Apparently the prosecutors’ idea is that if Edwards used money from “Bunny” Mellon and others to keep his mistress stashed away and quiet, this was really a campaign expense and should have been paid for out of campaign funds. But suppose Edwards had paid for it with campaign funds. Don’t you think prosecutors would now be thinking of indicting him for an improper use of campaign funds? (You can’t pay for most meals using campaign funds. You can’t buy mittens with campaign funds. Are mistresses going to OK?)
March 4, 2011
Mickey Kaus has a problem with indicting John Edwards.
He writes:
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29 comments:
Really? you can't use campaign funds for meals? Well then the Fleabagger 14 have some legal problems.
Does anyone really think someone with Edwards' money and connections is gonna fail all the way through the legal process?
ok, there's no WI connection to Edwards ;) but, but, but does anyone still care about the sleazebag.
Although it is interesting Spitzer resigned almost immediately after his scandal and Edwards had nothing to resign from, whereas Sanford, Vitter, Ensign, Larry Craig never resigned.
It's the Bill Clinton, I have no shame syndrome, that politicians, mostly Republican, now adhere to.
ok, ok, evangelicals er the religious right believe forgiveness is a virtue!
And my fave, Christine (((I'm a 41 year old virgin witch :) who perpetually runs for office and loses))) O'Donnell so she can pay her living expenses lol is probably gonna skate free 'cause she has a nice smile ...
You bet'cha!
The only thing that interests me re: Edwards is his sex tape ;)
Just like everyone on the planet will soon have their own reality show, everyone really should have their own "infamous" sex tape, eh.
Andy Warhol's (15) minutes has increased exponentially over the past 30/40 years ...
Am I still O/T ?!?
btw, Sanford is still hiking the Appalachian Trail down Argentine way.
Although it is interesting Spitzer resigned almost immediately after his scandal
That wasn't very interesting at all. It would have been much more interesting to watch him get impeached and then go to jail.
Mickey ignores the possibility that it's illegal both ways.
I suppose if Edwards wanted to pay his mistress's hush money out of his own pocket it would have been ok. In a certain sense of the word...
Heard some of the phone conversations on Hannity and it sounds like pretty thin gruel.
shiloh said...
ok, there's no WI connection to Edwards ;) but, but, but does anyone still care about the sleazebag.
Considering he might the the hideously under-qualified pretty boy in the White House right now - YES!
It's the Bill Clinton, I have no shame syndrome, that politicians, mostly Republican, now adhere to.
Most Demos have their iniquities swept under the rug by the Establishment Media. Kind of like that business with Verna What's-her-name.
Edutcher...There is one old media that sweeps the Dems' scandals out from under the rug ...The National Enquirer. Edwards has been their Man of the Year.
I find it amazing that Edwards went as far as he did, skating past the scrutiny that accompanies most other candidates --and especially R candidates.
The media ought to be really ashamed of themselves on this one, but they'd have to grow a conscience first. I mean, this mug was not that far away from getting the D nomination...
He is one of the legislative class that makes these laws. My sympathy is reserved for the rest of us.
Funny how Democrats forget "ol Ted Kennedy" and the "Chappaquiddick incident" and the death of Mary Jo Kopechne.
Clinton took lessons from him.
A Republican would have been put under the jail. The media would have seen to that-but they covered for Kennedy.
I understand Wade Smith is representing Edwards.
Mickey has just had the experience of being a middle class guy without a huge trust fund trying to campaign for office. He's having a very tough time with the conflict between his disdain for the campaign finance laws and his disdain for Edwards. (What's a better word between disdain and hatred?) So it's a pretty incoherent post.
I think Spitzer resigned was more of a plea deal to avoid criminal charges. Was The National Enquirer was owned by a friend of the Clintons who wanted Edwards out of race. The refusal of MSM to cover the story was helpful to Obama in getting nomination. If coverup had worked Edwards may have been VP and another Agnew moment may have happened.
Sjhiloh your ignorance and prejudice is amusing. Did any of those republicans commit a felony like Clinton, Spitzer and Edwards did? Taking money in lieu of salary like Christine O'Donnell did is legal and the people who gave you those talking points know that. You want o be govern by plutocrats? LOL!
Forget campaign finance laws. Isn't there some kind of Mellon Trust whose trustee could sue Edwards for elder abuse?
Mickey ignores the possibility that it's illegal both ways.
Yeah, sometimes he needs certain things about life explained to him.
"Mickey has just had the experience of being a middle class guy without a huge trust fund trying to campaign for office."
Yes, as did Cristine O'Donnell. If paying yourself a reasonable salary is going to be an indictable offense, we'll only have the already wealthy running for office.
It doesn't matter whether the charges are well-founded or not. What matters instead is that John Edwards needs to get got.
Why?
Because he didn't get on his knees and kiss Obama's ring like Hillary did. He needs to be punished for the lack of respect shown to the guy who won. Charging him and bringing him to trial will cause sufficient pain for Edwards, enough at least to massage Barack's ego. But more importantly, it'll be a deterrent to anyone in the liberal camp who might dare think about speaking out about the President in the upcoming campaign season.
