A closer look at the John Edwards/Rielle Hunter webisodes

John Edwards shares the outline of a speech with Rielle Hunter, who produced a four-episode Web series about the candidate. (Photo credit: Webcastr.com)

The John Edwards/Rielle Hunter affair has been the talk of the Web since late last week, but a peppy, jagged little 2006 production called “Inspiring Politics: A Webisode Series Following John Edwards” has been attracting only a modest number of views on YouTube.

It surfaced there a week ago after being removed from Edwards’ website last year. Hunter, who by all accounts had a sketchy job history, including some off-the-radar acting and New Age spiritual advising, was contracted to make the videos soon after she met the candidate at an event in a New York City bar. The four short episodes are usually referred to as “campaign videos,” which might explain why they have not drawn much of a crowd. But they have nothing in common with traditional cleaned-up, on-message campaign videos. They’re a strangely watchable document of unbridled ambition — Hunter’s as much as Edwards’.

Hunter’s three-person production company, “Midline Groove,” was reportedly incorporated in June 2006, and she made the videos that summer and fall. YouTube was just more than a year old, and the notion of a “webisode series” was barely a twinkle in Hollywood’s eye. Lonelygirl15, the first such series to attract mainstream attention, did not get big until September of that year.

So Hunter’s “webisode” idea could reasonably have seemed to promise Edwards some political magic: a charmingly unpolished look at the candidate that would be at once high-tech and down-home, unpretentious yet cutting edge — the very essence of Internet culture. Her lack of “experience” could even be seen as part of the point of hiring her. Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign had already begun to use a MySpace page that was started by a private citizen. Revealing video clips of candidates were being e-mailed around. Why not try to tap into the YouTube revolution and its fresh, daring, amateur energy?

But as with so much on YouTube, the videos turned out to be revealing in ways no one could have predicted.

At the beginning of Episode 1, “Plane Truths,” Edwards talks into the camera about what he hopes the videos will do, sounding like any YouTubing teenager earnestly trying to express his inner self. “I’ve come to the personal conclusion that I actually want the country to see who I really am. Who I really am,” Edwards says, sitting back in his campaign plane. “But I don’t know what the result of that will be.” He is determined, however, to show people something other than the “plastic Ken doll” image he has acquired. “That’s not me,” he insists.

We soon hear the series’ theme song in the background: “True Reflections,” a solo effort by Dave Matthews Band member Boyd Tinsley. “When you look into the mirror,” Tinsley growls, “do you like what’s looking at you?” It’s a puzzling song choice that not only underscores the handsome and, yes, Ken doll looks, it also suggests that a central question confronting Edwards as he contemplates a run for the presidency is ... how he feels about himself.

Edwards was on ABC News on Friday, talking about the “self-focus, egotism and narcissism” that led him to the affair, and that’s all in plain view on the videos. But much more fascinating is the view they give of Hunter’s self-obsession.

From the start of the four-episode series, Hunter slyly establishes herself as a character right alongside the presidential hopeful. She manages to insinuate herself constantly, even though she’s never on camera. Out of what must have been many hours of footage, Hunter chose to include in the final cut moment after moment of Edwards talking flirtatiously to her. The making of the webisode series itself is a running theme. In the first minute of the six-minute “Plane Truths,” we see Edwards moving his legs aside so Hunter and her fellow videographer can walk onto the plane. Soon he’s saying, “Glad to have you. And if any of these guys aren’t nice to you, you tell me.”

At times the flirtatious banter between Edwards and Hunter sounds right out of a romantic comedy (but the material isn’t exactly Hepburn-Tracy). “It’s a great speech!” he says as he looks over some notes. “So glad you like it!” we hear her say from behind the camera, her laugh trilling out. “I like it,” he says, then stares out the window for a second with a big grin. He turns back toward her to beam and say, “Wait till you hear me give it live.” Then he collects himself and looks at the shoes of the guy sitting next to him. “So the way his shoes are shaped, are those cool?” he asks.

Episode 2, “The Golden Rule,” shows Edwards preparing for and making a speech condemning the “corporate greed” of Wal-Mart. It ends with an outtake of Edwards joshing Hunter, apropos of nothing we’ve seen: “Very graceful, camera girl.” (Was Hunter dreaming of a sequel, “The Camera Girl Chronicles”?)

