John Edwards suicidal over possible jail time, magazine claims

[apples and oranges]

Edwards is under investigation for improperly using campaign funds to cover up an affair he had with a woman in which a child was conceived while he was still married to the late Elizabeth Edwards.

According to The Daily Mail, the National Enquirer has written that Edwards told a friend, 'I won't go to jail. I'd kill myself first!'

According to the National Enquirer, Edwards has lost nearly 20 pounds in the past year and his friends believe he has been "escaping reality" with alcohol.

"I think John is suicidal," a friend of Edwards reportedly told the Enquirer. "He knows that if he's indicted, prosecutors will try to get him to serve jail time and make an example of him."

http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14396631

This is really sad guys. :( It sounds like he is devastated and a broken man.

[niyad]

1. and yet, john ensign is still a sitting senator. .

[Logical]

2. Really? The National Enquirer??? n-t

[apples and oranges]

6. It was the Enquirer that broke the story in the first place

A broken clock gets it right sometimes.

[Logical]

7. True, but it is 1 in a 1000 for them. n-t

[emilyg]

25. After all their lawsuits - they've become

more reliable than out MSM.

[Carolina]

58. exactly!

[calimary]

29. No they haven't done an expose on Florida's governor. Wrong photo here.

Separated at birth!

[Fla_Democrat]

41. Batboy was the Weekly World News

http://weeklyworldnews.com/




:smoke:

[JonLP24]

91. Enquirer

Never really ran stories like Bat Boy. Their area is mostly celebrity gossip.

[cali]

3. ugh. this is real trash

[Pisces]

4. Weak piece of selfish shit. What about their motherless children???? Go Fuck yourself John!!!

[Cid_B]

19. If true...

... it warms my heart. What a scumbag.

He has always reeked of oozy slime to me. I have never understood how anyone got all hyped up over him.

[robinlynne]

27. i voted for him in the primary, because he was the only candidate, standing up to

big business.

He was not the only candidate. My bad. Dennis Kucinich espouses everything one could want from a candidate, but I didn't think he had a chance of winning.

Were it not for his ugly affair, and his interest in his hair, Edwards could have been a fantastic president. He spent a lifetime going after big business for little guys, and winning.

[Common Sense Party]

43. He went after big business for his big retainer.

He didn't care about the little guy. He went after big business because they have deep pockets. You've seen his house?

[ParkieDem]

66. Amen.

I never understood how people couldn't see through his slick talk. Of course, the history of the South is full of people who fell for slick progressive rhetoric from snake-oil salesmen who were really always in it for a quick buck for themselves.

[robinlynne]

67. and?

[Common Sense Party]

71. And your point about him fighting for the little guy is nonsense

"we need someone with the guts to fight big corporations"

He only fought big corporations because he got 33% of any settlement. He could care less about the little guy.

[robinlynne]

84. you may be right. but he did have the guts to fight them. noone else has.

[Bake]

85. Contingency fee. Not retainer.

Plaintiffs' attorneys typically don't do PI work on retainer.

And there's nothing wrong with contingency fees. THey are the key to the courthouse for the common person. Lawsuits are expensive. If Edwards LOST a case, he didn't get one thin dime.

Did he go after the deep pockets? Damn right he did. THE ONES THAT GOT DEEP BY PROFITING OFF OF SHITTY DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS THAT INJURED PEOPLE!!!

And he was good at it. And I'm sure he paid his taxes.

Duh.

Bake

[karynnj]

44. Edwards did not go after big business in his one term as Senator

= nor did he raised issues or consistently sponsor legislation that would have helped those less fortunate. His words NEVER matched his actions. In 2004, overall he was very likely the most conservative candidate - and that includes Lieberman, who had an excellent record on the environment and civil rights. Edwards voted for an early version of the awful bankruptcy bill - and you can't use the excuse that he was a freshman Senator - bankruptcy law was Elizabeth's specialty.

Before he was a senator, he was a trial lawyer. You can argue that he did go after some big companies representing the little guy, but he became a multi-millionaire doing it. It was not completely altruistic.

Still I hope this story is unfounded. Reading between the lines, the real truth is likely just what you would suspect - he is extremely worried about potentially having to stand trial and possibly being convicted and going to jail. As much as I don't like him, I give him enough credit to know what suicide would do to his kids and enough compassion for them to never seriously contemplate anything like that. At this point, there may not even be a trial - and if there is one, it is possible that he will not be sentenced to jail. ( Does anyone even know the possible length of sentence if convicted?)

