{"id":267173,"date":"2010-02-02T09:46:00","date_gmt":"2010-02-02T14:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"tag:www.opensecrets.org,2010:\/news\/\/8.1346"},"modified":"2010-02-05T16:12:26","modified_gmt":"2010-02-05T21:12:26","slug":"before-sex-scandal-john-edwards-was-darling-of-womens-rights-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/267173","title":{"rendered":"Before Sex Scandal, John Edwards was Darling of Women’s Rights Movement"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"johnedwardstalks.jpg\"Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards<\/a> made headlines during his 2008
presidential campaign for gaining the confidence \u0096 and the cash — of women\u0092s rights advocates across the country. Now, attention focuses on his new admission of personal transgressions; Edwards fathered a child<\/a> with his former mistress and campaign videographer.<\/p>\n

The women\u0092s issues lobby<\/a>, which consists of individuals and organizations committed to promoting women\u0092s rights and interests, contributed $352,000 to Edwards\u0092 campaign during the 2008 election cycle, according to a Center for Responsive Politics<\/a> analysis.<\/p>\n

This ranked Edwards among the top five recipients<\/a> of federal political contributions from the women\u0092s issues lobby during that time frame, the Center has found. Only presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton — who kept running long after Edwards dropped out — as well as U.S. Senate candidates Jeanne Shaheen and Kay Hagan, eclipsed Edwards’ total.<\/p>\n

As a result, these copious donations solidified the women’s issues lobby among Edwards’ top 10 contributing industries during his 2008 campaign — the Center for Responsive Politics tracks the contributions of 121 separate industries and special interest areas.<\/p>\n

Frances Kissling, founding president of the National Abortion Federation<\/a> and instrumental in the women\u0092s rights movement, is just one of many woman who chose to back Edwards both publicly and in the form of political donations.<\/p>\n

\u0093I’m a lifelong feminist activist. In this crucial election, I am supporting John Edwards, whose economic policies I think will best serve women\u0094 she stated in an article for Salon.com<\/a> in January 2008.<\/p>\n

Now, she believes his \u0093behavior and lying is so egregious\u0094 that she would not support
him for public office.<\/p>\n

\u0093The denial of the affair is disturbing. The denial of pregnancy is disturbing,\u0094 Kissling told Capital Eye<\/a><\/em> in a phone interview. \u0093[The affair] definitely affects women\u0092s views of him as a person and as someone they could support in politics.\u0094<\/p>\n

Kissling remembers how before his run for the presidency, women\u0092s rights activists supported Edwards for his record on women\u0092s issues as a U.S. senator. Now, she says, \u0093I would consider him to have serious flaws in terms of moral behavior and honesty.\u0094<\/p>\n

Throughout his campaign, Edwards gained the confidence of women’s rights activists who supported him over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For example, Kate Michelman, former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America<\/a>, was one of those women attracted to Edwards\u0092 campaign positions. Instead of supporting Clinton, Michelman became Edwards\u0092 senior adviser.<\/p>\n

\u0093I believe in John’s deep and profound commitment to the issues that matter most in women’s lives,\u0094 Michelman, who could not be reached for comment, said in a statement<\/a> during the presidential campaign. \u0093[I] know John is the most effective national messenger for the values we share and I have complete confidence that — with our help — he will win the White House and improve the lives of women everywhere.”<\/p>\n

And Edwards’ wife, Elizabeth, was instrumental in creating a \u0093Women for Edwards<\/a>\u0094 movement. This group organized and mobilized women won over by his \u0093Agenda for American Women,\u0094 which focused on promoting women\u0092s equality, health and economic security.<\/p>\n

Edwards also appealed to women who agreed with his emphasis on moral values.<\/p>\n

“All of us need to send an unambiguous message to the young people in our communities. We need to clearly say that it is wrong when young men father children but do not support them,” Edwards wrote in 2007 book “Ending Poverty in America<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

Additionally, Edwards, along with dozens of other leading Democrats, was a signatory<\/a> to the Hyde Park Declaration in 2000. The declaration stated in part that in order “to strengthen families, we must redouble efforts to reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies.”<\/p>\n

Edwards first acknowledged an extramarital affair with campaign videographer Rielle Hunter in the summer of 2008, months after he pulled out of the presidential race.<\/p>\n

Then in January, after publicly denying it for months, Edwards confirmed that he is the father of Hunter\u0092s young daughter, Quinn. Edwards and his wife Elizabeth, a breast cancer patient who stayed by her husband\u0092s side when he originally acknowledged the affair, have since separated<\/a> in the wake of this newest development.<\/p>\n

Rumors, from the debatable to the downright absurd, have surrounded Edwards since his announcement.<\/p>\n

Former aide Andrew Young recently published<\/a> “The Politician: An Insider’s Account of John Edwards’s Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down,\u0094 a book chronicling Edwards\u0092 private life now made public.<\/p>\n

Edwards, a lawyer, is also accused of using campaign contributions from individuals and organizations to pay Hunter for her campaign work. A federal investigation is underway<\/a>. <\/p>\n

If it is found that Edwards used campaign contributions for personal purposes, he could be charged with a federal crime.<\/p>\n

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