The Edwards Scandal: Dissent, Disloyalty & Disappointment

(Note: I've been banned from DailyKos for writing about the John Edwards scandal. This post is a direct repost of what I wrote there, for archival purposes - because some of it deals with the Kossack's reactions in comments, parts of it may not make sense.

I'll do an original post here in the next week.

Thanks to MSOC for supporting freedom of discussion by hosting these.)  

"Dissent Is Not Disloyalty" has been a popular slogan to quickly explain to people who progressives can hate the war but love the country.  I'm reminded of that slogan as I think about the reactions I've gotten to my writing about the John Edwards scandal.

As a long standing member of the DKos community, this hasn't been a fun subject for me to write about. I realized when I wrote my initial story  - also cross posted on the Huffington Post - that I was ahead of the curve on the story. I'd reached some conclusions that few other progressives seemed to have reached at the time. I could tell, however, that in the fullness of time the facts would bear out my conclusions so I took a deep breath and wrote as carefully and honestly as I could.

The sheer force of the anger at Kos surprised me. It's as though many here forget that dissent is not disloyalty. I was insulted and cursed. My loyalty was questioned; I was accused of being a concern troll and a GOP plant.

Suddenly, I understood that being ahead of a story meant being in a pretty lonely place.

When looking at the Edwards scandal, some people failed to see the difference between a 'rumor' and a direct statements by reporters confirmed by an independent source, even though those may not be sources we like.

I understand that. Looking past one's own personal biases is one of the hardest things to do and the accusations are painful for many people. The implications, especially for the Edwards family, are tragic to think about.

But you can't let your dislike of Fox or the Enquirer blind you and shut your brain and all discussion down. It's wrong when conservatives dismiss the New York Times out of hand and it's wrong when we do it with Fox. Be skeptical, yes -- but be thoughtful.

Unfortunately, the story is taking the path I predicted. If you wanted sources other the Enquirer, you're getting them and nothing they are reporting is good for Edwards. No, there's nothing that settles this once and for all but the very nature of a cover up is that it takes a while for the entire truth to come out. Do a quick Google News search for the past 24 hours and you won't find a thing that makes Edwards' actions any less suspicious.

Please don't mischaracterize my point. I haven't written about moral condemnation or used insults like 'sleazy'. I don't think that way. The very title of my original piece - Say It Ain't So, John - is the discouraged question of a fan, not the angry finger pointing of a zealot. Edwards needs to clear this up so we can get on with the business of forgiving him and moving on. As progressives, we need to rise above the false choice between blind judgment and blind apathy. We're the reality based community, remember? My concern isn't fake and it isn't emotional. It's practical.

Edwards has created a problem in his personal life but he's also created a problem in his professional life. He's hurt the Edwards brand.

The rap against Edwards has always been that he was a 'phony'. Conservatives loved calling him a fake and they'd point to the supposed contradiction of populist getting an expensive haircut.

One of the things that we Edwards fans could always point to in response to that noise was Edwards' relationship with his wife Elizabeth. Who doesn't love Elizabeth Edwards? John Edwards touted his relationship with his wife in interviews and appearances. The Edwards marriage helped us believe in John Edwards - if Elizabeth loved him, he couldn't be a phony, could he?

Edwards has blown that by turning out to be a phony in one of the areas that nobody I knew even questioned.  He's acting no better than any deer-caught-in-the-headlight Republican.

Worst of all, he's making chumps out of the people defending him the most.

One unintended consequence of the Edwards cover up is that it forces him to imply that it's his accusers who are the liars. As long as he's working to sustain his illusion of innocence, he'll have no choice but to let those around him lie on his behalf. As more and more hard facts keep coming out, Edwards loyalists will increasingly be defending him sole on the basis of his word.  "Edwards said it, I believe it and that settles it" won't turn out to be a better path to the truth.