Did Elizabeth Edwards Use "Cherubim" Alias to Attack Rielle Hunter?

IS/WAS ELIZABETH EDWARDS
The Commenter Known as "Cherubim"?




THE MYSTERIES OF THE CHERUBIM
Cherubim Wasn't a 'Blog Lurker'
She Only Commented on John Edwards Scandal Stories
--At Least at DBKP

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The headline in the NY Daily News said it all.

John Edwards' ex-mistress, Rielle Hunter, targeted by Elizabeth Edwards in blog comments

"A source close to Elizabeth Edwards says the former Senator's wife is sniping at former Edwards mistress Rielle Hunter via an online pseudonym."

The Daily News goes on to say:

For months now, Elizabeth, who is said to be talking to a divorce lawyer, also has been sniping at Hunter - painting her as a blackmailing gold digger - in blog comments where she uses the pseudonym "Cherubim," according to a source who knows Elizabeth.

Though "Cherubim" has recently described herself as an African-American woman, the source insists, "It's Elizabeth. She's used 'cherubim' as a password. Look at the gravestone of their son Wade: It's an angel holding a boy."

The piece finishes with, "Elizabeth's publicist and lawyers for John Edwards and Hunter declined comment."

This only confirms what some in the blogging community have suspected for quite some time. DBKP was tipped to the Cherubim/Elizabeth Edwards connection sometime in spring 2008 (if memory serves).

We ran an IP check then and--again, if memory serves--the Cherubim emails (two or three were checked) came from a New York City neighborhood. While this didn't rule out EE--the woman does travel and could have sent them from there--it was soon forgotten in the everyday rush of other news.

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JOHN EDWARDS LOVE CHILD SCANDAL LIBRARY

Over 140 DBKP stories on the scandal and its participants: John Edwards, Rielle Hunter, Fred Baron, Andrew Young, Elizabeth Edwards and a cast of thousands.

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"Cherubim" has commented frequently on John Edwards stories originating at DBKP (including DBKP, DBKP@Blogger and Bloggers News Network).

In fact, on at least one occasion, it's remembered that another commenter referred to Cherubim in a later comment as "Elizabeth Edwards".

Again, around a year ago, another reader asked us about the Cherubim/Elizabeth Edwards connection. We checked out some Cherubim emails at that time and they were now coming from Nashville, TN.

We weren't sure what to make of that.


SO IS ELIZABETH and CHERUBIM ONE AND THE SAME PERSONA?

We asked ex-Hunter confidante, Pigeon O'Brien, what she thought this past weekend. Her response?

"If it quacks like an Elizabeth Edwards duck..."

After sifting through some of Cherubim's comments, JammieWearingFool had this assessment [Elizabeth Edwards Targets Rielle Hunter in Blog Comments?]:

"Yes, it's a safe bet to say this probably is Mrs. Edwards.

Check this Google search and check out how many times 'Cherubim' surfaced the past year or so. Seems Mrs. Edwards has been in deep denial."

Mickey Kaus [Elizabeth Edwards, Blog Mystery Woman?] weighs in with several thoughts:

UPDATE: This blogger claims the Daily News story is false, though I don't quite follow his argument ... ORIGINAL ITEM: If--big if--St. Elizabeth Edwards is the blog commenter "cherubim"--as the N.Y. Daily News' Rush & Molloy argue--it raises as many questions as it answers! In particular, this one: Is "cherubim" a) deluded (actually believing Edwards clearly "was not the father" of Rielle Hunter's child,etc.), or b) deceiving (trying to sell the Web on a story she might well not be true, a story she was in fact working out in her comments)? Or--the inevitable consensus choice (c)--some wacky combo of both? ... As usual, I urge readers not to overlook possibility (b) ... This Daily Beast web page (worth a screen cap just in case) is one of those with juicy "cherubim" comments that now seem much juicier. ... P.S.: Note that on this page "cherubim" is accused of being Elizabeth Edwards back on June 22 by another commenter, "Ohseriously."

To all of this, we might vote for Kaus' (b) above. We've noted in the past about some of Elizabeth Edwards' statements concerning the affair [John Edwards Cover-up: Press Releases a Carefully-Orchestrated Affair?] and might paraphrase O'Brien from above, "If it denies, parses and dissembles like a duck..."

All of this piqued our curiosity, so we checked out the comments from Cherubim for the last 10-11 months that were left on articles originating from this site (DBKP.com).

We include some of them below and will let the reader come to his own conclusion.

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[ABOVE: Elizabeth Edwards' and John Edwards backstage at a gathering at Chapel Hill NC on December 30 2006. Rielle Hunter is present and recording the event. Both John and Elizabeth Edwards later released highly-parsed statements, that while factually correct, misled the public into thinking that the affair was long over by the date above.]

John and Elizabeth Edwards have been married for 32 years.They had four children together; three are living, and one died when he was only 16 years old. Elizabeth Edwards has stage 4 cancer. Any decent human being would not have inserted herself into their lives, and then sold stories about them to the National Enquirerfor monetary gain. (Hunter is a “ho” mining for gold.)Lisa Druke, a.k.a. the Rielle (Real) Hunter fills me with disgust. I hope someday to never hear anything about her again.

