Full disclosure…

This is certainly a coup of sorts for Robert and PodTech, but the cynic in me sees it as a lame attempt by the staff of an accomplished ambulance chaser with no legislative record to buy some cred from one of the cool people in the tech blogosphere. Edwards ran a lame campaign in 04; if he thinks that class envy “two Americas” stuff is going to work better this time, he’ll find himself back chasing the “evil tobacco companies and asbestos manufacturers” before you can say Obama three times.
I was so disappointed when the Clinton DOJ came after Microsoft in the 90s. Like many Microsofties on board at the time, I thought that lobbying was for losers who couldn’t build a better mousetrap, or market the one they had. I despise that companies great and small have to pay tribute to politicians who know nothing about tech and the economy other than how to demagogue issues like “pay equity” and whose tech policies come down in favor of the biggest campaign contributor.
Still, I look forward to reading about Robert’s experience with the campaign from the tech blogger perspective. I also hope that you’re offered the opportunity to take an up-close look at every candidate in the race and report to us on their policies vis a vis business and technology, and how they plan to use technology in their campaigns. I could care less about the D’s and R’s; I care about what the person knows, has done, and is willing to stand for without waffling–you know, principles and character, something most politicians only know about from glancing at the episodes of Sesame Street that their kids watch.

@17. And yet TWICE the Dems failed to defeat him. What’s that say about the Dems. Like I said in a previous post, do the Dem’s not pay any attention to history. Senators DO NOT get elected president. The have voting records that expose them for what they are. Unbelievable the Dems will have at least 3 running. Do they deliberately try to lose elections?

PodTech will not be covering any expenses from the Edward plane. Does the NYTimes pay for the expense when they fly on airforce one?

Robert: have fun, tell us the story, cover the stories, and get behind the scene coverage.

@19

1) As long as its not UNREASONABLE. What’s unreasonable about listen in on conversations that originate from or are sent to known terrorist locations?

@2) the Eight Amendment as well as every other Amendment, applies to US Citizens. What evidence do we have of the govt torturing their own Citizens? Perhaps you instead meant to reference the 3rd and 4th Geneva Convention?

#3) Possibly. But it has yet to be tested in the courts.

That said, all if this is likely over Edwards’ head. Unless it involves chasing an ambulance and suing a company, he likely is out of his league.

After discussing with my wife, she made the rather astute observation that you have to be doubly assured that Edwards is the guy you that you want to attach your personal brand to.
There will be more pres announcements coming, and is he the right guy or the first guy to ask?

Colin: he’s the first to ask. I haven’t made any decision about who I’ll support yet.

I think Edwards is an excellent candidate. He speaks a langaguage that many in this country can understand. While my loyalities and first love go to Obama (I’m from Illinois after all), I have the upmost respect for Edwards and wish him all the best.

Sincerely,

LEO
webmaster
IllinoisDemNet

ILLINOIS DEMOCRATIC NETWORK
http://www.IllinoisDemNet.com

P.S. Someone should tell these dolts that just because a weekly tabloid like Newsweek, with no particular insight into the process, puts you on its cover — that doesn’t make you’re a leading contender.

“Does the NYTimes pay for the expense when they fly on airforce one?”

Yes.

All media outlets that fly with the President are billed by the White House Travel Office. The price varies depending on how many other media members are traveling.

For example

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/11/AR2006081101834_pf.html

“The cost of covering the president has risen dramatically at a time when the news media, anxious about economic pressures, are aggressively cutting costs. For a one-day trip to St. Louis, for instance, the White House billed The Washington Post $3,317. To go to Yuma, Ariz., for a day, the bill came to $3,795. A two-day trip to Europe cost $8,283, not counting hotel charges.”

Robert,

You have become a dicksee chick! Hope you do not go the same way. Watch the blog desolve now.

What next? The polar ice caps melting due to overheating of our motherboards. Not impressed!!! AT ALL!!