[robinlynne]

68. I dont' say he is altruisistic. I say we need someone with the guts to fight big corporations.

[karynnj]

70. But, he didn't really do that in public office

People like Elizabeth Warren did. (or John Kerry with BCCI) Edwards simply talked a good game. Even as a trial lawyer, a large percent of his cases were against small companies or doctors. Even among lawyers, you can find some that did class action suits against companies that made unsafe products, or against companies that discriminated against people by gender, sex or age.

I know there are people that Edwards helped as a lawyer, but the fact is, that like everyone else who runs for President, he and the people around him had to take what was in his background and find a way to tie it to what his campaign theme was. In his case, he made something that he did exceptionally well, but which was not extraordinary into a compelling case. Every campaign has to do that. I doubt though that you will find any case that he took that risked his own career or his acceptability.

[robinlynne]

83. I didnt know who he was until he ran. Elizabeth Warren rocks!!!

[Carolina]

59. No, his votes as Senator

belied his populist message. He went along to get along with his eyes on the prize of the White House.

[KoKo]

90. This is true. He was a terrible Senator for NC.. but it's sad to see him as the tragedy he is toda

Still...he brought it on, himself. But, sad to see.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

64. I knew this particular politician's woes would trigger your schadenfreude. -nt

[Zoeisright]

32. Nice compassion there.

Did you learn that in church?

[Pisces]

45. Church? Who brought religion into this? I have no sympathy for this narcissistic little boy.

[Juche]

5. I really hope he redeems himself

If he actually does do some jail time and comes out a better man that'll be great. He still has 20 years ahead of him, and before he fell in love with himself he sounded like a pretty great guy.

I read the biography 'the politician' about him by his aide, and he sounded like someone who sincerely believed in the causes he espoused until egoism got the best of him.

[karynnj]

52. Consider the source

If Young never thought Edwards believed in all he said he did, how does Young explain his own devotion to Edwards. I scanned the book at an airport waiting to pick someone up. I remember one description of reporting on Edwards after the 2004 primaries - when the cameras were on and the media there, Edwards had his megawatt smile on and he was intensely involved. When they left, the smile left. In Young's book, Edwards distaste for spending time with the people of NC who voted him in reminded me of this.

[Juche]

74. He claims he met Edwards before he was a senator

And it was when he started getting the idea that he could be president that he changed.

Young admits a big part of his devotion in the beginning was for progressive principals, but after Edwards started getting successful it was to further his own career and support his wife and kids.

[karynnj]

81. Was it your impression that the change was actually in the end of the primaries in 2004?

That was my impression from memory - and very fast scanning. (My goal was more to see what was said of Kerry, who I deeply respect - so I rest mostly just the 200/2004 part - skipping the beginning and the end.)

From that, I got the impression that Young was rather a suck up, mimicking and reinforcing Edwards' opinions. I was stunned to see that after Kerry thoroughly beat Edwards, Edwards was convinced that he was was smarter, more creative and more qualified. Any comparison of their accomplishments shows this to be so far from reality it is not funny. He also resented that Kerry even wanted to interview him for VP - as "he knew him from the Senate". (In fact, they were on no committees together and had very little in common. ) Edwards had played up to Kennedy and his campaign started rumors that Kennedy was backing him - leading Kennedy to announce quickly that he was supporting John Kerry.

Having similarly skimmed the Shrum book, it is fascinating that Kerry's gut reaction to Edwards was that he did not like him. But, the media adored him and Edwards had won powerful friends, including Bill Clinton and Kennedy. Thanks to the nearly all favorable (on him personally) press, Edwards polled best. The media already made the story that Edwards was the VP, unless Kerry were too vain to select a VP who would outshine him. (Not explaining why voters in state after state preferred Kerry.) So, while Kerry, ignored his personal dislike, to take a candidate that everyone thought gave the Democrats the most chance to win and who came out clean in the vetting, Edwards was fuming that he should be the top of the ticket. The ONE and only one article that had Kerry campaign insiders speaking anonymously, spoke of how he refused to do many things the campaign wanted - such as defending Kerry - and my memory of him telling the media that was not how the campaign thought he should be used.

What was fascinating was that the writer seemed not to recognize how unlikable he made himself seem and how arrogant and obnoxious Edwards was from at least May/June 2004. (My guess is that given that he stayed with Edwards from before 1998 though 2008, there was no way to make himself look good.)

