by Jerome Armstrong, Thu Mar 22, 2007 at 08:33:32 AM EDT
Elizabeth Edwards is amazing. The Edwards campaign continues the fight.
In other news, the politico's Ben Smith link-whored himself across the web with a scoop that turned out to be bogus:
Tags: Ben Smith, Elizabeth Edwards, John Edwards (all tags)
WORD TO THE WISE......
Don't use Polite as a flipping source.
They are FOX in disguise.
MSM blew it. About a gazillion links on Google news saying Edwards is suspending or ending campaign.
It was a lesson in media think to be at the event. I heard one reporter talking about it, then he mentioned it on the air as a rumor, next thing you know someone posts that hte CNN guy down the lawn has stated it as fact and Aaaaaaawaaaaaaaaaaaaay we go.
I told someone at the campaign and they were like, huh? They didn't know exactly what was happening, but they were pretty sure that wasn't it.
They debunked on site, and that is when I heard this historic statement from one of the major network talking heads:
"[We have to] keep on keeping on with our speculation in the gray area, but [let's] not be too specific."
Alright I hate to be a cynic but who here really thinks that we will have a first lady on chemo?
A Vice First Lady on Chemo is not a problem. This is 2007 not 1957. She will be fine.
:)
They said in the press conference that John cracked Elizabeth's rib by hugging her. I think I'm going to die of cute overload. :-)
Seriously though, Elizabeth is a force of nature. Good for them.
The Politico is really trying hard to earn its creds as conservative noise machine.
That the cancer is not curable is devastating. I can understand that they would continue the campaign -- the best choice to make is to live.
If Elizabeth could best Dick Cheney in a debate, I would vote for her, also.
The reality here is that this isn't going to happen.
Moments like this make me realize how much I love my family and how little all the trappings of status and success actually mean - would you trade it all for one more day with your child?
I am proud of her but I am also a realist (I and my husband were treated more or less as paraiahs by the naive deaniacs we hung out with in the 2004 election) ; Elizabeth edwards and all their healthcare and wealth - now joins the ranks of recidivism and statistically she's in a battle for her life. Her husband states that he carries on but if he deserts her, then he is less of a candidate, and if he doesn't , he is still diminished.
The deck is officially now stacked in Barack Obama's favor to win the +presidency+. Bill Richardson would be the best VP, executive and diplomatic experience. Hillary can be Sec. of Human and Health Services.
The deck is officially now stacked in Barack Obama's favor to win the +presidency+.
Well that's a gargantuan leap of logic that requires suspending disbelief. And how, pray tell, did you arrive at that conclusion?
The rest of that comment is too asinine to be taken seriously.
C-SPAN Radio has just retracted and apologized for an announcement they made earlier today that was sourced from The Politico.
Edwards mentioned traveling to Boston. Does anyone know if he's appearing in public there (here)?
I'm an Obama supporter, but I'd like to express my relief that Elizabeth's condition isn't as bad as first reported, and that John is staying in the race. He's a good candidate, with important views and positions, and I think we're all better off with him in the race and not out.
I am an Obama supporter too but they looked beautiful, spoke beautifully and were very impressive. This is a hard time for them but I am encouraged that they are carrying on. I am impressed by them as people. I think this will help him, in the short term anyway.
I do concur with your view, stated as such. very elegant. I am also a barack obama support and believe edwards participation in this race is positive. IF only for this wonderfull little nugget !! ...
FOX NEWS REPORTS EDWARDS DROPS OUT LOL!!!
Not really , I don't know I don't keep tabs on them but didn't almost everyone in the MSM jump the gun?
I myself see it as an unofficial dropout. But thats me. I certainly wouldn't say its official like they did.
I'm an Obama supporter, but I'd like to express my relief that Elizabeth's condition isn't as bad as first reported, and that John is staying in the race. He's a good candidate, with important views and positions, and I think we're all better off with him in the race and not out.
I don't really have anything to say except to second this.
I hope Ms. Edwards has a speedy and full recovery, but, I have to say, I don't know how this is going to play among the voters. A lot of people are going to think he should be home taking care of his sick wife and seeing to their still very young children. It might not send the message he wants to send if it appears that being president means more to him that the well-being of his family. Now, of course, that is NOT true, but that is what a LOT of folks are going to be thinking.
