Democratic Primary Discussion Thread

[Melf]

[Prince Planet]

My comment about Edwards way back on page 1 or 2 of this thread:
"BUT, I think we'll be seeing a lot more of him in the future."

Then, RedcoKid's keen insights:

Where!? He's a one-term senator who has opted to leave if he doesn't win the presidential nomination. He's not a career politician.

There's more, too, where Redco talks about Edwards' stammer-free statement that he would NEVER accept to be on the ticket as vice-president, etc.

It's like I'm psychic or something. Oh yeah, and I have the thrill of listening to lawyers every day.

[frostwolf ex]

prior to this pick, i was actually going to vote for kerry, im now just not voting, its a toss between a republican who bloated the govenment and a oppetunistic reanimated cadaver, and a pro-abortion "catholic" with a trial lawyer veep. fuck it.

[Wolffen]

prior to this pick, i was actually going to vote for kerry, im now just not voting, its a toss between a republican who bloated the govenment and a oppetunistic reanimated cadaver, and a pro-abortion "catholic" with a trial lawyer veep. fuck it.

Ok, before conservatives start parroting the whole "trial lawer/ambulance chaser" shit, I'd suggest you read up on some of the cases Edwards
fought in. He's one of the few lawers who give the practice a GOOD name.

Here is a look at Edwards back in October 2001:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/fe...0110.green.html

It's a very good article detailing the downfalls of a potential attack on Edwards' trial lawyer background. Great read.

Here's a snippet:

In 1993, a five-year-old girl named Valerie Lakey had been playing in a Wake County, N.C., wading pool when she became caught in an uncovered drain so forcefully that the suction pulled out most of her intestines. She survived but for the rest of her life will need to be hooked up to feeding tubes for 12 hours each night. Edwards filed suit on the Lakeys' behalf against Sta-Rite Industries, the Wisconsin corporation that manufactured the drain. Attorneys describe his handling of the case as a virtuoso example of a trial layer bringing a negligent corporation to heel. Sta-Rite offered the Lakeys $100,000 to settle the case. Edwards passed. Before trial, he discovered that 12 other children had suffered similar injuries from Sta-Rite drains. The company raised its offer to $1.25 million. Two weeks into the trial, they upped the figure to $8.5 million. Edwards declined the offer and asked for their insurance policy limit of $22.5 million. The day before the trial resumed from Christmas break, Sta-Rite countered with $17.5 million. Again, Edwards said no. On January 10, 1997, lawyers from across the state packed the courtroom to hear Edwards' closing argument, "the most impressive legal performance I have ever seen," recalls Dayton. Three days later, the jury found Sta-Rite guilty and liable for $25 million in economic damages (by state law, punitive damages could have tripled that amount). The company immediately settled for $25 million, the largest verdict in state history.

I'll agree we need some serious tort reform, that there are too many lawyers in the US, and that our "Sue Happy" culture and trial lawyers are partly responsible for our skyrocketing health care costs.

But before anyone starts demonizing Edwards for his trial lawyer background, I'd suggest you read up on his cases. If you want to attack him, do it on his lousy attendance record in the Senate, his lack of experience, and the various other things Rush and the GOP are telling you to attack on that actually have some substance. Or, feel free to research all of his cases and show where he prosecuted on lame cases.

[Wolffen]

Edwards did flip flop on his unwillingness to be VP, didn't he?

{Pulled from a previous post by RedCo Kid}

BLITZER: And the decision you've made to drop out and not seek reelection was?

EDWARDS: Why?

BLITZER: Yes.

EDWARDS: Because I don't think you can run for president of the United States while you're holding onto the side of the swimming pool. I mean, you have to be very serious and totally committed. And no one can have any doubt.

When you ask a caucus-goer in Iowa to caucus for you or a voter in New Hampshire to vote for you for president, they can't be thinking, "Well, if this doesn't work, he's going to go do something else."

I think Edwards will say something to the effect of "I was totally focused on getting the nomination for president. By thinking about being VP, I would have split my focus and allowed myself and the voters to think "well, there's always the VP spot." I gave it 100%, and at the time, the option of being someone's VP wasn't an option at all."

[Yoshi]

The National Debt:

as of 6/30/1950: 257 billion dollars
as of 12/31/1980: 930 billion dollars
as of 9/30/1992: 4 trillion dollars
as of 9/30/2000: 5.7 trillion dollars
as of yesterday: 7.1 trillion dollars

It doesn't take a math major to see which party is worse at mismanaging our money.

http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opd.htm

Agreed. Clinton increased the debt by 1.7/4 = 42.5%. Bush has increased it 1.4/5.7 = 24.6%. Raw numbers don't mean shit without context. Maybe it does take a math major...

[kabuki]

Agreed. Clinton increased the debt by 1.7/4 = 42.5%. Bush has increased it 1.4/5.7 = 24.6%. Raw numbers don't mean shit without context. Maybe it does take a math major...

Clinton also had twice the amount of years to do it in.

[mollipen]

Hey, I'm totally for John Edwards being the VP. How badass would it be to have a Vice President that can talk to dead people!

[Calliander]

Hey, I'm totally for John Edwards being the VP. How badass would it be to have a Vice President that can talk to dead people!

Stop! You're killing me! Ah ha haha!

Jerk.

Seriously, though, this was pretty much known from the minute he dropped off before polls closed.

[Curtis]

Clinton also had twice the amount of years to do it in.

And his economic policy also panned out, balancing things with money left over, by term's end. After what basically ended up as 12 years of Reaganomics, it was quadrupled with no such light in sight.

Anyone on this board arguing in favor of Bush's economics are forgetting that they're going to be alive when the shit hits the fan and they don't have millions or even billions to coast through the fallout on.