Only in Episode 3, “Plight of Uganda,” are we able to forget that Hunter is holding the camera, as the dire situation in a refugee camp takes over the narrative.

But there she is again in Episode 4, jarringly named “Plugs,” which shows Edwards getting ready to go on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.” With this perfunctory episode, Hunter appears to have run out of steam. Even she appears to be having a hard time finding Edwards scintillating as he sits in the back of a car discussing with great seriousness his decision not to announce his candidacy on “The Daily Show.” When Stewart walks into the green room and says hello, we hear a female voice from the general vicinity of the camera (it sounds like Hunter) calling out in an excited voice, “Hiii!”

In that helpless, automatic reaction to an even bigger male star than Edwards, Hunter is revealed as not simply a videographer hired by the Edwards campaign but a member of a much older profession: a groupie. And “Inspiring Politics” represents one of the most inventive ways a groupie has ever gained unlimited access to the power guy of her dreams. But it also, alas for both of them, set him up to lose everything and to have his weakness documented in excruciating detail on YouTube.

-- Maria Russo

Comments

[NoNamePlease]

After reading about Rielle Hunter, a wild and wacky thought occurs to me.

If Monica saved the dress...would Rielle save the sperm?

Maybe so if she really thought John Edwards were not only her true soulmate but the next Gandhi.

Can a woman steal sperm from a man and then artificially inseminate (I googled and it appears it is possible)...

And if Rielle Hunter is truly the daughter of a thoroughbred horse farmer as the Web seems to state, she may well know how to save and store sperm to keep it viable. People who breed horses tend to know about the ins and outs of artificial insemination.

But this could explain how Edwards could be the father even if the timing is "off"..

[Enforcer Guy]

Hey Writer,

John Edwards is directing the “any of these guys gives you any trouble” at the dude who walks on after the senorita. Or at least the dude thinks so, since he replies, "O.K."

Fix your article. HTH.

[Kate]

Poor Elizabeth. Poor, poor Elizabeth.

[Robert Lewis]

Andrew Young of the John Edwards story: The arrests for worthless checks, DWI, burglary, criminal mischief, the federal tax lien

webofdeception.com

[TJ]

How stupid and assinine. These are the men we choose to believe will lead us out of the darkness? The pool of political talent has seriously deteriorated. Is it a generational thing, the fruits of a certain kind of child psychology? I don't think the mill worker parents delved much into child psychology to raise their children. I think we just have a pool of self made narcissistic, ego driven, hair do making, men who are no better than plastic credit cards.

They present themselves as something we may want, then we are sorry for it later, have no refunds, and end up paying for it for the rest of our lives.

I could care less about his need for ego stroking. How could his campaign officials not steered him away from this silly woman? Were they all sleeping with her?

I do care about all of the campaign contributions that were financing this folly while the contributors bought his phoney image. I do care about his fraudulent presence, cluttering up the primary campaign.

[NIta J. Eckert]

Okay, Let's all get off our "we are so perfect" bandwagon and move on. I was disappointed as I backed John Edwards, monetarily and personally. However, when he said that he let these things get to his head and he thought he would never get caught, have we not all been there.. Not only us but McCain, Gringwich, Clinton, all the Kennedy's, rumors of Bush...etc. He made a horrible mistake...why did he lie? Oh lets be real... why do any one of us lie? We didn't want people to know or find out... He stood up by himself, did not make his wife stand there with a smile on her face "supporting her husband", took responsibility, said his head got tooo big (has any one else ever said that), and fessed up. Does this make it right? No. Am I mad and angry at him? Yes. Do I think he is anything but human? No... When we can all say that we are perfect than we can speak up. YOur answer to that? "We aren't running for president".. True but Clinton and Kennedy are still hailed as two of the best presidents to serve, their marriage is between them, back off.. His political views are our business.

