John Kerry re: Edwards: "This isn't the person I campaigned with."

[liberalpragmatist]

A source close to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., says the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee has reacted with sorrow to the scandalous personal behavior of his former running mate, former Sen. John Edwards, D-NC.

“It’s a really sad personal family situation,” the source tells ABC News.

Kerry “reached out and called” Elizabeth Edwards a couple days ago, the source says. “He reached out and called her. He’s very sympathetic to the situation she’s going through, and that’s where his focus is.”

...

“This isn’t the person I campaigned with back then,” Kerry has privately said, according to the source.

Because values was such an important issue in the 2004 campaign, the source says, "and because there was still Clinton hangover," vetting the private lives of potential running mates "was exhaustive and Edwards came back clean. Squeaky clean – no signs of indiscretions or foreshadowings of things to come."

Officials on the Kerry campaign "spoke extensively with folks in North Carolina and heard nothing about distrust or infidelity," the source says, adding that "Kerry and Edwards have spoken twice since they ended their campaign."

Link.

[virgogal]

1. Aaaaah,but the secrets. Does anyone really know any one else?

[liberalpragmatist]

2. Well, the affair did happen long after the '04 campaign

And in the excerpt from Game Change, old Edwards campaign aides said they had always joked he seemed asexual - he never seemed to show much interest in other women.

But they also commented that he changed after '04. Before then, his aides felt he was incredibly down-to-earth, but post-'04 the ego got to his head. And who knows if Elizabeth's cancer made him more receptive to other women.

[virgogal]

7. The entire thing is very tawdry but also incredibly sad,both for

Mrs Edwards but also for the young child who will be reading all of this some day,including his denials of paternity.

[karynnj]

14. I suspect that the change started even as he got the VP nod

There was a huge difference between the Edwards in the primary and the one in the general election. There were Kerry people (not Kerry) who spoke of how Edwards would promise to attack Bush or defend Kerry - then not do it - and tell the media that the campaign thought him more valuable not doing that. (Speaking of ego - listen to Teresa Kerry's very wise words on dealing with ego at the end of this short clip done when the Edwardses joined the ticket - http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=628737n&tag=related


It is nice to hear that Kerry reached out to Elizabeth (Teresa mentioned he called her in an interview she did) this weekend. It has to be incredible dealing with your world collapsing around you, while you deal with stage IV cancer AND raise two small children.

[Jennicut]

16. I saw it after the 2004 campaign....when some criticism of Edwards came out.

He got killed by Cheney in the VP debate. His head seemed elsewhere, totally into the attention but not the hard work. I liked him during the 2004 primaries but never again.
John Kerry is a great man and I am not surprised he reached out the Elizabeth.

[tavalon]

36. I was at the Seattle Kerry headquarters the day that debate happened

He wiped the floor with Cheney.

[karynnj]

45. Not how I saw it watching with my family

You do realize that you were watching it with a partisan audience. I was looking at the praise on the K/E blog, but I was personally not impressed. He seemed at times completely overwhelmed - especially when asked a question about his own views on something.

[tavalon]

47. You are completely right

We were watching it on a grainy TV and we were a built in cheering squad.

[tonysam]

18. You'll never let it go, will you?

Get over the Edwards hate--please.

[karynnj]

21. There is nothing in my post that is not true

I resent that for at least 3 years, Edwards supporters bashed Kerry based on lies that John Edwards told. At that point, it was a case of who you believed - anonymous Kerry staffers or John Edwards himself. It is not unfair or "hating Edwards" to argue the same thing I argued when Edwards was the most popular guy here. Seeing that those lies hurt John kerry's reputation with many here, it is fair to point out that they were lies.

[Mimosa]

42. YES!!!! n/t

karynnj, I remember your posts from when I was a long time lurker. Your perspective is on the money.

[karynnj]

44. Thanks

[jesus_of_suburbia]

3. "Kerry and Edwards have spoken twice since they ended their campaign."

THAT.....


is very disturbing considering Edwards ran for Pres and was in the spotlight. They must have not liked each other very much.

[liberalpragmatist]

4. Not that uncommon for losing running mates

Running mates only rarely like each other or know each other that well. And if the campaign loses, then there never seems much reason for them to talk again.

[Bucky]

5. yep, reminiscing about "that time we got our butts kicked" isn't very fun

Also, apparently, Edwards would want to go out and meet some chicks afterwards.