By the way, I found Elizabeth’s new book, Resilience, to be quite inspirational. I think everyone would benefit from reading the passage in the book that tells the story of the Japanese woman who survived the atomic bomb thatwas dropped on Hiroshima.
--"Cherubim", June 1 2009 comment on John Edwards and Wild Card Ex-Mistress: Barbara Walters Interview with Rielle Hunter

Hours later that same day, Cherubim had another thought.

The Rielle (Real) Hunter is a made up name used
by a woman named Lisa Druke. Her friend, Pigeon,
also uses a made up alias.

I think these people work for some secret society,
that’s out to do evil

Several days later, Cherubim returned to the same story to post the following comment.

Oh people, please!!!!
Everybody in America and Half of Mainland China
knows the Rielle (Real) Hunter has a baby that she is claiming to be John Edwards’. There is no reason for John and Elizabeth Edwards to pay this whore to keep her mouth and legs closed. She has already opened them both multiple times.
That’s why the Rielle (Real) Hunter, herself, does not want a paternity test. She just wants John and Elizabeth to not be at peace. Well Lisa Druke a.k.a.
the Rielle (Real) Hunter your 15 minutes is up.
Good bye!!!!!!

And again, four hours later on the same story:

"Lisa Druke’s (a.k.a. The Rielle (Real) Hunters’)
15 minutes are up."

If this story is true, then one can only conclude that Rielle Hunter knows for a fact that Senator John Edwards is not the father of her child. This makes me happy for John and Elizabeth Edwards, their children ,and the American people whom John Edwards has, and I hope will continue to serve.
President-Elect Barack Obama has chosen, mostly, Wall Street promoters and corporate lawyers to be in his cabinet. He hasn’t included anyone who knows how to interact and relate with everyday American citizens, and then report back to him concerning: (1) what the people need, and (2) whether his administration’s new initiatives are working. During the Great Depression, Eleanor Roosevelt fulfilled this role for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. I nominate Senator John Edwards for this role. John Edwards would be a refreshing change. Is not change what Obama s supposed to be about? As a rival of Barack Obama, for the Democratic Party Presidential nomination, John Edwards, consistently spoke up for average Americans, i.e. Main Street, not Wall Street. During his “Road to One America Poverty Tour” John Edwards demonstrated that he is uniquely qualified for this role.
The video evidence follows (put the address in your address bar and click to see the video):

He has walked with and comforted people whose homes were being foreclosed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i_GWrYkcCI

Defined the “Great Moral Test of Our Generation”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS1×88ZmohM

He has visited workers employed in the new renewal energy economy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50yOR5bvMV0

John Edwards is, also, the only candidate for President that actually went down to New Orleans on several occasions and worked along side those striving to try to bring back the areas that remain so devastated from the effects of Hurricane Katrina:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAqktFnA4nk&feature=PlayList&p=EB1EC8919DC5DC52&index=0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DaofQCkbA8
--"Cherubim", December 17 2008 comment on John Edwards Scandal: Rielle Hunter In New Jersey, Out of Hush Money

On one of our BNN stories, John Edwards Affair: Rielle Hunter in N. Jersey, Out of Cash last December, Cherubim dropped multiple comments attacking both Rielle Hunter and the National Enquirer.

She also returned to the "Rielle Hunter is a whore" meme that ran through a lot of her comments on DBKP and BNN stories about the Edwards' scandal.

When, Rielle Hunter refused to get a DNA paternity test, it became clear to everyone that Senator John Edwards was not the father of her child. A sex partner is not necessarily a mistress, sometimes the partner is just a whore.

Considering that she was being kept so lavishly by another guy and the National Enquirer, she still should have some money.
But if she needs child support,
she can take the real father to court and get it.

Everybody has been so quick to vilify John Edwards and
suggest that his marriage isn’t solid. Sex isn’t always indicative of the solidity of a marriage.
Mrs. Edwards has cancer, and, maybe, sometimes, when she is on various medications, sexual intercorse is not always possible.
I think Mrs. Edwards “whom John obviously adores” is wise
enough to distinguish true love from a sexual dalliance.

A few days later on the above story, this comment appeared from Cherubim. After the NY Daily News item, it reveals more today than it did back in December.

Some things like marriage relationships are private to be discussed between the persons involved. People need to stop pretending they are outraged. The only person with a right to be outraged is Elizabeth Edwards, and she has decided to spend much of her time working for universal health care for Americans. She has also said she and her husband want to dedicate their lives to fighting poverty. Let’s not hinder them.

Other things like jobs, labor rights, the collapse of our economy, and government bailouts are public matters to be discussed by all Americans. I don’t want to see working Americans treated like the workers in “third world countries”. John and Elizabeth Edwards are well aware of their short comings, but they also know how to fight and work for the American people.
Watch the video of John, Elizabeth and their two youngest children at work restoring a home in New Orleans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itn6xVOmR94&NR=1

I leave you with this quote from Senator John Edwards:
“It’s not in how many times you fall down, what matters is how many times you
get back up.”

