Originally posted at johnedwards.com. -Sam
Over the next few months, insidious rumors will engulf many Democratic candidates for president. Fox News has repeated (and hardly retracted) false slurs about Barack Obama, accusing him of attending a madrassa that breeds Islamist radicals. Bill Clinton had Gennifer Flowers. Al Gore was misquoted, again and again, even though he never made a statement as absurd as "[He] invented the Internet." Now, John Edwards is being targeted.
Rob Christensen of the Raleigh News & Observer wrote a story for the N&O, the Charlotte Observer, and other publications that claims that Senator Edwards is fielding numerous questions about his home in Chapel Hill, NC. Christensen claims that people are asking if John can fight for poverty when he lives in a very nice residence (answer: of course he can!). Of course, this is an old reporting trick: it's Christensen who's actually asking the question. It's clear that he's starting a conversation instead of reporting on it:
"[The size of the residence] might well cause problems," said Andy Taylor, a political science professor at North Carolina State University. "We have a crowded field for the Democratic nomination. Candidates' voting records, things they said on the stump and their lifestyle will be used. There will be Democrats who say, `You clearly are not practicing what you preach here.' Some may see some inconsistency."
I felt obliged to respond. Elizabeth Edwards wrote a fine blog piece on the house, and I used that as the basis for my letter to the editor:
By buying up the land around their new house the Edwards family is preserving a beautiful part of North Carolina from the harmful growth running rampant around Chapel Hill.
Also, the house is environmentally friendly and Energy-Star rated, demonstrating Mr. Edwards' commitment to energy independence.
He may have a more lavish lifestyle than the rest of us, but he still has a genuine concern for our nation and our planet.
Sam Spencer IV
Davidson
When I ran for county commissioner last year (in the rapidly growing county of Mecklenburg, in North Carolina), issues of growth and environment were the major focus of my campaign, so I think it's unfair for Christensen to leave out the great things that the Edwards Family is doing with their home. What might surprise you, however, is that I'm not currently an Edwards supporter. I made that clear in my letter (though they didn't print that part and I sounded like a partisan hack). I helped John in South Carolina in 2004, and I've helped with some of John and Elizabeth's events in Charlotte since then, but I don't have a horse in this race yet.
Nevertheless, I think it's important to stick your neck out for good guys. Don't let slurs and attacks go unpunished. The reward? While the Republican primary devolves into a frenzy of slander and opposition research, our leaders will be having a debate for the future of our country. Guess which side will receive the support of the American people?
Update for DailyKos: I originally posted this on johnedwards.com and BlueNC, but since my letter was printed, the Observer has gone back to the issue with an anonymous editorial. I think my letter had an effect:
Whether it's in good taste is in the eye of the beholder. But it's clear such a large house, even if designed with conservation in mind, is not on balance environmentally prudent, given the fuel needed to heat and cool it. Yes, the Edwardses did buy 102 rural acres and presumably will protect it from development. Nevertheless ... some think there's something not right for a person as rich as Mr. Edwards to be talking about poverty. That's nuts. If only poor people were qualified to fight poverty, they'd lose some invaluable allies. The poor tend to be quite busy, thank you, fighting their personal poverty. It's hard to spearhead national crusades when you're holding down several jobs, trying to make the rent and struggling to find transportation, health care and safe neighborhoods.
The moral is still the same. Hold your papers accountable, keep our field afloat.