Does it strike anyone as crass that Edwards is using Elizabeth's cancer in his new ad?

[rinsd]

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/edwards-puts-up-first-ad/index.html?ex=1351569600&en=077359f433fb84bf&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

[Lord Helmet]

1. It is their pain to utilize however they want.

[MethuenProgressive]

20. Almost every speech & every email, "my son died, my wife has cancer...

...so send me money."
It's disgusting, but it is his choice how he acts
When I signed the get-well card posted here for his wife I got a donation request within an hour.
That was ghoulish.

[tired_old_fireman]

32. Proof?

Do you have a copy of any e-mail or any speech transcript where he talks about his son who died? If he talks about it at almost every speech or in almost every e-mail as you claim, it shouldn't be hard to produce.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

35. If he never mentions it, how do we all know every detail? We're not psychic...

[Hieronymus]

2. No

[onyourleft]

3. No.

It is a part of their life and would be a part of the presidency should he win.

[Glorfindel]

4. Not at all...rather courageous, actually

n/t

[sandnsea]

5. Best ad I've seen in years

Most honest I've ever seen John Edwards as well. I like it, and I believe Elizabeth really did decide if she's got a limited time, she's going to go out fighting.

[Ninga]

6. They are tough, been through a lot, and choose to fight together his right to be on the ballot.

How small to question how she chooses to spend her time, and how he chooses to honor her commitment by mentioning her devotion.


No different then the 'old dog kissing up to the misses in public....is it????


So why don't we just keep the debate to policy issues. There is enough finger pointing to go around.

[surfermaw]

42. I see nothing wrong, with Eliz. doing what she wanted

When my daughter was diagnosed with Cancer will a short time to live, the people she worked with, from different parts of the state came in. the first thing to paste her room with cards, and her room look like a florist shop, someone was there every day, some bringing their lunch to eat lunch with her, some times as many as six people at night to have dinner with her, just at that time her company and many others companies were having a sales meting in our town, when she was coming back from her first radium treatment, one of the nurses met her coming back and said hurry there are about 25 men waiting for you, and all have suits and ties, no rednecks ( she wasn't married). Their attention kelp her from thinking about her self, this attention went on through her funeral making it a little easier for her. And for me and the rest of my family. I think this is good for Mrs. Edwards, if she is getting her rest and eating well plus care from her medical team.

[Tejanocrat]

7. no

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

8. Nope.

Many people do or will face such a thing every day. The Edwards Family is facing it with grace, courage and a commitment to turn the chicken manure they have been served into chicken salad. Good for them. It only shows that they understand a shitty aspect of life in this country that too many in politics consider merely academic, a demographic data point.

I would hope that some folks, both here and in the wider world, would not attempt to use this as a bludgeon to beat The Edwards with. I know, I know...I am a Pollyanna.

[supernova]

9. No, it's a beautiful ad.

Your focus is misplaced. The focus of the ad isn't her cancer; it's all the people they want to attract to JE's candidacy. :-)

[GreenArrow]

10. par for the course with that guy,

always reaching for the heartstrings.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

12. The bastard that he is.

How craven. How crass. How calculating. :sarcasm:

;-)

[Inspired]

11. How is he using her cancer? This is their life. n/t

[Hawkowl]

13. No.

They are very courageous. They have been through a lot of pain and that is going to help the majority of the people relate to them. I admire Elizabeth for choosing to never surrender.

[polichick]

14. Really nice ad...

imo what they're doing IS heroic ~ they could be resting comfortably at their cushy home watching our country go to hell in a handbasket, but they care enough to try to make a difference.

Thanks for posting!

[merbex]

15. No

It shows that he and his family are connected to all Americans because disease strikes indiscriminately BUT how one can respond to that indiscriminate disease with affordability of treatment radically differs and he is pledging that he and his wife will give voice to those whose voices are marginalized by our coporate healthcare environment.

I find it noble in this context.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

16. Ease up on the poor guy. He works in a mill.

[polichick]

18. Lol

His daddy worked in the mill.

[laureloak]

45. John worked in the mill too, honey. n/t

[polichick]

49. I get the feeling you don't mean that "honey" in a nice way...

Don't worry ~ I've been standing up for him here.

[MethuenProgressive]

22. His dad was a white collar supervisor - O! the hardship!

:puke:

[polichick]

28. To be fair, he doesn't really paint it as a hardship...

...but uses it to show that he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

[MethuenProgressive]

38. "I'm the son of a mill worker..."

