John Edwards 2008: What’s not to like

In the world of big-time politics and publishing, the $900,000 deal that Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards got for his recent book was not extraordinary.

What jumped out was the source of Edwards’ paycheck — conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

The deal raised eyebrows for two reasons. Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, has been a biting critic of Murdoch and his TV network, Fox News. And Murdoch has often been accused of using lucrative book deals to curry favor with powerful politicians.

The generous contract offered by Murdoch’s publishing company, HarperCollins, for Edwards’ 2006 book “Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives,” had publishing industry executives scratching their heads.

“That’s a deal I would question,” said Morgan Entrekin, publisher of Grove/Atlantic. “Given the economics of the business, I don’t see how you could make back that kind of money on a coffee table book, which tends to be a hard sale.”

Edwards said he donated his proceeds from the book to charity. The Edwards campaign declined to release the specific amounts donated or provide a copy of Edwards’ contract with HarperCollins. Colleen Murray, a campaign spokeswoman, said she could provide no information on whether the Edwardses claimed any tax advantages from their charitable gifts.

Big deals are common

It is not unusual for Murdoch to offer large contracts to prominent politicians. His companies had previously offered big book deals to such notables as then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Senate Majority leader Trent Lott and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Such large book contracts are common in the world of big-time politics. Two of Edwards’ chief rivals, Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, have received far more lucrative book deals.

The unlikely business partnership between Edwards and Murdoch drew little attention until recent days.

Edwards said he thought the book’s contract details were confidential. But Murdoch’s executives made them public after Edwards launched a string of attacks against Murdoch.

News Observer 8/12/07
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/politicians/edwards/story/668031.html

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards recently defended taking a lucrative book contract from a publisher controlled by Rupert Murdoch — whose News Corp. empire Edwards has sharply criticized — by insisting that “every dime” of his $500,000 advance went to charity.Left unmentioned by Edwards, however, was that Murdoch’s HarperCollins paid portions of a $300,000 expense budget for the book to Edwards’s daughter and to a senior political aide, Jonathan Prince.

The sums paid to Cate Edwards and Prince, who are listed as co-authors on the little-noticed 2006 coffee table book, “Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives,” have not been made public, but were confirmed by two sources with first-hand knowledge of the book deal.

These and other details of the deal that have spilled out in recent weeks demonstrate both the complexity of Edwards’ transformation into an anti-corporate crusader, and of Murdoch’s double role as a corporate titan and political player.

snip:The book, a News Corp. executive confirmed, in part of the company’s sharp-edged response to Edwards’ criticism, brought Edwards a $500,000 advance and $300,000 in expenses. It was an extraordinary amount, publishing industry sources say, for a book of its type, and nowhere near recouped by what have turned out to be modest sales.

“It’s a sweet deal,” said Frances Goldin, a New York literary agent, after learning of the advance and expenses. “Maybe he’s got a friend at HarperCollins.”

snip: His spokesman, Eric Schultz, said the charities include Habitat for Humanity and College for Everyone. Edwards did not mention the previously unreported fees to Prince and to Edwards’ daughter.

Most of the contributors of the book’s 57 short essays on childhood homes were unpaid, though the expense budget also paid for the book’s design and for licensing some of the photographs and text, people familiar with the book said.

snip: Two of the editors to whom Barnett sent the book’s proposal said they were surprised to learn of the $500,000 advance and $300,000 expense budget.

“I was surprised that it sold it all, and I’m astonished at the amount it went for,” said one of the editors. “It’s inconceivable that you would pay $800,000 for this book.”

“We wouldn’t have offered half that,” said another.

snip: The doubters, however, appear to have been validated by the book’s sluggish sales. Nielsen Bookscan, which is thought to account for between 60% and 70% of domestic sales, reports that it has sold about 20,000 copies so far, and thus perhaps about 30,000 overall.

snip: “My guess is he had no reservations about doing business with us, just as he had no reservations about appearing dozens of times on Fox News or putting his website up on MySpace,” said the executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

News Corp. is holding back an additional card to play against Edwards: It hasn’t released the details of the book’s expenses, but presumably could.

Politico

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0807/5345.html

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is in a dust-up with Fox News, a favorite target of Democrats.

Edwards last week called for Democrats to oppose the merger of the News Corp., owned by British media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and the Dow Jones Co., which owns the Wall Street Journal.

“I don’t want to see Rupert Murdoch, or anybody else for that matter, owning every newspaper in America,” Edwards told CNN on Friday.

“What we have seen with the consolidation of the media is not healthy for this country. It stifles dissent. It stifles grassroots voices. We need divergent voices in this country.”

