The John Edwards affair story is starting to heat up and the former Senator and Democratic Presidential nominee is facing some uncomfortable questions. Republicans and conservatives are enjoying this Schadenfreude-palooza for various reasons, but I think I've hit on a legitimate reason why this story should not go the way of Nancy Pelosi's book.
When Edwards was running for President in 2004 and 2008, he had a standard line about there being two Americas. I can't speak for those of you reading this (mainly because I don't know what you sound like), but he came off to me as a sanctimonious preacher. He told us about the poor and middle class in this country that were being ignored while the rich fat cats got richer. (On a side note, isn't it funny he never included himself as one of these rich fat cats?) And, more importantly, he was talking about how immoral it was that the rich would get rich by making money off the efforts of the lower and middle classes. You know, that stuff that's been going on for centuries?
Now that the moral man Edwards is caught in a web of his own creation, we have to ask ourselves whether this failing negates his previous seemingly pious message. On the surface, it doesn't because we're dealing with two different situations: Edwards's concern about the lower and middle classes, and his affair. When you have that kind of separation, it's easy to discourage any further speculation.
A deeper analysis reveals a deeper meaning. The two events are connected because they reveal a duel approach to life by Edwards. In Edwards's mind, he can be a moralizing champion of the poor and middle class while still being a wealthy man for whom the rules don't apply. Even the rules of intellectual consistency.
Edwards isn't the only one who does this. The Democratic Party is full of people who live in two or three worlds. And these are the people who want to take over the Presidency and both houses of Congress. Edwards may never sit in the Oval Office, but he doesn't need to for someone like him to be the Commander In Chief. And this person will be responsible for setting economic, military, and judicial policies that will impact this country for years to come. A person with this type of duplicity and the kind of power the Presidency would provide can pose a serious danger to this country if we allow it to happen.
Still think the Edwards situation doesn't matter?
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2 comments:
An excellent argument against electing the adulterer John McCain. I was on the fence about voting for a man who cheated on his wife with a 25 yr-old. You've convince me such a man cannot be trusted with such an important job.
There's another possible explanation for the whole (ahem) affair:
http://davedonelsontoonland.blogspot.com/2008/08/explaining-john-edwards.html
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