Cherubim returned to the above story on April 2 2009.

Steph what you wrote is so very true.
To day is Ampril 2, 2009 very soon it will be
tax time again. However, I am sure the IRS is already investigated whether she paid taxes on
the money she has already extorted.

Rielle may be about to find out:
“What goes around, comes around.”
I hope Rielle Hunter gets what she deserves.

Steph said,in December 21st, 2008 at 10:15 am

“Hunter has an important date coming . . . April 15th. That is the day she has to report all the financial support she has received this year as income and pay taxes on it. The IRS shows no mercy and they are certainly aware of the huge amount of money she has been given. So having blown through all that cash is going to come back to bite her big time. The IRS has enormous power against which people have little recourse. If she thought she is playing hardball, she’s going to find out what hardball really is!”

Cherubim comment on John Edwards Scandal Cover-up: Three Carefully-Coordinated Statements?:

"I think when Elizabeth Edwards was diagnosed with Cancer, John became a man with fear and pain. I think the affair resulted because he wanted to forget and live without pain. For those who hate John Edwards know this he is in more pain now than he ever has been, and he will still most likely lose his wife, Elizabeth to cancer. As it stands, now, only the New World Order Corporations benefit. I hope that, soon, John and Elizabeth will return to help us with the fight to obtain universal health coverage and end poverty. What would Jesus Christ say? Answer: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”"

To which this author replied:

Cherubim,

I’m in no position to speculate what Jesus would say; however, elsewhere in the Bible, it does admonish, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” or “bear false witness”.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by, read and comment.



MORE CHERUBIM COMMENTS



[ABOVE: John Edwards' parents look on as he signs another autograph at a gathering at Chapel Hill NC on December 30 2006. Rielle Hunter is still in attendance. Both John and Elizabeth Edwards later released highly-parsed statements that misled the public into thinking that the affair was dead by the date above.]


"All this current sanctimonious crap being broadcast in the media disgusts me. What is important is what John and Elizabeth fought for during the campaign: universal health care and an end to poverty in America. These are goals worth fighting for. When they are ready to resume the fight, I’ll be willing to stand beside them."
--Cherumbim August 27 2008 on John Edwards Scandal: Mainstream Press Sticking to Schieffer Standard

The “Saving Graces” paperback was published officially on Aug. 14, 2007.

Elizabeth Edwards writes:

“It is hard to describe the test of public life, the way people believe — to some degree correctly — that you belong to them. There are awful examples, of course, of those whose motives are selfish or not admirable, who pry their way into the lives of public people in order to exploit a kindness or a generous gesture. They are to be endured and, to some extent I largely chose to ignore, feared. They remind me of a more malicious version of the people who wandered into our house in Annapolis, walking around our living room, putting their hands on our things. It is a sad fact that these people are a threat to anyone with even the smallest amount of celebrity.”
---Cherubim comment, September 10 2008 on John Edwards Scandal: Fox News Gives New Edwards’ Time Line

So.

Is Elizabeth Edwards really "Cherubim"?

We don't know. We only have suspicions raised over the last 18-20 months and today's assertion that the NY Daily News has a source that states that she is.

It's a question for all of God's angels.

Including the odd Cherubim.


by Mondo Frazier
images:
* peaceinspire.com
* DBKP file
* DBKP file

John Edwards Affair: Grand Jury Decision Awaits Edwards

EDWARDS TO ADMIT PATERNITY
OF RIELLE HUNTER'S DAUGHTER, FRANCES QUINN

EDWARDS AWAITS GRAND JURY DECISION

MAINSTREAM MOUTHPIECE MEDIA (MMM) ALREADY INDICTED

THE 99% HONEST MAN:
"I also have not been engaged in any activity of any description that requested, agreed to or supported payments of any kind to the woman or to the apparent father of the baby." --John Edwards' statement to the press, August 8 2008.

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THE TANGLED WEB


Q: How can you tell when a trial attorney-turned-politician is lying?
A: When his lips are moving.

John Edwards is reportedly finally to admit he is the father of [Sources: Edwards to admit paternity of ex-mistress' child] 18-month-old Frances Quinn Hunter.

What might compel former presidential candidate, John Edwards, to finally come clean about mistress, Rielle Hunter, and daughter, Frances Quinn? [John Edwards to Admit Rielle Hunter’s Love Child His: When Politicians Fail to Keep Their Pants on]. Maybe it's a sudden yearning to demonstrate he's tired of deceiving the public.

Or perhaps, it is the looming grand jury decision on whether he paid his mistress out of campaign funds.

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JOHN EDWARDS LOVE CHILD SCANDAL Library
Over 80 articles chronicling the affair from December 2007 to present.

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IN GOD WE TRUST
ALL OTHERS (ESPECIALLY POLITICIANS & MEDIA), PAY CASH

In the John Edwards Scandal, the Mainstream Media truly became the Mainstream Mouthpiece Media (MMM), taking the side of a millionaire presidential candidate over their readers' interests; it found a plethora of reasons why it did not investigate the Edwards' allegations.

