In yesterday’s confession of his marital infidelity on ABC News, John Edwards said:
"Then I went from being a young senator to being considered for vice president, running for president ... becoming a national public figure, all of which fed a self-focus, an egotism, a narcissism that leads you to believe you can do whatever you want, you're invincible and there will be no consequences. And nothing could be further from the truth."
Those words prompted a flashback to an earlier post at Katalusis in which I quoted Kathleen Parker who had already made note of Edwards’ tendency toward “self-focus:”
Here’s the background: on May 13, Hillary Clinton won a landslide victory in the West Virginia primary, propelled mainly by working class voters. The breaking news the next day was the endorsement of Barack Obama by former candidate John Edwards at a campaign event scheduled that evening, obviously designed to upstage Clinton’s win.
Posting at Real Clear Politics, Kathleen Parker reported:
“As Edwards gave what amounted to a stump speech highlighting his favorite subject -- John Edwards -- and his own anti-poverty initiative, Americans were reminded of why the North Carolina son-of-a-millworker won't be their presidential nominee.
“Enraptured by his own message, Edwards seemed reluctant to hand over the microphone. He finally relinquished the stage, after describing, yet again, the ‘wall’ that he says divides Americans: ‘There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time to create one America, not two. And that man is Barack Obama.”’
Obama supporters were delighted by the Edwards endorsement, evidently convinced the guy who had gained notoriety for his $400 haircuts would help their candidate lure working class voters away from Hillary Clinton.
That never happened and after all the hoopla last May, we’ve already learned that Edwards won’t be appearing at the Democratic convention, and he’ll probably have no role in an Obama administration.
In the meantime, Elizabeth Edwards will likely continue to be one of the most widely respected women in America.
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I find it interesting that Elizabeth will continue to be the "most widely respected woman in America" while Hillary became the most reviled over her husband's infidelity. It was used regularly on the blogs that and news that this was a reason she should not be President and further reflected her "character" choosing to stay with her husband.
ReplyDeleteHi teacherconfidential,
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point, and I've protested many times the criticism of Hillary Clinton for choosing to keep her family together against all odds. As a result, she and Bill raised a wonderful daughter and today, the Clintons also provide a home for Hillary's mother.
Hillary has also maintained many, many personal friendships over the years that reveal her gift for authentically relating to others.
It can truthfully be said of Hillary that she's succeeded in both her personal life and in her professional life as a lawyer and two-term senator with a reputation for hard work, commitment, and an ability to work across the aisle.
Hillary's achievements far surpass those of Barack Obama but evidently that's not what counts in the Democratic party.
Elizabeth Edwards will not be the object of scorn for staying with John as was Hillary for staying with Bill because in her illness, Elizabeth is no threat to any up and coming young male leaders such as Barack Obama.