Posted on 09/03/2008 8:22:53 AM PDT by raccoonradio
It promised to be enthralling, a joint appearance of the philandering John Edwards and his cancer-stricken wife, Elizabeth, as part of the Salem State College Series. A mob of national media was expected to attend, eager to grill Edwards in a pre-speech press conference regarding his recent admission of marital infidelity.
Until yesterday, when the couple canceled their Tuesday, Sept. 23, appearance.
No reason for the cancellation was given, Salem State spokeswoman Karen Cady said. "They both canceled. We contracted for both of them, and they both canceled."
Political consultant Michael Goldman of Marblehead, a supporter of Edwards, had planned to attend the event. "I'm not surprised," he said. "The response has not been great from the people they've reached out to." That includes other supporters of Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign who are angered over his behavior.
"I believe the incident is still too raw," Goldman said, "the pain too great. ... There will be a point in time when John and Elizabeth Edwards share a stage together and talk about the campaign." That might happen after the November election, he said.
Cady promised that an active effort is ongoing to find a replacement as this fall's speaker.
It won't be the same. When booked, the couple were expected to discuss Elizabeth's cancer and the pressures of campaigning for president.
"We were interested in hearing about their life as a political couple," Cady said.
As early as October 2007, however, the National Enquirer tabloid was alleging a relationship between Edwards and Rielle Hunter, a woman hired to make videos of his campaign.
In July, the Enquirer reported confronting Edwards after he kept a post-midnight rendezvous at Hunter's Los Angeles hotel. Edwards was said to have fled and barricaded himself in a restroom. In early August, Edwards confessed his affair on ABC News and insisted that Hunter's infant baby was not his.
His wife's illness, featured prominently in his campaign, is now fueling a lot of the anger toward the former North Carolina senator and 2004 Democratic Party nominee for vice president.
Goldman, who concedes he hasn't spoken to Edwards, pointed to sources telling him that the couple were deterred from coming to Salem by the requirement that he appear at a pre-speech press conference and then, post-speech, answer questions from the audience.
Cady confirmed that the Edwardses had agreed to those terms. On the other hand, "They never asked not to have the press conference." In fact, there was no negotiation, no communication at all other than the announcement that the couple wouldn't be appearing.
Asked if the Edwardses might be welcomed for a future appearance, she offered no comment. There is no financial penalty in the contract for withdrawing, she said, despite the difficulties created for the Salem State College Series.
"We've had cancellations and postponements and other things happen before," Cady said. Each was handled. "This is one of the more memorable ones in the long (26-year) history of the Series."
She declined to speculate on why the couple canceled their appearance. "They've had personal tragedies," she said. In addition to Elizabeth's illness, the couple lost their teenage son more than a decade ago.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Edwards is to be paid $65,000 to speak at the University of Illinois in October. Cady declined to say what the Salem series was paying him. The money for speakers is generated independently of the college.
We know why
>>"The response has not been great from the people they've reached out to." That includes other supporters of Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign who are angered over his behavior...the couple were deterred from coming to Salem by the requirement that he appear at a pre-speech press conference and then, post-speech, answer questions from the audience.
She must be pregnant.
John Edwards - now an episode on ‘Cheaters’.
Dude, I like your tagline!
Who cares? This guy is a non-entity in our society today. Not worth worrying about.
Too cowardly to face the public or
the media. Where’s the press conf with your wife now,
John? To apologize for what you did, to explain...
He could have been our President but we see now how
flawed he is. What a fake.
John who?
Galt’s Gulch isn’t an option. And that leaves...
It’s also possible that Elizabeth is not well physically. I don’t like her politics, but I feel for her.
I sincerely hope his wife’s health has not taken a turn for the worse.
As for Edwards himself, he deserves all the pain and ostracizing he has been getting.
This dude must be the last Edwards supporter on the planet. I thought that species went extinct a few weeks ago . . .
Will the school sue him? Wouldn't that be a hoot?
He is still seeing the Bimbo so who wants to hear him?
Wasn’t there a guy named Edwards who ran on a Presidential ticket with a John Kerry? I don’t recall the circumstances, but the media seemed to love his family values...
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