In Edwards' case, the story came out, not because of the media's handling of the story, but in spite of it.

During the months of the Edwards' scandal, the media instituted their own "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Obsessed with managing the news instead of reporting it, in the MMM's eyes, the public's right to know became what was right for the public to know. In fact, it was the MMM's principal defense of their non-coverage of the story.

The attitude festered during the 2008 presidential campaign and continues to the present time.

There was a small segment of the public who didn't want to know; the comments section of many Edwards' articles reveals who those people were. They were, in most cases, blameless, Most likely, they were part of the dwindling readership of big city dailies.

That might be one reason that Public Attitudes toward the media show only one publication gaining in trust over the last 10 years--the National Enquirer.

The Enquirer continues to outperform the dinosaur media to this day. See any of the stories linkied at the bottom of JOHN EDWARDS SECRET DNA TEST PROVES HE'S THE DADDY!.


[image courtesy of http://www.stateofthemedia.org]


Edwards' own "Trend-line in Trust" will have to be guessed at by the reader.

Though not listed, another loser of trust was Wikipedia, which demonstrated that the on-line compendium is less-than-reliable on subjects political, especially contemporary controversial ones. [John Edwards Love Child Scandal: Debate at Wikipedia Rages and John Edwards Love Child: Wikipedia Editor Defends Go-Slow Policies On Edwards Entry]

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ONE YEAR and NINE DAYS LATER

* In Mickey Kaus' Edwards' Love Child: Mandatory Gloating Edition, the Edwards scandal is broken down into several easily-digestible parts.

Kaus, one of the few who covered the Edwards' scandal, succinctly details the lies, damn lies and fall-back lies which Edwards hid behind. He also provides a "Historic Gallery of Kossack Krap" and asks plenty of questions. Kaus points out:

If Edwards is in fact the father this entire fallback edifice of BS crumbles. ... It's worth reading the transcript of the ABC interview--practically every sentence out of Edwards' mouth is a lie.

What, Me Lie?
Edwards' August 8 2008 national mea culpa on ABC Nightline
John Edwards Scandal: The Many Faces of Contrition

* DBKP pointed out several of these lies the day of the Edwards' "confession" to ABC [John Edwards Scandal: Edwards Admits Affair, Lies, to ABC News]. Two days later, in John Edwards Scandal: Edwards Continues Deception in Interview, we expanded the list.

A week after Edwards' Nightline appearance, DBKP's exclusive photo [John and Elizabeth Edwards with Rielle Hunter Dec 30, 2006] put the lie to not only Edwards' narrative of the affair, but also Elizabeth Edwards' statement.

The Mouthpiece Media might be excused for a similar quick reaction: it was too busy explaining why it had not asked a single question of Edwards from November 2007 until August 2008 about his curious connections with Hunter.


John and Elizabeth Edwards with Rielle Hunter
December 30 2006
Both Edwards led the public to believe that the affair was over and their "long period of healing" began in 2006.


* Deceiver comments on the recent events: Big Baby to Admit Paternity of Little Baby? and Least Shocking Edwards Story Ever?.

Recall that previously Edwards said he was eager to do the DNA test, but Rielle refused. Which sure was convenient. That’s the problem with hush money: When the money stops, so does the hushing.

* Edwards still harbors the delusion that he is not finished as a national political figure. Apparently, it has not occurred to him that whatever the grand jury decides, he's guilty: either of providing for his mistress with campaign funds--or of merely being just another deadbeat dad.

In either case, only the most narcissistic of politicians would be encouraged.

You know its a lost cause when even the Washington Post admits that John Edwards a Lot Short of 99%.


* Are the Edwards still together? Technically, they are.

DBKP interviewed some residents in the Edwards' neighborhood who say that the couple does not live together. One said that "John does not live at their home, but does watch the kids." Edwards spends a good deal of time during the fall and winter at their residence on Figure Eight Island. Figure Eight Island is a gated private oceanfront community close to Wilmington NC.


* Andrew Young, the political aide-cum-father, readies publication of a tell-all book, complete with John Edwards-Rielle Hunter sex tape revelations.

The basic problem with the book: how much can we believe from the man who (through his attorney in December 2007] claimed he was "the father of Ms. Hunter's unborn child"? [UPDATE: JOHN EDWARDS LOVE CHILD SCANDAL!]

Strangely, at the end of the day, Young may come out the best of the bunch.

Though he lied, he only did so in that December 2007 statement and in exchanges with the National Enquirer's reporters. Both John and Elizabeth Edwards, Rielle Hunter and the media continued their deceptions--sometimes to the public and to themselves--repeatedly.

Andrew Young, though partially motivated by profit, could at least say that he did what he did because of someone in whom he believed.


by Mondo Frazier

Crossed fingers image, courtesy http://www.newyorkpersonalinjuryattorneyblog.com

John Edwards Affair: Some Silly Edwards News, Before Scandal Turns Serious Soon

John Edwards Scandal News
TV Movie Parts, Gary Pearce, 3 Stooges, Fred Baron Blurbs, Mickey Kaus, Kathy G, and Faith

"This is NOT my baby!" [photo: DougRoss@Journal]


"All work and no play make Jack a dull boy."