Edwards also called on Democratic presidential candidates to not accept money from News Corp. executives, a slap at one of his rivals, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton who has accepted $20,000 from company executives.
But Murdoch struck back — or at least one of his newspapers did.

The New York Post countered that Edwards had earned $800,000 from HarperCollins, one of Murdoch’s companies. It reported that Edwards had received $500,000 as an advance for his book, “Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives” and was also cut a check of $300,000 for expenses.

Edwards has reported $333,334 in royalties from his book. Edwards says he donated the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity, the International Rescue Committee and programs that help low-income children go to college.

“Every dime they gave me has gone to charity,” Edwards said adding that it would be “absurd” to return the money paid to him by HarperCollins.
Edwards said someone had broached a confidentiality agreement about the money he received from the book.

News Observer 8/6/07
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/661390.html

Edwards, meanwhile, hopes to get some political mileage out of the whole affair, and maybe a few bucks, too. He e-mailed supporters, urging all Democrats to reject donations from Murdoch and return what they’ve already received.

“John Edwards will never ask Rupert Murdoch for money,” the e-mail said. “He won’t accept his money.”

Well, sort of. There was a $500,000 advance — and $300,000 for expenses — Murdoch’s HarperCollins publishing unit paid Edwards for his 2006 book, “Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives.” But a spokesman for Edwards told The Washington Post that Edwards’ proceeds were donated to charity and the other cash went to staff and vendors.

Edwards, John Kerry’s 2004 running mate, is poking at Sen. Hillary Clinton, the front-runner who has taken in more than $20,000 from News Corp. execs including Murdoch, and Sen. Barack Obama, who received money from News Corp.’s Peter Chernin.

That’s the same Peter Chernin who attended a 2004 Kerry-Edwards fundraising event at Edwards’ request, according to Murdoch’s camp.

But, if you’re Edwards, apparently it’s never too late to take a stand.

Chicago Tribune 8/5/07
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-sun_phil_0805aug05,0,7554240.column

Though 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.

Congressional Quarterly Trail Mix 8/3/07
http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2007/08/03/cq_3224.html

NEWS TO HIM: John Edwards blasts foes for taking News Corp. cash but took $800,000 for his book, whose real title is “Home.”

August 3, 2007 — WASHINGTON - John Edwards, who yesterday demanded Democratic candidates return any campaign donations from Rupert Murdoch and News Corp., himself earned at least $800,000 for a book published by one of the media mogul’s companies.

The Edwards campaign said the multimillionaire trial lawyer would not return the hefty payout from Murdoch for the book titled “Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives.”

The campaign didn’t respond to a question from The Post about whether it was hypocritical for Edwards to take money from News Corp. while calling for other candidates not to.

In addition to a $500,000 advance from HarperCollins, which is owned by News Corp., Edwards also was cut a check for $300,000 for expenses.

Edwards claimed $333,334 in royalties from last year’s release of the book, according to media accounts. The campaign said last night that those funds were part of the advance.

He says he gave that amount to charity, which would also provide tax benefits for Edwards. “We’re more than happy to give even more of Murdoch’s money to Habitat for Humanity and other good causes,” spokesman Eric Schultz told The Post yesterday.
He declined to show proof, however, that Edwards had donated the $500,000 advance or $300,000 expense checks to charity. (more…)

On the heels of good news about the Iowa polling, the former Senator can’t resist shooting himself in the foot by trying to score points demanding his Democratic opponents give back contributions from Rupert Murdoch.

Today Murdoch’s New York Post notes that Edwards “himself earned at least $800,000 for a book published by one of the media mogul’s companies.” Was he, the Post asked, going to give that back?

This little pickle recalls the hoo-ha about Edwards’ use of money raised to fight poverty for campaign purposes and his tortured explanation for earning almost half a million dollars for a part-time job with a hedge fund involved in sub-prime loans to low-income home owners.

Edwards might be well advised to stop talking about the rich and stick to palaver about the poor.

Connecting the Dots 8/3/07
http://ajliebling.blogspot.com/2007/08/is-john-edwards-accident-prone.html

If the Kerry-Edwards campaign is successful, North Carolina could gain political clout and influence. Al Gore and Cheney had unprecedented influence as vice presidents, but ultimately, the vice president’s boss, the president, determines his power, said Robert Draper, a writer for GQ magazine who has spent considerable time with Edwards and collaborated on Edwards’ book, “Four Trials.”

“A lot will depend on the working relationship that Kerry and Edwards develop over the coming months,” Draper said. “I think it’s telling that Kerry took so long to choose Edwards when everyone was advising him he’d be a fool not to. His hesitancy indicates to me that he had certain hesitancies about Edwards.”

USA Today 7/6/04
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-07-06-edwards-nc_x.htm