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John Edwards hates Wal-Mart

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by poindexter, Nov 17, 2006.

  1. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I love how even this thread turned into a shouting match.

    Edwards does practice class warfare. And he can almost get away with it because he is young, breezy and good-looking, and he does it with a smile instead of a preacher's venom. It's the oldest political trick in the book. Create a "wedge issue," try to get as many people thinking they are on the oppressed side of the issue as possible (even if they aren't), make up a boogyman, and offer solutions that resonate with the populist masses (no matter how impossible your 'solutions' are. Just promise the world to everyone!). EVERY politician practices this to one degree or another. Bush does it with social issues. Edwards would like to do it with economic issues.

    It's ridiculous, though. Two Americas? Economically, people are better off--across income classes--than they have ever been. You could have made Edwards' stump speech from 2004 at any time in the country's history, whether it was 1780 or 1960, and it would have resonated with people not willing to actually think about the feasibility of what he's offering. People always want more. They always want to have a nicer TV set than their neighbor. That is what he's preying on.

    For there to be anything BUT the America we have, everyone's interests have to be aligned. And that is a ridiculous premise. I get a lump of sugar, you get a lump of sugar--never mind the fact that I may be willing to pay more for sugar than you, or that you may not even like or want sugar. The guy who created the operating system that is on everyone's computer has to be willing to engage in enterprise... and then hand over most of what he's earned so all of the unemployed factory workers can be a part of the "one America" Edwards would like you to think he can give you.

    Before Edwards made the calculated decision to be a populist, he was a fairly conservative, corporate-friendly, New Democrat, in the mold of Clinton. His first strategy, as it was Clinton's, was to co-opt economic issues from the Republicans (in so much as he has even done anything as a senator but run for president). When he needed to distinguish himself from the crowd in 2004, he came up with this populist BS. It was a well-delivered speech. But it was style over substance. The fact that people are dumb enough in 2006 to fall prey to class warfare rhetoric, in which non-existent boogymen have been created, saddens me.
     
  2. Oh, are we really going to fight about which political families do a better job of raising their children?
    Are we really?
    This could be fun.

    Oh, and Ragu? There's been class warfare in this country at least since we had presidents who talked about the "malefactors of great wealth." Now, at least, it seems to becoming more of a fair fight.
     
  3. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    Man, you just don't get it. You always see it thru repubs vs. dems. I don't give a shit about either. I don't like repubs and I don't like dems. So you don't need to post that bush is in vietnam in an edwards thread. Or that Bush is an idiot in a Kerry thread. I completely don't give a shit about what some family member of a Republican did. If you want, start a thread about it. It doesn't relate to Edwards bragging about his six year old.

    Is it that hard to understand? I've written it a bunch of times. This thread is about Edwards. It's not about Bush. If you want to start a thread about Bush or Republicans, go ahead. I don't give a shit. That's not what this thread is about. It's about Edwards.

    I'm not talking about "political families". What some dumb-ass republican did makes no difference to me, and is not relevant to this thread.

    I can't believe you are one of the ones who complain about "Clinton got a blow job" replies.
     
  4. So your point in posting this was, what?
     
  5. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member


    Hmmm.. I was teased as a kid so therefore Edwards' kid must be a mean-spirited bully. Nice logic. First, the story doesn't say anything at all about a kid getting teased at school -- just that Edwards told a story about his kid's "disapproval" of another kid wearing Wal-Mart sneakers. And don't you think that maybe he was just parroting what his dad talks about?

    Perhaps you should seek professional help to get past your childhood inferiority issues instead of letting them play out on a message board.
     
  6. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    To laff at Edwards. It's a huge goof to be speaking out about Wal-Mart while at the same time, your staffer is big-timing an electronics department of Walmart by throwing around your name.

    But more specifically, to point out why I hate *ALL* politicians. They think rules and mundane stuff like waiting in line for a popular item is for other people. The little people. That's not a democratic party issue, or republican party issue. That is what all politicians do. And it sickens me.
     
  7. busuncle

    busuncle Member

    Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable.

    I now remember why I no longer click non-sports-related threads at SportsJournalists.com.
     
  8. dixiehack

    dixiehack Well-Known Member

    (Comment withdrawn at request of someone I respect). And you are a damn fool if you think this elitist prick politician isn't using his kid as a tool.
     
  9. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member


    So you posted the story to show that Edwards is a hypocrite because he was trying to use his power to jump ahead at a store of which he is critical. The problem is that it wasn't Edwards who made an error in judgement. The error in judgement was made by an Edwards volunteer without Edwards' knowledge, so for anyone paying attention there's a pretty big gap in your/Wal-Mart's ability to connect Edwards to the mistake that was made. Nice job by the Edelmam/Wal-Mart flak in deflecting attention from the real issue, though. Are you also sickened by people who try to distract people from real issues by inventing trivial ones?
     
  10. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member

    Hey message-board tough guy ... The "elitist prick politican" of whom you speak is trying quite a bit more than most people to advance the plight of working-class people but apparently you haven't been able to figure this out yet.
     
  11. dixiehack

    dixiehack Well-Known Member

    Yep, that's me. Po uneducated white trash. Thank God there are so many liberals around to enlighten me.
     
  12. zeke12

    zeke12 Guest

    Well, this thread began well...
     
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