[avaistheone1]

13. Where have you been? They won. That election was stolen by Bushco and Rove.

[Kaleva]

15. I wonder how many times Clinton and Gore have spoken to each other since 2000.

Or McCain and Palin?

[karynnj]

17. They were never friends and

Edwards refused to be a team player in the general election. He bragged (in 2006) to the NYT that he refused to use Kerry's slogan "Help is on the way" preferring his "hope is on the way" (though help makes more sense, as hope should already have been there) - leading to comments that the campaign was so indecisive it couldn't stick with a slogan. He also would promise to do things - tehn not do them. Then he lied about his role in the campaign in 2005 - 2008.

Those of us who supported Kerry had only an article from the Boston Globe quoting Kerry staffers to point to on this as Kerry never said one bad word about either Edwards. The slogan story was great because it was Edwards bragging about it - as "standing up for his principles".

It was Edwards incidentally who stopped speaking to Kerry. Both Kerrys called Elizabeth when she had the bad diagnosis, but John Edwards supposedly refused to speak to them.

[uppityperson]

6. He's not the same man I supported either.

[DeadEyeDyck]

10. what is he would have pulled off the nomination?

therein lies the rub. If he were a private citizen and wanted to dick around on his wife is one thing but to do this while seeking the Whitehouse is something else.

Imagine where we would be if he got elected before the story broke? Seems we went down a similar road.

[marmar]

8. I've always found there to be something disingenuous about John Edwards....

..... Not that I would not have voted for him, but there's just always been something "fake" about him.

[glitch]

11. I would have voted for him if only to hold him to his rhetoric.

Not much fun holding a centrist to their rhetoric, at least Edwards talked populist, before talking populist was "in".

[seabeyond]

9. i like kerry's respect to females. was always evident with wife choice and interaction

with daughters, but i heard it in every day talk by the man.

[karynnj]

19. One ex-Republican who had moved from PA, supported Kerry in the primary

just because she had known a lot about Teresa from her years as Senator Heinz's wife. She did check out his positions, but her comment was that he had to have integrity and not be sleazy or she would have never married him.

I loved the stories his daughters have told of him - from the story of him resduing Vanessa's hamster rather than have them suffer the lost of a pet to him making animal shaped pancakes for them when they were kids - making up names for misshapen ones, claiming that they were now extinct (from Alexandra's book.)

Also in Alexandra's book was a story not told in 2004. The night of the first debate, Alexandra was at the debate and Vanessa with their mom, who had a doctor's appointment. Vanessa called her sister to say that their mother's cancer had taken a bad turn. When the Kerrys were in a car going back to the hotel, he was told. He ended up getting Kennedy's help in assisting his ex-wife. Kennedy came up with the idea of getting the tests to some experts and then getting them on a conference call with Kennedy and Vanessa and her mom to examine the options. It was amazing to hear that in the midst of the campaign on a night that was a huge victory for him, he immediately did everything he could.

It said something that all the women in his life supported him.

[seabeyond]

24. ya. thanks. will say it again. we missed a real opportunity having kerry as pres. nt

[Inspired]

12. I admire Kerry for calling Elizabeth.

That was a very thoughtful thing to do.

[JI7]

20. Kerry is wrong

he is exactly the same person now that he was when Kerry picked him to be VP. that's why he didn't want to pick him but did so after pressure from certain people.

[karynnj]

22. Yes and no -

At the point that he picked him, the only thing that Shrum mentioned as causing Kerry problems was Edwards' dramatic account of "never having told anyone" about his decision to go into public service at his son's casket - which he had told Kerry, who was not a close friend before. (to me suggesting he had told many people and didn't remember who)

But, the vetting was he was squeaky clean. Kennedy, who had worked with Edwards on a rewrite of Kenendy's patient bill of rights, and Clinton both pushed him. The media had month's of articles on the "sunny" John Edwards was alreadly listing him as the favorite, unless Kerry's ego couldn't take Edwards out shining him (even though Kerry soundly beat Edwards in the primary), and Edwards had the highest favorables of anyone looked at - likely due to all that positive media. The strategists argued he was the most likely to help. Against all this Kerry's gut feeling was pretty vague. It did lead him to say he needed to see Edwards before picking him. Obviously Edwards was able to persuade Kerry that he was sincere. (The media would likely have bashed Kerry had he not chosen Edwards which would have hurt.)