Open another blog for the above garbage.

Disappointed, but will still read on.

IMHO

Robert, you asked, Why me?

I am with #29 when he said (in part) “buy some cred from one of the cool people in the tech blogosphere”.

All your blog readers know that you are *all about* full disclosure and won’t gloss over things (having a partner like Maryam to keep you balanced is a huge benefit too).

It will be very interesting to see what you see through the lens of that camera…

Ann: It was Kerry who failed to carry NC, not Edwards. Kerry couldn’t have carried this state with any running mate. Edwards has a better chance than Clinton or Obama here in 2008, since they have essentially no chance. Democrats do win in North Carolina. The governor and the legislature are Democratic. But, to win Dems need to be devoid of any taint of stereotypical liberalism. Compare and contrast Mike Easely and Erskine Bowles.

Edwards and the media do a good job of obscuring his past: this guy was an ambulance chaser. Yes, someone has to do it and I’m sure there are probably trial lawyers that don’t suck money for money’s sake. If he wasn’t in it for using the system to coerce money, then we would have heard about all of his good work. From what I can see, his abilities lie in being able to convince juries to stick it to people and collect big bucks.

It’s nice that he wants to run on poverty, but this won’t go too far because sooner or later the public will realize that we have made great strides over the past decades and there is much more to being president. He’ll switch to education or something at some point as his trial lawyer skills kick in. To him, the we’re a sap jury waiting to be influenced.

I’m not so sure the press will get behind him either. In the end, if it seems that Hillary is electable, I think the press will rally behind her. (The press is much more likely to show their favorites these days.)

Al: Since corporate monopolies and oligopolies — energy, health, media, tech, food and agriculture, transportation — control so much of our daily lives, they are the biggest threat to our way of life. I think Edwards is far from an ambulance-chasing lawyer, but the more lawyers chasing those guys, the better.

Robert: It strikes me that a lot of the criticism of your taking this little roadtrip is rooted in the critics’ disdain and contempt for the game of politics as it is currently played, independent of any single candidate. There’s an interesting parallel in the hostility many free and open source software advocates evince toward Microsoft and other IT corporations.

Ahh, you can’t box me into the Right/Left slag, equal opportunity snark. And I ooonnnnly share a last name with Ann, not a platform, tho I’d like to share her wealth, Miami and Palm Beach, sigh.

Tho I got a better mash-up…Rushanity or Seanush.

Billg:
You’re funny! The irony is comical. You rattled off a huge chunk of the econonmy and somehow think that the millions that work in those industries control us. I can tell you don’t like big organizations, but I suspect that you would have no trouble moving those industries to government control – which is really one huge, non-competitive, corrupt organization (without oversight) that would be a much bigger threat to our lives!
I love you lefty’s!

LayZ,

Thank you for your response … I still would like to see what Edwards has to say on these Constitutional issues that I believe are vital to our Republic.

Regarding #1, please consider reading these:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FISA_Court

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00F1FFF3D540C758DDDAB0994DD404482

… it is not about being reasonable. It is about him not following the law which mandates the use of the FISA courts for any such activity.

Regarding #2 … I am not a legal expert … so you are saying that it is legal for us to torture non-citizens?

and regarding a test case for Habeas Corpus, here is one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Padilla_%28alleged_terrorist%29

Robert, I see this as an opportunity for Edwards to respond to some really tough questions that are considered too controversial to bring up … like our Israeli policy and its impact on the middle east. If he can provide a candid vision and start a meaningful dialog with the public on these issues via your show then you will have done us a great service.

Erik

>>”I suspect that you would have no trouble moving those industries to government control …”

Don’t make knee-jerk assumptions, Al, without evidence to support them. You’ve nothing to go on about my opinions other than one short comment. Some of us are capable of independent thought.

Robert,

anyone who’s ever talked to Maryam thinks of you as “Maryam’s husband”