[AtomicKitten]

8. He has young children now motherless. Way to go, Johnny.

[RichGirl]

35. He had an affair...he didn't kill his wife.

Why are some of you acting like he's responsible for her death.

Personally, I think grief brought on the cancer. I think she never got over the death of her son. It's quite common. Like Dana Reeve. Too much sadness can weaken the immune system.

John's affair didn't help, but she would have died anyway and her children would be motherless.

[AtomicKitten]

37. I'm concerned about his and Elizabeth's children.

It's absurd to accuse "some of you" of holding JEdwards responsible for Elizabeth's death. I hold him accountable for making her last few years hell and now possibly being in a position where he too will be taken away from their children.

[Carolina]

60. excessive hormones to enable her to have

more babies (in her fifties) after the son's death more likely led to the CA.

But no matter what, John is still scum. He hooked up with a skank and didn't use protection (exhibit A = the child) which _had he contracted something and spread it -- could have been devastating to Elizabeth with her immune system weakened by cancer and the treatment(s) for it.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

62. is there anything to indicate that the choice wasn't hers?

i mean it can just as much be the women's desire to have babies as the mans.

[Carolina]

96. Not at all, and I wasn't suggesting that it wasn't her desire

as well as John's; I was simply refuting the idea (up thread) that grief alone led to the cancer.

I have seen it several times where older women seeking biological children used hormones and later developed breast cancer or some form of autoimmune disease (which tend to be more common in women to begin with)

Sad all around but I still have no pity for John Edwards.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

97. ahh i see. grief leading to cancer is a stretch. nt

[karynnj]

72. You miss the point - which is the kids soon after losing their mom would lose their dad

The fact is for that family the last several years have been beyond tragic. Imagine that after 2004, the Edwards decided to concentrate on their family - having just spent most of two years traveling the country with the kids running for President and VP. It still would have been tragic for all of them losing their vibrant loving mother, but all of them would have been stronger for the time they had and the kids would have had the father they loved.

I don't believe that Edwards threatened suicide or at any rate meant it. (It is conceivable that it could have been his first reaction to the possibility of jail. It has to be stunning to go from thinking you could be President to fearing you could go to jail. If so, whoever was there should have had the kindness not to repeat it.) But, taking it at race value - like atomic kitten I thought of the impact on the kids.

From all accounts, Elizabeth Edwards put her own hurt aside enough to try to help John Edwards keep a good relationship with the kids, because she knew they would need it. It is hard to imagine all these two pre-teens or teens have had to cope with. They lost their mom. Starting in 2008, they had to be troubled by all they saw about their dad on the internet - and at that age, you know they read it. From the beginning of 2007, when their dad was again mentioned as a potential President and their mom was speaking of having survived breast cancer, this has to have been four years that shattered the happy, protected, privileged live they had.

Even if there is a trial, and he is convicted and sentenced to jail, Edwards has to be there for them as much as he can. As no charges have yet been filed, we have no idea what if any sentence he could get. Whatever it is he brought it on himself. The sad thing is that all this would have been over had he just used his own fortune.

[lumberjack_jeff]

54. self delete

[UTUSN]

9. Will Ree-dell mourn? or whatever her name is. n/t

[DonCoquixote]

10. Normally I eschew the death penalty

But I remember voting for this POS in the primary, defending him against the hypocrites on the left and right, the Kucinich people that talked about his haircut, and the Clinton and Obama people who thought he was weak. I voted for Kerry in 2004, thinking that he and his vp were some of the few qualified people to run for office.

But Johnny, if you cannot face the music, the ruin of our own making, and the problem that, if you did win, would have given Fox news a sound bite that would have made the Swift Boat and Monica's cigar look tame, if you really cannot face the music...damn it, I'll tie your damned noose! I know Joe Bagaent would if he could!

[Bluebear]

21. You would KILL him for this? Wow.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

28. i know. pretty insane logic

[Bunny]

42. Oh jesus fucking christ get a grip.

[Jamastiene]

93. The death penalty? Really?

zOMG :wow:

[Botany]

11. I was an Edwards supporter and I did feel kicked in the ..

.... gut by his actions but if bush/Cheney/Rove get to walk from their much worse crimes ....
lying to start a war, rigging 2 Presidential elections, spying, torture, Don Siegleman, and so on
why put a man in prison because he was failed human being like all of us?

John ...... please remember you got people who love you and some great kids!

[calimary]

33. Difficult to argue with this one.

War criminals still walk the streets and count their profits.

