The official kickoff to the 2008 Edwards for President Campaign!

[verte76]

Edwards did win the South Carolina primary. The guy was too much of a novice, an unknown, to win; Senator Kerry has been around 20 years and the people wanted a known quality. North Carolina is a rock-solid Republican state, and it's kind of strange that someone like him could even win a Senate race there. I have family in North Carolina, and they are diehard Republicans. They are always teasing my mother, who's a diehard liberal. They are on my mother's side of the family. No one ever expected Senator Kerry to carry the Carolinas. Democrats don't carry them when they win. They went for Bush Sr. and Dole when Clinton was getting elected. I don't expect conservatives to like the guy as he's not exactly one of them. His ADA score is lower than Kerry's (70% to Kerry's 85%), thus he's less liberal, but still too much of one to appeal to rock-solid conservatives. C'est la vie.

 

[Macfistowannabe]

And for Hillary - will another liberal from the Northeast really be the DNC's best bet?

Hillary is from Arkansas isn't she? She moved to New York to get elected as a senator. She's a smart woman, but I'd think you need someone much more moderate than her.

 

[verte76]

Hillary is from Arkansas isn't she? She moved to New York to get elected as a senator. She's a smart woman, but I'd think you need someone much more moderate than her.

You might be a bit surprised at the number of liberals who don't particularly want her as the Democratic nominee. In fact, *this* liberal doesn't even think she can win the nomination because she's divisive and controversial. She was born in Illinois, established residency in Arkansas and now represents New York in the Senate. It takes more than brains to win the hearts and minds of an electorate.

 

[Stonewall]

Hillary is from Arkansas isn't she? She moved to New York to get elected as a senator. She's a smart woman, but I'd think you need someone much more moderate than her.

Hillary Rodham was born and raised in the "blue" state of Illinois; however, at that time, she was Republican. Hillary only married an Arkansanian. Like our Verte, Hillary comes from a Republican family even though she herself is now a Democrat. Personally, I believe that is a plus as the person can see things from "Both Sides Now". Remember, famous Republicans such as Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Charlton Heston, Dick Cheney, Rudy Giuliani, et al. were ALL formerly Democrats!

Verte, we know that Johnny Edwards won the Dem primary in South Carolina; it's the only one he won. But, as U must know, we are talking about the actual presidential election. Thus, Edwards could not deliver his born (SC) or home (NC) states. Most people believe that a chief reason why JE was chosen to run as the V.P. nominee -- besides that he doesn't look like one of the scary extras in Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video -- is that he could "help" with the South. Edwards did not!

 

[verte76]

Well, first of all, Stonewall, I'm not really from a Republican family because my parents are staunch liberals! Most of the rest of my family is Republican, however, and they think we're nuts. They may be right. After all, we're crazy artists. When Kerry picked Edwards the press rightly said "not even the most romantic Democrat thinks this ticket can carry North Carolina". They felt like he could help in some swing states with big conservative areas, like Ohio, which has a liberal north and a conservative south. But as U2democrat pointed out the running mate hasn't impacted the election since 1960. OK, maybe Fritz Mondale didn't hurt Jimmy Carter in 1976. Carter had a tough time up east, barely carrying New York, and some thought the liberal Mondale helped him there. But usually the running mate doesn't have much of an impact on states carried. I don't think Clinton carried Tennessee because of Gore, for example. I think he carried Tennessee on his own strengths as a candidate. Like I said I don't expect any conservatives to be impressed with the guy. But, not all of his fans are from the female gender. If Howard Dean gets the chairmanship of the DNC we'll see some changes for sure, and maybe some new people will be prominent by 2008. Some of the current stars may be written off as "old guard" or whatever. We'll see.

 

[U2democrat]

i find it interesting that this is the only thread you post in.

People do NOT vote for the vice presidential candidate! I never once believed he would deliver the south, and I know that as a southerner! In fact, I lobbied one of Kerry's top aides for months to put Edwards on the ticket, knowing that he could not deliver the south. He has other qualities, you know.

 

[verte76]

For that matter, I'm a Southerner also. Edwards has alot of appeal to liberal Southerners. It's interesting that this is the only thread you're posting in. You've just got problems with Edwards. Fair enough, all political candidates are fair game for pickets, protests and objections. But we're not disagreeing with you just because we're females who think the guy is sexy or whatever. If I judged political candidates based on their looks my voting history would be different, trust me. Good looks is an asset in show business, but it's probably a liability in politics.

