E. Edwards is divorcing her husband of 32 years

[WillieW]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/02/john-edwards-divorce-plan_n_307483.html

Good for her divorcing his sorry ass.

[AngryAmish]

1. heh

+1 Liz

[Name removed]

2. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Hold on a moment. Look carefully at the language.

Elizabeth Edwards has finally had enough - she's threatened to divorce her cheating husband.

Threatened. Hasn't filed papers. Prospectively. Not yet.

[redqueen]

11. Exactly...

Idiocracy, here we come.

[JuniperLea]

77. HuffPo is the latest tabloid...

Idiocracy is spot on.

I really feel betrayed by that cyber-rag.

[redqueen]

80. They still have some good stuff...

but their 'entertainment' section is as bad as TMZ... no, not TMZ... the one named after that asshole. I don't know what it is, I keep blocking his slimeball name out.

Disappointing doesn't even begin to describe it.

[proteus_lives]

91. I lost all respect for them when they went to the barricades for Polanski.

I guess fame and talent trumps rape to them. :puke:

[JuniperLea]

98. Yeah, I have a long list...

I'll not be seeing any films, or watching any television shows, that include people who stuck up for the admitted rapist. I nearly started using "ignore" again too.

[tammywammy]

103. Here's another list to keep in mind

Those that have spoken out against Polanski.

http://chrismm.dreamwidth.org/577422.html?view=1709454

[JuniperLea]

104. Excellent!

Indeed! Thanks!

[tammywammy]

105. Here's Chris Rock from last night

http://jezebel.com/5372888/chris-rock-on-roman-polanski-its-rape-rape

[JuniperLea]

108. He's spot freaking on!

So funny too... I sometimes think that in order to be that funny, you have to be really smart... I think I'm right!

I'm still devastated about Whoopi... I really liked her... past-tense.

[tammywammy]

110. I didn't have an opinion on Whoppi before

but I don't have a good one on her now. Yeah, a friend posted the Chris Rock deal on facebook today, I found that list in the comments.

[Barack_America]

4. Good for her. She deserves better.

Much better.

[derby378]

5. This is still the NATIONAL ENQUIRER we're dealing with here

They got some lucky breaks on a couple of news scoops, but let's see what the Edwards family itself has to say about it.

[WillieW]

10. I guess we just have to watch Larry King.

[wolfgangmo]

18. (wipes coffee off of computer monitor)

Larry King, the ghoulish TV equivalent of the national enquirer?

What news does he ever have? He's right up there with Bawbwa WaWa for relevancy.

[liberalhistorian]

21. Methinks the poster was being sarcastic, intending

to make the same points you are.

[gateley]

26. Give credit where credit is due -- the NE worked to get those (admittedly salacious)

stories, and was criticized and made fun of... until oh, they were right.

And the Edwards family hasn't been all that forthcoming with the truth at times.

We'll know when/if the papers are filed, but probably not before.

[liberal N proud]

31. National Enquirer isn't much worse than CNN these days

In fact it might be more factual.

[Triana]

39. damn right - the media and the tabloid media have merged - it's all Jerry Springer

National Enquirer to me - none of them have much credibility in my book.

[goclark]

44. I 've seen the Enquirer do some great scoops but I'll wait

until Keith or Rachel tells me that its for sure.

[liberalmuse]

72. I'd take National Enquirer over most news outlets anyday.

Sad, but true.

[MineralMan]

6. Not too surprising. Edwards is done, done, and done.

Time for all of us to move on and let him stew in his philandering juices, I think.

[cali]

7. actually, this report is just a rehashing of the NE story that was posted here

yesterday. It's speculation.

[Buzz Clik]

8. That piece in HuffPo reads like some rank crap from the Midnight Star.

gawd, that had an awful tone.

[City Lights]

9. Huffington Post is reporting what the National Enquirer is saying?

:crazy:

[gateley]

22. The National Enquirer has been the one to initially break the story of the affair,

which everyone discounted because of the source and because Edwards denied it, and it appears they've been right in standing by their claim that he is the father of the child. So in Edwards' case anyway, they've been reliable.

