Jay Leno Jokes Around About John Edward's New 28,000 ft2 Home in North Carolina

[The Cleaner]

They just showed a clip of Jay Leno on ABC This Week joking around about John Edward's new 28,000 square foot home. He said it was "like the biggest home in North Carolina," and then said:

"Edwards has been talking about the 2 Americas: now both of them can fit in his backyard!"

Bad Leno! Bad!
:spank:

[mnhtnbb]

1. Yeah, Jay has a 17,000 sq foot garage to house all his 83 cars and 74 motorcycles.

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/garage/index.shtml

And a list of all the cars/motorcycles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vehicles_owned_by_Jay_Leno

[skipos]

8. Jay isn't running for President on a platform of anti-poverty

Personally *I* couldn't care less about Edwards home and I would be happy voting for him. However, it is going to be harder for Edwards to get his anti-poverty platform to connect with many Americans because of his house. No one expects the guy to live in a cardboard box, but many will find his house to be a bit excessive considering his "two Americas" talk. When you run for President, people are constantly going to analyze your actions. No one should be surprised when Edwards house becomes an issue.

[Warren Stupidity]

9. So one has to be poor to run against poverty?

You need to edit your post.

"When you run for President, people are constantly going to analyze your actions. No one should be surprised when Edwards house becomes an issue."

I think you meant:

When you are a Democrat and you run for President, the rightwing controlled media is going to constantly analyze your actions, your appearance, your actual gender, and anything other than what positions you support or oppose. No one should be surprised when Edward's house becomes a false issue invented by the RNC backroom talking point operations.

[skipos]

13. No need to edit my post.

People dug into his Bush's awol days, Clinton and Cheney's deferments etc. If a Republican talks tough about illegal immigration, but hires illegal immigrants, people are going to find out about it and talk about it. Newt Gingrich is making his hypocritical affair known, because otherwise someone would dig it up and make an issue about it.

NO ONE says that you have to be poor to run against poverty. But presidential candidates are trying to sell their ideas to average Americans who really aren't going to dig that deep about it. If you are trying to sell yourself as an anti-aids candidate, but admit to having condomless sex with strippers in Haiti, right or wrong America is going to have trouble believing your sincerity. If you are trying to sell your sell yourself as an environmentalist and own a fleet of Hummers, America is going to doubt your sincerity.

[gratuitous]

15. Who dug into Bush's AWOL days?

Who dug into Cheney's "differments" (presume you mean deferments)? Where was this given the full and thorough treatment that John Edwards, a private citizen who earned his money and is spending it as he sees fit, is getting for his house?

I recall Dan Rather getting ousted from CBS for daring to mention George W. Bush's questionable military record. And though I'm pretty familiar with many of the details associated with Cheney's deferments, I've never seen it used as comic fodder by the late night emcees, or given a thorough going-over like, oh, say, Whitewater.

And yet, both Bush and Cheney are selling their ideas on war making and strategy without any concrete experience whatsoever. I'd appreciate as complete a rundown as you have of the scrutiny the popular media has given to Bush and Cheney to compare to, say, the foofaraw over John Kerry's days as commander of a swift boat.

[skipos]

21. "I've never seen it used as comic fodder by the late night emcees"

Who do you watch?

"I'm surprised Dick Cheney loves to hunt so much. The five times the government tried to give him a gun, he got a deferment." --Jay Leno

[Buzz Clik]

16. Agreed.

Over-the-top overconsumption for someone like Edwards (or Gore) is going to be a problem. Period.

[mnhtnbb]

29. Agreed. the house size is a false issue.

[saltpoint]

2. Leno's often busy throwing kisses to Arnold Schwartzenegger.

I'm surprised he could tear himself away from his his favorite governor.

[blm]

3. The disgusting thing is that this lie will become part of the narrative about Edwards

and that happens every time those lies get mainstreamed on shows like Leno's.

That is why it was so important for the RW to push their way into the entertainment industry at every level. From writers to production offices to corporate ownership - this has been a determined march to take over the TELEVISION industry throughout the 90s and through today.

[Traveling_Home]

4. Which lie?

Doesn't he have a 28,000 sq ft home. I haven't cared enough to follow the story>

[Buzz Clik]

17. If this is wrong, it would be nice to know.

[chelaque liberal]

5. I haven't paid attention to the Edwards' house business.

What is the truth?

[mnhtnbb]

6. It's the hypocrisy of the pot calling the kettle black. What is Leno doing to reduce poverty in US?

[Buzz Clik]

19. Leno was finding humor in it -- Leno could not possibly be guilty of hypocrisy.

If Edwards is willing to answer questions abuot needing roughly 7000 sq feet per occupant, then let him go ahead with it. Asking questions about fucking enormous houses is fair game, especially for people like Leno.

[Kahuna]

10. Me too. I also want to know what the 'lie' is.

:shrug:

[blm]

12. They want public to believe that his HOUSE is that large when it is not. Main house

is less than half that. They include ALL the areas to make the story SOUND more egregious when you certainly wouldn't have heard it about Bush's ranch in 2000.

