I'm Going To Say It: I Hope John Edwards Is Acquitted...

[AzDar]

He is clearly guilty of being a douchebag, but these charges seem to be politically motivated. While real (war) criminals he opposed go about their business without a care, and those who tanked our economy have never been called to account for their ruinous actions, it certainly doesn't seem right that he should be facing 30 years in prison for things he allegedly did that under Citizen's United, would now be legal anyway. I hope he walks.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. I agree. I wasn't sure until the judge refused to admit the

testimony of the FEC guy, who claimed the money was given as 'gifts' and not as political donations.

[Bake]

2. I couldn't agree more.

Bake

[AnotherMcIntosh]

3. No one can say why the openly-admitted war criminals are walking around free, rich, and happy while

Edwards is being prosecuted.

No one.

Likewise, no one can explain why the banksters who engaged in the biggest fraud in history are walking around free, rich, and happy while Edwards is being prosecuted.

And for all the we-don't-have-the-votes and are-you-going-to-vote-for-Rmony crowd, please spare me. Your excuses and ad hominem attacks are worn out.

[patrice]

7. You know? Indeterminent IS indeterminent. 50:50. Your point would've been legit if it weren't SKEWED

into another opportunity to bash Obama.

You said the question was indeterminent and then you implied it is Obama's fault, answering putative ad hominem attacks with an ad hominem attack.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

13. You say "Indeterminent IS indeterminent." What does that mean? Does it mean anything?

Are you interpreting my statement "No one can say why the openly-admitted war criminals are walking around free, rich, and happy while Edwards is being prosecuted" as meaning that no one can understand why this is so?

"No one can say" does not mean "no one can understand." There are plenty of people who understand. We're just supposed to not say why.

You also said that I "implied it is Obama's fault." Fault for what? Fault for the prosecution of Edwards? If that is your belief, you are mistaken.

[patrice]

14. People can say anything. It takes more than "understanding". We have to know. Unless someone has

determinative knowledge, as in rationally empirical knowledge, understanding is hypothetical at best. People have a right to their hypotheses as long as they are not predicated as "fact".

And, right, 50:50 doesn't mean anything other than 50:50, Edwards is a criminal:Edwards is the dupe of Obama's employers, without determinative KNOWLEDGE, one is a true/false as the other; the question is moot, indeterminent.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

18. This sounds like double-talk. Excuse me, but I don't think that I'll respond further.

[patrice]

19. And what you said sounds like bias against Obama to me, at the expense of a valid point about the

"case against" Edwards.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

21. Biased against Obama? I voted for him. I campaigned for him. I contributed money and effort, and

encouraged others to do so as well.

I believed him when he said, as a Senator, that he would not vote for the telecom immunity bill for the telecoms that spied upon all of us for the Bush Administration. Even when he disappointed me and others by voting to give them immunity, I voted for him because he was obviously better than Insane McCain.

I believed him when he said that he would make an effort to overturn NAFTA to help American workers. I could go on with other important issues, such as not making a more serious effort to close Gitmo, etc., but I think that you are going to excuse him each and every time. Did you know that another wage-lowering "free-trade" agreement is in the works?

Which one of us is biased? Someone who always says that Obama is right, no matter what he does? Or someone who says that Obama has said the right things in the past and wants Obama to take action in a manner consistent with what he has said?

[Chef Eric]

22. You seem to love big words such as "indeterminent"!

But "indeterminent" is not a word. Do you mean "indeterminate"?

[patrice]

28. Yes, thanks for the catch. & re the attitude about "big" words, how would you say the same

thing without the word "indeterminate"?

Perhaps you can imagine: some people love words not because they are "big", but because they refer to certain very specific things economically.

Shall we avoid words that are "big"?

[PoliticAverse]

4. If 'Citizen's United' covered Edward's conduct he would have grounds to appeal any guilty verdict. nt

[obamanut2012]

5. Agreed

He is finished in politics and as a hot-shot attorney, and that is a decent amount of punishment. Elizabeth is dead, and he can never attempt to repair what he did to her.

[frazzled]

6. It's going to be a mistrial on remaining counts, like the first Blagojevich trial

The question is, will they go for another trial on the remaining counts, as they did with Blago? I doubt it. This team is no Patrick Fitzgerald zealots.

