Edwards assails rivals over News Corp.

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - John Edwards criticized Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday for taking more than $20,000 in donations from News Corp. officials, arguing that the company's Fox News Channel has a right-wing bias and Democrats should avoid the company.

Edwards led the Democratic candidates' boycott of Fox's plans to host a Democratic presidential debate. Now he is objecting to News Corp.'s purchase of Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co. and highlighting the relationships that Clinton and other rivals have with the company's executives.

"The time has come for Democrats to stop pretending to be friends with the very people who demonize the Democratic Party," Edwards said in a statement.

He challenged his rivals to refuse contributions from executives of News Corp., and return any they had already received. The Edwards campaign sent an e-mail to supporters with the subject line "Unfair and Unbalanced," asking them to donate in support of his stand against the company.

Said Edwards spokesman Eric Schultz: "Thousands of good people work at Fox News and News Corp., but this is about the bias of top executives, those who make real editorial decisions like Rupert Murdoch, people who continually sanction unfounded attacks on Democrats. And that's why Democrats like Senator Clinton should either reject their money or return it."

The campaign timed the challenge to come two days before Edwards, Clinton and other candidates are scheduled to appear at a convention of liberal bloggers, who applauded Edwards' revolt against the Fox-sponsored debate in March.

Most of Murdoch's donations go to Republicans, but he gave $4,200 to Clinton's Senate campaign in 2006 and held a fundraiser for her at News Corp.'s midtown headquarters. He also donated $2,300 to her presidential campaign, according to online campaign donation database Political MoneyLine. Murdoch's son James, who is seen by many as a likely candidate to eventually succeed his 76-year-old father, gave $3,450.

A Political MoneyLine search of donors employed by News Corp. finds $20,900 in donations to Clinton's presidential bid from nine company attorneys and executives, including Murdoch's No. 2, Peter Chernin, who gave the maximum $4,600 allowed.

Chernin is a frequent donor to Democratic causes. He's also contributed $2,100 each to Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Chris Dodd, Political MoneyLine shows.

The Clinton, Obama and Dodd campaigns did not respond to requests for comment.

Dodd also issued a statement this week objecting to News Corp.'s purchase of Dow Jones and expressing concern about consolidation of U.S. media outlets.

"The Wall Street Journal has provided a valuable and important news choice to the American public for years," Dodd said. "With News Corp.'s purchase of the newspaper, I am concerned that it will be very difficult for the Journal to offer fair and balanced reporting under the pressures of a giant-media conglomerate."

___

On the Net:

http://www.johnedwards.com

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070802/ap_on_el_pr/edwards_news_corp [link]

[Rouger2]

Why souldn't Murdock give money to Hillary she is conservative when it comes to the economy and trade. She is a big social liberal but that is about it. She has backed her husband's Nafta deal that has put us in debt to Mexico. We now have a big trade dificit with them. I bet she is all for the free trade deals Bush wants. What are her plans of the working man or woman in this country, about all the jobs and businesses we are losing to cheap, no benefit, no enviormental costs, low safety cost labor and businesses. Does she believe in fair trade for our workers and businesses or does she dance around this vital issue. We are a first world country but having to compete with third world labor is going to reduce us to a third world country we are already losing our benefits and many work temp jobs.

[DosEquis]

Originally Posted by Rouger2

Why souldn't Murdock give money to Hillary she is conservative when it comes to the economy and trade. She is a big social liberal but that is about it. She has backed her husband's Nafta deal that has put us in debt to Mexico. We now have a big trade dificit with them. I bet she is all for the free trade deals Bush wants. What are her plans of the working man or woman in this country, about all the jobs and businesses we are losing to cheap, no benefit, no enviormental costs, low safety cost labor and businesses. Does she believe in fair trade for our workers and businesses or does she dance around this vital issue. We are a first world country but having to compete with third world labor is going to reduce us to a third world country we are already losing our benefits and many work temp jobs.

She is essentially Rudy Giuliani without the militarism. Other than "we need to blow up every brown person" she is identical.