[Sebastian Doyle]

12. Can't blame her

But this is probably stress she doesn't need, given her cancer battle. :evilfrown:

[Kalyke]

13. Thank God.

If this is true, I'll have regained the respect I lost for her.

Cheaters need to be shown there are consequences.

[Botany]

14. I wish her well

And John can I have my money back now you piece of crap? You very well could have given
us a McCain Presidency ..... go build houses for the poor, love your children, and never say
one word again in public.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

15. Will he take-up with Ms Hunter to raise their child?

Or will Mr Edwards see the end of his days as an outcast who lost 2 families at once?

Mrs Edwards is entitled to every ounce of her wrath but John should at least try to do 1 thing right in this episode. He should return to Ms Hunter and be a good father and husband. Every life is a love story, it's just that most folks are too scared to write it.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

30. Who says he loved Hunter and wasn't merely doing her?

He'll be no outcast...there will be another woman ready to latch on to him. "I can fix him!" "He'll be different with me!" "It was Elizabeth's fault he strayed!" I've seen it too many times.

[lapislzi]

34. Can I quote you??

What a brilliant insight. Every life is a love story, it's just that most folks are too scared to write it. Wow. So true it's scary.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

94. I must apologize but...

...DU is so thick with sarcasm when I first read your comment wasn't sure if your were ridiculing me.

sorry

:pals:

[lapislzi]

117. Oh, I truly meant it.

:hug:

[lumberjack_jeff]

35. He has an obligation to the baby.

Everyone else in this saga is a grownup.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

38. Two of his children with Elizabeth are 9 and 11, or close to it.

Far from grown-up.

[lumberjack_jeff]

51. Good point. n/t

[Nuclear Unicorn]

88. Absolutely true

Alas, his opportunities to be a parent to them in the home seem to be fading fast.

I think the best of a horrible situation would be to show them how a father owns up to a bad life choice and follows through with his obligations to others as best as he can.

The alternative appears to be he will lose his children with Elizabeth AND abandon the child with Ms Hunter. What then? I doubt he will remain celibate/single the rest of his days.

[geek tragedy]

86. Somebody call Dave Matthews!

I guess he could play their NYC wedding if Elizabeth is still alive but divorced Johnboy's sorry butt.

[ecstatic]

101. Hey... it worked for Giuliani! nt

[BlooInBloo]

16. If true, (shrug).

[gateley]

17. It just says she's "threatened" to divorce him -- the headline makes it sound like

it's a fait accompli.

I hope she does -- she doesn't need the stress of that relationship on top of dealing with her illness and children.

AND if it's true that Edwards promised to marry that woman "after Elizabeth dies"... then I hope she wipes him out financially.

The Enquirer has been the first, and at times lone, voice with the real facts thus far, so we'll see if/when it happens.

[CTyankee]

49. Sounds like she is serious here. I would expect her to have a whole lot of his estate tied up

for her kids after she's gone so Rielle Hunter won't get much. At least, that's what I would do. He has to pay for Hunter's and his child of course.

[gateley]

54. I wonder when his fortunes deflate and he's pretty much persona non grata everywhere,

if she'll even stick around (Hunter). All that sexy power and money will be gone.

[liberalhistorian]

19. Good! It's about time she kicked his worthless, lying,

deceitful, cheating, selfish, cruel, thoughtless, lily-livered, phony-baloney, POS ass to the curb. Now, she needs to take him for every cent he has and clean him out so that that gold-digging whore doesn't get her hands on any of it, and she can leave it to her children and die in peace.

[Raine]

115. Completely and totally agree with you! nt

[bridgit]

20. She hung in there longer than I would have under the circumstances

[Maru Kitteh]

23. My condolences to Ms. Edwards but also BRAVO MADAME! for kicking his SORRY ASS to the curb.

May your life be filled with at least some portion of the dignity and peace you deserve.

[wolfgangmo]

24. Not to get European on your asses...

... but American's are really the result of centuries of puritanical programming.