The punishment should be paying an FEC fine and perhaps spending a million of his own (many millions) to help unwed pregnant mothers. But the real punishment has already happened, and well deserved it was: JE will always be known as a scummy, stupid, hypocritical, cheatin', irresponsible a-hole. His career in anything is over.

[jeff47]

8. Until someone arrests John Ensign, Edwards should walk.

Ensign did the same damn thing, yet he's not in any legal danger.

[Siwsan]

11. AMEN!!

I have been expecting a hung jury on most, if not all, counts.

I'm not amongst those who say he can never redeem himself, to a point, anyway. What he did to Elizabeth is going to haunt him for the rest of his life. I just can't shut the door on him being able to do some good, in the future. He will never be in politics, again, and will never be able to regain public trust, but I'm not beyond believing his philanthropic side might just be his way of attempting to make some amends with his karma.

[patrice]

16. Yes, and why is Rick Scott walking around free with one of the biggest "voices"/ALEC in this

election cycle and . . .

What about Don Siegelman?

[patrice]

9. Me too . . . but then, I AM a Damages, with Glenn Close, fan.

[loyalsister]

10. His national betrayal of Democrats who supported him angers me

but I'd hate to see him convicted. My understanding is that the case is pretty flimsy.

[ChiciB1]

26. And What About The Blue-Dog Democrats Who

vote against "we the people?" Democrats have simply turned their backs on their own for far too long. Where's the fight for us??

Why can't Obama at least help WI with a robo-call at least?? Doesn't have to do much more than that. I wonder how those people in WI feel who have been fighting so hard for their rights. And if Walker wins AGAIN...will they want to get out and vote for Obama??

I haven't posted here in many, many months because I didn't like what I've seen for so long, but felt like I needed to right now.

[loyalsister]

29. I have no idea how those questions relate

But living in a red state that is lucky to have the few Democrats that we do specifically because of the crap my neighbors say, I get why the blue dogs lean right.

As for helping in WI I'm not sure of his reasoning, but I am not certain that it would be helpful. I know that one of the attack ads that ran in my state featured president Obama praising the democratic candidate who lost. We have another one running now.

Another question is if Barrett is tied to Obama will people vote for him at all?

I'm pretty sure he wouldn't want to contribute to a Democratic loss. If it's a close election, I he may be taking lessons from history and being cautious about potentially doing more harm than good.

He'll be criticized no matter what he does or doesn't do. Do we know for a fact that there is not and will not be a robo-call?

Some things are complicated.
It is not complicated to know it is wrong to take money from supporters while behaving in a way that limits or destroys the ability to do the thing that has them sending the money and support.

[Quantess]

12. I don't really care either way.

There are bigger fish to fry.

[cali]

15. hardly a daring position

[DisgustipatedinCA]

17. I think that just effectively happened:

Note the 4:31 PM EDT timestamp. Not guilty on one count, mistrial on the remainder.


John Edwards not guilty of illegal campaign contributions; mistrial on other charges

[Updated at 4:31 p.m. ET] The judge in the John Edwards trial has declared a mistrial on all counts except for the one on which the jury found the former presidential candidate not guilty, CNN producers in the courtroom said Thursday.

The jury has been dismissed by the judge.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/31/verdict-reached-in-john-edwards-trial/

[young_at_heart]

20. Instead of Edwards, go after the bankers who destroyed the economy

Their illegal activities far outweigh the misdeeds of Edwards.

[tallahasseedem]

23. I am extremely irritated...

that time and money was wasted on this instead of going after the bankers, etc. who drove this country into a ditch in 2008.

[peace frog]

24. I've forgiven him for being weak

John Edwards' adultery might have been easier to reconcile had he not been married to a beloved public figure dying of cancer and had the mistress been more stable and rational, but it is what it is. No hate from me, I'm happy for him today and wish him and his family well in the future.

[ChiciB1]

25. I'm SO GLAD IT TURNED OUT THE WAY IT DID!

All these holier than thou scumbags who are now trying to BUY this country and THIS crap was something that REPUKES do, once again to make people look away from what THEY do!!

Sure, Edwards was a cad, but I KNOW many men who have been cads! And some who are in positions that effect you & me! If Holder & the Obama Admin tries to re-try this case, then I say... what about the WAR CRIMINALS you won't try???

[sendero]

27. I agree..

.. he's a jackass but if that were a crime half the Republican congress would be in jail.