Considering the laughs and attention that Mike Huckabee got out of his jab at Congress spending money “like John Edwards in a beauty salon”, some Republican candidate should steal Jonah’s joke:
Earlier this month, it was reported that despite the fact he denounces predatory lending and subprime mortgages for the poor, Edwards made nearly $500,000 as a consultant to a hedge fund involved in that business.
The former senator defended his gig on the grounds that he took the job to learn how financial markets relate to poverty. This is a bit like saying you frequent brothels so you can learn where babies come from.
Jonah also reports something that I hadn’t heard – that Edwards’ speech to students about poverty charged attendees $17 per ticket.
First lesson to avoid poverty: Don’t spend $17 to listen to John Edwards.