It's going to get serious in the immediate future for all involved in the John Edwards Love Child Scandal: Rielle Hunter, Andrew Young, Fred Baron, and of course, John Edwards himself. So, before it does, we thought we'd present this collection of odd and ends in the John Edwards Scandal.


Deceptive Nuggets


Deceiver has bits and pieces--but what nuggets they are!

That Moneyed Fred Baron Is in a Fix* contains a quick view of Edwards' Big Wallet, Fred Baron.

The New York Times has a story just out that has Baron bobbing and weaving, while spewing words that would make Bill Murray in Wild Orchids proud. (It's after this item.)



We bring this up because tagged onto the end of the Deceiver piece, Simon Scowl posed the question of who might play the role of Edwards' sacrificial lamb friend and former campaign worker, Andrew Young in the movie. Young is above left--a likely candidate for the movie is on the right.

Gob!


[Background information: Access almost 90 DBKP John Edwards-Rielle Hunter Scandal stories since December: John Edwards Love Child Scandal library.]


Fred Baron Forgets to Order Memorite

Fred Baron is asked more questions about the money trail in the Edwards scandal and seems to remember something about about someone sometime. And just exactly how did Rielle Hunter and Andrew Young procure the high-priced legal help that issued their infamous December denials claiming Frances Quinn Hunter was a joint effort between the two? From Lawyers' Ties in Edwards Case Suggest Extent of Hiding Affair:

On Wednesday, Mr. Baron said he might have directed Ms. Hunter to Mr. Gordon.

"I have this recollection of somebody asking me for lawyers in New York, and I remember naming three or four, and he must have been one of them," Mr. Baron said. Referring to Ms. Hunter, he added, "It was either her who called or somebody on her behalf."

And how did Andrew Young's legal representation in December come about?

"I remember getting a call from Pam and her telling me that she was representing him," Mr. Baron said. "I may have sent him over there, but on the other hand I may not have. I don't have an accurate recollection."

Sounds like Baron forgot something else--like his Memorite.


The Scoop From Snoop at Political Party Poop

Snoop at Political Party Poop has resurrected a post from April 2007: John Edwards Cynically Exploits His Wife’s Cancer To Get Fund Raising Emails.

Short and sweet and a reminder all politicians have no shame--and Edwards was a politician. As anyone who's visited PPP knows, there's so many hilarious things there, you won't know where to begin. We'd suggest Obama...Fame... and Blog Watch: Time to Clean out the Gene Pool.


Gary Pearce Wants to Give Edwards the 'Niagara Falls' Treatment





Gary Pearce, the Democratic strategist who ran John Edwards 1998 Senate race, isn't at all pleased with his former client. Pearce most probably believed Edwards--before a crush of Enquirer facts forced Edwards to a new defensive perimeter.

One almost can hear him join the Three Stooges as they performed their "Niagara Falls, slowly I turned..." routine.

Edwards even continued disparaging “supermarket tabloids.”

Earth to John: The National Enquirer now officially has more credibility than you do.

He said we can’t beat him up more than he’s beat himself up. Well, we’ll sure try.

By comparison, Richard Nixon’s Checkers speech was Churchillian in its dignity and honesty.

It’s not clear who gets the gold medal for biggest phony Friday night: Edwards or the Chinese who organized the Olympics’ opening ceremony.

Edwards’ performance in the interview was a disaster from the start. Woodruff hit him head-on: Did you have an affair?

Instead of saying “yes,” Edwards smiled and thanked Bob for coming by. He did everything but welcome Bob to his lovely home.

But wait! There's more... at the The Verdict is In].


We Made the Headlines!

And it was at Ace of Spades HQ, not the MSM!

On the left sidebar, under "Headlines", Hmmm...; Pseudonymous Wikipedia Editor with Great Interest in Rielle Hunter's Bio Seems to Know a Lot about the Limited Movie Career of Rielle Hunter, as Well as Unpublicized Facts about Hunter's Family



John Edwards, You Gotta Have Faith

Doug Ross: Faith Guiding our Votes


More Like The B-spot

Kathy G. sounded a bit bitter about Mickey Kaus bringing up the John Edwards scandal--at any point.

A Gentle Reader asks:

So when's Kathy going to apologize to Mickey Kaus?

Here's what I say to that: Mickey Kaus can kiss my royal Irish ass.

I said that the story about Edwards was dubious, but I never said that it wasn't or couldn't be true. However, I did argue that Kaus's obsession with it was bizarre and unseemly, which it was and is.

Kathy G. ends up with this observation: "The only thing it could do was to hurt and publicly humiliate Elizabeth Edwards and her two young children -- and I think you'll agree that that family has enough on its plate as it is. The only people clamoring for this to go public were heartless, vicious assholes like Kaus."

She then invites Kaus to partake of her left one.

