Cynical Nation

Let's see, the ethical standard the Edwards needs to beat is:

War Crimes
Treason
Perjury
Obstruction of Justice
Selling out America to Multinational Corporations

Heh, I guess I'll take Edwards.

I think you answered your own question (sort of). A lot of that personal excess doesn't really matter, because that is going to be the case with almost EVERY candidate. I guarantee you that Guliani, Thompson, Bloomberg, and even McCain have spent money on luxuries.

Politically, though, it is smart to put on a good show of being close to the little guy, but even that stuff usually comes off as pretty fake.

His rags (well, that may be stretching it) to riches story resonates with a lot of folk because that is what America is all about, really. Many of the "little guy" believe a Dem like Edwards is much more likely to fight for them than Bush, Cheney, etc.

I think he is genuine when he speaks of trying to solve our ever-increasing health care issues. He understands that the issues that matter to most Americans is not terrorists or immigrants, but finding good jobs and being able to afford decent health care.

Tracy, it has NOTHING to do with his HAVING wealth, it's the hypocrisy of his damning wealth (vai his "two Americas" prattle) while being wealthy and living opulently himself.

Worse yet, Edwards policies would make it harder for others to attain wealth - higher taxes and more government programs hurt the upwardly mobile most of all.

NONE of the Republicans have that problem because, quite frankly, none of them are hypocrites on the matter - they all extoll the "virtues" of wealth creation and earning wealth, while espousing policies that help those who want to build wealth - lower tax rates, smaller government, etc.

Well JMK, they kind of are hypocrites, since so few of them actually "earned" any of their wealth. They were simply born into it, and seek to create a permanent ruling class with only peasants to serve them.

This is so obvious you might even be able to understand it, but I doubt it.

If you follow true to form, you will find the single exception and act like you "disproved" my "theory".

Chimp was head cheerleader at an elite all-boys prep school in Connecticut. He portrays himself as a rough tough Texan, when in reality he is a faggy frat boy. Hypocrisy?

"it's the hypocrisy of his damning wealth"

Why is it hypocrisy? The guy is rich but he realizes that most people are not and wants to help. What you do not get is that rich liberals have moral superiority because they vote against their own financial interests.

Interestingly, most republicans in this country vote against their own financial interests also (because they believe that voting republican will make them rich in a magic way).

Is that your OPINION, Barely? Because as usual, it's wrong.

Rudy Giuliani - NOT born into wealth.

John McCain - NOT born into wealth.

Fred Thompson - NOT born into wealth.

Mitt Romney - was the only Republican born "well-off," as he was the son of former Michigan Governor, Housing, former Urban Development Secretary, American Motors chairman, and Presidential candidate George W. Romney.

But Romney is a brilliant businesman, "After graduating from Harvard, Romney went to work for the Boston Consulting Group, where he had interned during the summer of 1974. From 1978 to 1984, Romney was a vice president of Bain & Company, Inc., another Boston-based management consulting firm. In 1984, Romney left the company to co-found Bain Capital, which quickly became a highly successful private equity investment firm.

"In 1990, Romney was asked to return to Bain & Company, which was facing financial collapse. As CEO, Romney managed an effort to restructure the firm's employee stock-ownership plan, real-estate deals and bank loans, while increasing fiscal transparency. Within a year, he had led Bain & Company through a highly successful turnaround and returned the firm to profitability without layoffs or partner defections."

Giuliani - former Prosecutoor and security consultant.

McCain - war hero, Senator from Arizona.

Romney - Business legend and former Republican Governor of very BLUE Massachussetts.

Edwards - Former Senator from NC, Personal Injury Attorney who made the bulk of his money suing OBGYNs over "junk science" fueled claims that Cerebral Palsy is usually the result of mistakes made during delivery. He put tens of thousands of OBGYNs and midwives out of practice and limited the options women in many states had in getting prenatal and obstetrics care.

Oh yeah, and after a failed run for VP in 2004, he spent the intervening years raking in money managing a hedge fund...and learning about the vast chasm between wealth and poverty.

