John Edwards Speaks On Poverty And Moral Standards:

[Mother Of Four]

"March 11, 2009 12:50 PM
John Edwards Speaks On Poverty And Moral Standards
Posted by Igor Kossov

Former presidential candidate John Edwards appeared in public for the second time since August, speaking about poverty at Brown University Tuesday. He asked his audience of 600 to get involved in this "fundamental moral issue," reports Barbara Barrett of McClatchy Newspapers.

Edwards spoke of poverty on a global scale and offered some anecdotes illustrating what he's been doing over the past few months. Among the most striking was his description of wrapping the bodies of dead children in a Haitian slum in December.

Of course, the elephant in the room was the revelation that did major harm Edwards’ reputation – his affair with campaign videographer Rielle Hunter. During the question and answer period, one student who claimed to have worked for Edwards’ campaign asked if politicians need to be held to higher moral standards. Edwards gave an indirect response. "


Little bit more at this link- it's his second speaking since the affair was revealed.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/03/11/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4859393.shtml

I can't tell you how much my heart is still breaking over this whole thing. He was a voice that people actually listened to when it came to poverty.
Do you think he'll ever regain his credibility? I certainly hope so, he could do alot of good.

[cali]

1. I don't think he ever had broad credibility

And I doubt he ever will.

[Donnachaidh]

10. to you perhaps

You were one of his most vicious opponents, even before his stupid act. But you were wrong then, and still wrong now.

[SammyWinstonJack]

19. !

:applause:

[cali]

21. Vicious? Hardly. I saw him for what he was: An ambitious politician

a phony, and someone with no ethics whatsoever. He done, the miserable little hypocrite.

[karynnj]

24. What she said WAS what many people believed

Many people I knew who were swing voted really did not like or trust Edwards in 2008 - the only couple I knew well from NC totally distrusted him in 2008. I did persuade one to vote for Kerry but that was in spite of Edwards.

It was fair to point out that his stance in 2008 was VERY FAR from where he was in 2004 and his work as a Senator. It will take a LOT of sustained good work before anyone who didn't trust him in 2008 and many who did trust him then - have any trust in him. The fact is that there are MANY politicians who have career long records of actually helping the poor - which Edwards doesn't.

[originalpckelly]

36. Sorry that I don't think some high priced lawyer with well quaffed hair...

see's poor people and those in need as anything other than a way to power and money.

[MoJoWorkin]

2. Moral standards?

[AndyA]

3. I supported Edwards, and despite what he did I still think he's basically a good man.

But it's a bit too soon for him to talk about morality. He needs to fix his own issues first, and I doubt he's had time to do that.

I still think he should refund the money people donated to him, considering what was going on, he had no right to take it. And that prevents me from being a big fan of his right now.

[Orsino]

31. To regain some of his former moral standing...

...he should refund campaign donations that went to pay his lover. Continuing to talk around this point does is just wasting time--if his goal is political redemption.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. Was The Speech Written in His 24,000 Square Foot Home?

Or from his desk at his hedge fund that specialized in predatory lending?

His love child will be very proud of his daddy.

[annabanana]

6. I don't hate him as much as you do. .

I'm saddened by the waste of what might have been a useful voice for the underclass.

[MannyGoldstein]

15. It Has Always Amazed Me

That anyone could buy a word out of Edwards' mouth given his actual behavior, from lying about his childhood poverty to lying about fathering his extramarital child.

[Donnachaidh]

9. and what's the square footage of Ted Kennedy's home?

Let's do some comparisons - or is it just Edwards you obsess about?

[MannyGoldstein]

14. From What I Can Tell, The Hyannis Port Compound

And it houses a passel of Kennedys, not just a single family.

[karynnj]

27. Maybe you should compare what Kennedy has done in public life with Edwards

Kennedy's more than 4 decade record on things like healthcare, civil rights, and education show that he really does consider that his wealth gives him the responsibility through public service to help others. PS Kennedy led several fights against the bankruptcy bills - one of which Edwards voted for. (Edwards was a very junior Senator but he can't plead being ignorant of the effects - bankruptcy was Elizabeth Edwards' legal specialty.)

[question everything]

40. Or the carbon foot print of Gore's? (nt)

[karynnj]

25. I think "his" love child is a "her" and he has yet to acknowledge the

child or pay child support. Dealing with that issue should come before speaking of morality.