He had an affair and a child resulted from it. Move on. What the heck does any of that have to do with his political skills and policies?

Nothing!

No wonder our political landscape is so bleak. We limit the field so that the only people who run are mostly the exact opposite of anyone we would want to have holding any political office. Idiocracy.

[cali]

41. he used his "perfect" marriage politically

I never gave a shit about his fucking someone other than his wife but it did expose what a hypocritical little shitbag he is. Of course I thought that evident in his voting record in the Senate and his going to work for a sleazy hedgefund puportedly to learn about poverty.

[Kalyke]

62. Great points.

It really is none of our business, but, as I mentioned in another (several) threads, I'm really tired of wimpy wives staying with their cheating husbands (I would be tired of hearing it the other way around, but it doesn't seem to happen quite as often).

I just wish cheaters didn't get their cake and eat it, too. They should suffer some consequences for the lives they ruin.

[Throd]

47. It screams volumes about his political skills

[SidneyCarton]

48. Considering the fact that such news, had it gotten out, would have likely cost him the election?

It says a great deal about his political skills, or the lack thereof. His ego was greater than his judgment, not a great combination for a guy running to sit on the world's largest nuclear stockpile, ne pas?

[LisaM]

52. My personal opinion is that he got out quickly because he knew the story was coming out

Heck, Elizabeth might even have forced him out. I thought he folded rather quickly.

That said, his story of two Americas is still compelling to me. I'm sorry no one else picked it up.

[SidneyCarton]

58. It is a good story, because it is effectively true.

Which is the biggest problem of all, we live in a "kill the message by killing the messenger" society. The narrative of the "two Americas" was a simple unvarnished truth, that is both poignant and striking. As with all truths, it would have immediately been attacked by those who gain the most from maintaining the status quo, but when delivered by a man who is revealed to talk out of both sides of his mouth, the stifling of this truth becomes all the easier.

A pity, another more worthy of the message should take it up, for it needs to be shared.

[gateley]

60. I personally think he would have stayed in had his numbers warranted it, and

continued to furiously try to cover this up. You get to that point, you often think you're invincible.

Agree about the two Americas -- it was a tough topic and I wonder if the others were afraid, politically, to take it on. He was the only one who spoke of the debilitating poverty that so many of our people face. Although I was never a supporter, I was grateful he brought that to light.

[dsc]

61. European politicians don't make a habit of telling their gay citizens

they aren't moral enough to be married. Edwards did.

[bullwinkle428]

Not to mention the citizens of several of those Euro nations actually have the RIGHT

to get married!

[roguevalley]

84. its not puritanism. he broke people's dreams. I couldn't sleep for

three days after he pulled out because I knew no one would put poverty front and center. He had a duty to his country but he decided to Letterman himself like no one would notice. This isn't some CEO of the local grocery store. This man wanted to be president. Not even close to puritanism drives this.

[earth mom]

25. Good for Elizabeth. I don't blame her. Enough is Enough.

I wish Elizabeth and her kids nothing but the best.

:hug:

[Kadie]

27. Whether true or not, I wish her peace and happiness.

[Forkboy]

28. Why?

:yoiks:

[saracat]

29. Oh Please. What is wrong with Ariana?There hasn't been any announcement

Ariana also went on the view and spewed nonsense about an unsubstantiated report Elizabeth was anonymously blogging nasty stuff about hunter, then admitted there was no evidence.Methinks Ariana is just relating to the debacle of her own disaster of a marriage and out to butt out.If and when Elizabeth divorces John, there will be a formal announcement.She isn't trash like Hunter who leaks to the NE.

[cornermouse]

69. What you're looking at is a determined effort to

split the democratic party; to "purify" it by driving away anyone that doesn't go along with the pre-approved script.

The republicans did it back in the late 70s, early 80s; talked about being a big tent party while (in their case) driving off the moderates and appealing to the radical side of the party. Democrats think they have improved the republican script by abandoning or splitting off the loyal left side of the party and appealing to the center of the country which has no loyalty to either the democratic party or what used to be considered democratic ideals; although at this point, I'm no longer sure what comprises democratic ideals or whether the only democratic ideal is nothing more than to win elections.

