John Edwards nails it about the PHONY spat with Dean

[Cocoa]

come on people, this Dean thing is stupid.

http://blog.oneamericacommittee.com/article.pl?sid=05/06/06/2117240§ion=&mode=nested&tid=1

What a flap has arisen over a disagreement about the way something is said! I was in Nashville over the weekend, thanking the good people of Tennessee who supported the Democratic presidential ticket this year, when I was asked whether I thought that it was fair to say that people who were Republican hadn’t done a good day’s work. Of course, I didn’t think so, and I said that. I don’t think our DNC chair, Howard Dean, would put it that way again if asked either. I disagreed with him, and I said so. And, I want to be clear, I would have to say so again if I were asked again. I said a lot of good things about Howard’s outreach program and invigoration of the internet as a communication and fundraising tool, but no one wrote about that. Instead the headlines blared that I disagreed with Howard. And then the flap arose: A chasm! A split! A revolt!

Instead, how about: Nonsense!
We are both talking about the Republicans and their failure to address the needs of working people. We both agree with this basic truth: This Republican president and this Republican majority are not doing what they should be doing for working people in this country. That’s a core belief we need to fight for. And what’s more, we agree that we - all Democrats and all working people - should be complaining, criticizing, and generally speaking out about this critical failure of the Republican party and offering our positive vision for America. And we have.

Howard and I have been saying the same thing about this for years. Hear that? The same thing. For years. Have I ever put it some way that Howard wouldn't agree with? Probably. And he put it in a way, once, just the other day, that I can’t agree with, since I come from a place where hard-working people, who are better served by the agenda and passion of the Democrats, somehow still vote Republican. But Howard and I are committed to a 50-state strategy that will reach out to those voters, in North Carolina, and in Kansas, and in Tennessee, across this country and tell the truth about what is happening in this country to their jobs, to their health care, to their forests and streams, to their vision of what this country is and should be.

<snip>

The safety net is eroding. The ladder has been pulled up. This is not new. For more than two decades, the Republican Party has talked about an agenda that addresses concerns of working people while they have passed an agenda that serves the goals of the wealthiest among us. Howard and I know that these are the wrong choices for America. We won’t always use the same words. But we will always fight the same fight: for the dignity, the respect, and the rights of those who built this country, the working people in America.

[xultar]

1. Shhhh don't ruin the fun. People here wanna think they are fighting

so they can fight one another here. Or the Freepers can come out of hiding and bait us right here on our home turf.

[Lucky Luciano]

2. best interests

"And he put it in a way, once, just the other day, that I can’t agree with, since I come from a place where hard-working people, who are better served by the agenda and passion of the Democrats, somehow still vote Republican."

We really do need to figure out how to get people to vote in their best interests...

[Rex]

3. How hard is it, John, just to say "no comment"or

"I refuse to be ambushed by RW talking points." A simple loaded question deflection? Someone please get Mr. Edwards up to speed.

[jayctravis]

7. "no comment" is essentially what we have from their side

and I'd rather politicians speak their mind and check each other once in a while. Sharpens their teeth for when they go in for the real debate.

[Cocoa]

9. yep, let them have their own styles

Edwards and Dean basically agree, but it's not Edwards's style to talk like Dean does.

[FreedomAngel82]

11. Yes

And in this case Edwards really told those people off who made a big deal about it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. I think he did okay

No need to refuse to comment. That would have gotten the Dems even more bad publicity.

[blm]

4. The media is blowing this out of proportion to distract from GOPs problems

from the presidency to their problems in congress, to GOP controlled statehouses around the country. The GOP and many corporations are being run by CROOKS and their accounting books PROVE it.

[WI_DEM]

5. Edwards is ok

I still like him.

[pacalo]

6. Somehow, I already knew that Edwards' comments "against Dean"

were taken out of context. But I appreciate that he addressed it for those who didn't have sense enough to see through the media spin.

Thanks, John!

[FreedomAngel82]

12. Of course it was

Who do you think is pulling the strings of the game? Doy.

[meppie-meppie not]

27. yes there is indeed a Rovian whiff in the air but given that 40 some %

of American's still believe Iraq had something to do with 9/11 I think Edwards clarification and calling the media out on their selective editing was important and necessary!

[Bouncy Ball]

10. I first heard about this on the TV in the airport, which was tuned to

CNN and the FIRST thing I thought was "I bet $100 it was taken out of context or blown up out of proportion."

Yep, I was right.

The powers that be will do ANYTHING to divide the Democrats, and I do mean anything.

[Pacifist Patriot]

13. It's typical crap is what it is.

Put three Democrats in one room and three Republicans in the other and you're going to get the exact same amount of agreement and disagreement in both rooms. But for some reason Democratic disagreements are newsworthy and signs of instability while Republican disagreements aren't a blip on the media radar screen. Gee, wonder why.

[Bouncy Ball]

17. Hmm, let me think......

YEP. Totally agreed. And it's BULLSHIT. This stuff is NOT news-worthy. The MSM is just showing their true colors more and more.

[Pacifist Patriot]

14. So how much CNN/MSNBC/FNC/NBC et. al. airtime is this

statement getting compared to the initial crappy reporting?

[Guaranteed]

16. That's my question. I also wonder how Edwards would prefer it. nt

[Cocoa]

18. I saw it on C-span

the guy from "Hotline" mentioned it, and made a good point about blogs, he said that if something like this is spun by the media, someone like Edwards can bypass the media and get his own spin out.

Unfortunately, the media spun version seems to be the preferred one on DU. :-(

[AmericanDream]

19. I heard they read it on CNN too....

[cthrumatrix]

22. LOL...try none.....the media is not interested in truth

[Eloriel]

15. Ya know, after I read this here YESTERDAY,

I ended up seeing an actual clip of his remark, and I have to say I wasn't all that impressed with his "explanation" after seeing the clip. It was a very measured, carefully worded, look-into-the-camera (which may have been accidental), slowly stated REBUKE of Dean.

I didn't like it one bit. I was more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but the clip itself isn't his best evidence for all his good will.

Let me put it this way: had he wanted to, there were plenty of less damaging* ways to answer that question. He took the very direct REBUKE option.



* less damaging to him (had he but understood that), Dean, the Democratic Party

[Pepperbelly]

20. is Dr. Dean beyond rebuke?

I'm on Dean's side but hell, no one is beyond rebuke. For sure that is true around here.

[saracat]

25. Thank You. Obviously some think he is.

[smartvoter]

24. I'm with you Eloriel. Further, he said he'd say it again, which is lost

in all the gushing out here. He said he stands by his comment, not that he shouldn't have pulled the rug out from under Dean, but it doesn't matter because they're both fighting a common enemy. Reading that blog and then watching the response out here was truly amazing. I had to read it several times because I thought I must have missed something after everyone was falling all over themselves...

[boohootwo]

21. Perfect. Use the internet to tell it like it is. Good job Edwards!

[ultraist]

23. Kos posted about this too!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3805903

It was also on Inside Politics. They showed a shot of the OAC blog.

The MSM is reading our blogs, no question about it.

[ngGale]

26. MSM is reading our blogs, have you noticed...

they sure don't talk about the "Downing Street" minutes. It's not like we don't say it enough.

[Tippy]

28. " Looks a bit different in its proper context "

So who is to blame for cherry picking words? The Media of course..Instead of jumping on Edwards and others, like several here do we should work to get the truth out there quick...and not wait to see if the story is corrected in the media...