[7th Ninjai]

Originally Posted by Rouger2

Why souldn't Murdock give money to Hillary she is conservative when it comes to the economy and trade. She is a big social liberal but that is about it. She has backed her husband's Nafta deal that has put us in debt to Mexico. We now have a big trade dificit with them. I bet she is all for the free trade deals Bush wants. What are her plans of the working man or woman in this country, about all the jobs and businesses we are losing to cheap, no benefit, no enviormental costs, low safety cost labor and businesses. Does she believe in fair trade for our workers and businesses or does she dance around this vital issue. We are a first world country but having to compete with third world labor is going to reduce us to a third world country we are already losing our benefits and many work temp jobs.

Taxing "windfall profits" is a conservative economic principle?

[thomez]

conservative economically = socialized medicine

[DosEquis]

Originally Posted by 7th Ninjai

Taxing "windfall profits" is a conservative economic principle?

She is as conservative as one of the republican front runners by the name of rudy. Other than the policy of nation building they are damn near identical. They both have shitty health care plans.. etc.

[Rouger2]

Originally Posted by 7th Ninjai

Taxing "windfall profits" is a conservative economic principle?

She has to toe the democratic line but would she follow through with it.

[Rouger2]

Originally Posted by thomez

conservative economically = socialized medicine

That is a social issue also, but I am sure she would do like she tried to do before let the HMOs or big business dictate the plan insuring themselves a huge profit.

[JaJae]

Edwards is such a hypocrite. The book he published was by Murdoch's company and he was paid something like $800k by Murdoch. I wonder if he's going to give the money back.

EDIT:

John Edwards will never ask Rupert Murdoch for money -- he won't accept his money," said a statement e-mailed to supporters. Not so fast, Murdoch's people say. His publishing unit, HarperCollins, paid Edwards a $500,000 advance -- and $300,000 in expenses -- for his 2006 book "Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives."

What a douchecanoe. Go get a haircut and be quiet Johnny Boy.

[RMNIXON]

Originally Posted by DosEquis

She is essentially Rudy Giuliani without the militarism. Other than "we need to blow up every brown person" she is identical.

I find that remark very offensive.

Let me find the Smiley:





Do you have any related clever remarks for those Muslims who have no problem with slaughtering fellow Muslims not as fanatical as themselves?

[DosEquis]

Originally Posted by RMNIXON

I find that remark very offensive.

Let me find the Smiley:





Do you have any related clever remarks for those Muslims who have no problem with slaughtering fellow Muslims not as fanatical as themselves?

Nah, i just call them crazy.

[RMNIXON]

Craig Crawford’s Trail Mix: Edwards Again Fuels Hypocrite Image function

By Craig Crawford, CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
Published: August 3, 2007

Although often totally divorced from reality, perceptions in politics tend to overwhelm the truth. And these days the perception that John Edwards is a hypocrite now endangers his presidential hopes.

The latest thread for this narrative is the next-day story that followed the Democrat’s attack this week on party rival Hillary Rodham Clinton for taking $20,000 in campaign funds from conservative media titan Rupert Murdoch and his executives. Now it turns out that Edwards himself got $800,000 for a book deal from Murdoch’s publishing arm, HarperCollins.

The Edwards camp explains that most of the money went to charity and the rest was only for expenses. Still, this story is destined to be linked to the flaps over the poverty fighter’s expensive haircuts, hedge fund salaries and multi-million-dollar North Carolina home.

Fair or not, their collective impact is saddling Edwards with a dreadful image that he must shake before it becomes unshakable.

Contributing Editor Craig Crawford is a news analyst for NBC, MSNBC and CNBC. He can be reached at ccrawford@cq.com.</SPAN>
© 2006 Congressional Quarterly


Craig Crawford&rsquo;s Trail Mix: Edwards Again Fuels Hypocrite Image - New York Times


:bowr ofl:

[RMNIXON]

Originally Posted by JaJae

Edwards is such a hypocrite. The book he published was by Murdoch's company and he was paid something like $800k by Murdoch. I wonder if he's going to give the money back.

What a douchecanoe. Go get a haircut and be quiet Johnny Boy.

Glass House you say?