How is John McCain's Affair Different from John Edwards'?

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6185

Quote:

by Cenk Uygur

Posted August 8, 2008 | 04:41 PM (EST)
We have this weird notion in America now that if a politician is caught in an affair that his career is done. We seem to be saying that what he did in his private life effects his policies or how he governs. But we all know that isn't true. We know that because almost all of our great presidents, and great leaders throughout history, have had numerous affairs. Obviously it didn't hurt how they governed at all. ...

Does John Edwards care less about poor people today than he did yesterday? Would his affair lead him to change his position on NAFTA? How would it alter his policy on Iran? ...

... Every man that has ever cheated on his wife has lied (and so has every woman who has ever cheated). It is part and parcel of the affair.

Now, we get to the most relevant question - if John Edwards' political career is done, why isn't John McCain's? John McCain had a well-documented affair on his first wife, with his current wife. He has admitted in the books he has written about his life that he ran around with several different women while still married to his first wife. And don't forget that he left her for a younger, richer woman - multi-millionaire Cindy Hensley who is now Cindy McCain - after she had been severely hurt in a car accident.

So, why are McCain's actions any more excusable than Edwards'? Because it was thirty years ago? Does that wash it away? Will we be fine with Edwards running for office again in a couple of years because then it will all be in the past? What is the statute of limitations on an affair? ...

So, I want every pundit who condemns John Edwards today to tell me what the difference between him and McCain is and why John McCain shouldn't also be run out of politics for his adulterous affairs and what he did to his first wife.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/why-doesnt-john-mccains-a_b_117811.html

Lots of similarities between the two affairs, yet McCain gets a pass. Why is that?

kenmabmcc · Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 6:33 pm Post subject:

I think it is because he is an old man who cheated on his wife many times in the past, abandoned her when she needed support,
and moved to a newer, richer, younger wife.

Every time you get remarried the cheating clock gets reset...
Laughing

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6185

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

How typical. A Democrat gets caught doing something, and rather than focus on that, you want to focus on what some Republican did 30 years ago. What happened to all your lines about focusing on today when the conservatives who aren't in this forum anymore brought up Clinton or past Democrat Congresses to excuse Bush or the Republican Congress? Talk about hypocritical and hate filled.
Rolling Eyes

kenmabmcc · Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:41 pm Post subject:

At this moment,

McCain is running for President,

some Democrat isn't.

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6185

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

Show me where I claimed that Clinton doing something excused Bush. If I think it's wrong, I don't care who did it previously. I'm not the one always screaming about paying attention to the present instead of the past - that's yours alone. There's your hypocrisy.

Instead of admitting that Edwards was an idiot, you'd rather try to dig up 30 year old dirt.
Rolling Eyes

pasquanel · Joined: Jun 20, 2005 Posts: 398 Location: Maine

I'll meet you both half way! They are both idiots! Right is right and wrong is wrong there is no statute of limitation on this one. Wink

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

Ah, I never said McCain wasn't wrong or an idiot - I said his actions of 30 years ago don't excuse Edwards.

And yes, dirt from 30 years ago is irrelevant - unless we subscribe to the belief that no one can ever change, in which case there's a whole host of reasons not to vote for anyone, ever!

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6185

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

As I said - show me where I used the Clinton excuse. I'm not the one that did that. And I could turn the tables easily - how many times have you excused Pelosi and the rest of the Democrat Congress because of what the Republicans did?

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6185

And you still have yet to respond to the actual topic. Mainly, if Edwards' political career is dead in the water now, why didn't McCain's die years ago?

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

I don't know, Mommabear - I don't pay attention to what happened 30 years ago when it's not relevant.

And this is all irrelevant to today. Do you believe that no one can ever change? Is that why you care about what McCain may have done 30 years ago? Or is this just more "passion" against a group of people for no reason other than they belong to another group than you?

And how about answering my questions from earlier? Or do you just want to attack and run again? You made some accusations - back them up or apologize.

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6185

Why is it not relevant? If McCain wasn't running for president, it wouldn't be relevant. But he is. He makes a big issue of his experience and character qualifying him for the job. He allows his campaign (if not himself) to question his opponent's experience and character.

You say McCain has changed. Has he? He also referred to his current wife as a trollop and called her a c*nt in 1992, during a fit of temper. His aides said then that he was just suffering from a "long day". He's known for his temper. That's no secret.

So why is he exempt from examining his darker side too?

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

Sorry, Mommabear, I didn't realize this was just a bash McCain thread. I thought you wanted to have rational discussions instead of trying to dig up 30 year old "news" and 16 year old rumors based on "anonymous sources". My bad.
Rolling Eyes

kenmabmcc

McCains bad...not yours...

Comedy Stylings of Shecky McCain

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6185

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6185

Re: the one anonymous report about his current wife. Mr. Straight Talk Express doesn't deny it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOl4iT46Eec

Google is full of other reports of temper tantrums and name callings that are not anonymous.

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

Mommabear, feel free to attack McCain all you want. I post news from the present. When you quit focusing on the past, bring up 30 year old dirt as excuses for your party, then come back and talk. After all, that's exactly what you demand of Republican supporters.

Sgt Schultz · Joined: Dec 07, 2002 Posts: 6829 Location: St. Louis area