What really annoyed me about Edwards was the way certain folks (e.g., John Nichols) planted their tongues up his ass. And now that he has been shown to have been a wee bit of a fraud, no apology, no retraction necessary. What happened to the idea of an errata column?
The winger whining meter re: MSM treatment of Dems is on (((condition red))) in this thread, as per usual. Interesting they had to go back (40) years to Ted Kennedy for a false equivalency comparison.
btw, "you" forgot Wilbur Mills/Fannie Fox and Wayne Hays/Elizabeth Ray lol yada yada yada
And Spitzer wasn't charged w/anything, much like David Vitter and John Ensign had mommy and daddy provide the hush $$$ re: his affair w/the wife of his top aide.
But please, let the conservative whining continue!
I wonder if Mickey regrets not running with the Rielle story. He could have made a big splash and established a bigger name in the media world. As it is, he's relegated to a precarious blogging site, while tadpoles like Dave Weigel get jobs at his old place, Slate, and appear as pundits on political programs.
I think he's partially responsible for Hilldog's loss, as Edwards wasn't outted.
You have it all wrong about Sptizer Shiloh.
He was ousted because he had alientated everyone in New York State in paticular every other Democratic politican in the state. He was the classic bully who bulldozed everyone and they couldn't wait to bury him.
In contrast his successor David Patterson had many of the same sexual issues with a whole parade of lovers who he put on the state's payroll. But since he is a nice guy everyone let it slide. You have to look at each case on a douche by douche basis.
It is funny you mentioned Wilbur Mills because he was the perfect match for Sptizer. When you are a bully and a scumbag and shit on everyone they are happy to get the chance to throw shit right back at you.
Most of the guys you mentioned are go along to get along guys. A real savage partisan would be attacked and destroyed if he didn't have any relationship with other politicos. Politicans stick together sort of like whores on the stroll on 42nd St.
Sptizer and Edwards are outliers because they were egomaniac's which is saying something when you are talking about politicians. Just sayn'
By the way shiloh I have to say I enjoy your sly and good natured style.
You bring a lot to the table and I enjoy your stuff.
If you want to learn about an earlier version of Eliot Sptizer you should study the career of Andrew Stein whose father bought him various offices in NYC just as daddy's money bought every campaign Spitzer ever won. Andy just didn't have the go for the troath venom of Client Number 9.
And as a politican, Eliot Sptizer couldn't hold Andrew Stein's toupee!
That toup costs more than your car dude.
True Trooper John, but I never said the why's and wherefore's re: Spitzer's resignation, only he resigned almost immediately.
Indeed, he was damned w/faint praise and not well liked, which is partly why Clinton survived ~ likability.
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and let the record show Trooper enjoys my sly and good natured style. :) as the key to enjoyment at a political blog is to not take oneself too seriously, eh.
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This is a post in a previous thread that had a glitch and decided not to post:
Neither here nor there ...
By their standards, you're positively congenial, and practically right wing.
Compelling concept, standards at an internet political blog. One could easily argue AA has no standards ie no moderation.
hmm, you want rules and regulations, hell no you don't lol.
Interesting dichotomy political sites w/rules and no rules.
btw, at my 1st political blog, as you can see by the rules, bad language ie profanity would get you instantly banned, end of story!
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Full disclosure, I lasted (3+) years at Jokers 2003/2006 and when I was finally banned it was pretty much a lifetime achievement award ;). There are many posters here who would get permanently banned fairly quickly, so thank your lucky stars AA is a firm believer in free speech.
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Also, Jokers was a reality tv site which just happened to have a current affairs political forum, so I was banned from the political forum, not the entire site.
happy trails
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addendum:
Again, the key is adaptability ie just like the military you have to learn to (((play the game))) er follow the rules ...
and if a political forum has no rules, you can just wing it lol
Hey I was banned from "Television Without Pity" after five comments which I think must be a land speed record.
They are a bunch of wet gaping pussies.
I bet John Edwards would love them.
You hit the nail on the head when you said you can't take yourself too seriously. That is a big failure here I think.
You have the right attitude.
Maybe you can bring the funny from the other side of the aisle.
At Joker's the discussion would get so heated we would have "cool down" periods lasting as long as (3) days to a week. This usually occurred as we were discussing cheney/bush's Iraq War when in was going totally south ~ '04/'05/'06.
Fond memories!
Mickey raises an important issue.
On the one hand, if the cheating candidate gets his rich friends to pay hush money to his mistress without declaring it, it's an illegal contribution. If he pays hush money to his mistress from his campaign, it's an improper use of campaign funds.
The only legal course for the cheating candidate is to pay the hush money out of his own pocket. That's all well and good for the independently wealthy cheating candidate, but it puts
cheating candidates of limited means in a very tough spot indeed. The average-earning cheater will be forced to either enlist his wealthy friends, thus breaking the law or break the household piggy back and risk the ire of his wife.
Clearly, if we want cheating politicians of all financial backgrounds to run for office, this catch-22 law will need to be fixed.
Well Whattadya know, yet another great site to add to my reader!
audi-parts
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