The Edwards' main house is 10,400 square feet and has two garages. The recreation building, a red, barn-like building containing 15,600 square feet, is connected to the house by a closed-in and roofed structure of varying widths and elevations that totals 2,200 square feet.

I am no Edwards fan but this story is definitely HYPED to make it sound as bad as possible AGAINST him.

[Rage for Order]

18. Okay, not his house

His ESTATE is 28,000 square feet, but the house he lives in is ONLY 10,400 square feet. I don't have an issue with a wealthy person living in a large home, but if you are going to campaign on the "Two Americas" platform, it's probably best that you don't use your own life as an example of someone having too much.

[Buzz Clik]

22. And that is THE problem.

[skipos]

23. Yes, that is my opinion as well

I was bummed to find out about his estate because I knew it would become an issue. The guy earned his money and can buy whatever he wants, but he is going to have a tougher time getting his message to connect with voters with an estate like that.

[Rydz777]

30. My reaction too

I had the same reaction as you. Edwards (I believe)has three kids and maybe he thinks he needs a 10 to 20 thousand square foot home, and he clearly can afford it. However, it really sets a contrast when talking about the theme of Two Americas.

[Buzz Clik]

20. Oh, well, that's totally different. 15,600 sq feet for a recreation center.

Shit, I have five or six of those. Doesn't everone?

[Blackhatjack]

24. You might want to read one of more than a dozen threads here to educate yourself...

With some people on this site, this will remain an 'urban legend' because they fail to educate themselves about the true facts.

Not going to to do it again for another set of concerned posters who do not read the past thorough examination of this topic.

[Buzz Clik]

26. The exact size of all of Edwards's facilities have been posted.

I reacted to them. If the dimensions posted on THIS thread are incorrect, direct your criticism at them. And, if you choose to post (yet again) the exact dimensions, then I will continue to point out the problem with a huge estate when Edwards is pretending to identify with those who struggle.

It's that simple.

[pretzel4gore]

7. keep it up leno, you gopig bastard...

the greased whore thinks he can skate away from his bush, who leno did everything to promote while bush looted the usa....and it won't be forgotten.

[JDPriestly]

11. Is it a house or does it contain Edwards' offices?

I have heard that Gore's "house," famous for requiring so much electricity actually includes his offices. It is understandable that Democratic politicians who can afford to do so build their own offices. They need to protect themselves and us from Republican snooping and break-ins. I wonder if that is the case here?

[AnnInLa]

14. I don't care about his house either....it's kinda like

Obama's smoking. JE worked hard for his money, did good valuable work, and deserves whatever kind of house he wants. I know full well what it looks like tho....and agree it is a poor use of the earth's resources when plenty of people are homeless. But, it is one of those little things I can overlook when thinking what a good, Progressive president he would make.

[ncteechur]

25. First of all, it doesn't matter whether he is rich or not...

I don't begrudge anyone from being wealthy. Hell, I want to be wealthy. Everyone should be able to be wealthy. And being wealthy doesn't make you pro-poverty. In fact, being wealthy makes you more able to spend your time and $$ to help the poor.

What does a poor John Edwards get you? Nothing.


What John Edwards points out is that we should all be able to have a decent comfortable life if we work for it. However, there are too many conditions out there that makes that impossible to for too many. It traps them into poverty. They never get ahead.

Being rich is not a crime, nor is it shameful. What is bad is when the rich make their $$ on the backs of others and then try to keep them down. When the rich exploit others to get rich? When hose that have money don't fight for those who don't have money.

He can have his 28,000+ sq ft house. Bully for him. At least he is trying to raise the subject of poverty in this country.

[Buzz Clik]

27. True. Very, very true.

But Leno's line remains funny regardless. I raised 6 kids in the biggest house we could buy -- less than 4,000 sq feet -- and everyone had their own room AND we had plenty of recreation space.

Leno is dead on with his joke.

[BeyondGeography]

28. What's funny is how Edwards' supporters keep acting shocked that this is even brought up

Democrats, like Edwards, try to appeal to the better angels of our nature. As such, they are held to a different standard than Republicans, who basically elevate selfishness to a virtue with their politics and their preaching. When a Democrat who talks about helping the poor does anything that looks selfish, he or she gets lampooned.

That said, I don't see this as a big issue. Edwards is a self-made man and he can say the big house is consistent with his view that every American should have access to the same opportunities he did so they can live as well, and most people will buy that. One of my best friends, a difficult person who is not easily won over, used to teach Edwards' little kids tennis in DC and he says JE is one of the most genuinely nice guys he's ever met. His sunny personality, combined with Americans' private admiration for rich people, will eventually defuse a mini-problem like this.

On a personal level, I do object to the propensity to overconsume that this house represents, and rich America's inability to accept personal limits, a problem that has helped make us the gluttons of the earth. But that's a fringe view in our culture and it won't hurt Edwards.