[Jeff in Orlando]

The Democrat presidential candidates all express their love for humanity, and in many cases this becomes a literal interpretation. For many of them, any skirt in the house will do. I'm not condeming the actions of Edwards, Clinton, Hart and Spitzer. They can do what they want. I feel sorry for the families; the spouses and the children. In addition, the fact they lie so easily to their families is stunning. And, if they lie to them, they will lie to us. Why people put so much faith in the words of politicians is beyond me. After four years, of Obama or McCain, there will still be wars in the world, there will still be a lot of poor people and there will be natural disasters to deal with. We can only hope whoever is elected, their policies will provide average citizens with an economy that will allow all who are motivated to prosper.

[Diane F.]

What's all this fuss about DNA?
The answer is clear I say,
Edwards' confession was a doozy
About his tryst with a floozy,
But the baby's daddy is Aiken as in Clay.

[Doris Rogalla]

What sad news!
How do we react? It seems that as a society, we are often too eager to throw the first stone......
2 comments I'd like to make:
1) And you all know this: 'It takes two', so in my view 2 people have failed
2) You may find this very controversial: I believe that men (males) are by their very nature not entirely 'designed' for marriage/monogamy. I'm writing this not to justify or to excuse, more as a thought...

[Dee]

Why won't she take the paternity test? I mean even if she is trying to protect John Edwards with her cryptic idea of waiting until Elizabeth passes so they can be together, her child still deserves to know who her father is. Does this chick not know? Oh well, regardless whether the child is Edwards or not, mom will always be a skank in the eyes of the majority. We all know what a lying cheat Edwards is, but to have Rielle's sister come out and say the media is potraying her unfairly and that she is a good person. What did she think the public and the media were gonna do? I guess crown her Ms. Virtue 2008. Reports are saying Ms. Hunter is "spirtual". I say she is about as spirtual as the angel of death.

[me]

It's really just sad what this world has come to. Affairs are no surprise to anyone anymore. It's just an everyday occurance.

When will we get back to a president who will support familiy values again? Who will help keep marriages together? Who will provide an excellent example of what a family SHOULD look like?

[Vanessa]

edwards helped Obama more than he knows... If this story would have exploded when the enquirer uncovered it, Hillary would likely have gotten most of edward's vote in Iowa and beaten Obama

Wow, and we thought W. Bush's campaign was a scandal, this election year blows it away by far

One thing is good, Hillary and all her die hard supporters get to suck wind! haha

Go Obama, you are the only hip candidate that can bring out the true gangsta culture

[Paul Veazey]

In response to the sperm bank musings of "NoNamePlease"--Or, more likely, Edwards is simply lying about the length of the affair. It's also quite likely Edwards knew his paramour would nix the DNA paternity test idea when he so bravely floated it. Why people assume demonstrated pathological liars are telling the truth about other details is always a puzzle.

[Doris Rogalla]

Very sad news.
But look how we as a society react - always so eager and willing to throw the first stone!

I'd like to make a comment:
- As we all know 'It takes two' - two people have failed.
- You'll find this controversial, but I believe that men (males) are by their nature not entirely 'designed' for marriage/monogamie.

Let's move toward healing, for this country and each of us.
D.R.
-

[Carl]

Thank you for the article. It is very timely and topical. Will you be running articles on Obama and the reverend Wright in 2009 or 2010?

[CRVOLS]

"In the end, we are all the sum total of our actions. Character cannot be counterfeited, nor can it put on and cast off as if it were a garment to meet the whim of the moment. Like the markings on wood which are ingrained in the very heart of the tree, character requires time and nurturing for growth and development. Thus also, day by day, we write our own destiny; for inexorably...we become what we do."

Madame Chaing Kai-Shek

[Studfarmowner]

Yes, it is possible to manually inseminate.

A very simlar incident involves one of our married male managers, who had an affair with a Mexican Lab. asst. worker. She held the sperm in her mouth, transferred it to a test tube and then into herself, to get pregnanat and have a child in the USA for citizenship...and to force him to marry her.

Sad !

[mcimmons]

How come no one talks about Junior Bush and Daddy Bush. It has been written that they both had mistresses. Where the heck do you think Junior was after he married Laura all those nights he never came home and then when he did, he was drunk?

[bobbiewick]

"As anyone trying to piece together a timeline of the John Edwards/Rielle Hunter affair knows ..."

Um, why in the world would somebody bother to do that?

[Bren]

I have to admit I was actually a little surprised to know that Edwards had this affair. He was one of the view politicians that SEEMED to be relatively genuine. It's just another example of an idiotic man playing with fire and not thinking about the consequences to both his wife and his children.