THAT'S hypocrisy Barely...THAT'S hypocrisy!

"Why is it hypocrisy? The guy is rich but he realizes that most people are not and wants to help. What you do not get is that rich liberals have moral superiority because they vote against their own financial interests." (BW)

The BIGGEST "help" America could provide for its poor would be to eradicate the scourge of illegal immigration, which has allowed a few rogue employers to hire low and unskilled workers at below minimum wage.

Impose draconian fines on these rogue employers and these illicit jobs will dry up and poorer Americans would be able to take those jobs at market/livable wages.

The "rich" who support Liberal policies do so because it IS in their best interests. Socialist, or Liberal policies - bigger, more "helpful"...in an oxymoronic way....government and higher tax rates, tend to freeze the "free-for-all of commerce" in place and it cements those who are already independently wealthy in place, with no threat of competition from newer ideas and hungrier competitors.

There's nothing "morally superior" about that, but it sure is hypocritical to promote your own self-interest in the name of "helping the poor."




Interestingly, most republicans in this country vote against their own financial interests also (because they believe that voting republican will make them rich in a magic way)." (BW)


OK, that bit of abject stupidity puts you on par with the inimatable Barely Hanging, another Liberal who forms opinions without any regard to the facts.

Smaller government and lower income tax rates help EVERY working person.

No one earning over $30,000/year gets any government handouts, and yet they pay the freight and get little if anything back. In fact, higher tax rates impact lower income working people even more than they do higher income earners as higher income earners can usually afford to defer more of their income and avoid much of the tax hike bite...not so for most of those earning say, $75K/year and less.

Nope BW, those people out there working for a living anc voting for less government and lower taxes ARE indeed voting for their own best interests!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain

Let's see, his father and grandfather were ADMIRALS. Yeah, he was just a poor kid struggling to get by.

His wife is filthy rich, all from inherited wealth.

Sorry JMK, doesn't sound like they "earned" jack shit.

Privledged from the start.

Most of the money stolen from the middle class does NOT go to poor people -- almost all of it pours into the pockets of the filthy rich, from Halliburton to Archer Daniels Midland.

I'm late to this discussion, but frankly I don't care if John Edwards chose to pay $400 for a haircut. I do care that he has set up an organization whose purpose was to fight poverty but whose practice was to finance his campaign. It also seems an attempt to hide his donor list.. which, in my view, the public has a right to know.

Barely, your standard is....well, retarded, and that's being kind and because you apply arbitrarily, it's even more so.

To be fair, that same standard would HVAE to applied to John Kerry, the Kennedy's, Jay Rockefeller, AlGore (his father was a Senator and his family owns a major stake in Occidental Petroleum)....and the list goes on. Just as the Democratic Party tends to get more Corporate contributions, they also have even MORE of the "truly RICH" (inherited wealth, than does the GOP. Corzine, Kohl, etc., etc

And again, while Romney and Giuliani forged businesses and contributed to America's prosperity, John Edwards made his original fortune in the legal field on "junk science" fueled lawsuits which had the result of reducing the access of women in a number of states from prenatal and obstetric care.

BUT that's not the issue, the real issue that was brought up was his founding an anti-poverty program who's major recipient was...HIMSELF!

That's very close to the phoney charity scams that went on after 9/11 and go on now after most major disasters.

Hyuk! Darn dat Bailey, he winza gain! Now he gots me comparin' my heros to da filthy Deemocrap criminalz!

I keeps forgettin' dat Bailey ain' defendin' Deemocraps cause he voted Republican his whole life up 'til Chimp!

All I'ma doin' is admittin dat HE BE RIGHT! I compares my heeros to scum! Heh heh, course I kinda stretch da ol' truth on Gooliani an' Romnay ... dey mostly got rich in gumment, takin' bribes jess like all dem filthy Deemocraps! Dey is ALL ALIKES, I ADMIT IT, MY HEEROS ARE SHIT!