And what always seems to be missed is that the real losers in all this are the people Edwards tried to represent and bring to the attention of the nation; the poor lower middle class which we no longer talk about. After 8 years of Bush/Cheney and 9 months of Obama, instead of trying to pull the poor up to the level of the middle class we're now engaged with continuing job loss without relief in sight and if they manage to pass it, saddling the American public with mandated health insurance payments and the illusion that if they have insurance that, somehow, they can find a way to come up with extra money that many of them simply don't have to cover the co-pay of the visit for care they need.

Apparently its more interesting to talk about sex than poverty and the have-nots.

[saracat]

109. This should be an Op. But unfortunately most haven't got the ability to discern the problem

because they are too wrapped up in themselves to see outside the bubble.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

32. Oh, just what Elizabeth needs. More rumor mongering regarding her personal life.

I cannot even begin to imagine the hell she goes through having her husbands infidelity shoved in her face by the media constantly.

[AndyA]

33. I don't blame her.

I honestly can't imagine what John was thinking when he decided to get involved with that tramp.

Elizabeth is smart, pretty, and she's stuck by him over the years. John has been a huge disappointment, to say the least.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

36. The wedding plans, Dave Mathews band, etc.

would have done it for most. John Edwards is one of the biggest jerks of all time.

But, I still feel bad that she went along for the ride on the campaign knowing what she knew and how devastating it would be when it inevitably came out. I think both she and hubby figured they could buy their way out of it. Imagine the blackmail targets they would have become if he had been tapped for VP?!

[WorseBeforeBetter]

40. It sounds like cheesy pillow-talk after one of their romps. (n/t)

[varelse]

37. He destroyed himself

Furious at his betrayals, Elizabeth - still battling Stage 4 breast cancer - has vowed to destroy her husband of 32 years by disclosing everything she knows about his political career in divorce court, insiders say.

It's a little annoying to see this phrasing - the man has already self-destructed. Pretty much every time he opens his mouth or makes any public appearance at all, it seems he's bent on making things even worse for himself and his family.

He had no hope of redemption, so there's nothing left of his reputation for her to "destroy".

[Taverner]

42. Man I feel for her

The SHIT she has had to deal with in her life....

Losing a kid, getting cancer, losing a husband....

I don't know her, but if given the chance I would love to give her a big hug

[spiritual_gunfighter]

43. She probably found out about the sex tape. n/t

[SidneyCarton]

45. This is a tragedy.

A sad, wretched tragedy. A trust betrayed, a family destroyed, children who will suffer. There is nothing to gloat about here, or even to comment. My condolences to E. Edwards and her children, its an awful decision to make, even if it is the right one.

[RidinMyDonkey]

46. Any source other than the National Enquirer reporting this?

I'd be nice if it was true, but I highly doubt that it is.

[RetroLounge]

50. OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE!

OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE!
OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE!
OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE!
OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE!
OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE!
OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE!
OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE!
OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE! OUTRAGE!

:rofl:

RL

[jgraz]

57. Damn, that's sad.

I usually don't care about the private lives of celebrities, but she really deserved better.

[liskddksil]

53. Until a more reputable outlet reports this

this thread should be locked.

[gateley]

67. The "more reputable outlets" never reported this story, and mocked the

Enquirer when they were the only ones with the truth and the proof to publish it.

They were also the only ones stating that JE is the father of the child, and that appears to be true, too.

I'm not an Enquirer reader or fan, but I believe in giving credit where credit is due.

[liskddksil]

106. At one point this summer they said that Elizabeth had moved out

which was proven untrue. I do not trust this story.

[gateley]

111. You may be right. But the Enquirer didn't say it was a done deal -- that was

extrapolated from their article, I think. They just said she's 'threatened' him (which wouldn't be a stretch even if they made it up -- what wife wouldn't be frustrated and aggravated?). Anyway, either it's true or not, and someday we'll know.

