Edwards denounces ‘unhealthy’ attacks (except when they're on Catholics)

MSNBC ^ | March 7, 2007

[presidio9]

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards denounced conservative activists’ applause for a pundit who described him using a gay slur, saying Tuesday that such rhetoric had to be stopped before it poisoned the political process.

At a meeting of the American Conservative Union’s Political Action Conference, conservative writer Ann Coulter said she regretted that she could not get away with calling Edwards a “faggot” because of political sensitivities.

Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina who was the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee in 2004, said Tuesday in an interview on MSNBC’s “Hardball” that he could not decide whether activists who laughed and applauded Coulter’s remarks were homophobic. But “I can tell you that’s a very unhealthy thing,” he said.

“It’s so critical that when this happens, no matter who does it nor who they’re talking about, that we stop it, we stop it in its tracks by standing up and saying it’s wrong and denouncing it,” Edwards told “Hardball” host Chris Matthews.

Coulter defends comment Coulter frequently draws attention for her outrageous anti-Democratic, anti-liberal commentary. She has accused liberal politicians of treason and was once dropped from a conservative magazine for writing after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, “We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.”

She defended her latest remark as a harmless joke that had nothing to do with sexuality. She posted her speech on her Web site with the comment, “I’m so ashamed, I can’t stop laughing,” and accused Edwards’ campaign chairman of “fronting for Arab terrorists.”

But as they have on other occasions, numerous prominent conservative figures criticized her, as did three Republican presidential candidates: former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Her remarks were

[presidio9]

MANBC article does not go on to mention Amanda Marcotte or Melissa McEwan. Strange. One would think that they would be relevant to this story.

[Graybeard58]

Coulter didn't say it, she implied it. I'll say it:

Edwards is a faggot.

[Jeff Chandler]

Edwards is a faggot.

(Not that there is anything wrong with that.)

[Natchez Hawk]

What is the % of the population that is Catholic vs. % that is homosexual?

Just wondering...

[ConservativeDude]

The only way for Edwards to stop these attacks is for him to stand up and say to all of America, "I am not a faggot."

[presidio9]

One in four Americans is Catholic.

One in fifty is gay.

[Graybeard58]

The only way for Edwards to stop these attacks is for him to stand up and say to all of America, "I am not a faggot."

And try not to lisp while saying it.

[MNJohnnie]

"Whaa, I got beat up by a girl! Whaaa" crys John Edwards. And this guy thinks he could handle the srain of being President of the USA?

Say John how come you stood there and said nothing when the REAL hate speech, not a joke, was flung AT the President by your Leftist allies during the 2004 election? Not a joke real flaming out of control hate speech?

Tell you what John. YOU actually address your political allies REAL hate speech directed AT the Right and we will take your petulant whining seriously.

[Natchez Hawk]

Strange way to try get the most votes...

[Sunshine Sister]

He has NO room to talk. His campaign has said some pretty hateful things recently. What a two faced jerk!

[presidio9]

Personally I think that was part of the point of Coulter's remark. I don't think Ann honestly thinks Edwards is a homosexual. I just think she wanted to see if he would take the bait. Personally, I am suprised that he did.

[Natchez Hawk]

No kidding, he would have done so much better to shake his head and ignore the barb--instead of the 'Well, I am Shocked!' routine. Pandering is soooo undignified as is fake moral outrage.

[xjcsa]

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards denounced conservative activists’ applause for a pundit who described him using a gay slur, saying Tuesday that such rhetoric had to be stopped before it poisoned the political process.

What a p***y.

[spikeytx86]

I gotta love how the slime balls in the press are harping all of this, and yet barely a peep on the bloggers who made crude jokes about catholics and other Christians and refereed to them as "christofascists". For starters, Ann is on no campaigns payroll, yet somehow she is the spoke woman for every republican candidate according to the MSM. Yet when salaried spokeswomen for Edwards campaign make direct attacks of the most vile nature not at candidates but at voters they get a slap on the wrist from the media (if that) and nothing about the fact that he (Edwards) never canned their asses. At worst, Ann made an immature comment that all the candidates condemned. At best, Edwards silently condoned the mocking and bigotry expressed by his own campaign staff.

[avacado]

"I adore me..."

[HOTTIEBOY]

FROM BRIT HUME POLITICAL GRAPEVINE:::

Meanwhile, Edwards says that even though he has a personal relationship with God, he rejects the notion that the U.S. is a Christian nation. Edwards tells the Web site belief.net: "I guess the word 'Christian' is what bothers me, even though I'm a Christian. I think that America is a nation of faith."

But the candidate doesn't believe Americans are doing a good job of living like Jesus. Edwards — who has drawn fire from some for his new $6 million, 28,000 square-foot mansion in North Carolina — says, "I think that Jesus would be disappointed in our ignoring the plight of those around us who are suffering and our focus on our own selfish short-term needs. I think he would be appalled, actually."

[onevoter]

"such rhetoric had to be stopped before it poisoned the political process."

You have got to be kidding me - What planet has this idiot been on? It has never been pretty but then the Clintons turned smear campaigns and innuendo against their rivals into an art form! Amazingly, the Clintons truly seem to believe that they are "the most loved couple in the world," and John Edwards seems to believe that bashing Christians isn't nearly as bad as bashing his own pretty self.

[wolfcreek]

"But as they have on other occasions, numerous prominent conservative figures criticized her, as did three Republican presidential candidates: former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani,"


Good way for Rudy to draw attention away from his >respected position< in the Catholic community. LOL!

[presidio9]

Since when is Rudy a Catholic again. He got married at Gracie Mansion.

[TheBattman]

Queen Edwards has nerve - the Breck Girl uses more hairspray in a week than the entire Ms. America pagent contestants put together.