HAVE YOU NO SHAME, SENATORS?

OPINION EDITORIALS.COM ^ | OCTOBER 18, 2004 | JUDSON COX

[CHARLITE]

Have You No Shame Senators? Judson Cox

In January, I wrote a column entitled “The John Edwards North Carolina Knows.” I accused Sen. Edwards of being a side show huckster, a snake oil salesman, a man willing to exploit any situation and use any person to advance his career. I based my evaluation of Edwards, not only on his public statements, but on my personal experience with him. I knew his faults, because I know the man. Many people responded, angrily defending Edwards. This week, Edwards proved my point.

Edwards said, at a rally in Newton, Iowa, “... when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk, get up out of that wheelchair and walk again.''

Edwards took the occasion of Christopher Reeve’s death to play the stunts he used as a trial lawyer, saying that if he and Kerry are elected, the lame will walk. Charles Krauthammer labeled this the worst example of demagoguery he has witnessed in 25 years of DC politics. Were Krauthammer to study Edwards more closely, he would have to revise his statement frequently – this incident barely scratches the surface of the depths of Edwards' ruthless opportunism.

Sen. Kerry also sought to take advantage of Reeve’s tragedy. According to Tribune National Correspondent, Jill Zuckman, Kerry claimed Reeve called him on the night of the second debate, and left a message thanking him for supporting stem cell research. “The excitement in his voice was really just palpable. He was just thrilled at where the discussion of stem cell research had come to." Reeve had already fallen in to a coma at the time Kerry claims he called. Kerry’s willingness to exploit people and situations knows no bounds.

In the third debate, Kerry gratuitously exploited Vice President Cheney’s daughter, “We're all God's children, Bob. And I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was, she's being who she was born as.” The question was whether or not the candidates believe people are born gay. There was no reason for Kerry to mention the Cheney daughter. His goal was to use her lesbianism as a political weapon against the President. Kerry’ campaign manager, Mary Beth Cahill, said Cheney’s sexuality was, “fair game.” As Lynne Cheney responded, this was “a cheap and tawdry political trick.”

In the debates, Kerry prefaced nearly every statement on moral issues by reminding us that he was raised a Catholic and was once an altar boy. This, even though he denies the Church’s authority, and condemns bishops for pointing out that his politics are in opposition to Catholic teaching. Kerry said, “My faith affects everything that I do, in truth. There's a great passage of the Bible that says, "What does it mean, my brother, to say you have faith if there are no deeds? Faith without works is dead." What are these works? He claims his faith leads him to fight poverty and work for a better environment, but his faith has no bearing on issues such as abortion or gay marriage. Even though he claims to believe that life begins at conception, Kerry’s faith does not lead him to condemn what, by his own reasoning, is taking an innocent human life.

Kerry pledges not to impose his faith on others by condemning policies morally opposed to Biblical principles. In other words, he will take any politically expedient position. Were Kerry around during American slavery, I imagine his position would be something along the lines of, “I believe slavery is morally wrong, but I will not impose my religious beliefs on slave holders.” Were he alive during the Holocaust, he may have said, “I am against killing Jews, but I will not impose my religious beliefs on the Nazis.” Clearly this dichotomy is unacceptable. It is merely an exploitation of an issue meant to take advantage of both sides.

Kerry and Edwards are from opposing sides of the Mason – Dixon Line, but they are cut from the same cloth. They are opportunists, willing to exploit any issue for political gain. In the words of Lynne Cheney, “The only thing I can conclude is he (Sen. Kerry) is not a good man” – neither is Sen. Edwards.

JUDSON COX Judson Cox is a political columnist from the mountains of North Carolina. He is quickly gaining recognition as one of the most popular and influential voices of his generation. As a college student, President of the Foundation for Conservative American Values and Editor In Chief of the North Carolina Conservative (North Carolina’s largest circulation newspaper) he has a unique perspective on matters of politics, economics and culture.

Comment: conservativejud@yahoo.com

[fuzzy122]

"Reeve had already fallen in to a coma at the time Kerry claims he called."

Is anyone surprised?

Stay Strong,
Fuzzy122

[Paloma_55]

CHarlite,

Thanks for posting. If you do some search, you will see that I made the *exact* same points about Kerry's spiritual convenience the day after the last debate.

Seems that being catholic is only important when saving the poor and downtrodden, not when saving the unborn.

[Paloma_55]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1246484/posts?page=7#7

[ampat]

The most vile form of living tissue on this planet is a lawyer-politician.

[Puppage]

Edwards took the occasion of Christopher Reeve’s death to play the stunts he used as a trial lawyer, saying that if he and Kerry are elected, the lame will walk

I had NO idea Christ was on the ballot.

These "people" make me sick.

[AdamsPapers]

Second debate on Friday October 8. Heart attack followed by coma on Saturday. Death on Sunday.

Still a slimy thing for him to mention. The whole family was grieving, not needing to hear about the death again....

[conservativejud]

Hal Lindsey
"By Whatever Means Necessary"
World Net Daily Oct. 14, 2004

"Nothing appears to be above exploitation. John Kerry even dedicated a speech he delivered on Monday to the late actor Christopher Reeve. Kerry said he knew the "Superman" actor for about 15 years through family and dedication to the same causes, and said Reeve left him a long voice-mail on Saturday thanking him for campaigning on the possibilities of a cure for conditions like his.

It had been originally reported that Reeve died on Sunday after slipping into a coma on Thursday following complications from treatment for a bed sore. After John Kerry's speech, reports of Reeve's death were changed to remove the reference to Thursday in order to make it possible for Reeve to call John Kerry and leave a long message for him on his answering machine on Saturday night. Evidently, Kerry didn't know about the "coma" part until after the speech, but his well-oiled damage-control team was already on it."


The first reports I heard confirm Linsey's account, so I'm sticking with it.

[Big Digger]

This is another example of Kerry displaying his "essential decency" (referred to today by William Safire). Sorry Bill, this is a quality that Horseface has never had. He is a self consumed opportunist, a liar, and a boor.

[Ole Okie]

He is a self consumed opportunist, a liar, and a boor.


And gigolo.

Don't forget the gigoloism.

[four more in O 4]

What contemptible bullsh*t.

[Eastbound]

"There was no reason for Kerry to mention the Cheney daughter."

And there was no reason for the stoopid moderator to ask the question except to give Kerry an opening to make the stoopid remark. A set-up if I ever saw one.