Bad news is bad. Many experts agree on this. However, there is help. That’s why it’s always good to have a role model, like John Edwards. His wife is once again fighting breast cancer, but he’s still out there searching for votes.
DENIAL: During this stage, you are tempted to believe that it can’t be happening. It must be a bad test. Maybe the doctor is incompetent. Check credentials. Have you ever met him while chasing an ambulance? Then he must be okay. That means you’ll move on the the next stage…
ANGER: How could this happen? Is it the Right Wing Conspiracy? Can we blame Fox News? Anger is a natural phase to go through until you get to…
BARGAINING: Sometimes you just need to strike a deal. Maybe you can talk to God. Maybe you can get the votes and override his veto. You never know. Eventually, you’ll realize that you got bad information from Murtha and that you don’t have anywhere near the support you thought you had. At that point, your campaign might spin into depression.
DEPRESSION: Horrible tragedy is like having a bad hair day. It seems to leave you feeling all “iicky.” Thankfully, this won’t last long either because your next phase is around the corner.
ACCEPTANCE: Your quest for power is almost complete. Bad things just happen. Remember the time you ran with John F. Kerry? if you can deal with that, you can deal with anything. The best job in the world is just a few votes away.
**
Uh, dude. There’s a time and a place for jokes like this. And this is NOT the time. The place, well, we can debate that, but seriously – this isn’t right. IMAO has been slipping for a while, but this is a new level.
KOS and DUmbasses live for posts like this.
Shitcan it.
You like flirting with the flames o’ Hell, dontcha, RWD? :-p
I’ll put my cynicism aside (for a while) and give him the benefit of the doubt that he doesn’t think that his career is more important than, y’know, his beloved. I guess his hair comes in as beloved #2.
I’m just cynical enough to believe that the health of ostensibly the most important person in your life SHOULD come before your political ambitions… especially when you’re possibly the #3 pick on one of two sides and have been accumulating baggage for months.
I’m also just cynical enough to believe that the calculus has been done behind the scenes, and even the possibility of it makes me sick.
Thoughtful post RightWingDick
Really inappropriate this post. This just is not funny and is pretty offensive.
And when you win, she gets to go to Walter Reed Medical Center where the VIPs get served.
Besides, if she dies while on the Campaign Trail, he can always “CHANNEL” her.
I think Ducky was making a point about Edward’s continued quest for election in the face of his Wife’s illness. He’s not making fun of his wife, he’s criticizing Edwards’ behaviour. What Edwards hould do is option two in the poll below, which most of us have picked: Stay home and tend to your wife’s needs instead of selfishly continuing with your money-grabbing election campaign.
“Besides, if she dies while on the Campaign Trail, he can always “CHANNEL” her.”
That’s the wrongest, yet still appropriatest, comment yet.
It’s a shame Johnny Boy has such a long history of being a complete scumbag lowlife or we’d be able to look past the political angle of all this and simply extend sympathy.
Oh well.
Two things crossed my mind when I heard that he would drop out (which he didn’t), and why. Sympathy for both of them, and a little silent prayer she gets better. Then I hear the presser and my deep dilike for the Breck Girl returned and indeed deepened. Mrs. Edwards is pubicly supporting his doomed bid for the White House (not surprising), but I cannot believe she is not terrified, and deep down wishes like hell her husband would just quit the campaign and hold her. They have money. He doesn’t need to work. He needs to be with his wife. He’s despicable.
I actually think this piece is quite appropriate. These two are incomprehensible to me; I don’t know of anyone whose ambition is that great. It might be one thing if he had a job and said he would continue to serve despite this tragedy because of the good he can currently do. But he doesn’t have that kind of job; he merely wants a job, and he and his wife are willing to direct a significant amount of her energy towards that ambition instead of towards her health or the future of their children.
I’ve seen players of the game admire the Edwards for staying in the game and, indeed, for making her private illness part of the game. If that’s the case, then the shield of “how dare you attack her pain” goes out of play. That’s a defense that states that some things are outside politics, but the Edwards have put that INTO politics by their decision. I think it’s a bad decision and sets a terrible precedent, but apparently ambition knows no bounds.
Wow, can’t see this bit o’ humor backfiring.
Most people when faced with a potentially life threatening illness really don’t want to stop living before they have to. Maybe his campaign (though not exactly something supported on this site)is important enough to her that she doesn’t want him to drop out. At the very least, posts like this (though intended in jest) make for great fodder to help elevate Edwards’s status as somewhat of a sympathetic hero (Right Wing bloggers poke fun of Edwards wife’s cancer, already sounds like a kos headline).
