Rough coverage for the Democrats in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette this morning; at least as it came up in my RSS Feed.
First, from the “I-have-a-narrative,-and-I’m-not-afraid-to-use-it department” we have “analysis” by someone named Eli Saslow for the Washington Post asserting that Hillary’s speech “didn’t deliver” on unity. The “analysis” boils down to, “Oh, sure she said the right things, and said them well, but I found some Clinton supporters who still didn’t much care for Obama. I’m not going to tell you whether these people are at all representative of Democrats generally.” (c.f. Convention report from Russ Stilwell (“she did not disappoint”; Star News Reports “full throated support of Obama”)
Next, we have a story about the pro-McCain billionaire trying to make Obama look scary because he knows a guy who was a 60s radical.
Then, we have a story about how Elizabeth Edwards deserves scorn because she was complicit in keeping John Edwards’ affair secret.
Then, we have a story about how the Democratic Convention isn’t really helping Denver economically.
Finally, on the mostly positive side, there is a series of briefs telling some of what was actually said at the convention. My favorite line from Ohio Governor Ted Strickland:
“You know, it was once said of the first George Bush that he was born on third base and thought he’d hit a triple,†Strickland said. “Well, with the 22 million new jobs and the budget surplus Bill Clinton left behind, George W. Bush came into office on third base, and then he stole second.â€
As the crowd roar, Strickland added, “And John McCain cheered him every step of the way.â€
There was also a good one from Bob Casey, not reported in the linked material, “John McCain says he’s a maverick. But he’s voted with Bush over 90% of the time. That’s not a maverick. That’s a sidekick.
I think scorn is a loaded term, but I do believe that Elizabeth Edwards deserves criticism for being a party to her husband’s decision to run in 2008 without disclosing the affair. In addition to being his wife, Elizabeth is one of her husband’s most trusted advisors and was the only key advisor who knew of the affair.
While the “cheating on cancer-stricken wife” angle is what has gotten all the publicity, that’s really no one’s business other than the Edwardses. What is the public’s business is the arrangement between the campaign and Rielle Hunter. The Edwards campaign paid Ms. Hunter a lot of money for a little bit of work for which she seemed underqualified. If Edwards were the Democratic nominee, this is the angle that would be the most problematic.
Elizabeth bears no responsibility for the affair, but she does bear some responsibility for the decision to run despite this time-bomb.
And if your aunt had balls, she would be your uncle.
Edwards isn’t the nominee.
For once, something worked out for our hapless little political party. So we don’t have to talk about the third-place finisher and his messy private life.
Maybe someone could remind the journal gazette that John McCain was married to two women at once, cheated on his disabled wife, etc.
Lots of loyal Democrats tried very hard to warn the party about the explosive nature of the Obamas – Ayers/Dohern relationship. The Obamabot Kool-Aid drinkers wanted so hard to believe in Mr Hopey-Changey that they looked the other way. Information was out there for almost a year.
Well starting this Friday and continuing until November the you will be hearing about Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohern non-stop.
Make no mistake this is fatal stuff.
What the Democratic Party needs is something like what the NFL has in terms of its commissioner’s office. A full time investigative unit and infractions panel above and beyond any individual politician who’s sole responsibility is to look into allegations that can seriously damage the party’s reputation and deal out appropriate action and discipline as needed.
John Edwards should have been told to leave the race last fall when he refused to come clean about the Rielle Hunter/Love Child allegations. His options should have been either take the National Inquirer to court and provide a blood sample or exit the primary race. Lots of good Democrats who were looking for a leader to take on the corrupt Neo-Liberal DLC wing of the Democratic party could have found another less compromised figure to take up their cause. There were some outstanding people who were backing Edwards. From last August until February we were left in limbo as to what to think as the substance of the Rielle Hunter allegation grew.
I sick and tired of narcissistic “Rock Star” politicians who think they answer to nobody wrecking the reputation and integrity of the Democratic party, be they a Kennedy, Clinton, Edwards, Spitzer, Obama, Jackson……