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Sorry, John, You Deserved To Have Your Private Foibles Lived Out In Private
Well, it should come as no
surprise. Give the mainstream media a sordid little story and their inner
tabloid is bound to come out. I expect so little of that cast of talking heads,
but was aghast yesterday no less to watch pundit after pundit carving poor John
Edwards up.
I had been getting my usual afternoon exercise, and my usual dose of drivel from the MSM, but had hardly expected to witness a smut party. All the hand wringing over Edward’s affair drove me to switch back and forth from MSNBC to CNN. I even tried the dreaded Fox News, expecting sooner or later, someone would state the obvious. Let he who is perfect cast the first stone. It was not forthcoming.
There were the so-called liberal operatives getting themselves safely away from the scene of the crime, the right-wing apparatchiks waxing indignant, David Bonior throwing Edwards under the bus. Even the usually level-headed Jack Cafferty was beginning to foam at the mouth. Only Roger Simon of Politico could drag himself to admit that Edward’s statement, released while the shows were in progress, had been a sincere expression of remorse. Everyone else simply got more indignant over the “99%” clause. They’d have put poor Jesus on a cross.
My heart goes out to you, John, on both accounts. You must suffer the wounds of your own infidelity, and then be dragged around in a form of public lynching.
I have committed many sins of my own, and will no doubt make more, but I come at this today as a man who loves a woman with all his heart. In such a way, that I have never once been tempted to betray her trust. I thank God everyday that I have been given to adore someone in that way. I thank God for these feelings of devotion. I wouldn’t know how to face my sweetheart if I fell from grace in a similar way.
But that only makes me more compassionate of others, and but reminds me this is about choosing people for public office, and the absurdity of doing so on the basis of their private peccadilloes. If the measure of worthiness is whether or not someone has committed a sexual transgression, we would never have had Roosevelt, or Kennedy. The list goes on and on.
What we’ll always end up with instead is the milquetoast of a Coolidge, the moral rigidity of Reagan and Bush, or a scoundrel like Tricky Dick. People who don’t have to wear a red face during Sunday’s sermon, perhaps, but who will publicly admit they don’t possess that vision thing, who can’t form a proper sentence, who aren’t the best of the best.
More so, we will forever find ourselves as a nation in this self-righteous Calvinistic, witch-hunting mode, the stones being passed around, preparing to punish the sinner, forgetting that we have, or are certainly capable of, doing the same damned thing ourselves.
Comments (8)
Thank you for expressing a truly progressive view on this situation. To judge by commenters at this site, and the big deal the Huffington Post has made about Edwards' private businesss, Republican-style moral posturing has seeped into Democratic circles. Better every politician should have an affair and lie about it than a single person die from lack of health care, or a single person die in an unnecessary war.
August 9, 2008 9:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is the oath of office, say the presidency, very much like marriage vows?
While it is true that in the past, JFK..Roosevelt and the like have been less than faithful, this time around it is different.
We have had a president that has totally disregarded his oath of office. The oath to "faithfully execute the laws" meant nothing. Habeaus Corpus means nothing, Geneva Convention, privacy and freedom of the people...MEANS NOTHING.
Like you, I think Obama adores his wife. Like you I believe he wouldn't know how to look her in the eye. He takes his vows very seriously. I believe he takes the faith of the people seriously as well.
Unlike presidents past, and politics in general, people are sick of lying, deceiving asshats. Now more than ever before, we can actually kick the tires and dig into pasts.
I get the whole "he who is without sin" part, but we need decent, honest leaders for a freaking change. We need people who live up to their obligations and oaths. Whether it be for the presidency or their wedding vows.
I agree that not everybody is perfect, but not everybody is running for president either. To run a great country, we need someone extraordinary. We have to hold them to a higher standard. They have great power and we have to make damn sure we have picked an extraordinary person that wields it with judgment and wisdom. One who is faithful not only to his marriage vows, but to the constitution and the laws as well. Not one who think he is above them.
John Edwards tried to dupe us into thinking he was the best person to do that. He should be thanking his lucky stars that he is not the nominee, because if he was, you can be damn sure a lot of pissed democrats would have the tar and feathers waiting. How dare he when he had this in the closet? With the country on the brink of despair?
Sorry, you can excuse all you want. As far as I am concerned, he is a freaking egocentric asshole.
August 9, 2008 9:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
"John Edwards tried to dupe us into thinking he was the best person to do that. He should be thanking his lucky stars that he is not the nominee, because if he was, you can be damn sure a lot of pissed democrats would have the tar and feathers waiting. How dare he when he had this in the closet? With the country on the brink of despair?"
Well said! Thanks.
August 9, 2008 11:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
The way I feel about Edward's transgressions is is entirely different from the way I felt about Clinton's similar failings. John Edwards started this affair at the beginning of his campaign and must have known that if the truth about it became known, it would be disasterous. Had he been successful in seeking the Democratic nomination, Republicans certainly would have used the story as their October Surprise, and we, after having been traumatized by the results of the 2000 and 2004 elections would have been inconsolable after another tragically lost election.
John Edward's recklessness in this regard and his willingness to jeopardize the Democratic party, and perhaps the country are at issue here. I know there are those in the progressive community who take the position that it is "just between John and Elizabeth" ....move on, nothing more to see here." To which I say,"malarkey". This election is too important to be trifled with. Much too important.
August 10, 2008 1:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
There is no correlation in history or law between the oath of office and the marriage vow. FDR was the greatest progressive in modern history, and the greatest president since Lincoln. Judging him by his marriage vows would have deprived the nation of the leadership it desperately needed during a time of deeper despair than we are experiencing today.
In contrast to FDR, and John Edwards, George W Bush is apparantly faithful to his wife. Good for them but his fidelity to her bears no relationship to his betrayal of the Constitution and the general welfare.
The only possible reason it could be relevant is the effect it could have on narrrow minded self-righteous voters who view politics as a contest of personalies rather than ideas. That kind of juvenile thinking has led us to the mess we are in now.
August 10, 2008 10:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Again, it isn't the sex/infidelity that's got most upset!
August 10, 2008 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Juvenile thinking is a grown man with a family and a life lived in the public spotlight thinking he could get away with fucking around.
That is juvenile thinking.
It is stunning bad judgment.
August 10, 2008 7:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know, he could have had allll the privacy he wanted - all he had to do was get out of the limelight.
But the Edwards are not private people - the man ran for the presidency and he and his wife both knew this was out there.
If he was the nominee right now we would be so fucked. That was such a narcissistic, arrogant thing to do that it is stunning.
So here's the deal:
You want a private life? You want to fuck around? Be my guest.
But do not run for office from my party.
People - grow up. Edwards just proved he's a shallow as he always looked.
August 10, 2008 7:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
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