[Arkana]

55. How could anyone defend John Edwards at this point?

[Flaneur]

56. Who gives a shit? Americans' fascination with the sex lives of public figures...

...is juvenile and embarrassing. Not to mention prurient. Fucking grow up.

[cali]

64. oh, this story isn't about sex so much as

the archetype of the heroic figure who is brought down.

[Flaneur]

66. Brought down by having sex.

Edwards' behavior wouldn't raise an eyebrow in Europe.

[cali]

76. brought down by hypocrisy and lying, dear. And look, Clinton fucked

around, and yet his campaign didn't go under because of it. And he's hardly the only U.S. politician who hasn't lost because of a sex scandal. So what was the difference between Clinton and Edwards?

[redqueen]

81. Clinton tried to lie... but when he knew he was busted, he stopped digging.

Edwards, with this "that baby's not mine" crap, seems to eagerly invite this kind of shit... the stupid asshole.

[Throd]

79. Is that the standard by which all things should be judged?

[WildEyedLiberal]

97. I am REALLY fucking tired of holding Europe up as a paragon of sexual mores

"Look how ADVANCED Europe is, where no one cares about infidelity and politicians' wives AND mistresses both attend the funeral!"

Why is this heralded as a good thing? Why is breaking a promise to the person who is the mother of your children (or father; it's just as nasty if a woman does it, but these public cases are rarely about adulterous women) and who you vowed to remain faithful to seen as some kind of statement of liberated sexual freedom?

You know, I really don't care how much consensual sex grown adults have, nor with whom. But if you WANT to be "free" to fuck whomever you wish, then DON'T PROMISE SOMEONE ELSE THAT YOU WON'T. It's not about the SEX; it's about the LIES and the broken trust. Why is this so fucking hard for the 'sexual freedom' crowd to understand?

Also, after their fevered defense of convicted child rapist Roman Polanski, I think "Europe" has forfeited the right to claim superior attitudes about sexuality.

[Cid_B]

116. Ex-fuckin-actly....

Took the words out of my mouth. Is this supposed to be a good thing?

[aikoaiko]

59. "...has vowed to destroy her husband of 32 years by disclosing everything she knows...." holy moly

This could be really good drama.

[get the red out]

63. Calling Mrs. Vitter

Is there a Mrs. Vitter in the house?????

[tritsofme]

65. I hope she takes him to cleaners, maybe John will really get to learn about poverty.

First hand this time, not at the hedge fund.

[Arugula Latte]

68. Wow.

What about her kids? Does she really want to "disclose" everything?

I can completely understand why she wants to dump him, though.

[gateley]

70. I'm guessing it'll all come out for the kids to see/hear/learn anyway. I think that

may be why she agreed to keep quiet at first, to protect them. But since the barn door was opened, it's probably better that they hear all the stuff from her first, before hearing about it from other sources.

[Kalyke]

85. I've never hidden the reason I divorced my son's father from my son.

His father cheated on me and put me in the untenable position of either breaking up the family because of his boorish behavior - which may have greatly effected my son's life; or stay with his father and live a life growing more mistrustful and resentful - which also may have effected my ability to raise my son well.

I choose to break up the family and haven't regretted it. My son is a straight-A student, earns good citizenship awards (he's very well behaved), is a loving child and big brother.

My son was very small during the actual divorce, but when he got older, he asked, so I told him.

If anything, he's probably learned to treat women with respect and not to think with the smaller head once a promise of monogamy has been made.

:shrug:

[beyurslf]

71. If the Huffington Post wants to cite the National Enquirer, I suppose that is their

choice. However, I choose not to believe that trash until reported elsewhere with supporting evidence by real reporters.

[asdjrocky]

73. Can't both of these people just go away?

[Kalyke]

87. Elizabeth can stay if she really does divorce him.

Otherwise, I wish cheating John and the Palins can take a long walk off a short pier, as far as I'm concerned.

[JuniperLea]

74. HuffPo is so stinking tabloidy these days...

I don't even read there anymore... so I thought I'd take a peek at this story... I was right to cross HuffPo off my reading list... thanks for the validation... this is a stinky non-story, rife with speculation... like I said, tabloidy.

