Reading some of the reactions on CNN and DU to the Edwards

[saracat]

"non endorsement", I can truly say I have never been so ashamed to be a Democrat. The abuse heaped on the two folks who contributed the most to keeping this a civil primary and who have done so much to make poverty and health care front line election issues is a disgrace.

I am proud of John and Elizabeth Edwards.They represent the best this country has to offer. It is a shame that there are not more like them.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/05/06/john-and-elizabeth-edwards-speak-out/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[olkaz]

1. Hmm. I didn't see any of that.

I wonder if the people who posted those threads are ignored?

[PoliticalAmazon]

36. I didn't see it, either. I'd like to see some examples, if available. n/t

[saracat]

41. Read the links.

[PoliticalAmazon]

42. DU link is not valid. I'm interested in the DU links; that is the board with which I am familiar.

[saracat]

44. corrected link. Sorry.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5828479&mesg_id=5828479

[LisaM]

2. Agreed. What they've done is actually unifying.

I don't like the rush to endorse by people who don't need to. It's unnecessary and divisive. I was an Edwards supporter, now I support Hillary, but I wouldn't have really wanted him to support Hillary over Obama.

It should be about issues, after all.

[saracat]

7. I agree. I am pleased they didn't endorse.

[RiverStone]

26. second or third that!

They did the right thing - stay above the frey but continue to fight for the issues they care about.

I'm sure they will both support our eventual nominee.

[writes3000]

3. I've never insulted them and I don't see a deluge of insults on DU.

Unless peeps on my ignore list are doing it.

[NightWatcher]

4. does John owe an endorsement?

I have not heard a word from him about anything since the day he dropped out in New Orleans. I like the man, but found his silence deafening in a time when he could have steered the debate and the direction that this primary travelled. He still has a few delegates and I wonder if he will ever do anything with them.

[Avalon6]

5. He has no control over his delegates

He can't "throw" them to a candidate.

[bvar22]

37. He can officially "release" his delegates.

AFAIK, he has NOT done this.
Also, unless I missed it, he has not withdrawn from the race for the Democratic nomination.
He has only "suspended" his campaign.
:shrug:

I would greatly prefer Edwards to either of the two remaining candidates, but don't see how that can possibly happen.

[scheming daemons]

6. Haven't seen any criticism of them here for the non-endorsement... Obama folks are thrilled with it

[redqueen]

I saw criticism...

but I thought that was mostly from people who criticized Edwards *before* this nightmare of a primary season even started.

[saracat]

10. Don't be disingenuous.

[scheming daemons]

18. I'm not. I'm thrilled that the Edwards didn't endorse.......

[countingbluecars]

8. Are you making this up?

[saracat]

29. Did you read the links?

[Mags]

9. Just wait, he will be called a racist before it is over. Everybody is

that is not voting for BO.

[Avalon6]

11. I have never heard Obama used the word "racist"

[LakeSamish706]

12. I am absolutely elated that Edwards did not Endorse at all... Been saying since...

Super Tuesday that he should not endorse... He has my full respect for staying out of this and letting it take its own direction...

[Triana]

13. Politicians are a dime a dozen. STATESMEN however, not so much. When we have true

STATESMEN running for public office, they're often DESTROYED.

John and Elizabeth Edwards are STATESMEN (STATES'PEOPLE').

So, of course, by virtue of their integrity, people will destroy them in the political realm.

THE BEST CANDIDATES we've ever had for President - were DESTROYED by political punditry and the voters swallow it whole unquestioningly.

THAT'S WHY we never have decent Presidents anymore.

AND WE WON'T unless we wise up and turn off the pundits and start choosing STATESMEN instead of sleazy politicians who only have their own profit and self-interest at heart (bu$h, Hillary).

GORE, EDWARDS, and maybe Obama - DESTROYED by gutter politics and voters who subscribe to and SUPPORT it.

Sad.

AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I WILL NOT support this crap - I don't give a hoot whether it's HILLARY or ROVE or bu$h doing it. I won't.

[saracat]

17. Sorry but I am offended that you would even mention Obama in the company of Gore and Edwards.

But that is just my opinion. I am sure you do not agree.But Obama will have to walk many miles before he can even begin to compare to those two.

[Triana]

20. Nope. I agree. My FIRST CHOICE was Edwards! I was left with Hillary and Obama..

..the best of those two is definitely Obama.

My point is that he is being destroyed by the same punditocracy and lie-n-smear echo-chamber that prevented the other two from ever becoming President. And most of all - Hillary.

[DrDan]

14. still my first choice

[ShortnFiery]

15. Wow, You have a tendency to be "embarrassed" and/or "ashamed" of the amorphous "US" a lot these

days?

Please remember that this is a DIVERSE message board? Albeit the moderators attempt to keep good order, NOT EVERYONE is exactly who they claim they are ...

I try not to "Personify" an entire message board ... it's not fair NOR accurate. :shrug:

[saracat]

21. I am not speaking for everyone, just myself as Democrat, which I have the right to do.

And it isn't about one message board but several.I am sorry you don't think I have the right to be embarassed by the reactions of fellow Democrats.Whatever.

[Brundle_Fly]

16. John Edwards would have been

an awesome president

kick...

[KSinTX]

19. Why would your pride in party be affected by a bunch of jackasses?

It's sort of like people who make the attack that because an Obama or a Clinton supporter does something in poor form that it somehow reflects on the candidate. If you could ONLY imagine for even a second any one of the three candidates, the DNC leadership or party officials behaving in such a unseemly manners it would rock the nation. Supporters aren't running for office nor are they accountable to the parties (just thank whichever Supreme Being you may acknowledge for that).

The Edwardses are honorable people. As long as you believe that in your heart your faith in them or the principles and party for which they stand should be rock solid.

[saracat]

28. Because I think it is a shame we have so many uncouth jackasses?

I believe that Democrats should be better than this but many are proving they are not.

[KSinTX]

32. It is truly a shame that uncivilized behavior exists

But it's a political reality that every party has people within it that is not made of "the right stuff." The beauty of the Democratic Party is that it is the last remaining bastion of the disenfranchised. As a unity party that means taking the good with what some may consider "the bad." What I've always liked about this party is it's "Open all the time - Everyone welcome" sign. Disagreeable disagreement sometimes comes with the territory. God, what a friggin' great party it is that can abide ALL of those differences!

[Bake]

45. Because the jackasses seem to have taken over here.

They have their celebratory mutual masturbation threads when one of their enemies is tombstoned. They flame away at anyone who dares to disagree with them. They trash any public figure, statesman or otherwise, who doesn't bow to their god.

That's why.

Bake

[KSinTX]

47. But Bake, they're just people, not the party

I like a good celebratory end zone dance, but even the NFL has rules against it. I find some things so offensive that I have alerted on them to the moderators. This is their board and this behavior reflects poorly on them for not policing it. Boards that take care to prevent such abuses have a good reputation. I just left one for that very lack of decorum. This one (if you stay out of certain threads is far more civil, if you can believe it!).

No matter how you look at it though, it's not the DNC or the Party at fault for this. :hi:

[Bake]

53. Every single tombstone thread gets locked.

And yet they still keep popping up. It just strikes me as incredible assholitude. I don't think I've seen a single one that was started by a Hillary supporter (because, of course, O-bots seldom get tombstoned, but that's just another sign of the times and the atmosphere here).

I think what we've got are a lot of assholes who aren't actually Democrats, or if they are, they've not been Democrats for long and don't understand what the Party is all about. Plus, we've got just a lot of assholes who have no concept of how to behave on a Democratic forum.