Now, maybe they think that it'll show how strong he is and how he is able to focus on the nation's business despite whatever personal/family problems he may be dealing with and his (and her) commitment to the country and the issues. Maybe, but, I don't think that's how it's going to play out.
At any rate, I admire Ms. Edwards strength and courage and wish for her an her family a complete and speedy recovery.
I don't know how this is going to play among the voters. A lot of people are going to think he should be home taking care of his sick wife
I don't have access to cable right now, but I read the following quotes at dkos from the announcement:
"It is no longer curable, it is completely treatable."
"Many patients in similar circumstances have lived many years undergoing treatment."
Having been familiar with a patient in similar circumstances, I can tell you that for the patient it is often best to not have life stop around you. It emphasizes the gravity of the situation, it adds stress (guilt), and so on.
If things get to the point where she's ill as a result of ongoing treatment, it's a different story -- but at the moment, it's a healthy step to keep moving forward, business as usual.
Of course, I'm just one person.
'Having been familiar with a patient in similar circumstances, I can tell you that for the patient it is often best to not have life stop around you. It emphasizes the gravity of the situation, it adds stress (guilt), and so on.'
This makes sense, I didn't look at it from that perspective. Whatever is best for her reovery is exactly what they should do. I wish them Godspeed on the campaign trail.
If Elizabeth is on the trail with him why would anyone think that he should be home taking care of his sick wife? He has already said that he will be with her whenever and wherever (as evidenced yesterday by his missing a fundraiser to be at her side when she got the news). I don't think that's going to be an issue at all. He's not forcing her to campaign with him, and she clearly is as dedicated to his presidential run as he is. I think it shows tremendous courage and conviction on both their parts, and I admire them for continuing their bid for the WH.
I'm guessing he is staying in because he will probably not have another legitimate shot at the Presidency...
I'm not sure how this will play out... but one thing good that can come from it is raising national awareness and continue working on a cure or better treatment.
Ok, first, I'd like to pre-empt this by saying that I'm a Gore fan that's currently on the fence between Edwards and Obama.
The press conference was an A-plus press conference right up until the "Actually, I was beating her" comment. I was watching with about a dozen other people from my office and literally every woman in the room scoffed, groaned, or made some sort of comment when he said that. The topic of conversation throughout the rest of the press conference and immediately thereafter was not about Elizabeth's health or her husband's decision to stay in the race, but about one botched joke.
I don't see him locking up the women's vote come January.
My only thought when he said that was "Oh, God, now he's going to give Fox Noise their entire evening programming" - it was a silly thing to say and I think the look on Elizabeth's face said it all (sort of like, "John, you dope!") I'm a woman I wasn't insulted or bothered; I just groaned internally because of how the right wing will jump all over it.
Uh, no. Let's not go here people.
It's gallows humor, for pete's sake. They've held a press conference to announce the return of her cancer. Comedy is how you maintain perspective.
There is a difference between an attempt at humor by a guy who clearly would never beat his wife, trying to lighten the moment a little, and a joke or statement that minimizes the seriousness of real domestic violence.
I can't see women penalizing him for this. As if.
When did John Edwards stop beating his wife? Geeze. John made a joke to lighten things up. It was funny because he IS actually A LOVING husband and not a wife beater. Get it? I suppose we will see this on Faux News soon.
I am so happy that the Elizabeth and John decided to work though this and continue the campaign for the good of the Nation. Personally, I want both Edwards and Obama in the race until the end. They would also make an awesome team.
I love Al Gore but he does not have the communication skills to win the presidency. Sorry but it's true.
and we will work harder!
Prayers to the Edwards. Elizabeth Edwards is the face of COURAGE!
Place your bets:
1. How long before Ben is back on the market looking for another job?
2. How long before Politico folds?
I hope Politico doesn't fold. Then all of the hacks employed there would just go back into the corporate media, like cockroaches whose nest has been disturbed. Let's keep VandeHei, Mike Allen, and the others all concentrated in one space, where a lucky bolt of lightning might take them all out.
