On blogging, hate speech, Election '08 and life: What are your questions for Elizabeth Edwards?

Cross-posted on BlogHer.

If you could ask Blogger Elizabeth Edwards anything, what would it be?

Because you can. In ten days, Edwards takes the stage at BlogHer '07 in the final keynote discussion of this year's conference. She and I will talk for a few minutes and then we'll open up the microphones for a room-wide conversation. For those of us who cannot be there in person, I'd love to ask your question and credit you and your blog if the conversation goes in your direction. All you need to do is list your question below.

In a year when social media is dominating both the blogs for husband John Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign, and comments regularly. Whether or not you like Mrs. Edwards’ politics – and let me re-confirm immediately that BlogHer is a non-partisan organization – she has embraced the Web, using it to make an enormous amount of news in the past six months, some of it quite personal, some of it strategic and political. Here’s a sampling, including some of her own posts:

• March 3 ~ Denounces hate speech by Ann Coulter on the John Edwards ’08 blog, urges people not to “to sit silent in acceptance”


• March 22 ~ Announces that her breast cancer has returned


• April 4 ~ Continues campaigning for her husband despite cancer, to positive and negative reviews


• June 24 ~ Splits with her husband’s view on gay marriage


• June 25 ~ Asks Ann Coulter on live television to stop “the personal attacks” and later blogs it


• July 17 ~ Says Hillary Clinton is not as vocal a women's advocate as her husband


• July 19 ~ Says John Edwards' health plan would cover reproductive health, including abortions and birth control

So you tell me: What should we ask? Or not? Take it away -- comments are open here on BlogHer. You're also invited to leave your opinions below. Thanks.

Photo credit: Citymama. Elizabeth Edwards with Mary Tsao at a 2006 blogger meet-up in San Francisco.

Comments

[Rocks In My Dryer]

Lisa, I've been trying to post this question on BlogHer, but for some reason it's not letting me log in. So I'll post it here instead, and hope it still gets to you--I'm sure you must be swamped right now.

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Ann Coulter’s slurs against John Edwards were over-the-top and inexcusable. As I recall, at roughly the same time that story was in the national media, Rosie O’Donnell was making some of her most outrageous claims publicly, including equating conservative Christians to radical Muslim extremists. Many people on the left had lined up to criticize Coulter’s remarks—and it was valid criticism. Why didn’t we hear an outcry from the same people over O’Donnell's hate speech?

To be frank, it sometimes appears to me that when someone on the right does it, it’s "hate speech", and someone on the left does it, it’s "free speech".

Is it possible that all of us, at every point on the political spectrum, are quicker to tolerate “hate speech” from those have political beliefs closer to our own? Is this a tendency we should be moderating in ourselves? And if so, how?

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Thanks, Lisa.

[Lady M]

Lisa - I didn't get to tell you this at the conference, so here goes: You and your co-founders did such a splendid job. I loved meeting so many friends in person, hearing the expertise, and had a lot of fun. I'm also incredibly impressed with your speaking, interviewing, and moderating. You are too cool!