[Midlodemocrat]

5. His stand on poverty was why I was an early supporter.

He gets it.

And, I think he will regain his credibility. I don't want to judge what he did, but I think he's basically a good man.

[SammyWinstonJack]

20. .

:thumbsup:

[Triana]

7. People who don't want to do anything about the immorality of poverty..

...will hold up Edwards' affair as the reason not to listen to him on the issue.

The won't grasp the irony, their own upside down set of priorities vis a vis (im)morality, or the importance of the bigger issue, as compared to the irrelevance of the smaller one. It will go straight over their willfully ignorant heads.

Conservatives especially are indifferent to poverty and have issues with priorities in this manner - not to mention their penchant for pretentious hypocrisy.

Edwards could do a lot of good on the issue of poverty - but our society in general won't listen to him anymore because of the affair. They'll toss out the baby with the bathwater so-to-speak.

They're idiots, in general.

That said, I hope I'm wrong. Because this is a core issue that touches so many other issues - that if dealt with - if poverty were eliminated in this country - in the world - how many other issues would be solved along with that?

Oh but - nevermind. John Edwards had an affair so, well, we don't need to listen to him on that issue anymore.

Pfft.

Oh and PeeEss: I don't condone what the idiot did. I was EXTREMELY disappointed in him for it. He lost a lot of credibility with me because of it - and for the ensuing dishonesty (lies by omission) surrounding it during his campaign. And he'd have brought THE ENTIRE DEMOCRATIC PARTY down with him had he been the nominee. STUPID doesn't begin to describe it.

But on the issue of poverty he could be very helpful and I just don't think people ought to toss the good bits of him out because he did something assinine - which I'm pretty sure he knows he did.

[HillbillyBob]

12. I tend to be much in agreement. I really thought he would 'go places'

and do good things.
Having been po most of my adult life no matter how hard I worked or how smart I worked. It is like the deck is stacked against some of us who try hardest.
Getting cheated out of pay or get sick and lose everything (more than once) because even if I had a job with insurance, it would be denied or get laid off the day before insurance would kick in etc.

[cali]

30. his affair was simply one more piece of evidence of his hypocrisy, and it

didn't bother me nearly so much as his right wing stances on many issues while in the Senate, or his disgraceful stint with a truly disgusting Hedge Fund and his pathetic lie about how he joined forces with Fortress to "learn about Poverty". I don't trust him on that or any other issue. Sorry.

[noamnety]

42. The hedge fund did it for me.

Even more directly, his asshattery in defending it - he worked for the hedge fund "to learn about poverty."

I still can't get over that. There's a shitload of people in this country who have managed to learn about poverty just fine without working for hedge funds. They must be freaking geniuses, eh?

[kstewart33]

8. It's sad what's happened to him, but for now

he has no business talking publicly about moral standards of any kind.

Edwards' was no ordinary affair. It was a deep, irreparable violation against a devoted wife who is terminal with cancer and who spent years of her life helping him achieve his presidential aspirations.

He should spend a few more years in the woodshed, first.

I'll be danged if I'll ever vote for him.

[Marrah_G]

11. So painful to even think about

I support his views on poverty.

I think he is a basically good man who like many of us, is flawed.

People forget that politicians are mortal men.

[Midlodemocrat]

13. Good way to put it. It is painful to think about.

[Vinca]

16. It's very sad what might have been. nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

22. It is.

:-(

[Tommy_Carcetti]

17. If he lies low for about 5 years or so, he could make a decent comeback.

I voted for him in the primaries, and despite his personal foibles, I don't regret it one bit. He was great on addressing the issues of poverty. But for his literal screw up, he would likely be in the Obama cabinet at some point.

But if he gives himself about 5 years or so, I think people will have sufficiently moved on from his personal mistakes.

[EmilyAnne]

18. Didn't Newt Gingrich have to disappear for a while after an affair scandal? Now he's back and

apparently viable to some Republicans. The difference to saner people is that Gingrich was expected to be a sleazy, immoral hypocrite.

It hurts to think about John Edwards because he was supposed to be better than this. Yes, he is just a human being. Still, to be running for the presidency at such a desperate time in our nation's history, knowing that IF he had won the nomination and the affair inevitably came out, we could very well have lost to the Republicans. Very dangerous and very selfish.

[Kalyke]

23. John Edwards speaks on moral standards?

:rofl:


FWIW, the man never helped the poor one iota until he thought it would help with a presidential campaign.