It's clear what he wants his words to convey.
_------------
The Ethical Werewolf: The John Edwards experienceFor most of John Edwards' talk on poverty here on the UT campus, ... "Some of you might remember I'm the son of a mill worker" was successfully played for ...
ethicalwerewolf.blogspot.com/2005/10/john-edwards-experience.html
The Tech - The Dark Lord and the KidEdwards: Aww, shucks Gwen. Well, middle America, I’m the son of a mill-worker, so despite the fact that I’m now a millionaire, I sorta remember what it’s ...
www-tech.mit.edu/V124/N43/adelnido43.43c.html
John Edwards issues sweat alert -- chicagotribune.comIt had been exactly two weeks since I last spoke to "I'm the son of a mill worker" John Edwards' mill worker father, Wallace. That was in Columbia, ...
www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-ellenwarren,0,7645078,full.story
In visit, Edwards talks about poverty, primary - A Concord Monitor ..."There's a remote chance that one of you remember I'm the son of a mill worker,"Edwards joked. ------ End of article. By LAUREN R. DORGAN. Monitor staff ...
www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060421/REPOSITORY/604210357/1043/NEWS01
John Deeth BlogNow he moves into the Edwards intro. Mention of presidential race gets biggest ... joke: "Some of you might even remember I’m the son of a mill worker." ...
jdeeth.blogspot.com/2006/06/edwards-almost-live.htmlJohn Deeth BlogSeems I got a link from Edwards' site and I'm getting some far-away traffic. .... possibility some of you remember I'm the son of a mill worker" (ha ha ha). ...
jdeeth.blogspot.com/2006/02/live-at-edwards.html
Edwards reminds America of its poverty - Richard Allen Greene ...But New Orleans anti-poverty activist Beth Butler said Edwards has done more ..... "I'm the son of a mill worker"........."somewhere in America a 6 yr old ...
www.politico.com/news/stories/0707/4938.html - 149k

[laureloak]

44. And his spent his school years working in that mill, side by

side with the everyday working man. He knows the hardships they face and the goodness within them. I guess you'd rather have another rich boy or someone raised in a homeless shelter, neither of which truly know the viewpoint of the working man.

[polichick]

47. It's his version of a Man from Hope, or whatever Bill Clinton's story was...

Both are/were a little much to listen to time and time again ~ but some voters are only hearing it for the first time so I just try to tune those parts out. It's a somewhat corny way of trying to relate to people you want to represent.

I've questioned Edwards' sincerity quite a few times, but what convinces me that he truly means to make a difference is the fact that he and Elizabeth are campaigning even though she's sick. I might be more selfish than that in the same situation.

[surfermaw]

43. HOw many years did it take him to become a supervisor

Must have been a long time, John had to work his way through school.

[Stop Cornyn]

17. Not in the least.

[Debi]

19. No more than any of the other candidates using their life experiences

in their campaigns. Our candidates are not just speeches or policies written on paper, they are humans who have lived for decades through good and bad. They've had success and made mistakes and fate has given all of them tough blows and lifted each of them up high. We're lucky that these people have invited us into their lives and asked us to trust and support them.

[Yukari Yakumo]

21. Meh. I barely even noticed it.

But the ad strikes me as Edwards as usual; a lot of bluster, no substance.

[rolleitreks]

23. Whadya expect from a trial lawyer? n/t

[monmouth]

24. I look at Edwards and see a used car salesman...eom

[Renew Deal]

25. That's tastefully done.

Good ad. It's tough for millionaires to appeal to the working class. That's a good ad for Edwards.

[More Than A Feeling]

26. He'd cut a different ad in a heartbeat if it would make his wife not have cancer.

Her cancer is a reality, and facing it head on in the campaign rather than try to pretend it doesn't exist is the morally right thing to do.

So no, its not "crass"

[jgraz]

27. I don't know. The bar has been set pretty high for crassness

For example:

[Vickers]

29. He probably had her injected with cancer just so he could use this in a campaign.

:eyes:

[kma3346]

30. No

I don't believe it's crass at all and I'm surprised that anyone would think that.

[karynnj]

31. I wish it were not in the context of heros,

but this is not that unusual. Even today, Senator Kennedy spoke of being reminded in his recent stay in the the hospital of how he, and everyone else in the Senate have the best health insurance there is - and that Bush wants to not insure some children. Just a true statement. Senator Kerry when he has participated in bike races for cancer and when he attended a conference at the Lance Armstrong conference made the same point - on insurance and added the need to catch things early, which he fortunately did thanks to his wife. I assume there are many other examples of saying the same thing.

The only thing that I reacted negatively on was,
"If we are not their voice, they will never have a voice."

I resent that Edwards is saying that he is that voice - for one Kennedy has far far more standing there.

[sandnsea]

33. That was my favorite line

To be honest, Kennedy has had a few lapses that ended up hurting more than helping, NCLB is one. In any event, in this election, I think that Edwards has a right to make that claim. Nobody else is really speaking for the working people the way Edwards is.

[IA_Seth]

57. Lapses...

Now to REALLY be honest, especially in the context of lapses, one would mention Edwards' lapse that continues to harm...

I think Kennedy has made far fewer with less consequences.