I’m not saying it should give him a bulletproof vest from any form of criticism, but this approach should be off the table.
Besides, I thought picking on family members was off limits (Mary Cheney, anyone?)
/end rant
wow-This isn’t that funny and abusing a guy for having a sick wife is pretty low. Personally I’d stop the campaign, but it could be at her urging that he’s cmapaigning for all we know.
Plus it just looks bad.
If they truly were dedicated to the good of the country, the courageous thing for Edwards and his wife to do would have been NOT to make it public. Suffer in silence and show the world how brave you are in retrospect. Not make it a campaign issue. That’s how I feel. Good post Ducky.
Those of you who think I’m picking on Elizabeth need to get back on that short little bus.
HKPistole gets it.
The rest of you are either racist or jealous of my talent.
Thanks Bikermommy
;0)
BTW, is someone accusing me of being offensive just to generate traffic?
The reality is that voters will not want a president who is going to be distracted by major family crises. It is a hard enough job without that burden.
If it didn’t distract him, he would be a cad. If it did distract him, he would be incompetent. Either way he is not suited for the President’s job under the circumstances.
By staying in the hopeless presidential race he is not facing reality, or he is allowing someone else to decide for him who is not facing reality – which says a lot about his judgement. Denial is very human and understandable and worthy of sympathy, but still a disqualifier.
Somebody had to say it. We are all thinking it.
So what is with all the regular readers who are too wussified, or too far up FrankJ’s butt, to actually use their normal screen name when criticizing? What a bunch of pussies.
Do you have any idea how many people have a serious disease? Why would I want to waste one second of my time sympathizing with a socialist pig like Edwards? The only thing I am sad about is that it was his wife and not him.
I am glad that IMAO made this post.
Duck, it seems obvious to me you weren’t making fun of his wife, but when Sarcasm Man posts “Thoughtful post” and doesn’t even feel the need to troll on this one, your aim was off here.
It’s not the time. Whatever your intentions, I’d delete this one. Yeah, people at DU do worse; yeah people at Huffington Post were rooting for Dick Cheney’s death for over 60 pages of comments recently – are we better than those guys or not?
This is the kind of thing those guys will post a couple years from now to say we’re as bad as they are (specifically the fine, she’s dying, but I’m okay with it part). Out of all the Democratic candidates, I’m actually hoping they elect Edwards because I think we’ll trounce the guy, but whatever your intentions, that was crossing over the line.
As someone who had a family member with breast cancer, I can sympathize with John Edwards. I have deep regard and respect for his wife.
But Ducky is right. So are HKPistole and Bikermommy. It appears that Edwards is exercising political opportunism and that is despicable (nice word PaleoMedic). If the “regular readers” are too slow to see that the criticism is not of Elizabeth Edwards but of her pathetic husband, then maybe this site is a little over their heads.
To those who criticize RWD for this satirical piece, I think you are way off base. Satire is not always humorous sometimes its just biting for a purpose and I believe RWD has suitably matched the level of “inappropriateness” in this piece with Edwards’s inappropriateness in putting ambition (or at least the appearance of ambition) ahead of his wife’s true needs. She may be urging him on but don’t they have a single “friend” who will tell them NO! Are they only surrounded by the greasy politicos who don’t know any better?
Cary from Huston,
No reasonable human being thinks the way you do. Either you are a leftwing troll trying to sully the reputation of conservatives who post at IMAO. Or…You’re and ass! Actually, either way, you, in fact, are an ass!
Good luck with that!
I am a regular here.
My wife had cancer.
I spent all the time that I could with her.
Anyone who cannot see that this posting is being critical of his overwheening ambition, while seeking sympathy for his wife’s illness, is not reading it clearly.
Great post. Edwards is a piece of shxx. I was ready to slightly respect him when I thought he’d drop out. I kept hear the word “incurable” and yet he goes on. Great way to treat your wife, John. She deserves better and our prayers.
“hearing”
2 pts for spelling
From personal experiences, trying to keep life normal in the face of illness is also important. Until he starts introducing himself with the phrase “I’m John Edwards, I’m running for President and my wife has cancer…” I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
Even if Edwards is trying to use his wife’s illness to gain sympathy, calling him on it is an unwinnable argument. It’s much easier to be the good guy when the other side is poking fun at the expense of your wife’s illness.
If you think he’s trying to use it for political gain, don’t let him. You do that by nodding, wish them luck (or perhaps even offer prayers for her health), then keep after him on the issues.
Or his hair.
