The fall out continues. Now his wife is taking heat for staying quiet.
Before anyone pushes the victim thing, I agree she was wronged. But when you agree to partake on the adventure of public service, post-Clinton, there is an explicit agreement that you vet yourself before the media gets a hold of it. And if you take money and work like you are a front runner but have sabotaged those chances by covering anything up, illegal or what not, you have committed fraud. She, as his partner, was complicit despite the cancer, despite the adultered wife.
Warren Buffet made the charge and even mentioned a class action lawsuit. I wonder if this kind of action would be any good at all. Would it force them to own up at the beginning? In Edward’s case, his candidacy was a long shot with Hillary in, and then Obama. He could have seen it, prepped for the future by coming out with his story, controlling the narrative and possibly achieving honesty points and maybe sympathy for what turned a tragic family situation worse. He would have played well if upfront against the Clinton legacy of semantic denial.
Instead he takes away good policys with his silence, remove a voice for party unit and strength and adds ammo to the Republican claims of a morally polluted party [even tough they are having a worse time with that at the moment]. Plus, he gladly took donations despite having a ticking bomb in his pocket. This amounts to fraud, whether or not it is actionable, it would be nice to see some accountability in more than just shame to politicians that continue to work the system.
I included Buffet’s talk of the affair
[Full disclosure - I donated money to Edward's campaign and would possibly join any suit]
While I agree that John Edwards’ decision demonstrates the heights of narcissism and poor-judgment, I stop short of thinking of it in terms of fraud. Its a dangerous path to start down with that line of thinking, holding our elected officials or those to whom we donate to get elected to a standard above the rest of us mere mortals. Let he without sin cast the first stone, etc. etc.
As for Elizabeth, I feel that she had forgiven him and moved on with her life, and thus expected that the matter was closed. Was this naive with today’s obsession with public individual’s private lives? Absolutely. Should be criticized for withholding this personal matter and publicly supporting her husband and partner for President? See Biblical reference above.
We should not hold politicians to a higher standard than normal citizens. After all they are citizens first. Sins should be forgiven. Men cheat, women lie. Vice versa. Politicians have issues at home and deserve not to share them with the world. Privacy still counts. But that privacy can only be observed with truthful answers or at the least “No comment, taht is private”
But what he did was several steps further.
First, he denied the rumors furiously and acted as if it insulted his character. As more truth and evidence came out he enacted further deceptions to deny the claims. Elizabeth has spoken on behalf of those claims he made. They both confirmed the denials.
Secondly, he took money from donors with the promise of a complete and full run office. Unsaid, but still true nonetheless, donors knew this might also include a VP run or another future run for the office. He promised his winnability and there is an unspoken confidence exchanged between donor and recipient.
The moment he made the first denial he made himself knowingly unelectable. While it may be semantics or luck of position, Clinton was already in office, already framing himself in obscurities and his perjury was inadmissible. Edwards spoke in public with no such protections. Made his position that he sold himself on, as a viable candidate and electable official, untenable and impossible. He then carried on for several years (first denial in 2006), collecting money as such, knowing that because of his deception and the unfortunate position it would put on his family, he would not be able to win any election.
If this was a ponzi scheme or a bait and switch we would be furious. If this was a rich CEO who finagled the books, we would cry travesty. He still took money with the intent to carry on an impossible scheme that was beyond any risk an informed donor would accept.
I am like a sinned and forgiven man. I would not have any qualms supporting him still if he admitted soon the indiscretion. I could have forgiven a few denials, it is human. America loves the remade man, loves the second, third chance. It loves someone who has proven that they have learned from their mistakes and are aware of their fallacies.
Edwards lied about his in the post-Clinton era. He took my money while selling me his image of a stand-by husband and father, and while condemns the morals faults of the ruling party.
To stand before someone and sell them a bill of goods that you can not deliver but hope a miracle can come through is fraud if you fail, heroic if lucky. He needs to answer a bit more