banks to engage in such risky practices would be insane.

"We'll ignore the fire he held to the feet of his corporate rivals in the courtroom, effecting real change." Oh please. The man was paid millions for being a tort lawyer.

"If that's the best you have, no problem. No matter how you cut it, Johnny Reid Edwards (real name) is the brightest, cleanest guy in the pack." I've heard Edwards argue on the senate floor - sorry I'm not too impressed.

[library_max]

16. What's the point of this kind of crap?

One of these guys - Clark, Dean, Edwards, or Kerry (carefully putting them in alphabetical order) - will be our nominee. So what do we gain by attacking them?

Every thread like this ends in some supporter of whoever was attacked vowing to vote for no dem except his guy, and to stay home or vote Green or turn blue if his preferred candidate isn't nominated.

Where does it get us, people? Where does it get us?

[arewethereyet]

17. see the heat ? See the kitchen ?

some folks feel that the media have taken meaningless incidents and made them into mountain ranges and wis to mhave other candidates feel the terrible pressure themselves.

trouble is, those were not meaningless incidents and the media did exactly as it has always done to those foolish enough to let them.

[library_max]

25. So what you're saying is

that our candidate will be a better fighter if we all get together and beat the crap out of him before we let him get in the ring.

Good "thinking." :eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes:

[cryofan]

18. Thanks for posting this. This moves Edwards down a notch for me

Well, that little expose (such as it is) leaves Clark pretty much alone at the top for me, and now Edwards is now pretty much even with Kerry for me.

I wish we still had Gephardt. I really wish he had stayed in.....

[DjTj]

21. Clark made millions as a lobbyist...

...Edwards made millions as a lawyer...

There is nothing wrong with people trying to make money for their families.

There is nothing wrong with representing your constituents.

The fact that John Edwards wasn't starving as a child doesn't make me think any less of him. His background still stands in stark contrast to Bush and he accomplished unequivocal success as a lawyer that he should be proud of.

I will vote for any of these fine men.

[Toucano]

23. That's reasonable

But when Clark talked about working his way through college, people jumped on him because he had a scholarship. He did not, they contended, work his way through college.

Edwards telling people that he can relate to them better than any other candidate because his daddy worked in a mill, is at least as dishonest. He should be saying, I can relate to you because my daddy told people like you what to do.

Neither one really discredits the candidate, but I still am glad to know the truth. And their both a HELL of a long way from Dubya's "my daddy was a spook"! EDIT: That should read "my daddy told other spooks what to do!" LOL!

Cheers!

[Toucano]

19. I appreciate this.

I sifted through a lot of information about Dean and Clark here since the fall, but Edwards and Kerry were virtually ignored.

It's only fair that Edwards and Kerry jump through the same hoops as the other leading candidates.

It doesn't mean I wouldn't vote for Edwards, but I want to know who I'm voting for.