[seabeyond]

25. i thought edwards did a misservice to kerry during the campaign.

i didnt think edward put in the time, effort and support. i was disappointed in edwards running with kerry. i saw too many dems fall short for kerry. the only dem i was really impressed with was boxer, after.

[karynnj]

29. Agree completely

but would add Clealand, who was terrific and Clark and Dean, who both were credible, good, hard working surrogates.

It is a credit to Kerry that with a lame VP and the media completely tilted against him - with even the Democratic pundits mostly complaining that he was not listening to Clinton and speaking too much about Iraq and terrorism - that he would have won if there were enough voting machines.

[seabeyond]

30. thanks for the reminder on those three. you are right on.... nt

[SnoopDog]

23. And I am sure Edwards is saying "I never thought Kerry would..."

give in so quickly to Bush in 2004....

Edwards obviously has fallen from grace - but Kerry sure did 'run tail' and not fight the voting irregularities in Ohio...

[karynnj]

31. That was a lie Hint - Edwards is a very convincing liar

(Here is what should be his theme song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_1RqyNdzbE )

Edwards was sent out by the campaign on election eve because KERRY was not ready to concede.

Edwards was SILENT on all issues such as voter fraud, suppression of the vote by various legal,but sleazy means or the voting machines. Both John and Teresa Kerry DID speak of these things - at least 10 times in 2005 and 2006 - in the public and in teh Senate.

When Edwards ran he picked up issues he thought would help him:
- he said he wanted to fight back against the SBVT - In fact, he promised Kerry to do so, then he didn't do it - ever.

- he said in the BLOGOSPHERE, that Kerry should have fought the election. However, he NEVER said that in the MSM.

The fact is that Kerry worked his heart out and really did a fantastic job in the three debates, Edwards was more concerned with pushing his "sunny" image so he could run in the future.

[RB TexLa]

26. Yes it is the same person, Senator. The things coming out now weren't any of your concern then or

now.

[democratus]

27. The important thing here

is to kick everyone to the curb for political expediency.

:sarcasm:

I agree with you.

[karynnj]

32. The character issues, the dishonesty, and lack of integrity are

issues that should make Edwards unsuitable. In 2004, there was less case for saying that - and vetting found nothing.

[undeterred]

28. Edwards probably thought he should be at the top of the ticket.

[karynnj]

34. It is pretty clear in Saving Grace that Elizabeth and he both did

That book suggests that with a few changes, Edwards would have won. This in fact is nowhere near true. Kerry clinched the nomination at a point where he had won something like 21 states and Edwards just 1. There were plenty of people in the media who wanted Edwards, not Kerry. The voters were a much better judge of who the far better man was.

[KittyWampus]

38. Kerry had many years of working for the party and as being a real fighter for Democratic values.

I think, in the end, Edwards suffered from being too green, too new.

He didn't have the good will or political clout. He didn't have the internal fortitude.

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Mind_your_head]

35. Campaigning is one thing......"trusting" is a W H O L E nuther thing...n/t

[Romulox]

37. Well, he campaigned with him before he didn't.

:hi:

[KittyWampus]

39. report back here for your spanking-

:spank:

I do love Kerry and thank him for all the years he's put in fighting the good fight.

[karynnj]

40. Ha Ha - Kerry saw how lame he was in 2004, but he sounded genuinely surprised in 2008

when he expressed his sympathies for Elizabeth and the kids.

The fact is Edwards campaigned in support of Kerry - or so it should have been. One of the problems of 2004 was that Edwards was more focused on his own ambitions and he was so blinded by the light that he didn't see that supporting Kerry as best he could AND doing what he was asked - and really studying for the debate, was what was BOTH in his own interest and the campaign's.

One later comment was that it was not his job to defend Kerry on the SBVT stuff - but yes it was and he had the full Navy records and all the men on Kerry's boat when he got medals to use to defend him. This was FAR easier than when Kerry had to defend Clinton on the draft issues or the entire party had to defend him on his "bimbo" problems.

After Edwards' lackluster 2004 work, there was absolutely no reason for Kerry to campaign with him or support him - and many reasons not to do so. Many here, especially Edwards supporters said that Kerry endorsing Obama was wrong. But, it was Edwards who owed Kerry (he owed him 100% of his focus and abilities in 2004), not Kerry owing Edwards anything.

[Mass]

41. Kerry did not say that. He may have expressed the idea to the source who talked to ABC,

but this is not a quote. This is not even a paraphrasing by a reporter who talked to Kerry. It is a paraphrasing from a "source close from Kerry".