 

[Scarletwine]

I thought this was a great article for the future no matter the nominee.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/embracing_the_divide.php
Embracing The Divide
David Corn
November 11, 2004
...
And what further convinced me there was no cause for the anti-Bush partisans to soften their language was history. This week I have been attending a conference hosted by the USC Annenberg Institute for Justice and Journalism for its ten 9/11 Security and Liberty Fellows (of which I am one). One of our first speakers was Joyce Appleby, a noted historian. She focused on the rise and fall of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. And it was as if she was describing the present. Not that the Bush is going to throw his critics into jail. But she reminded us that the 1790s was a time of extreme partisanship. As Appleby described it, the Federalists generally wanted the people (that is, white male landowners) to vote for the rulers and then leave the governing to an enlightened ruling class that ought to be revered and trusted. But the French Revolution fired up Americans—including Thomas Jefferson—and persuaded them that common folks could play a greater role, and that included criticizing elected leaders. Jefferson and others formed the Republican Party to oppose the Federalists. And the politics of the day were passionate and harsh, with sharp and scurrilous accusations routinely hurled. Republican newspapers lambasted Federalists, and—gasp—even denigrated a “toothless” George Washington. Men who had fought with one another in the Continental Army but who now were on different sides crossed the street rather than have to tip their hat to the other.

President John Adams and his Federalist allies in Congress—aghast that the riffraff was questioning the motives and actions of officeholders—passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which gave Adams the power to imprison or deport aliens he deemed a threat and which made it a crime to criticize government officials. Republican newspaper editors were indicted and their papers were shut down. Not a single one was publishing by the spring of 1800. A New York congressman was arrested for petitioning against the sedition law. Thomas Cooper, a prominent journalist, went to jail for writing that Adams was “hardly in the infancy of political mistakes.” A typical punishment under the sedition law was two years imprisonment and a $2,000 fine (which would be an $80,000 fine today). When Moreau de Mery, an owner of a bookstore, was threatened with deportation, he attempted to learn how he had offended the Adams administration. Adams offered this explanation: “He’s just too French.” (Sound familiar?)

Talk about a bitter partisan divide. And Adams’ extreme tactics didn’t work. Thomas Jefferson and his Republican Party won power in 1800, and the Alien and Sedition Acts were repealed or allowed to expire. The dissenters in jail were released. Republican newspapers were revived and flourished. The politics, though, remained bare-knuckled—and worse. Duels were popular. Three-quarters of them, Appleby said, were political. A congressional dueling grounds existed in Maryland. (A field trip for Zell Miller?) The intense partisanship—sparked by Jefferson—did not fade. And today he is on the nickel.

The disputes at the turn of America’s first century were significant and focused on fundamental issues of governance. The arguments of today are just as consequential. Should a president be allowed to get away with launching an elective war on the basis of untrue assertions? How best can the nation protect itself from real threats? Should the wealthy receive tax cuts while poverty increases? Should the administration be permitted to do nothing about global warming? If this is not the stuff of passionate discourse, then what is? Applying her reading of history to the present, Appleby remarks, “It is up to the opposition to be as strong and clear as the Jeffersonian opposition. A lot of responsibility belongs to the party that lost.” Democrats and other Bush foes need to preserve the profound split in American politics, celebrate it and figure out how to win over a majority to their side of the gulf. There’s nothing wrong with divisiveness in politics. It is a grand tradition that ought to inspire today’s Democrats. But in the spirit of reaching out, I am willing to make one concession: Let’s all agree—no sedition laws and no duels.

 

[verte76]

Great article. If the Republicans think we lefties are just going to sit around, twiddle our thumbs and placidly acquiesce to a national leadership we really do not support for four more years, they've got a heck of a shock in store. We don't speak that language. Protesting is as American as God, mother and apple pie.

 

[nbcrusader]

That's great

But I think there should be a self assessment of what was accomplished over the last 4 years

 

[Stonewall]

U-2 Dem, U are very observant. I luv it! U're right (sorry about that pun) that I haven't posted elsewhere yet. I have to make quite a time point to at least post here for the time being. After all, this is the aftermath and future of the current timely topic: President!


roll: Ironically, another positive outcome of the Election of 2004 is that I found out about this website through someone on it who must have visited the website for my organization, the STONEWALL Veterans' Association (use search engine Overture). The person rather smartly extrapolated a photo of one of our honorary members, namely America's Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The photo -- the cover of Time mag -- is on this thread! So many people visited it that it showed up in the SVA's statistics. I'd gladly post the SVA website address but the policy here on U-2 is that U have to first post "15" times (who came up w/ that odd #?) before U provide any website links. So, now U know how I got here and why, to date, I've only been on this file.


