The dear, good Sen. Edwards...

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
...is a putz.



I live in NC, and folks here are for the most part sick of this pretty-boy.



He was a big-news trial lawyer here, going for the camera-ready trials while avoiding a lot of lesser PR-ready but worthy ones.



Then he runs for office for a six year term, and two years into it announces (after two lackluster years of one of the lowest voting records in the Senate) "my job now is running for the Presidency of the United States".



No, you dickhead, your *JOB*, that you *TOOK ON*, was to represent the people of the state of NC, which you utterly dropped the ball on. It's now obvious that he only cared about a springboard to the White House, and this has a lot of people utterly ticked.



He's a cardboard cutout, who couldn't care less about anything than gaining political power.



He has basically no experience, and his talents seem to be limited to getting his name plastered all over a couple of newspapers that think he's the second coming. (News & Observer, I'm looking at you - you should be ashamed.)



He's not a 'poor boy done good' like he likes to make you think - he comes from a rather well to do background. His quaint 'family home' that he likes pictures of being plastered about? Er, try summer home. He's a fake. He doesn't even bring anything remotely worthwhile to the table.



I haven't bothered to say anything until now because he's done so dismally poor in polls that I thought *maybe* it wasn't an issue, but with the Iowa caucus showing him in 2nd as of 9pm... well, my dander's up.



ObLibelSlanderArmor: All of the above is in my opinion, of course.



Putz.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    fellowshipfellowship Posts: 5,038member
    He has no chance anyway.



    Fellows
  • Reply 2 of 16
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    I like him from what I've seen of his campaign.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    Yup. I know a lot of folks *outside of NC* who have said that, and that's one reason I decided to post this.



    He snowed everyone down here into getting a Senatorial seat and then turning his back on the citizens he was supposed to be representing. He basically just left the job, but without the decency to actually quit and abdicate so someone else could do some good for the constituency.



    No, he basically just lied to everyone here to get some prestige and a 'stamp of approval' for the rest of the country.



    Compare that with Libby Dole who has kicked *butt* for people here since her election to the position. I don't always agree with her politics, but at least she's working at the job she agreed to.



    Hell, Hillary isn't this obvious, transparent, and shallow about moving up to the White House. Sounds like she's actually *trying* to do something up in NY. Edwards? Not so much.



    Putz.
  • Reply 4 of 16
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    Neither Hillary nor Dole are running for president. Edwards is, and there's nothing illegal or irresponsible about doing so. Sorry, you just haven't given me any substantive info on why he's so bad. And in the end, I'd base my opinion of him on his political positions and philosophies, not this other stuff you're talking about Kick.
  • Reply 5 of 16
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    1) He has no experience.



    He was a trial lawyer, then two years of a lackluster senatorial job. That's it. You think he's ready for the big chair?



    2) He couldn't care less about representing citizens.



    He took a job, then backed out of it without doing it. That *is* irresponsible, and he broke the trust of the people of this state. That's okay with you?



    3) He has no problem twisting the truth at the drop of a hat.



    Many of the supposed 'facts' he likes to spout about his background... aren't.



    So take the above three points, and answer: Do you really think that his stated positions are ones that he will fight for you on?



    So did the people of NC, and look where it got them. Nothing. A no-show senator who's just a placeholder when the state could have had someone who actually tried to do some good.



    You're right, the others aren't running for the White House, but this guy backed out of a social contract with the people of this state without even the decency to do so in such a way that would allow for a replacement.



    No, see, that'd look bad to the rest of the nation.







    Eh, I don't really care to get into a big drawn out debate on this, I just needed to rant. I haven't heard one word about this outside of NC, so I thought I'd at least get the word out here. :P



    *I* don't like him, and a lot of North Carolinians who *voted* for him can't stand him now either. I'm utterly baffled at how endeared some regions of the US are with him.
  • Reply 6 of 16
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    Well it's true that he hasn't gotten much scrutiny because he's been so low in the polls, and still is. But he's run a good, positive campaign centered on attractive and serious issues such as economic fairness and education. And is it really surprising that a conservative southern state like NC would get some buyer's remorse after electing a Democrat, whereas normal states like Iowa might like him?
  • Reply 7 of 16
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    Actually, he had a lot of supporters here, both in the traditionally conservative crowd (blue-collar, here at least) and the more ideological liberal crowd.