[Ninga]

34. Kennedy is not running for President.....Edwards is..and of course he was speaking

IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL/PRIMARY CAMPAIGN.

SO EDWARDS IS "THE VOICE" AS COMPARED AND CONTRASTED TO THE REST OF THE PRESIDENTIAL/PRIMARY CANDIDATES.

But I think you already know that......so you have taken out your little magnifying glass and had an "ah-ha" moment.....and decided to add your own skewed context and give his sentence a totally outer space meaning.

Why? And the fact that I know that you know better makes me wonder what you are trying to accomplish.

[karynnj]

55. I used Kennedy because his comment was TODAY

My point is that most Democrats are the "voice". Obama was a public advocate in the inner city in Chicago. His credentials are as good or better than Edwards. (In fact Obama's Senate record is far less corporate than Edwards' Senate record.) Dodd and Biden both can point to decades of work that benefited people. During their common time in the Senate, Dodd was substantially to the left of Edwards. Even HRC has a longer record on these things than Edwards.

I understand Biden's anger that was shown in one debate, that Edwards speaks of the last 2 years - and ignores his entire record.

[Ninga]

56. Edwards is a rarity in Presidential candidates. He is strongly advocating for the poor

and has made it part of his platform. No one is preventing the other candidates from speaking up on this issue.

It is up to them, if they choose, to call Edwards on it during a debate.

[Mass]

36. It does not strike me as bad now that I watched the ad.

The last sentence is not about HIM, but about the Democratic party, which should, without questions, be the voice of modest people. When it stopped being that, it is doomed.

[Ninga]

41. What world do you live in???? Do you have ANY idea what the minimum wage is??

If you are a "modest person" and can speak for yourself, and have entree into the world of politics and can influence the language in bills to benefit your class and household, then good for you.

If you are speaking for only yourself and not those on the wrung of the economic ladder below you, then why should you dis Edwards for understanding that there are SOME people, a lot of people I would dare say.....that have no voice, and might welcome his.

Hey I have an idea. Get on the next plane to DC and speak for yourself and all of the other non-elitist and grassroots, and make some head way for yourself for gods sake, if it is that easy.

i believe the last President who was a true voice for the "modest people" was LBJ and his Great Society programs.

it is long past time that the poor and the working class have a champion. Just ask the Chrysler workers.....12,000...who are losing their jobs if they would like a voice.

[Mass]

46. This is what election and democracy is about. They should not need a white knight

with a lot of money to defend them. They should be able to get THEIR representatives to the top of the shelf. They cannot and this is not a good thing. This is what I was referring to. Anybody who is ready to use that as a campaign prop rather than proposing to change the system that is wrong. The fact that the Democratic party wants Senators and Reps with enough money to pay for their election is wrong. As long as this happens, these people will never be represented at the top of the shell.

Now, if Edwards was fighting on that, I would be 100 % with him. He does not, and while, after I have listen to the ad, it does not shock me, I still believe the fundamental problem is that the average person cannot be elected and that the Democratic Party is trying to recruit rich people.

BTW, I have a pretty good idea what the minimum wage is. Not sure Edwards and his wife do.

[Ninga]

51. I understand your point. The whole system is messed up.

[karynnj]

52. I took it as about him - if he means the party that is different

[quinnox]

37. Edwards seems phony to me

I like his wife a hell of a lot better than him, too bad she has the cancer, I wish her well.

[Raejeanowl]

39. No, It Doesn't Strike Me As Crass

If he ignored their private reality, people grasping at straws would also criticize him for callously pursuing his political ambitions despite the fact his wife is dying. They do, anyway.

You can't not talk about the looming elephant in their living room. But I understand the context in which he used it in the video: They're more fortunate than many Americans in their resources for dealing with it, and they made a conscious pact to use whatever time they had in a particular way.

[hedgehog]

40. It's a good start.

Suggestions:

#1 Get rid of the sound track, the manipulative piano score is way overdone and undercuts the message.

#2. Put the part about "the Democrats need to get some backbone and show some guts" front and center.

[petersjo02]

48. No more crass than

Rudy using 9-11 every chance he gets.

[zulchzulu]

50. I thought the ad was tastefully done on that issue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7WbBuukrzo&eurl=http://johnedwards.com/watch/heroes/

I'd suggest people watch it without the volume on for imagery. It certainly is Iowa-centric.

[truebrit71]

53. No.

.

[Egnever]

54. yes

Always has.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

58. It's His Life

The voters will decide.

[chieftain]

59. I am always ambivalent about these personal grief stories

used to humanize politicians. And I am not a big Edwards fan. All that said, that is one helluva good commercial.

[kskiska]

60. …and Ronald Reagan talked about his drunken shoe salesman father

whom he had to haul off the snowy front porch one night back in humble Dixon, Illinois.

FDR didn't showcase his polio, and now he's being castigated for "hiding" it.

[ncteechur]

61. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....no.