Scarlet Wine, your essay is well-written and sedately witty, but that historian Joyce, of course, left out one major overlooming factor that we didn't have in 1798 with the Alien & Sedition Law and that we have now -- besides electricity, cars, planes, radios, tv's, phones, beepers, computers, cellphones, DVD's, etc. The answer is the Arab Muslim extremist coward terrorists stealing our American commercial jetliners and with our American citizen passengers on board and insanely crashing these hugest planes into our landmark buildings -- and open fields -- causing great loss of life, vile injuries, billions in damage, 100,000 jobs, etc. Since Sept. 11th, I, for one, have never flown on a plane.

 

[Stonewall]

....But we're not disagreeing with you just because we're females who think the guy is sexy or whatever. If I judged political candidates based on their looks, my voting history would be different, trust me. Good looks is an asset in show business, but it's probably a liability in politics.

Girlz, "beauty is usually in the eye of the beholder". Prez BUSH is definitely good-looking; in fact, I'd say cute! He's also well-built, athletic, virile, etc. We can't say any of that about Johnny Boi Edwards. Remember, one of U-2 Girlz honestly and accurately posted herein that Johhny Boi's too-many-double cheeseburgers (with Freedom Fries and shakes) are going to his emerging stomach and expanding waistline. Next up, having three sisters, I first triple-checked with them, too. Don't U Girlz who go for looks in a political candidate also consider other assets such as endowment and butt. From what I've gathered or observed, the 2 Dem candidates lacked both!! I believe most straight women would find strutting BUSH more attractive and much hotter than a hair color kinda femme guy with a girly combover and too much daytime make-up.

Verte, if U think looks doesn't matter or is a liability (not!) in politics, don't despair. While it obviously doesn't -- and can't -- always, think handsome and great hair Prez Kennedy in 1960 and handsome, good hair and very muscular Governator Ahnold a year ago!

 

[U2democrat]

Oh Mr. Edwards has a nice butt, trust me, I've checked it out in person

 

[Stonewall]

Johnny Boi Edwards' Butt!

Oh, Mr. Edwards has a nice butt, trust me, I've checked it out in person

I ass-ume that when U write that U find it "interesting that U only post on this file" that U are referring to me? If so, I'm gald that U find me interesting. That's nice to read. Although not with the majority on Election Day, IMHO, U are in the majority on this one about me.

U-2 Dem, I do trust U, especially on JE's butt. Having said that, he should have taken his jacket off while campaigning. It could have made a difference in the "swing state" of O-HI-O! If U recall, and I'm sure U do, BUSH was frequently ripping his jacket off -- if he even wore one -- and tossing it. He's no fool.

 

[U2democrat]

There were times when he campaigned with his jacket off. We have a whole thread of pictures dedicated to him, and many of them are of him rolling up his sleeves. We all agreed in that thread that if Kerry wanted to win all the campaign needed to do was put out a John Edwards calendar.


It's all tongue in cheek of course.

 

[Stonewall]

Of course -- not! -- tongue-in-cheeque.

The person who cleverly (I think) brought over that Mayor RUDY photo from my interesting 1969 NYC Stonewall Rebellion website to this worthwhile U-2 board is none other than: Headache-in-a-Suitcase -- which is a helluva lot better than "Headache-in-a-Toilet"! Oh, I see, Headache is from "New Drizzle". Where's that? I'm from New York, home of the recent, winning Republican Convention but w/ ancestral ties to the South; so chill out, Girlz.

Verte, U say you're from the South (no doubt) so why post your location as "pil-GRIM-age"? I'd guess NC or SC based on all the JE butt 411.

 

[U2democrat]

I've lived in TN, KY, and now VA. However, my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc., ALL live in NC. In fact we have stories of relatives living in NC all the way back to the pre-civil war era. The way edwards talks/acts makes him seem like a member of my family, just another reason of many why I am attached to him.

 

[Stonewall]

America's Mayor RUDY!

This is that pic that I've mentioned of Mayor Rudy Giuliani on the cover of New York magazine (he was also on the cover of Time mag. for Person-of-the-Year), which came from my website via "Headache".