Kathy G's really gonna be bitter with all the speculation that Elizabeth Edwards may have been an accomplice.

Guess Kathy G will get the right one ready at that point.

And when we publish a photo that we just received from a reader [and one would guess former Edwards supporter] later this morning?

Well...

I guess we'll get ready for the double whammy?

by Mondoreb
images: deceiver; michelemiller

John Edwards Affair News Roundup: LA Times Censors Blogs

* Editor Muzzles Reporters From Discussing
Edwards-Hunter Love Child on LA Times Blogs

* Rielle Hunter Speaks!
* MSM Congregated Just Doors Away from Edwards-Hunter Tryst



John Edwards-Rielle Hunter Love Child: Day #3

It's not enough for the MSM to ignore and protect John Edwards--a much different role for the press than the one envisioned by the Founding Fathers--now comes news that one member of the Mainstream Gatekeepers is instructing its writers NOT to address the John Edwards issue on the paper's blogs.

The on-line blogs of the MSM are one of the only places their shrinking readerships could go to obtain news that MSM editors routinely deny their customers.

Slate's Mickey Kaus: LAT Gags Blogs...Editors ban discussion of Edwards love-child charges.

In a move that has apparently stirred up some internal discontent, the Los Angeles Times has banned its bloggers , including political bloggers, from mentioning the Edwards/Rielle Hunter story. Even bloggers who want to mention the story in order to make a skeptical we-don't-trust-the-Enquirer point are forbidden from doing so. Kausfiles has obtained a copy of the email. [I've excised the recipient list to protect my source or sources, and omitted Pierce's email address]:


From: "Pierce, Tony"

Date: July 24, 2008 10:54:41 AM PDT

To: [XXX]

Subject: john edwards

Hey bloggers,

There has been a little buzz surrounding John Edwards and his alleged affair. Because the only source has been the National Enquirer we have decided not to cover the rumors or salacious speculations. So I am asking you all not to blog about this topic until further notified.

If you have any questions or are ever in need of story ideas that would best fit your blog, please don't hesitate to ask

Keep rockin,

Tony

Proof positive--though one wonders how much more was needed--that consumers of MSM news are too stupid to decide the "validity" of a story when presented with facts.



The Enquirer's reporters weren't the only media represented at the Beverly Hilton Monday when the meeting between Edwards and Hunter occurred--just the only ones whose paper exhibited any curiosity about the Edwards-Hunter affair.

Philadelphia Daily News' Howard Gensler notes that the place was "crawling with reporters".

Yes, he'd still be an ass, but in a post-Clinton, post-Spitzer age, could he be such a stupid ass as to carry on with a political confidante who produced movies for his campaign? And could he be so monumentally moronic as to meet said mistress at a hotel as public as the Beverly Hilton?

As Daily News TV critic Ellen Gray informed us from the Television Critics Association summer press tour, what makes the Beverly Hilton choice even more bizarre is that the place was crawling with reporters Monday night for the TCA, including newspaper people from the New York Times, USA Today the New York Daily News, the Washington Post, and us.

But no one but the National Enquirer seemed to spot John Edwards.
--Tattle: 'Enquirer' links John Edwards, Rielle Hunter

Yet, the Enquirer got the story while the rest were presumably comparing notes on which candidate's press luncheon served the best appetizers.

Rielle Hunter has issued her standard denial, via ExtraTV:

"Completely unfounded and ridiculous" is how Hunter describes a National Enquirer story claiming she has a love child with Edwards -- and that she was recently visited by the married Edwards at a Los Angeles hotel.

In early 2007, Hunter opened up about her relationship with the former presidential candidate...

"Meeting John Edwards was interesting," she told us. "He was very real and authentic. He was inspirational to me." She added, "I was around him a lot. It was great. We went to Africa. The whole experience was life altering for me."
-- John Edwards' Alleged Mistress Speaks!

Even a few left-wing blogs are realistic enough to realize that 1) a preponderance of the facts nails Edwards and 2) running away and locking yourself in a men's room when confronted by the Enquirer's reporters/photographer isn't exactly the actions of someone wishing to be considered "presidential". They discuss other issues as well that the story raises.


the shame of John Edwards

There's a definite pattern here: Bill Clinton, Elliot Spitzer, and now John Edwards. Is there something inherently misogynistic about a white male lawyer who enters politics? Since all three have (to varying degrees of success) been considered presidential material, I speculate that they were seduced by a kind of celebrity syndrome. After all, this sort of behavior is usually reserved for the Hollywood scene (where it is practically the norm).

Let's note that the pattern extends backwards as well - Gary Hart, JFK. And it extends across the aisle - Newt Gingrich, and of course John McCain, who much like Edwards, ditched an ailing wife for a fresher model.

Still, the Republican dalliances are less of a concern to me than these Democratic icons, who are supposed to be progressive when it comes to women's issues and also who invoke moral values as one basis for their leadership acumen. Is there a deep flaw here, in progressive ideology, that makes it blind to morality and family values? Or are we just being played for fools?
--Daily KOS, azizhp's diary: The Shame of John Edwards

azizhp then had the thankless task of defending the view that having an affair is misogynistic to the KOShoards of "progressive" readers, "blinded by hero worship".

