Press Avoided Edwards Story as Long as They Could

Pouring over the timeline of the John Edwards affair and his subsequent admission to ABC news, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nostalgia. Up until Edwards eventually caved in to an unrelenting pressure from the National Enquirer and other tabloids, the Edwards saga looked to be torn out of the never written pages and inside conversations of the pre-Watergate twentieth century when public figures enjoyed and expected a separation of public and private life.

Today’s media, led by tabloids is an unrelenting and unmerciful pursuit of scoop and the quest for worldwide impact. Yes, I said, ‘led by tabloids’. It is most often the Enquirer or the Globe or online offerings such as TMZ who break stories like the Edwards saga. Sadly, these forms of media appeal to the lowest common denominator in our society. One has to assume that many of the readers of these publications base their votes on the stories that they read while waiting in line at Albertsons or channel surfing between ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’ and re-runs of ‘Flavor of Love’.

As the Enquirer broke this story to the unrefined masses, the mainstream news media; specifically the political correspondents reluctantly picked up their notebooks and tape recorders in preparation of covering a story they were hoping not to. As in the good old days of beat writing and journalism, most of the national media knew that Edwards had indeed had an affair with Rielle Hunter in 2006. They also knew that Edwards had come clean with his wife, Elizabeth. It had been dealt with quietly and privately and print and broadcast outlets alike had given the Edwards’ a heaping helping of respect of privacy and space.

Of course the unwritten understanding in all of this was that Edwards would not pursue or accept a VP nod or even being vetted by either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Throwing that hat into the ring would have put the press in the odd spot of reporting something that would inevitably become news. Edwards was forced into a low profile. This may explain Obama’s slow and seemingly plodded pursuit of Edwards’ endorsement leading up to his securing the nomination. Without question, Obama was briefed and had decided to tread carefully despite the fact that Edwards’ home state of North Carolina had fallen into play in the election. Without the public knowing it, all of John Edwards' political ambitions were dead and buried.

The grace and restraint that the media showed the Edwards family was driven by their humanity for Mrs. Edwards. It had long been assumed that Edwards was a bit of a player, however Elizabeth Edwards had earned some say in the process of covering the events within her family. It’s been reported that knowing this, Mrs. Edwards communicated her expectations and humble requests to the press without words.

Clearly the issue of how to use this story has been bantered about the McCain campaign since the story broke. It seems far more likely that playing this into a ‘those morally corrupt Democrats’ type ad will fall on to the desk of a ‘527 group’ similar to the “Swift Boat Vest for Truth” rather than the campaign itself. Suddenly the Republicans are in a painted corner with regard to sexual and relationship issues. Connecting a candidate no longer in the race or pursuing a spot in a future administration to Obama would draw a rapid-fire response from Democrats, pulling Larry Craig into play. Nobody dressed in red is going to allow that to happen.

While it may seem like Edwards almost got away with one here, the reality is that it was probably always a matter of time before his transgressions tracked him down. His continued denial that Ms. Hunter's baby is his will keep the press hot on his heels. His free pass from the media is long gone. Welcome back to 2008, Mr. Edwards. Buckle up!