Obama on John Edwards: 'The political equivalent of a boy band'

[My Pet Orangutan]

Last edited Sat Nov 14, 2020, 09:18 PM - Edit history (1)

Sizing up his 2008 primary rival Sen. John Edwards, for example, Obama writes that he was never impressed; the North Carolinian’s “newly minted populism sounded synthetic and poll-tested to me, the political equivalent of one of those boy bands dreamed up in a studio marketing department.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-book-biden-trump-palin/2020/11/13/36c4828a-25b8-11eb-8599-406466ad1b8e_story.html

[catbyte]

1. He nailed it again, lol. I never thought Edwards was sincere--he said all the right things but

I just didn't buy it. Damn, President Obama has such a way to get to the essence of a topic.

[Cha]

3. Hey Susan Sarandon backed John Edwards..

Because of course

[My Pet Orangutan]

7. Old faithful !

You have to hand it to Suzie. Reliable. You can always rely on her to back crooks and phonies.

[Cha]

9. Yeah & Rat Fuck so we get bush & trump.

[oasis]

21. But..but...but Edwards voted for the disastrous Iraq war. Maybe she forgot.

[Cha]

23. That's right.. RF Sarandon needs to get

her stories STRAIGHT!

We WON, oasis! PE Biden & VPE Harris!

[oasis]

35. We won for sure, but we must stay vigilant through '22.

[Cha]

38. Of course!.. just celebrating the Win in spite

of those already dooming & glooming..

I'm never not vigilant.. Onward to Georgia & Beyond!

[oasis]

39. I admire your spirit.

With Joe, Kamala, Nancy Pelosi and Stacey Abrams leading, there's no way we'll fail.

[Cha]

42. Mahalo, yours too, oasis!

We have such brilliant heavy hitters working for all of us.. I feel so much better.. like a 180 degrees!

Like this Grandma in PA. I feel her joy & relief!

Link to tweet

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=14548929

[MaryMagdaline]

11. I supported John Edwards - the two Americas was real

Loss of jobs and manufacturing to trade was also real.

Edwards turned out to be morally weak but his vision was dead on

[StarfishSaver]

18. I think he started with a good heart and good intentions

But he moved up too fast and lost himself.

[milestogo]

63. He had good hair but he couldn't keep his pants on.

[avebury]

19. If you haven't read it yet, read the book Game Change.

The book is not just about Sarah Palin but covers both sides of the election. What is has to say about John Edwards was interesting. There were some on his campaign that came to realize that he was a disaster waiting to happen should he win the nomination and they actually thought about sabotaging his campaign. And people felt sorry for his wife because of her medical problems but there was a lot more going on with her.

[Cha]

25. Yeah, I would think so.. TY for that.

[MaryMagdaline]

29. I've read it - great book

Edwards was beyond delusional in thinking he could lead a double life

[AwakeAtLast]

64. Don't forget, she was a member of DU.

[moonscape]

20. I liked him at first, but he became too one-note to me,

without much more to say, or much depth to what he was saying.

[mac56]

24. I did too

and I agree.

[catbyte]

43. Like I said, he said all the right things, but he seemed plastic somehow. And even though

I really admired Elizabeth for her grace through her illness, there was something about her, too, that was "off" where he was concerned. I just can't put my finger on why I never trusted or really even liked him. Because he articulated the very real and vital issues better than most. It's weird and a little unsettling because I should've liked him. IDK.

[LisaM]

53. I supported his message.

But when he massively blew it, I was able to separate.

That's what I don't get about Trump supporters. They cannot divorce themselves from the candidate. Heck,.they hate Jeb Bush as much as they hate Hillary Clinton.

[MaryMagdaline]

54. True. We're not cult members.

[Chiyo-chichi]

74. You wouldn't know it by reading this thread,

but I recall that he was a DU favorite in the early going... at least until the National Enquirer broke the story about his affair and "love child."

https://www.democraticunderground.com/12511132904

[qanda]

32. There are not enough bad words for John Edwards

RIP DUer Elizabeth Edwards.

[avebury]

45. It is sad for her kids that she

died, but the book Game Change indicated that she wasn't the nicest person either. I lost sympathy for it. The victims in the dituay were the children.

[JI7]

2. Biggest mistake John Kerry made. He should have picked Gephardt, Durbin, or Sherrod Brown

At least we got Obama and now Biden.

[Cha]

4. Yeah, VP candidates are Important!

[StevieM]

6. I liked Tom Vilsack for Kerry's running mate.

I liked him for Hillary's running mate too. It ultimately came down to Vilsack and Kaine. Hillary went with Kaine, but I would have much preferred Vilsack.