I am not sure that he would even think that, as it is not a secret that he chose Edwards reluctantly. It would be interesting to know who is the source: one of the people who convince Kerry to choose Edwards despite his personal doubts? (Not that Kerry is not responsible for this choice. Ultimately, it is his choice, just as Sara Palin is McCain's choice, but unnamed sources may have ulterior motives).

[karynnj]

43. Excellent points

Kerry did say (in a NYT interview) that all these actions were after 2004 and that they had found nothing when he was vetted.

But for all his real flaws in 2004, it was believable that he was "Bill Clinton without bimbo erruptions". At the time this likely was accurate. Remember Clinton, who was a talented politician, had some honesty problems as well as girl problems. That description was why the party and liberal leaning media loved him. Kerry is responsible for the choice, but what if he had gone against all the strategist, who said Edwards polled best and helped him the most, against Kennedy and Clinton, and picked someone like Durbin. The media would have bashed the choice and argued that it was Kerry's ego that wouldn't give the "star" a chance. They did get favorable coverage with Edwards, though some used it as a chance to slap Kerry - "asking if he thought the campaign now had energy and whether JE's energy would rub off on him etc)

Even in terms of homesty, Edwards had not completely rewritten himself for 2008, worked for a hedge fund to understand poverty, or been a very poor team player in the general election, which he then went on to lie about. In fact, the Edwards of the last one or two debates was "auditioning" for the role of VP, ably agreeing with Kerry on things and re-enforcing the arguments and he was still pleasant with the media and the people around him. In addition, Kennedy had liked working with him on the Patient's bill of rights.

[TayTay]

46. I am sorry for the Edwards family

I am very glad that Sen. Kerry put the emphasis back on the Edwards family and the focus on the real human beings in that family. Tragedies of this sort bring pain to many people. In this case, it appears that an entire family will be suffering from the deceits that went on post-2004. I am deeply sorry for the children in this story, all of the children. They don't deserve to suffer the sins of their fathers and mothers.

I think Sen. Kerry knows a bit about divorce and how painful it is to those around you. I acknowledge that this is a political story that involves famous people. However, Sen. Kerry's response seems to indicate that he knows that even famous people can screw up and are deserving of some understanding and privacy to get their lives back together.

I am not enough of an armchair psychologist to know how or why John Edwards did what he did. I don't really want to pry into the man in that way because I find it tawdry. His public deception of his supporters is horrible and my heart goes out to those who were betrayed by him. But, at the same time, I feel compassion and sorrow for the Edwards family. I am sorry to see this happen, as I have been sorry to see such family tragedies play out in the lives of people I actually know. May time heal their wounds and allow them to regain their footing in life. I think they all still have much to contribute to this country, if they are allowed to acknowledge and move past these incidents.

[karynnj]

49. What a beautiful post

Here the fact that they are famous works both ways - we saw their beautiful, intelligent then college age daughter and the two adorable kids. I hope their extended family and friends are there for them and Elizabeth.

At least, this has to be group of shoes dropping.

[UTUSN]

48. Well, KERRY & GORE *knew* their picks personally, should have KNOWN the crap. n/t

[karynnj]

50. Neither knew them all that well

Gore likely knew Lieberman better as they worked together on climate change. Kerry was on no committees with Edwards and they supposedly did not know each other well until both were running and they are very different as people.

But the fact is that neither Lieberman or Edwards had anything in their pre-2004 and pre-2000 past that presaged what they became. There was much to admire in Lieberman's civil rights record as he was one of the students who went south to work on voting rights. He, like Gore, had a strong record on global warming - and Lieberman had the better overall environmental record - the League of Conservation Voters gave him the second highest lifetime rating in the Senate. (only Kerry beat him and that was by one point.)

In Edwards' case, he had a much shorter record, but he had successfully campaigned in NC and in the primaries with no major campaign threatening gaffes. His "two Americas" was very compelling, though not original. In the Senate, Kennedy was happy with the support he gave on the Patient's bill of rights - and he was then well liked in the Senate.

Although Gore and Kerry knew their VP nominee as a colleague, neither was said to have really been a friend of theirs. They obviously knew the reputations and they had them vetted. In both cases, neither were found to have any problems - and in fact, there was nothing that blew up on the VPs in either campaign.

In hindsight, Kerry's advice to Obama was supposedly to pick someone he wanted to he wanted to govern with.