Democrats Dodging a Bullet: John Edwards

Photo from source, AOL News

In a previous post, I talked about the temptation to gloat over the tailspin that the Republican Party is in, and how we Democrats/liberals/progressives need to be careful not to get too cocky. Just imagine if the Democratic primaries had worked out differently. What if Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton flung a bit too much mud in each others' eyes, and cancelled each other out? What if John Edwards had emerged as the victor?

I was a supporter of Edwards early on, even caucusing for him in Nevada before realigning with Obama when Edwards wasn't viable. But truth be told, I liked all three of the front-runners. The Other Half and I basically flipped a coin on Obama vs. Clinton in our realignment. Then, as you know by now, we found out that there was truth behind the National Enquirer reports of Edwards having an affair (possibly even a "love child"). By then, he was already out of the race. But it really pissed me off.

I'd backed Edwards because of his seeming genuineness. And I liked his wife. They had weathered adversity (death of a child, Elizabeth Edwards' cancer), and come through it as a loving couple. We thought. When that veneer of wholesomeness was blasted off, I could no longer even see what I liked about him anymore. I guess it is sort of like being on a jury, and being briefly won over by a sleazy attorney. Plus, he's handsome, there's that too.

But, man, we Democrats should be and remain mightily pissed at Edwards. Many politicians have committed as grievous sins, and lived on politically (Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani), but Edwards deserves his political epitaph. Our best chance at recapturing the White House was nearly in his grasp, and if he had caught that brass ring, it would have blown up in his and our faces. Badly mangled metaphors aside, we are very lucky that Obama seemingly knew how to play it. That "Chill the f**k out, I got this!" Internet meme seems to be a pretty accurate message so far.

[Excerpt]

Feds Examining Finances, Edwards Says

Failed presidential candidate John Edwards, whose political action committee paid more than $100,000 to his mistress' company, acknowledged Sunday that federal investigators were looking into how he handled his campaign funds.

But the former North Carolina senator said he was confident no money was used improperly. . .

Read more at: AOL News