John Edwards was selling snake oil
John Edwards campaigns for president in New Hampshire in 2008. Credit: GETTY IMAGES
During his two runs for president, John Edwards aggressively sold himself as the consummate husband, father and man of the people. To the American voters, though, his act never passed the smell test, and we now know that's because it simply wasn't real.
Friday's indictment of the former senator from North Carolina, doesn't necessarily mean he broke the law, but it brought forth in one document all the details Edwards' doesn't deny about the betrayal of his wife while she struggled with cancer and of his nation while he was campaigning. It accuses him of fathering a child with another woman, convincing another man to claim paternity, arranging to pay that woman almost $900,000 to keep his secret and evolving endless fabrications to further his deception.
His misuse and abuse of campaign staffers and funds raised from political allies, his bald-faced and seemingly endless lying, and his selfishness are now plain for all to see. The courts will decide if it constitutes a crime.
This fake and falsely advertised product that was politician John Edwards is now unmasked, and his career and reputation are in ruins.
Perhaps the story of John Edwards can serve as an object lesson for those who seek high office in our nation. Selling a truthful image of yourself is the best way to win over voters, and creating a compelling narrative is no substitute for being a good person.