I have become so disgusted with the people in power and a political system that is completely failing us citizens. I never thought I would think this way, but it seems to me we are skipping our way down the path of the Roman Empire. If there is not serious overhaul in politics as usual we and are children will pay a terrible price for the fiasco our political parties have become.

[bayonet]

NIta J. Eckert stop the cool aide drinking...Bill Clinton and John Edwards are exactly the same - a couple of pretty boys who think they are above the law. Live and learn before you give your hard earned cash to losers like those two. And by the way...Clinton will be remembered more by the stained blue dress than by anything else during his time as pres...deal with.

[Bernie]

If he claimed to be so narcissitic and ego-centric at that time, don't you think a candidate of that level would try to fuel his thirst for ego by having an affair with an attractive woman. I don't get it, throw it all away for this dog? If i were a handsome man like him, I would be approaching world renowned bikini models or something seemingly unobtainable. What is the lure with ugly woman? I guess no one would ever suspect an affair, and it is more believable to deny than being seen in close quarters with some young sexy vixen.

[crvols]

I"n the end, we are all the sum total of our actions. Character cannot be counterfeited, nor can it put on and cast off as if it were a garment to meet the whim of the moment. Like the markings on wood which are ingrained in the very heart of the tree, character requires time and nurturing for growth and development. Thus also, day by day, we write our own destiny; for inexorably...we become what we do."

Madame Chaing Kai-Shek

[AyHyperbole]

NoNamePlease: Sperm is only viable for a few days unless frozen. And I'm not sure, but I don't think you can use an ordinary kitchen freezer - I think you need one of those industrial types that go to -80 degrees. And even then, the artificial insemination process is complex and expensive; it generally involves harvesting eggs, creating many embryos, and implanting them into the mother, at a cost of tens of thousand dollars.

So while it's within the realm of possibility that such a thing happened, I would be extremely surprised.

[A]

We now have proof that Edwards lied to the press, lied to his campaign staff, and lied at his press conference confessing.

To me, I don't care who he is sleeping with as long as it (intended) is is legal.

I do care that campaign funds were used to pay off this sex partner.

Or his good buddy paid her off "on his own".

$15,000 per month is not chump change. Someone has to pay taxes on these payments.

That is the sum being paid by Edward's supporter either on Edward's or Young's behalf.

The alternative would have been for Hunter to get money via the courts with an order to determine paternity and child support.

$10,000 per year is the maximum someone can give another per year as a gift tax free.

$15,000 per month also vastly exceed any conceivable cap on individual contributions to political campaigns unless it is funds for staging a "convention".

Is the MSM trying to tell us that there is not a quid quo pro to Edwards or Young or both for these payments?

READ the rather lawyerly Edwards comment about these payments:

he had not “requested, agreed to or supported” payments of any kind to Ms Hunter

What his lawyerly prose left out is that he,

a) knew about it at some point probably before it was made.

b) he acquiesced to it when he had a legal and moral duty to stop the payments once he knew about it which certainly looks like it is made to help either him or his aid Young avoid making child support payments.

Such payments would imply a quid quo pro back to Mr Barron.

Influence peddling by other names. Corruption by another.

c) What about the simple sexual harassment / conflict of interest with sleeping with a paid member of the campaign staff?

This is an FBI / Campaign Financing Law violation issue, an IRS issue as to whether taxes are paid by someone on the monthly payments made by Barron to Hunter and expenses paid.... including to Young.

Is this not bribery?

Do the Presidential candidate not have a legal obligation to prevent someone from (or if it had already been done, to turn back the questionable payment), and certainly to actively prevent future payments that may look improper and probably is illegal?

Has Edwards, now that he knows all about the $15,000 a month, move to ask his "buddy" to stop those payments when Edwards is clearly a beneficiary of the payments regardless of whether he is the father of the child or not?

Has Young made the same request to Barron since he is clearly the beneficiary if he claims to be the father and in fact is the father?

Why haven't anyone stopped those payments? Or pay back the questionable payments already made to Barron?

Don't Hunter realize she has no claim to privacy when she has accepted these dubious and probably illegal payments?