And, upon losing the second time, he left his Center for Poverty.

http://crdaily.com/2007/01/edwards-leaves-center-to-new-director/

[dionysus]

29. FWIW, the man never helped the poor one iota until he thought it would help with a presidential camp

aign


ding ding ding we have ah winnah!!

[saltpoint]

26. Whether it is John Edwards or Michael Harrington or Sting or

anyone else famous, I welcome the effort to draw Americans' attention to this issue, and applaud Edwards (or anyone else) for that effort.

Poverty is the imperative here, not what a given politician or celebrity does in bed or with whom.

[dionysus]

28. uh, good for you john. moral standards..

:rofl:

[Lost in CT]

32. Honestly at this point working for the Hedge fund is more damaging than the affair...

I got to give him props... if I lived his life I would be in hiding under the name Rock Strongo or Max Power.

[Bluenorthwest]

33. I was an Edwards supporter

and I don't care what anyone does in life if they are honest about it. But Edwards spent too much time talking about how his traditional Southern Baptist view of the sanctity of marriage just won't let him support GLBT equality. All about how he is a moral marriage traditionalist, and must protect the institution from the gay threat. And during all of that, he was having this affair, as his wife stood by weak from chemo, helping promote his hypocrisy.
I'm sorry, but he had no need to do any of that pontificating about his own moality, by way of questioning the morality of honest, monogomous gay couples. What kind of a person can do that, stinking of your own adultery, stand and claim tradition and sanctity and all of that, while dissing your betters?
And Johnny Tradition is a very wealthy man. There is sooooooooo much he could do to address poverty issues without seeking to enhance John at all. Will he? Doubt it.
He had no need to say any of that crap. But he said it anyway, knowing it would help cover his actions and also knowing it would harm families that are real families, loving families, not the charade he has going on.
He broke my heart. As did Elizabeth, although she gets a pass from most, she stood there knowing he was cheating, and let him attack gay families as a smoke screen. She said nothing, and I have nothing to say for her either.

[Mother Of Four]

37. You said it better than I could-

Dead on.

He did break my heart. Elizabeth, not so much. I hadn't heard that she knew about that affair while it was happening. It was the one huge reason that I supported him, I honestly thought he "Got it" about the class seperation that's going on here.

Now, I don't know what to believe. I can't even listen to him, it hurts too much.

[MilesColtrane]

34. The only way he's going attain the necessary moral standing to...

...get people to take him seriously is if he gives up everything to charity and wanders the Earth dressed in sackcloth and ashes.

Until then he will be viewed as a hypocrite of the highest order regardless of the "rightness" of his message.

When you cheat on your terminally ill wife, and lie about it, no one's going to believe what you say from then on.

[Juche]

35. I don't think he can anytime soon

Which is sad, I supported Edwards until the day he dropped out.

Its not just that he cheated on his spouse, alot of people do that. It is that he told his wife about the affair, then went back to his mistress and had a baby all while his wife had stage 4 cancer. etc.

Anyway, no sadly I don't know if he can recover, at least not for a few years. But he is a great moral voice for justice and I hope he does because we need people like him speaking out against injustice.

[disndat]

38. We have to be thankful

that the scandal broke before he was chosen VP. Biden has turned out to be Obama's flawless VP.

[question everything]

39. Leno: "from hair to paternity"

Funny, after the Daily Show, where Cramer was promoting hedge funds, I mentioned to my spouse that this is what Edwards was doing between the 2004 and 2008 campaign. At least, an adviser, or something, and my spouse wondered what Edwards is going now.

And then I heard Leno's comment.

[Garbo 2004]

41. Edwards hoisted himself on his own petard. He was the candidate who asserted that a pol's personal

conduct was indicator of trustworthiness, character and integrity. Talked up his family values. He set himself up to be revealed as a hypocrite. And there also was his "moral" stance on the "sanctity" of marriage which is why he didn't support gays having the legal right to marry.

I can't view his previous publicized antipoverty crusade as entirely disinterested since they also were part of generating and maintaining PR for a political run. But if he sincerely wants to be a humanitarian, there's a whole lot of work that can be done.

[ColbertWatcher]

43. If Obama's nominee for Treasury secretary can be confirmed after ...

... it was revealed he forgot to pay his taxes, I think Edwards can make a come back.

[Raine]

44. He spoke on "moral standards"

oh brother. :eyes: :puke: