Posted by
Shogrensus on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 2:01:49 AM
March 26, 2007
Elizabeth Edwards
Rosie and I agree on something: The most important issue in the Edwards dilemma is how all of this affects the children, who are 6 and 8.
It is true that many women get breast cancer every year and that the majority of women will be treated successfully with no cancer recurrence, particularly if it is caught early. If Elizabeth Edwards had just been diagnosed with her initial breast cancer, the discussion would be different.
She has METASTASIZED breast cancer. Only ¼ of the women diagnosed with her type of cancer survive 5 years. Rosie speaks from the viewpoint of a person whose mother died when she was 10. She is being honest about the fact that children want to be with their mom. Every moment they spend together creates memories those children will cherish when she is gone. This is sad for all of them, but most sad for those children.
Elizabeth Edwards said she doesn’t want her legacy to be that she prevented John from becoming the President of the United States. No, she’d rather her legacy be that she put her husband’s campaign before the needs of her children. (And because there are plenty of reasons her husband will not be president, no one will blame her anyway.)
People like the women Rosie mentioned who would vote for Edwards just because his wife has cancer are fools who should stay home on Election Day. His wife’s cancer is not a litmus test. It adds nothing positive to his presidential skill set. It should influence voters to assess the likelihood her illness will impact his ability to be an effective President. If voters elect Edwards President in 2008, statistically, Elizabeth Edwards will not survive the term. How could this not be a distraction?
Being President is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. There are issues to be addressed 24 hours per day. How would this man tend to the needs of his children? Who would tend to his children? Who would the children want to tend to them? The FMLA act wouldn’t really be appropriate. On the other hand, maybe Edwards isn’t really that involved with his kids now, so they wouldn’t care. If that is the case, the voters should know that, much like the media wants to discuss Giuliani’s relationships with his children.
These discussions about all of the people all over the country who face this situation every day and keep going are silly. The average person who gets a terminal diagnosis has no options. The average person, from that other America, can’t take the time to be with her kids because they will lose their home if she stops working. The average person in this circumstance would give anything to have the choice to be with her family, to travel with her kids, to enjoy the time they have together. The average person in this situation is trying to figure out how her family will survive financially when she is gone. Elizabeth Edwards is not like 99% of the women in her situation.
Obviously, we are all going to die. Some of us will die suddenly. There is nothing we can do to prepare for this sort of demise, other than to have our relationships in order to the extent possible. For those people who know they are going to die in advance, they have a gift that shouldn’t be ignored. Elizabeth and John Edwards can take this time to put their children at the center of the world. They can not pretend this isn’t an earth shattering experience for those kids. No positive spin will change this reality.
Elizabeth and John Edwards are in denial about the reality facing them.
Obviously, Edwards is not a man for whom I would have ever voted because his positions on just about every issue are far too liberal for my taste. Prior to this issue, I have acknowledged that he seemed like a nice guy who is obviously a great lawyer. I believed him to be dedicated to his family. As a mom of many, I did give him kudos for his family relationships. Now, I have changed my opinion of him completely: I now see him as an incredibly selfish man who borders on egomaniacal. I am very disappointed in his response to this situation.
To those who say I shouldn’t judge, he gives me the right to judge when he runs for the Presidency of the United States. Voters must judge, it is our responsibility. If he doesn’t want to be judged, he should return to private life and we will all leave him alone.
I hope the people in their lives are being honest about their circumstances. This is an incredible opportunity for the Edwards family to move forward using their public personas to really impact the research, diagnosis and treatments for breast cancer. It is not too late for John and Elizabeth Edwards to do the right thing for their family. I am pulling for them.