Of course, after having to defend DBKP's Debunking Larry Sinclair articles [Debunking Larry Sinclair: Obama Accuser Allegations Based on Time Travel & Debunking Larry Sinclair: Part II - The Limo Driver; Part 3 to be published later today] from the unthinking few on the right blinded by "hero hatred", we can sympathize.

When the reporters ambushed Edwards upon leaving the room, he ran into a basement bathroom and remained holed up there for 15 minutes until hotel security was summoned to escort out the reporters. Click here to read the details. In any instance, Edwards will now be eliminated from any serious VP consideration.
--ENQUIRER NAILS JOHN EDWARDS VISITING MISTRESS, BABY

The Mainstream Media's attempts to decide what's "right" for their readers to see may be on it's last legs. Ryan Tate of Gawker smacks the nail on the head and buries it.

...parse these three revealing sentences from Washington Post "gossip" columnist Roxanne Roberts, in response to one of many persistent questions about the scandal in an online chat yesterday:

The Enquirer is not going to sell papers with nuance or sensitivity. I need more reporting from a credible source before I'm prepared to pass judgment. I'm not sure Edwards is a real candidate for the VP job, but if so will have to address this one way or another.

It's important to keep in mind, when reading this odd answer, that traditional news media used to have something of a lock on the dissemination of information, and allowed themselves to be convinced that they had a bizarre duty to filter even accurate information of interest to their audiences, and to do so in the service of reinforcing various social institutions and norms, even though their jobs, their Constitutionally-protected jobs, were to do just the opposite, to disseminate information and challenge long-cherished moral codes.

---
But to the extent the silence is due to publishers, like [Washington Post "gossip" columnist Roxanne] Roberts, intent on dictating news interest to their readers, so much so that they will ignore certain hot topics, these news organizations are mortgaging their future, and in many cases ceding valuable ground to competitors already eating deep into their profit margins.

On the bright side, for the rest of us, this process does have a way of weeding out news outlets that are all-too-eager to suppress news stories rather than publish them.
--Ryan Tate, Gawker: What John Edwards Scandal?

The story may become too big for the gatekeepers to keep from their readers/viewers.

If the Mainstream Media ignores a story, their customers will look elsewhere. Many are the hand-wringing sessions of "why the major news organizations are doing badly" that could be answered by a timeline of the coverage in the Edwards-Hunter affair.

Since the advent of the Alternate "New" Media, people have a choice. Cable, tabloids and, especially the Internet--the favorite whipping boy of the MSM--give readers/viewers somewhere else to go. For years, the supply of news has been artificially limited by the Gatekeepers. The Mainstream Media is exempt no longer from the laws of supply and demand.

If they won't supply news, consumers will find someone who will.

by Mondoreb
images: National Enquirer; ExtraTV

John Edwards Scandal: Rielle Hunter Housed by Former NBA Player

Mainstream Media Curiosity Killing No Cats

- - -DEVELOPING!- - -
11:05 am 11-28

DBKP is still working on details of this tip we were given. We thought we might have more details now, but we're still working. In the meantime, we'll point you to this story over at Doug Ross@Journal. We're probably a little remiss in not pointing this story out sooner, but we thought we'd have another story out sooner. The John Edwards Love Child Saga, the NBA and the MSM Doug is also asking questions. And that's what we're doing: asking questions. As always, our main question is: "Why Doesn't the MSM ask any?" We'll update later.

Question: What former NBA player's latest charity outreach involves providing housing for unwed, pregnant women?

Hint #1: The player and various family members have each contributed the allowable limit each to the John Edwards campaign, for a total of over $15,000.

Hint #2: The unwed, pregnant woman is actually just one: Rielle Hunter, the former producer of videos for the Edwards campaign that traveled around the country last year with the presidential candidate.

DBKP received a tip that Hunter is now living in the house of a former NBA player who is also an Edwards backer.

Again, this caused us to ask questions.

Was Rielle Hunter a professional basketball fan?

What is the connection between Hunter and the NBA player/Edwards contributor?

Will this cause any curiosity in a Mainstream Media that seems determined not to exhibit any?

How long until one reporter is curious enough to ask the one question that no one has asked presidential candidate, John Edwards, "Do you deny that you have been in phone contact with Rielle Hunter since she discovered she was pregnant?"



Of course, if it had been the New York Times or CNN that had broken the details and provided the legwork for the curious connections between John Edwards, Rielle Hunter, the Edwards campaign and Hunter's moving near Edwards campaign headquarters--instead of tabloid The National Enquirer--we suspect that Mainstream Media curiosity might have been a little more forthcoming.

Regardless, this seems to be a singular instance of when the famous "public's right to know" doesn't count for much.

It was a week ago today that "Rielle Hunter" was a number one search term on Google. That means that more people searched for information on "Rielle Hunter" than on any other topic, at least for part of that day.

91 million searches are performed on Google per day, according to Search Engine Watch. A week ago, more of those searchers wanted information about "Rielle Hunter" than about any other topic.