I don't understand why Kerry picked Edwards over Vilsack or Wes Clark.

[JI7]

8. He was going for that superficial thing that Obama described since he was seen

as too much of a policy wonk type so thought he should have something more "exciting".

But I always found Kerry more exciting and interesting than Edwards.

I think he let the media influence him too much.

[Cha]

12. And after that primary was done in 2008

we were on vacation in Georgia I saw on tv in our time share that Edwards admitted to screwing around on Elizabeth with Riley whomever.

And, I was thinking of all those who had been for him on DU & how lucky we were Edwards didn't win.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

17. Sherrod Brown might've helped him win Ohio too.

Oh, well.

[not fooled]

22. Yes, I hope Brown gets on a presidential ticket someday.

Keep waiting for that to happen...starting as veep...maybe not Wall Street friendly enough.

[JI7]

34. We need Sherrod Brown to hold the Senate Seat as long as possible. It will be difficult for

democrats to win there again and if we do it will likely be a conservative leaning democrat.

[not fooled]

37. Good point.

That's too bad. He would make a great candidate for president or vice-president.

[Dawson Leery]

50. If nothing else, Gephardt was sincere in his beliefs.

[BootinUp]

5. Pretty good comparison. Eom.

[KentuckyWoman]

10. I was just thinking about Edwards today, wondering what ever became of him.

https://www.edwardskirby.com/

Looks like he's out doing the "one call that's all" gigs.

[helpisontheway]

14. I see his daughter Cate is a partner with the firm. Nt

[drmeow]

36. He was always a personal injury lawyer

that's how he got rich in the first place

[msongs]

13. at least a boyband might leave you with a lifetime of wonderful music memories nt

[tritsofme]

15. Edwards was the biggest phony and charlatan I've seen in Democratic politics for decades

President Obama hits the nail on the head, as usual.

[My Pet Orangutan]

16. ... I feel obliged to add this

The biggest phony and charlatan of all is Donald J Trump.

[Tribetime]

26. If Obama would have chosen Edwards he might have

...of forget it

[BannonsLiver]

27. Worth mentioning

Susie Sarandon backed Edwards in 2004 and 2008, during a year when the most transformative political figure in her lifetime arrived on the scene. A long history of terrible judgement that is also present today.

[dsp3000]

30. Lets be honest here... does anyone care about sarandons political choices?

I cant even name any movie or tv show she's in (I'm a 35 year old man)... I know shes one of them hollywood elitists thats about it. I dont give a F about who she supports

[BannonsLiver]

40. You cared enough to respond so you tell me.

[dsp3000]

48. Outside of this message board though...

i see alot of people talk about it on this board... never outside of it though

[Crunchy Frog]

28. LOL! He just seemed really smarmy to me.

And that was before his affair and out of wedlock baby came out, while his wife was dying of cancer.

[Azathoth]

31. Edwards was a trial lawyer

And that's what his whole political career was: an argument to a jury.

His wife prepared the case and he argued it.

The longer he went, the more it showed.

[ancianita]

33. And that's how f'n smart we are.

[UTUSN]

41. Zowie, "Angry OBAMA" by Keegan-Michael KEY, wish we had seen more of Angry OBAMA!

[Raine]

44. I was a big Edwards supporter

but he really let me down.

[cwydro]

66. Cunningham just did the same to loyal Dem voters here.

What is wrong with these idiots?

[dansolo]

46. I never understood the left's endorsement of John Edwards

Wasn't he one of the co-sponsors of the IWR? Edwards was even more of a war hawk than Clinton or Biden, but that was conveniently ignored when was running. Even in 2004, Kucinich supporters went to Edwards in the Iowa caucus to specifically prevent Howard Dean from a second place finish, even though Dean was more aligned politically with them.

[DeminPennswoods]

47. Kind of an unneccessary cheap shot

in my book, but ymmv.

[Progressive Law]

51. I agree. Edwards is mostly totally forgotten. Puzzled why Obama felt the need to bring him up.

[BannonsLiver]

57. It might have something to do with the fact this is a memoir

And the scope of the memoir covers the 2008 race of which Edwards was a part of. I think it’s a brilliant summation of Edwards, tbh.

[LisaM]

75. I agree.

The Edwards family seemed to get screwed up when their son died in an auto accident. Then she had to deal with cancer twice, and the whole infidelity mess.

One thing I always found curious was that he had been on record saying that we had to regulate pharmaceutical ads and then pouf, he was gone. Without excusing his affair, I've always wondered if it was a set-up. And I never heard another candidate explicitly go after pharmaceutical ads again.

