John Edwards' Dark leftist America

[illinoisprogressive]

Bill O'Reilly devoted the beginning of his show last night to warning Americans about the dangerous radicalism of John Edwards, proclaiming that "John Edwards has no chance to become president because he's simply too far-left for most Americans." After highlighting all the scary, fringe positions Edwards holds, O'Reilly summarized what the Far-Left America would look like once John Edwards got done with it:

ould you support President John Edwards? Remember, no coerced interrogation, civilian lawyers in courts for captured overseas terrorists, no branding the Iranian guards terrorists, and no phone surveillance without a specific warrant.

Who could even fathom an America plagued by habeas corpus, search warrants, and a military that fails to beat, freeze and mock-execute its detainees? And nothing is more sacred to core American values than branding other countries' armies as "Terrorists" ("The Guard is the SS of Iran").

O'Reilly has aptly highlighted here the new ideological divide in our political culture -- one is now on the "Left," usually the "Far Left," if one supports what were previously the defining attributes of basic American liberties, while one is "Serious" and "Responsible" and "Centrist/Right" only if one is too sophisticated and "tough" to actually think that such effete and abstract things matter. Under the cover of darkness, late at night, John Edwards must be reading filthy leftist tracts like this:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/

[LWolf]

1. I don't even consider John Edwards "left."

He's closer to the center than most, who are farther right than he is.

Except for Kucinich and Gravel, of course.

[pnorman]

10. By labeling John Edwards "far left",

O'Reilly is showing to all how Far-Right HE actually is. That's at wide variance with his public posture of being "middle of the road centrist". What a surprise! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

pnorman

[Fenris]

2. O'Reilly knows how to sell a candidate!

That ought to get filthy leftists AND Constitution-worshipping conservatives behind him!

[Egnever]

3. Well if bill said it its got to be true!

Worst person in the woooorld!

[qbones]

4. A calculated party line talking point.

It seems to me that Fox & Bush&Co clearly want to present Hillary as the only possible democratic candidate. Edwards, with his truly centrist views, would fare better against any repub candidate in the general election than the polarizing Hillary, at least that's what they're betting..... Even Obama would bring excitement that republican candidates would find hard to match.

I just hope we have an election come next November, and not some crazy situation where martial law is declared....(paranoid, I know, but I can't help it)

[mmonk]

5. Yes.

What was normal and part of the American system is now considered by some as far left. This is a battle to either be free or continue towards FASCISM. I thought I would capitalize that to get under some people's skin around here.;) We are in trouble. That's why impeachment should never have been off the table. It's why we can't accept politics as usual anymore because we aren't living in the usual anymore.

[Trajan]

6. You are again using the opinions of a Right Wing Zealot

To demean and diminish a Good Democratic Party member ..... And it isn't even true: It is just his opinion .....

I mean ... really : Using the words of one of our most despicable opponents to impeach the integrity of one of our own decent candidates ? ... Why would you do that ?

You AGAIN go too far ..... This is the worst kind of political self-immolation, where you drag our whole party down with the denunciations of our rivals; giving them voice HERE against us ....

I see no difference between you and those whose words you so carelessly choose for trivial political assassination .... You speak for Bill O'Lielly .... You ARE Bill O'Lielly ....


"Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?" .......

[killbotfactory]

7. If you are a fascist creep, don't vote for Edwards

in fact, don't vote at all.

[mmonk]

12. I'll second that don't vote at all.

[jmp]

8. kick

...

[Echo In Light]

9. I'd have to agree though that...

America in general, due to the 24/7 efforts of the right-wing movement over the past three decades, is indeed far more shifted-to-the-right than what many are able or willing to acknowledge.

[lumberjack_jeff]

11. I don't know that this is as true as TV would lead us to believe.

The echo chamber not only repeats its message, it's also deaf.

Polls indicate that the public view is far to the left of what is considered centrist.

[LWolf]

13. That may be.

Is the United States the "decider," the "definer," of what is "center?" Or does the rest of the world count?

If the U.S. moves to the right, do we get to change the parameters, or do we acknowledge that we are "right" or "far right?"