And he's not the first leader we looked up to who wound up with feet of clay. Not that I'm excusing what he did, AT ALL. He let a lot of good people down, not the least of whom were his wife Elizabeth and the children she bore him.

The whole thing is just such a damn shame.

[lumberjack_jeff]

55. Love is conditional.

I was a supporter, and I do agree that his transgressions are completely below the threshold of notice given the crimes that Bush celebrates with impunity.

But I stop short of saying I love him. He fucked up big. Idealism and support for the poor is now considered bad form ("the angry bum candidate"). He's not the only one paying a price for it.

[Journeyman]

12. What a weak and vapid man. . .

to threaten suicide over acts he himself initiated, to crush the spirit of the woman he proclaimed to love and with whom he started a family, to now threaten the future of his children in a pusillanimous display of self-pity.

There are plenty of good reasons to off yourself, but cringing cowardice over your own regretful acts, with no concern for the love or lives of your children? . . . what a disgusting puke he's proven to be.

[seabeyond]

17. perfect....

i am normally pretty empathitic. yet i was sittin here thinking.... i dont really care about this man.

your post is exactly it.

weak and vapid man. . .

[Carolina]

61. superb post, sums it up

perfectly

[FLPanhandle]

63. +1

Well put.

[kentuck]

13. Sad..

I wonder how much is illegal and how much is simply immoral? How many people running for office don't use campaign funds for other purposes??

[Scottybeamer70]

14. Really sad......:(

[spartan61]

15. I'm not advocating that campaign funds

should be used for personal use, but if Edwards can be prosecuted for this, what about Christine O'Donnell? Didn't she use her campaign funds to pay her rent, etc? Is there another double standard here???

[BillyJack]

16. He's a lawyer - with connections - he's not going to jail....

...and his cry for "sympathy" from a public who is so broken down (but not 'out') is just disturbing, pathetic, and OUTRAGEOUS.

Thanks goodness he never got close to carrying the 'nuclear football' or anything else 'presidential'. YEESCH! YICK!

[WillowTree]

22. Don't be too sure about that.

Elizabeth isn't the only person he done wrong. I'd be willing to bet that there are lots of folk who would love to see him walk the plank and wouldn't hesitate for a minute to push him along.

[niyad]

18. did anybody actually read that story?? full of weasel words at best.

headline reads "magazine says", first line of article says "newspaper says"

and the money being discussed (honestly, harassing a 100 year old woman???) were called gifts in the article, not campaign contributions.

and, until john ensign is in jail, I will simply say there seems to be a slight double standard here.

[marions ghost]

39. double standard

that's the problem.

A lot of people should be going to jail, but white collar criminals never do. John's just another narcissist but he's "our" narcissist, those of us who supported him. I'd be OK with him going to "Club Fed" with Bernie Madoff for awhile.

We put up with this kind of corruption. Much stronger penalties for white collar crime across the board. And campaign finance control.

[WillowTree]

20. Oh stop. You're breaking my heart.......

Yawn.

[richmwill]

23. Waaahhhh...

... Poor baby doesn't want to go to prison, so he'd kill himself and inflict a further hurt on his children who just recently lost their mother. Dirtbag.

[yodermon]

24. yay, a stoning thread

-1

[SammyWinstonJack]

75. Surprising, isn't it?

:silly:

[Mnemosyne]

94. Not surprising here anymore. n/t

[JVS]

26. I'm no Edwards booster, but these sources are shit and I'm surprised DU is buying it.

[daleo]

30. If only he had won the presidency and started a war that killed hundreds of thousands

No jail time for that. It's not even considered a crime. It's not even a breach of good manners, among the ruling classes, regardless of party affiliation.

[Octafish]

47. + the whole thing.

Thank you, daleo.

[Prophet 451]

31. Never, EVER trust the Daily Mail.

Think of a paper with the bias of Fox, multiply the bias by about six, add the editorial standards of the Weekly World News and you have the Mail.

Anyway, if it's true, I feel bad for the guy. He fucked up, no doubt, but it's not worth dying over.

[LLStarks]

34. John Edwards is the Charlie Sheen of politics yet nobody cares about him anymore. nt

[Octafish]

48. I still care about him.

The guy tried, which is more than can be said for most politicians.

[sabrina 1]

57. Thank you. I care about him as a human being. His 'crime'

pales when compared to those who tortured and maimed and slaughtered untold numbers of human beings and until the rule of law is applied to them, I hope Edwards gets to be with his children and that he has time to reflect on what he lost and goes on to do good in this world.