[WI_DEM]

75. WOW! I didn't see this happening.

[budkin]

78. Good for her... John Edwards is a piece of shit.

[Hekate]

82. Lotta weird replies in this thread. Elizabeth must do as she sees fit on behalf of her small kids...

Lest we forget, this is a woman who will not live to see her youngest children graduate high school, unless by some miracle a cure for metastatic cancer can be found in time.

She and John built a very, very big house (for which they got roundly denounced here at DU, also lest we forget), and there is no doubt room enough for the two of them to live their separate lives and still maintain continuity of care for their youngest children.

If I were she (and I am not) I would be well along with my plans for my children's future, both the grown daughter's financial and educational future and the guardianship of the younger ones. Lawyers and family counselors and estate planners would be involved. There's the sticky issue of John ultimately being the surviving parent and having rights about who he marries and how the kids are taken care of henceforth, but if I were she I would be doing what I could do now.

Elizabeth Edwards is a highly intelligent woman with a big heart. She is nobody's fool, and whatever she decides to do will be in her estimation the best thing to do for her kids. Whatever that is -- including continuing to remain married to John Edwards and living under the same (really big) roof -- I will respect her decision. It's personal, and for us to weigh in as harshly as some of us have is unkind and ... just kind of weird.

Hekate

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

89. I think many womens' instinct would be for cutting out her share of the wealth

and depriving her cad of a husband and his trollop from enjoying it. She will want to make sure her kids are provided for. There's still more than enough left for John and his paramour.

[jus_the_facts]

92. Thank You.

:)

[EmeraldCityGrl]

96. I remember her saying during the Oprah interview

that she had built this life and how resentful she was at this time for someone to walk in and assume that life.

She has been betrayed beyond anything most of us can imagine. I'm in complete agreement, I respect any decision she makes.

[flvegan]

83. I want to be the first to blame the gays.

Ruining the sanctity of marriage.

If I need the sarcasm smiley, you're doing it wrong.

[proteus_lives]

90. Good for her!

I hope she takes every penny he has.

[polmaven]

93. Could we please look at the source

of this information? The National Enquirer!

I will wait for a reliable news source, thank you very much. I mean raally! They are even less reliable that Drudge.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

95. On this they get credit b/s they broke the story

[dysfunctional press]

100. you might want to re-think that...they've gotten a lot of stuff right.

they changed after o.j.

and besides- they were the ones that broke the edwards story to begin with.

[TexasObserver]

99. She'll get everything the law can give her.

Words cannot express my disappointment in John Edwards.

In 2004, I sent both my adult sons, who were then in their early 20s, to Florida with the Kerry campaign. They worked full time the last six months, living in Florida and working 12 hours a day in the campaign. They had a lot of contact with the candidates and top Democrats, and drove some of them around the state for events. They worked with Hillary when she came through, and they worked with Edwards several times.

When 2007 rolled around, they were gung ho for John Edwards, and I went along because I thought he would have the best chance of the three of the top Dems to win the middle voters in the general election. Then 2008 rolled around, and just when it seemed like Edwards might be a factor, he dropped out.

I thought highly of him until this story broke. Until this story broke, I wanted to see him as a justice on the Supreme Court or AG. I have been so disappointed in him by all this. The way he lied to everyone, the way he diverted money raised by real Democrats to pay for his paramour. He makes me sick.

[Vidar]

102. My sympathies to Elizabeth. She deserved better.

[frebrd]

107. What I don't understand.......

is hiw she could live with that smarmy smile for all those years. Maybe it's a southern thing. He always did turn my stomach.

:(

[mzmolly]

112. I doubt she'd "vow to destroy" him, regardless.

IF she files for divorce, of course she has the support of many.

Peace and blessings to you and your beautiful children Elizabeth.

[BluDemocratGirl]

113. She needs to kick his ass to the curb!

Stanford's wife needs to do the same.

[Raine]

114. Good, I hope she does

she deserves better than him.