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Friday, February 16, 2007 12:00 AM

Why I had to quit the John Edwards campaign

During my brief tenure as blogmaster for a Democratic presidential contender, I experienced the right-wing smear machine firsthand

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  • Thursday, February 15, 2007 10:03 PM

    Offenses and Desserts

    A lot of the comments informing Amanda she got what she deserved and that of course she meant to offend people are bewildering. Logically, I mean.

    No one is forced to read anyone's blog. If you don't like her language, her satiricism, her anything, don't read her blog. I can understand taking offensee at Edwards, since he voluntarily associated himself with Amanda's very strong opinions while courting people's good opinion. If you want people to like you, you shouldn't do things that make you unlikeable. But by the logic of the 'you deserved what you got' crowd, anyone offended by her blog deserved to be offended by going to her blog and reading it. It's not as if she masqueraded as a bland, mainstream, big-toothed TV newsreader, and trapped the unwary into consuming offensive opinions. Btw, I found her misogyny comment funny.

    By the same token, all her comments, were on her own blog for people who enjoy or find interest (either in agreement or disagreement) in her opinions. And this was all before she joined the campaign. If she intended to offend people, she could have trolled the blogosphere and posted her comments to people who she knew would find offense. Or done about a million other things, including taking a page out of Donahue's book, to tick people off. Posting on your own blog is a pretty weak way of offending the masses. Y'all are taking a result (offended) and assuming the cause (intent to offend). In my logic classes, that's called 'circular reasoning.'

    And the 'you should have expected the right-wing vitriol' line doesn't cut it either. Just because something is forseeable doesn't make it just. Civil rights activists in the '60s could forsee violence and harassment coming their way, did that mean they 'had it coming'? Cast the first stone, why doncha? (oh wait, that's for he who is without sin. Nevermind).

    It's a pretty sad day when people just accept that politics is vitriol and dirty tricks, and excuse the worst iterations with a shrug and an 'well, what did you expect?'

    I'm disappointed Edwards didn't step up to the plate on this one -- didn't fire her but didn't defend her -- sounds like more of the bland, waffly same we've come to enjoy from our Democratic candidates, and I'm disappointed she resigned, even though I would have done the same.

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