He was a mixed bag and yes, I see no reason to go after him now.

[marmar]

82. It's a memoir. He'd retelling how he felt at the time. What's the big deal?

[DeminPennswoods]

83. He can write what he wants

Jmho, John Edwards is no longer on the political scene and hasn't been for years now, there was really no reason to make a disparaging comment.

[LisaM]

85. Someone started a thread and I responded.

No worries if you don't agree with me. It's an interesting conversation toe and I participated.

[Dawson Leery]

49. John Edwards is the Hollywood caricature of a sleazy politician.

[NurseJackie]

52. Susan Sarandon was ALL-IN on John Edwards. His "IWR-vote" never bothered her then.

He voted in favor of the resolution the same way that Hillary did. Why did Hillary's vote in favor of the resolution bother Sarandon so much in 2016... but she really didn't care about Edwards' vote?

[BlueStater]

55. The guy's been out of the spotlight for almost a decade now.

He’s been disgraced and he’s not coming back.

Why even bring him up again? Feels unnecessary.

[BannonsLiver]

56. Probably because it's a memoir and he's writing about the 2008 race

[shrike3]

58. Why was it necessary to destroy John Edwards so completely?

Many politicians get second acts, after doing truly awful things, but not him. Strange.

[BannonsLiver]

59. Bahahaha

[shrike3]

68. So, why him and not others? A rolling on the ground laughing emoji doesn't answer my question.

[BannonsLiver]

86. Google it.

[JI7]

65. Edwards destroyed himself. He was always a phony and others serving with him thought so also

[shrike3]

67. But why him and not others? That's what I don't get.

Like Gingrich wasn't a phony? Like Gary Hart wasn't a phony? Like -- any number of politicians weren't phonies. For example, Hart's a history professor now, and I've seen him interviewed like a distinguished academic. I'm just curious.

[JI7]

70. He is talking about others also . There is a thread on Palin.

[shrike3]

71. I'm not talking about what Obama said. Obama has a right to his opinion, about anyone. I respect his

opinion. But Edwards was drummed so completely out of public life, got no second act at all, I just think it's odd.

[JI7]

73. He did get second act after 2004 loss and that's when he cheated on his wife and denied his child

I think it was denying the child which he knew was his that made it impossible for him to get back in public life.

[shrike3]

77. Entirely different. I'm talking about second act after scandal, not loss. Any politician can come

back after losing an election. Yet here's Gingrich getting to frolic around the Vatican and be on Fox News after serving divorce papers to his hospitalized wife and cheating on another in the midst of the Clinton scandal. Gary Hart is a history professor who's been interviewed as a distinguished mind. George W. lied us into a war and gets to hang with Ellen. Clinton, in spite of everything, goes on and on. I just found the piling on Edwards a bit weird and wonder what the back story is.

Interestingly, Elie Mystal, an African-American writer at The Nation, differentiates between Edwards' ideas and writes of the rejection of Edwards' values (not the scandal) as the reason he believes white America will never accept a progressive. It was rather jarring after all these years to have Edwards treated in serious fashion. This was around the primaries, when he said it was a lost cause trying to support Bernie Sanders. Edwards, Jackson, Sharpton had gotten no traction with white people, and no other candidate would, he said. Strange to read Edwards' name. Like someone'd been brought back from the dead.

Please do not regard this as a criticism of Obama. His opinion is his opinion.

[JI7]

81. He was always overrated

[joshcryer]

72. His cheating in the midst of a fucking election...

...was also extremely ill thought and stupid.

[shrike3]

78. As did Gary Hart.

Who went on to co-chair the Hart-Rudman Task Force on Homeland Security, serve on the Homeland Security Advisory Council, and as the United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. But Edwards had to be obliterated. I just think there was more to the story. He probably pissed off a lot of important people who were not inclined to forgive him or give him a second change in any way when the shit hit the fan.

[joshcryer]

79. Gary Hart was a tragedy.

Changed the direction of the country for 4 decades.

[shrike3]

80. Beyond having to drop out of the primaries, I'd argue he wasn't punished for it.

[BannonsLiver]

60. Cant believe all the grousing about Obama in the thread.

Last edited Sat Nov 14, 2020, 05:22 PM - Edit history (1)

[BlueStater]

61. No one is boo-hooing for him. 🙄

Some of us would just like to forget about him and leave him in the past where he belongs. At least unlike other assholes like Newt Gringrich, he actually possessed enough fucking shame to shut up and go away. Geez.