    He's burned almost all those bridges now. I can't imagine him taking this state at all.



    If he'd stuck through one term, just one lousy term, and actually done what he said he'd do, I'm sure I wouldn't think so lowly of him. But he just screwed over the very people who were counting on him to fight for them... and that's his big platform, that he'll fight for the little guy.



    He hasn't fought for anyone but himself. It's sad. He ignored and let down every person who voted for him.
  • Reply 8 of 16
    Can you point us to any polls in NC that support this?





    Fish



    edited to add - the only ones I am aware of show pretty reasonable support in NC (http://www.newsobserver.com/edwards/ )



    F
  • Reply 9 of 16
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    Yup. The N&O is really, really over the top with their support of Edwards. News items that dominate other papers (Israel, Iraq, etc) get bumped to second page status so his picture can be plastered over the front page.



    I wouldn't call them a reliable source, or particularly balanced. They're the only major paper I've seen down here to support him to that extent. Talk to folks on the street and the opinion is generally very different.



    Edit: Just read the actual poll results, and I'm frankly surprised. That doesn't jibe with what I hear in either the highly liberal campus setting I work in or the rather conservative area I live in. 600 people sample size, eh? Hmm.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    fishdocfishdoc Posts: 189member
    Just so you know, 600 people is not a particularly small poll. It is a function of the sample size (among other things) that dictate the margin or error listed on the poll (ou can also follow that link to other polls that show his support growing).



    I don't reall feel one way or another about Edwards, but I think you have ot realize that the "feelings" you get from talking with friends/coworkers are not necessarily a good indicator of what the people of the state feel.



    Fish
  • Reply 11 of 16
    I live in North Carolina, in Raleigh in fact, and I'll agree with you that the News & Observer (thet's the Raleigh newspaper, for those of you not from around here) is not balanced. It's all over the board, really conservative about some things, really liberal about others, rarely in the middle, or, hell, even neutral. However, I have heard absolutely nothing from any media, or any of my politically active friends about your assertations that he lies about his past. Can you back this up? Sources?
  • Reply 12 of 16
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    Actually, I've tried to be careful not to use the word 'lie' in regards to his past. 'Misrepresent' might be a better case.



    He likes to paint himself as a poor boy done good - someone who was raised poor, and pulled himself up by his bootstraps to wage the good war for poor and downtrodden everywhere.



    His announcement to run was held in front of a textile mill in his hometown, where he said his family worked. While true, his father *ran* the mill. Pictures of his 'boyhood home' have been trumpeted about... it was his grandparent's farmhouse where he spent summers with his family. His actual house was not nearly so quaint or poor looking... wouldn't do.



    He was not from a wealthy family... but 'poor' is a relative term, and one that I think he does a disservice with in applying it to himself.



    Unfortunately, I don't have concrete links I can hand you... this isn't something I've been exactly archiving over the last couple of years, just a growing group of tidbits in my own head. \
  • Reply 13 of 16
    The N&O did not conduct the poll - they paid for an independent research group from MD to do that.
  • Reply 14 of 16
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by fishdoc

    The N&O did not conduct the poll - they paid for an independent research group from MD to do that.



    I got that... but with all the arguments for/against the veracity of various polls here in AO, do you really think I'm going to take one poll at face value?



    Seriously, the results do surprise me, and don't jibe with my personal experience in talking with family, friends and neighbors. Maybe we all live in the one bubble that's unhappy with him, but most of us voted for him in the first place, and feel cheated.
  • Reply 15 of 16
    If I were a Democrat, I'd vote for him.
  • Reply 16 of 16
    chu_bakkachu_bakka Posts: 1,793member
    I think to bail on your first term as Senator you have to really demonstrate politcal and intellectual prowess... that you're destined for bigger things...and he just doesn't have it. Maybe in the future with more experience.



    He seems kinda nice. Kinda smart. Kinda whatever.

    It's like yeah ok... now what? Not exactly a visionary.



    I do think he would do better than Bush... and decidedly less harm for sure.
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