Bake

[featherman]

22. Abuse? I see no abuse on DU. If there is some on CNN could be mischief

making freepers. Not sure why this is grounds for "never been so ashamed to be a Democrat".
I think I was quite a bit more ashamed on the date the Senate voted for the IWR with the help of way too many Dems. But, hey, that's just me.

[rodeodance]

23. I am proud

of them--for staying out of this. I hope people just leave them alone now.
They have their own work for the country they are doing.

[AllentownJake]

24. The only time

I say anything bad about Edwards is when people bring him up as the savior for the convention. I don't insult him personally I just say I think its a bad idea.

[lojasmo]

25. I have no problem with no endorsement. EOM

[AndyA]

27. Yes, and it's a shame that we must choose between two negatives:

Clinton and Obama.

Neither are what we truly need to bring about real change.

But we must make history, after all. That's the most important consideration.

:sarcasm:

[Jersey Devil]

30. Haven't seen any of that at all here at DU

Edwards was my first choice until he dropped out and I started supporting Obama. I have heard nothing but good feelings toward them and there have been many kind words here for both of them. They are free to support whoever they want and even if they chose my candidate's opponent nothing would change here that in my opinion and certainly not for me.

[saracat]

31. I posted links and some of the nastiest were deleted but some are still there.

They were just like those on CNN.

[Jersey Devil]

34. Well, I suppose every group has a certain number of idiots

and certainly we here at DU are not immune to that. Overall, however, I think the sentiment at DU toward the Edwards is one of genuine admiration.

[saracat]

35. If you were one of the Edwards stalwarts, this nastiness was evident from the beginning.

While it is true that Edwards had a lot of support on DU in the beginning, I was surprised at the level of vitriol displayed by some.

[earth mom]

33. K & R for John & Elizabeth!

:kick:

[Coexist]

38. I didn't see any piling on of the Edwards.

[saracat]

40. I posted links.

[SoCalDem]

39. I think sitting it out is the only thing they could do now

He waited too long to endorse from a friendship angle, and since health care is the main issue, for Elizabeth, why not wait until the winner is announced..why piss off the winner if you aligned with the opponent.

I Do think they are over-estimating their clout though..

[Straight Shooter]

43. You think it's bad here, you should have seen the remarks on talkingpointsmemo.com

Gawd almighty, such vitriol. Not from the TPM people, but from the people who post comments. High-fivin' each other over who could insult John the most.

[newmajority]

46. I have nothing bad to say about our next Attorney General

Would have been nice to have his endorsement, but Obama is doing great in NC anyway. I look forward to seeing John rip apart the corporate bastards as part of the Obamadministration.

[karynnj]

48. Edwards was the first to go negative

He said that the Clinton campaign lacked a conscience - it's hard to get worse than that. Elizabeth Edwards said that on the eve of the important Iowa caucus that Obama's plan didn't cover pre-existing condition - when it did. Edwards was the one who attacked the most and hardest in NH, Obama the least - and was hurt when it was portrayed as the two guys ganging up on HRC.

Be proud of the Edwards, but to say they did the most "to keep it civil" is silly. JRE was the most civil only in the last two debates, when in it was the best move and could (and probably did) benefit him in SC.

[barack the house]

49. They are jujstkeepingtheir options open I don't fault them for that.

[barack the house]

50. They are jujstkeeping their options open I don't fault them for that....

I haven't seen any massive attack againsthem on here ?? this has a very large Edwards support here.

[TexasObserver]

51. Nonsense.

Now you're just making things up.

That has been a non story today, and I have yet to read a single thread castigating them for it. You really need to get some fresh air and stop obsessing over the Edwards.

[Elidor]

52. I was always amazed that our only viable populist candidate was even leaving open the possibility of

Endorsing our most corporate-friendly candidate. If he thought he would ever get poverty concessions out of that one, he was kidding himself.

But that's not to say I don't appreciate what he did in this race. I was quite ready to vote for him. He's not quite my ideal candidate, but he's one of the closer matches I've had in my political life. I liked him better than Obama.