By the way, since I come to this specific thread via its link to my website www.STONEWALLvets.org what FORUM and/or what FILE or THREAD am I actually on? I can never find it once I'm off it? I presume it's somewhere on the "Free Your Mind" forum?

 

[verte76]

Stonewall, I'm from Birmingham, Alabama. Neither one of my parents is from here however, and my older brother was actually born in Nashville, when my dad was still studying at Vanderbilt. My mother is from a small town in Alabama called Opelika, which is the town that borders Auburn. My father was born in Florida, but his mother was from Georgia and his father from West Virginia. I have family all over, including NC, Georgia, Florida and Texas, as well as my mother's ancestral base in Opelika. We've lost track of anyone in West Virginia, which is sort of unfortunate because I'm a genealogy geek and I've had a tough time tracing those ancestors. My location is "on a pilgrimage" because I'm Catholic and one of my favorite quotes is from St. Augustine, about all Christians being on a pilgrimage.

 

[U2democrat]

Verte, I was born in Nashville and my dad studied/taught at vandy too!!!



Small world.

 

[verte76]

Verte, I was born in Nashville and my dad studied/taught at vandy too!!!



Small world.

Great minds think alike.

 

[U2democrat]

Great minds think alike.

Amen!

 

[Stonewall]

Verte, how's that cake comin' that U left out in the rain? Ooops, U didn't leave it out in the rain, it's just that U don't like to drive in the rain to get the cake ingredients. Oh, no!

To do a bit of the geography thing, I'm from New York but have strong ancestral roots from Savannah -- and in Tennesse. My mother is from NY but lives in Florida. And my congressmember in New York was born and raised in North Carolina with much family still in NC.

It's too bad so many on the board keep it a secret even what continent they're from!

 

[A_Wanderer]

Continent, shmontinent.

I was born in Dartford UK, in the mid 1980's, moved to Sydney when baby, moved Melbourne when 7, still in Melbourne as a uni student and right now without any job.

 

[Stonewall]

What schmontinent are U from?

Continent, schmontinent.

Thata way, Wanderer! It makes it much more interesting. In the past few years, America and Australia have become even closer allies. Right-on to that. I know that on September 11th, citizens from Australia were also murdered at the World Trade Center attacks by the terrorists.

P.S. I'm not a Manhattan mathemetician but my guess 4 U is 19.

 

[A_Wanderer]

Pretty much spot on there - I have been living a lie in my personal profile (oh the shame),

The US got hit big time and the world cried crocodile tears for you. Then only a year later those bastards murdered Australians and our leftist commentariat lectured us that 88 Australians were killed because our government was too close to the US and that we should seek new alliances in the world and start cuddling up with the Israel/America bashing crowd (Margo Kingston at the SMH for example), the government took a different line and kept up the support, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, just had elections and the government was brought back in - you guys reciprocated
and so the fight will continue.

long live the anglosphere!

 

[Stonewall]

New poll for 2008 looka bad 4 Edwards

A brand-new, post-Election poll by Fox News Channel for 2008 for the Democrat nom for Prez gives HILLARY CLINTON a whopping 55% of the vote and JOHN EDWARDS just 35% with all others a total of 10%. In other words, it's obvious, as many people have opined and predicted on this board, that the soon-to-be non-Senator and failed V.P. candidate EDWARDS has no chance whatsoever up against the former First Lady and prominent and popular U.S. Senator HILL!

 

[Stonewall]

HILLARY is the #1 choice of Dems!

Ooops! It's like the old game show, "Beat The Clock". My mere '60 minutes' ran out to =edit= the above post....

The national poll of registered Democrats is actually by Gallup (not Fox) and was simply reported, reviewed and discussed on F.N.C. Besides the big win for HILLARY and the distant 2nd place for EDWARDS, it means that KERRY and all others have less than 10%! It seems that HILLARY will have the nod Xmas-wrapped!

 

[verte76]

After reading the article about Elizabeth Edwards in People magazine, I'm not sure her husband has any more politics scheduled. They're moving back to North Carolina, and will build a house on some land they bought and raise horses. They've worked really hard and maybe they are ready to smell some roses.

 

[verte76]

I'm skeptical of polls. I wonder who that was they polled with the preference for Hillary? They obviously did a hell of an adjustment job with partisan sampling. Right now she's the one with the most name recognition. I'm sorry, the idea of her as the nominee is a bad joke to me. I don't care who says what it's not going to happen.