RWD is not out of bounds in criticizing the decision to campaign in the face of terminal cancer in the family. Mr. Edwards intentionally threw this tragedy into the national spotlight and political arena. That was his decision and he is now open to criticism for it.
And folks remember: Just because the lefties will criticize us for saying things, doesn’t mean we should refrain from saying them. Do we want to let them set the rules? They hates us my precious, whether we talks or we bes quiet.
My mother-in-law lost a battle with this same type of cancer some years ago. The time we had to spend with her (she died under 60 yrs old) was invaluable. I would never wish that disease on anyone. Cancer doesn’t profile or discriminate.
I don’t understand why someone would take this personal situation and use it to somehow gain popularity. They announced the return of cancer during a political press conference. They have two young children (6 & 8). Is this best for them? They have thrown this whole family tragedy into the political debate arena; why?
He has a very poor chance of even winning the primary, so why waste precious time? I honestly think that someone truly dedicated to the socialist/progressive cause and fixing the “two Americas” problems would be willing to pass the torch to a trusted ally and step back to take care of much more important things.
And, in my wild out-dated traditional conservative opinion, caring for a Wife and Children far outweight political popularity or position.
Ahem, outweighs.
Begin as you mean to go on. I guess Mr. Edward has opted for a circus atmosphere.
Since his wife’s cancer has returned he had several option available.
1) Don’t run. After all if she should pass away, and I hope she doesn’t, he has years to try again, when she ISN’T dying. She is only going to die one time and if this is it, I would think as someone who loves her I would want her to put all her efforts into going into remission or beating the cancer all together.
2) As a supportive wife I’m sure she wants her husband to chase his dream. As a good husband I would try to get her to understand that she is my greatest dream.
3) An illness. any illness is personal and private. No one else is going to feel her pain, deal with her depression, or walk through the valley of the shadow of death with her. They can’t, no matter whether they write for the NYT or Entertainment Tonight.
By using this a a part of their campaign they have taken this illness out of the private milieu and put it firmly in the public domain. In making a public spectacle out of this with a “press conference” they have signaled that they will continue to use it in the campaign. If they hadn’t planned to do that they would have kept this personal tragedy, private, acknowledging it only if and when it became an issue during the campaign. As well as firmly signaling that it would not be a topic of conversation, ever.
Although I am sorry for her illness I think this was handled very badly. As someone who lost a mother to breast cancer I know how important it is to take care of yourself especially mentally. I don’t see how that is going to happen here. How tragic.
I like this post. I applaud the point RWD is making. A wife, a helpmeet, the person that you vowed to be one flesh with, comes first. Using it to garner sympathy for an election, or even continuing with the election, putting a person struggling with a life threatening illness for your own gain, is just damnably wrong. This is a post about Silky Pony and not his wife.
So the douchebag whiner, knee-jerk crybabies that have crawled out of the woodwork to condemn this need to work on a little thing called reading comprehension.
My prayers are with John Edward’s family and for the healing of his wife. However, one can pray for the salvation of a whore without leaving a $20 on the dresser when their done.
Edwards is not the sharpest guy on the planet. He’s also not a class guy — we’re talking about the same person who brought up Dick Cheney’s lesbian daughter in a complete non-sequitur during the ’04 debate to hurt him with the Republican base.
There are going to be other times in the future where the Dems are going to do the sort of classless stuff we can expect from them. When they do, and when we complain about it and point out what dicks those guys are, just expect them to link to this among their first posts in response.
I like pointing out what dicks they are. I like comparing them to us and showing the kind of people who post on DU they have arguments that consist of the classess ad homs you’d expect from a five year old.
I have contempt for them. But that’s why this annoys me–I have contempt for them because of their level of arguments/posts. It’s tougher to argue that there’s much of a difference between them and us with stuff like this.
I’m sure there’re many defenses we can make–and people have already made them in this thread–With something like this, though, we now have to keep that stuff handy and bother to make them. We’re better than them. That shouldn’t be necessary to waste time doing that.
Ouch, I’m not touchin’ that one.
Sometimes things just don’t need to be said. If it’s political opportunism, it will come out in the end; you don’t need to mention it. It reminds me of the kid in King of the Hill who points at Luanne after Buckley blows up and says, “your boyfriend’s dead.”
Even if RearWheelDrive was only shooting at him and not her, it is still perceived by a large number of people here as inappropriate and thoughtless. And perception is reality…
And… it just wasn’t that funny.
You’re better than this, RWD. I know you didn’t mean any harm, but it was caused – so please remedy it.