[BannonsLiver]

62. Gee whiz, it's almost as if Obama is writing a memoir.

About events where his life intersected with the lives of others.

How dare he!111

[Progressive Law]

76. I know, right? Just because I'd prefer it if Obama not bash Edwards...

...doesn't mean I am boo-hooing Obama.

[shrike3]

69. Edwards told the truth. There are two Americas. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep it in his pants and

so betrayed the truth he was trying to tell. In the meantime Gingrich, who served one wife with divorce papers while she was in the hospital and cheated on another while he was decrying Clinton's morality. gets to hang out at the Vatican and appear on Fox.

[BannonsLiver]

87. Doesn't really matter

Neither Newt or Edwards are going be anyone’s husband of the year candidate. And really, there’s not a lot of daylight between what Newt did, and banging around on your wife who is dying of breast cancer while fathering a secret child. You seem to think there is a world of difference between the two acts. Most people don’t.

I guess if there’s one difference Edwards had enough shame to retreat into personal injury law and stay out of the spotlight after he was disgraced whereas Newt did not.

[shrike3]

88. Uh, actually, no, I don't. That was my whole point. There ISN'T much daylight indeed between the two

acts. Again, kind of my WHOLE point. Yet Newt frolics around the Vatican and Edwards is exiled from polite society. Go figure.

[Tom Rinaldo]

90. Yes, but he lifted that metaphor almost verbatim from the keynote addresse that Mario Cuomo gave

to the 1984 Democratic National Convention. It's not that John Edward was the only Democrat who realized that there was a growing divide between have and have nots in America. He did a good job at messaging something that every left of center Democrat agreed with him on, including many if not most of our Presidential candidates when Edward ran for the nomination.

Cuomo's speech was called "A Tale of Two Cities."

"Cuomo’s speech, given on a July night at the Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco, was originally crafted as a response to Ronald Reagan’s frequent and cheery description of the United States as a shining city on a hill. Cuomo took that image and turned it, urging Reagan to look closer at the country’s condition.

“This nation is more a tale of two cities than it is just a shining city on a hill,” Cuomo said. “There is despair, Mr. President, in the faces you don’t see, in the places you don’t visit in your shining city.”...

...“President Reagan told us from the very beginning that he believed in a kind of social Darwinism. Survival of the fittest,” Cuomo said that night. “You know, the Republicans called it ‘trickle-down’ when [Herbert] Hoover tried it. Now they call it ‘supply side.’ But it’s the same shining city for those relative few who are lucky enough to live in its good neighborhoods.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/cuomos-1984-speech-stirred-democrats-then-and-for-decades/2015/01/01/231fbe1a-922b-11e4-ba53-a477d66580ed_story.html

[shrike3]

91. And no one mentioned it again, so far as I know. There is an article by Elie Mystal of the Nation

I wish I could find. Mystal, African-American, wrote a post mortem of Bernie's loss to Joe in SC. It was his opinion (his opinion) that a candidate like Bernie would never find support because "white people are selfish and don't want to share." (I'm just the messenger.) He mentioned three candidates whose views would never be acceptable to the white majority. One was Edwards, the other two were Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Weird and jarring to see Edwards mentioned. Especially since he never once mentioned Edwards' scandal. I myself hadn't thought of Edwards in years.

[Seasider]

84. I'm not sure Obama would've said that about 2004 Edwards though

The 2008 Edwards was largely viewed by many Democrats as a 1st round draft pick that ended up being a bust. Yes, he still had that folksy southern accent and million dollar smile but he was a yesterday's news so Obama's opinion of him was not uncommon among fellow candidates in the Democratic primary that year.

The decisions in 2004 by Kerry to pick him as a running mate was a move that made sense at the time. Edwards was viewed as one of the rising stars in the party in 2004. He was a young successful trial lawyer turned Senator in a red state that could conceivably flip blue if he was popular enough. His youth and southern charm would complement Kerry's perceived stiff New England personality. Unfortunately, when she shared the stage with Dick Cheney in the VP debate, it became somewhat apparent that he was someone who wasn't quite ready for prime time. But in hindsight, was there really any other candidate out there in 2004 who would've flipped the race for Kerry? I mean there was Obama but before July of that year, nobody outside of Illinois knew who the heck he was.

And that sadly sums up the 2004 race. A winnable race against a vulnerable incumbent if only we had someone like Obama ready to take down dubya that year. Timing is everything. 3 words I hope the DNC never forgets.

[anamnua]

89. Refreshingly feisty stuff from Barack

on Edwards and Palin. Why didn't he show more of this when he was president?!!!