I find it ironic that those claiming to care about his children are wishing the very worst for them. I wonder if they've considered how those children feel about the prospect of their father going to jail, or worse, being put to death which I unbelievably read in this thread, for what is comparitive to the crimes of those walking freely among us and profiting from their crimes, a minor offense.

So, if for no other reason, for his children's sake I hope this situation ends as quickly as possible so that he and they can get on with their lives.

'Progressives' sometimes make me wonder if I am in the right party!

[SammyWinstonJack]

78. +1

:applause:

[karynnj]

87. "Put to death"??????? This is not a capital crime.

I hope that no charges are brought and that he continues on with life - that will never likely live up to what he threw away. Months ago, when I and others wrote that we hoped for the sake of the kids that he be spared jail, someone pointed out that many single parents, with nowhere the support system he has do go to jail - and no one seems to care.

There have been politicians who have gone to jail - Duke Cunningham and Trafficant come to mind. At this point, even indictment is not a certainty - and even if it does it may not come to jail.

[Donnachaidh]

65. me too.

But all the grave dancing here really makes me want to puke.

[SammyWinstonJack]

76. I still care about him too.

[Raine]

36. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time

Johnny. :hurts: Should've thought about the consequences but he was too busy getting his rocks off then hiding it not only from the Elizabeth but from voters. :nopity:

[PVnRT]

38. Oh, is it time for the five minutes hate again?

EDIT: Typo in title

[joeunderdog]

40. Save room in the cell for Walker. nt

[leeroysphitz]

46. Edwards was "broken" a long time ago, judging by his personal choices. n/t

[LynneSin]

49. Maybe if he kept his pecker in his pants he wouldn't be devastated and broken

nuff said

[dionysus]

50. chin up smoove johnny...

[BlueDemKev]

51. You can't put much stock into the tabloids

Even if Edwards said that to a close friend, he probably meant that he'd fight the charges tooth and nail to clear his name. I supported this guy in the 2004 primaries, and even took a trip to SC to canvass for him. I met his parents (who were very nice) as well as his daughter Cate. Still, I am very disappointed about his having an affair while his wife was battling cancer. It revealed a horrid lack of character and an immeasurable amount of self-centeredness on his part. I do hope that he will grow and become a better person from all of this. However, if he still has political ambitions, he needs to put them to rest.

[Freddie Stubbs]

53. What I don't understand is why he didn't use his own money

He is a wealthy man, he certainly could have afforded it.

[Warren DeMontague]

56. Don't worry. No one goes to jail for that, no matter how egregious the misuse of campaign funds.

Case in point.

[BlueIris]

69. People who believe stories they read in the NE are on the same level of ignorance as people

who think global warming is a hoax.

[MacNfries]

73. He believed in "choice" sooooooo

I'm ashamed to admit that I voted for John Edwards at one time ... I recall his batting his eyes constantly while he made speaches, and I'd say to myself "self, he's a lying politician" but I didn't listen.

John Edwards was a big believer in CHOICE ... so I think I'd put a rope, gun, and cyanide capsule in his jail cell ... and tell him to go at it. I don't want any more of my tax dollars supporting anything he does. John, you have choices!

[SammyWinstonJack]

79. -1

:puke:

[Last_Stand]

86. Sounds like the "humor" my right-wing in-laws use...

[DCBob]

77. Amazing the rise and fall of this man.

its quite a sad story.

[JI7]

80. Rielle Hunter is the one who tipped off NE to all the Edwards crap

including allowing them to record when in that hotel .

either this is just totally made up which is common for NE.

but the other edwards stuff was true so if this is true it's coming from RE. or it might be coming from RH but she is making it up.

[Forkboy]

82. Lot of people in this thread seem to have more issues than Edwards.

[KoKo]

92. agree...there are a few OTT ones..that defy human decency..

:eyes:

[Mnemosyne]

95. Hear, hear! n/t

[La Lioness Priyanka]

98. yeah, cheating is one thing, advocating the death or suicide of someone

because they cheated on their wife, is a whole other ballgame

[Vidar]

88. It would be no great loss.

[DeschutesRiver]

89. They made an "example" of Martha Stewart too. And she sucked it up

did her stint in jail, and now is back on tv hosting her own show and going about her business.

I suggest Mr. Edwards turn to her example, instead of to the bottle, suck it up and do what is required, if he is convicted of a crime.

Like they all expect the little people to do.