Ben used to run the blog at the NY Observer and then at the NY Daily News and he was pretty good on the local political scene in NYC. I am not sure what has happened since he got to the Politico but based on my past experience I tend to think it may have as much to do with the organization as with him.
I really hope the doctors can keep this in check for a long time. She is my favorite first lady candidate in the last two elections.
I feel bad for her kids.
While the Edwards' are certainly entitled to keep Elizabeth's health records as private as they'd like, it would not be inappropriate for a reporter to ask if a doctor has assessed her chances for survival and what those odds are? If the cancer is not "curable", is she considered 'terminal'?
It seems unfathomable for a candidate to continue to genuinely pursue the presidency if doctors have determined that his wife's cancer can not be eradicated.
Once cancer has recurred, it is not curable.
But terminal means the end of life is imminent.
A friend's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer (stage 2 or stage 3) around 1991. Her cancer recurred around 1997 or 1998. I haven't heard from him in a while, but as of fall 2006 she was still going strong. Depending on the type of cancer and the patient's overall health, medications can often keep recurrent breast cancer from advancing.
Hence their words, not curable but highly treatable.
...is a great American.
And I kind of have to believe that if she had been highlighted more during the 2004 election, it may well have tipped the balance in Kerry's favor.
Hillary you better be scared of Elizabeth Edwards!!!
You aren't one/millionth the women she is or have the class she carries herself with on a daily basis.
If Bill Clinton was diagnosed with incurable bone cancer, Hillary would not continue her run for President.
Case closed.
Politico certainly did jump the gun but so did CNN, ABC and over half of John Edwards supporters. Why? Because when your wife's cancer returns you don't keep campaigning for President.
IF he were to win the nomination and then the Presidency, almost two years down the road, the voters can expect what? A President with a wife who is even more ill? How can a President focus on his job under such a circumstance? Or, doesn't that matter?
People are saying the Edwards made a selfless decision. No. It was a totally selfISH decision. It had to do with them, and not with the country.
I'm sorry but this whole scenario makes me sick.
Not that he had a hope of winning anyway.
To a cynic everyone seems to have unwholesome motives. That is the way a cynic sees the world. By the way, cynicism is now the fundamental Republican worldview and they use it to excuses their moral and ethical bankruptcy.
It would be a very difficult and personal decision for any family to make under extreme circumstances and it is their decision to make regardless of what anyone else might think. Millions of other families make such decisions when faced with similar adversity and yes many continue on with their jobs and go to work even if a family member is seriously ill.
Elizabeth Edwards will no doubt receive the best medical care that is available anywhere in the world. Even if there is no cure in this situation it may be best for her and her family to continue on with the campaign. To give up and stop doing anything can often be the worst thing for a cancer patient to do. Art Buchwald who passed away recently is a good example of how people fight on to the end no matter what the odds and do so with courage and dignity.
God Bless the Edwardses.
I know what "treatable but not curable" means, because a doctor used those words when diagnosing my mother's Stage 4 lung cancer. Those words mean that increasingly difficult times lie ahead of the Edwards family.
I can't believe that his campaign can last very long. The attention that his wife and children will need will distract the candidate so much that he won't be able to focus on the big issues of the country and the world.
Neither my wife nor I can understand how the Senator's political ambition can take precedence over his wife's illness.
My heart is broken for the Edwards family. I have loved Elizabeth Edwards from the moment I saw her on the national scene. I loved her years before I ever saw anything in her husband.
I think she is a brave, wonderful and heroic woman.
They are in my prayers.
You're way off base if you're trashing Ben Smith. He's the hardest working, most responsive reporter you'll ever find. He answers emails from readers at almost anytime of the day or not and actually tries to answer your questions.
What got him in trouble here, I think, is that he actually tries to let readers know what is going on as quickly as possible. Clearly, that short-circuited the fact-checking here. He shouldn't have run that story But if we're going to go around trying to destroy the few reporters who care more about their readers than about Beltway Elites, we're, at best, shooting ourselves in the foot.
Go back and read his work from the Daily News and the Observer (especially at his blog on the Daily News, called the Daily Politics). Once you do, you should be willing to admit this was an isolated mistake from an otherwise excellent reporter.
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