Unfortunately, if they were looking for that information in the Mainstream Media, they would have been disappointed.

Outside of a few mentions of the Enquirer story and, in most cases, an earlier Enquirer story on the same subject, no information on the subject could be found in the Mainstream Media.

Curiously--again--most media outlets printed the denials from Edwards which the first Enquirer story had prompted. Since no one, outside of two unnamed reporters, even asked the candidate about it at all, no one knew about how the Edwards campaign reacted to the latest details released by the Enquirer.

While the MSM was short of information on Edwards/Hunter, they were not short of information on their "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Since the Edwards campaign didn't have a reason to address the news, Face the Nation's Bob Schieffer, while on Imus, supplied his own Journalism Standard: The famous "Two-Denial Rule.

I believe that -- I believe that's a story that we will be avoiding, because it appears to me that there's absolutely nothing to it. I'm told that another -- a man says that the child is his. I'm told that the woman who seems to be pregnant says it's not his. So I guess -- I guess we're going to pass on that.

Schieffer was positing why he wasn't interested; meanwhile, erstwhile FTN viewers with Internet access were searching for the very info that Schieffer was passing on.

The Mainstream press was busy supplying information last week: the information they felt readers should know.

That is a good illustration of the term "media gatekeepers".

Mickey Kaus at Slate remarked on this division of knowledge: those who have access to Mainstream Media "news" and others, more informed, who have access to "undernews".

Kaus's works his latest analysis of this "undernews" and the lack of Mainstream Media coverage into the following theory.

Undernews Underanalysis: Still impressive, near-total lack of MSM pickup of the National Enquirer's Edwards scandal allegations.** My guess regarding MSM thinking is 1) Nobody wants to hurt Elizabeth Edwards and 2) Everybody figures that if John Edwards loses in Iowa, there's no reason to mention the story. It will go away and nobody will have to cover it. ... If Edwards wins Iowa, however, that calculus would presumably change.

P.S..: Were the story to break out in the MSM before Iowa, the Edwards camp might react by allowing his popular wife make an impassioned plea for her husband, against sleaze, etc., which would generate considerable sympathy. His support in the caucuses could well go up in the short run. If you don't want Edwards to win--as I don't--it may be best at this point if the story stays undernews until January 4. Which puts me in the same page as the MSM, I think.

In other words, under this theory the worst outcome for Edwards is if the Enquirer account slowly seeps into voter consciousness, but doesn't become known enough for Edwards to be able to profit by making a big deal of it in public (which would have the downside of bringing it to more or less every voter's attention). ... That assumes Edwards remains in contention. Should he fall significantly behind in the polls, then making a big deal out of it becomes a plausible Hail Mary gambit. ...

Back in October, Kaus made a telling observation--with much less information than is available now.

Yglesias' suggestion that if there was anything to the story then somebody in the "legitimate" press would have come up with the evidence "by now" is a little premature, I think.

The Mainstream press continues to make decisions about what "the little people" should or ought to know. Rielle Hunter and John Edwards are the latest example of why that hubris is contributing to a decline in ratings and circulation at Media outlets where that attitude can be found.

With the latest information about who is providing housing for Rielle Hunter, perhaps some Mainstream reporter will, at last, become interested.

After all, it's been rumored that the Mainstream Media are certain that Joe Six-Pack likes sports.

by Mondoreb
[image:zz-helps]
Source:
* Federal Election Commission
* Searches Per Day

* One Hed Fits All

JOHN EDWARDS LOVE CHILD SCANDAL

DBKP Library JOHN EDWARDS LOVE CHILD SCANDAL Over 25 DBKP Stories on the John Edwards-Rielle Hunter Love Child Scandal

JOHN EDWARDS LOVE CHILD SEX SCANDAL LATEST: at 10:00 EST * Rielle Hunter Housed by Former NBA Player * The Edwards Scandal, The Press, The Enquirer and the Blogosphere * Country Club Concubine * Curious Circumstances Excite No Curiosity in the Mainstream Media * Why Did Rielle Hunter Denounce the National Enquirer NINE WEEKS Before the Paper Would Name Her as the "Other Woman? * 30 Love Child Scandal Quotes * The "Interview" That Never Happened * Source Too 'Tainted For MSM? * Rielle Hunter: 'Kept Woman' * UPDATE: Hunter Living in Edwards Backer's House * Enquirer Update and New Questions! * CBS Interested Now? Mysterious Videos * 10 Things We Now Know About the John Edwards Love Child Scandal * ENQUIRER Fires Second Salvo at Edwards * John Edwards Love Child Scandal Has Hit the Stands * QUIZ: Name that Scandal! * Edwards Scandal? Surf's Up! * Is This Thing Still On or What? * Hunter Still Living the "Life of Rielle" * Edwards Alleged Love Child: Clintons Orchestrated Rumor? * DBKP World Exclusive! Photos of the Pair?? * Who Is Rielle Hunter? * John Edwards Shared More Than Shampoo With Rielle Hunter?

Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.