I am a 48-year-old loyal Democratic volunteer, and I am sick to death of my party giving all the plum campaign jobs to snot-nosed kids with their how-cool-am-I attitudes and their overblown sense of entitlement.

Amanda boo-hoo-hoos about the virulent sexism she encountered. Well, I can entertain her with stories about the rampant AGEism I've experienced from the likes of her and her compatriots. I have 25 years' worth of experience in the business world, yet the just-out-of-college paid campaign staff treats me like I'm a drooling idiot. My ideas are greeted with blank stares, or worse yet, barely-suppressed smirks.

What inside-the-beltway genius decided that it was a good idea for the Democratic party to aggressively chase after the MTV/iPod/MySpace generation, while ignoring those of us middle-aged and older? I, for one, won't be bookmarking any campaign blogs, because I have better things to do with my time than read the aren't-I-oh-so-clever snark of some 20-something campaign staffer.

Dammit, I want candidates to engage ME in a dialogue, instead of pandering to young hipsters. Fuck the kids: what about us adults?!?

P.S. I finally found my niche in my local party organization, by working closely with our party vice chair. He's 62 years old, and regularly makes noises about hanging it up. I will do everything I can to keep him on board, because he treats me as one SHOULD treat a trusted volunteer -- like gold. Oh, and the young whippersnappers often annoy the crap out of him, too!

It seems inappropriate for most bloggers to be in political campaigns at this time.

Some of my favorite bloggers go through a cathartic process of shooting from the hip, hopefully with qualifiers, and then gradually refining their thoughts while gathering input off the web and from readers, to arrive at a more considered opinion. That's similar to the process all writers go through, usually in solitude, but bloggers do it in real time with a group.

That's part of the stream of consciousness style of blogging, which I like, but it does leave many unfortunate quotes in the public record.

A political candidate doesn't want to be playing defense and lecturing the voters on how to appreciate a stream of consciousness blogger, explaining the blogger's position and evolution, while meanwhile the opponent is dropping bombshell quotes.

I'm not surprised Marcotte was let go. I'm surprised she as a volatile blogger was ever hired to be part of a political campaign.

I am sure she's a full-blooded woman.

"By the way, anyone thinking of bashing me for daring to even ask the question, I just say: grow up."

Nice pre-emptive strike there.

It strikes me as odd that someone so young is able to work up such "femininst ire", harping about our misogynistic society. How many classes or schools were you denied entry due to your gender? How many jobs have you applied for that you weren't offered due to your gender? How many times have you been denied your "right" to an abortion or to buy birth control? To how many clubs have you applied for membership that denied your application due to your gender? This battle was fought long ago and won by stronger women than you appear to be. (And, in my humble opinion, in many ways to the detriment of our society.) You minimize their efforts with your childish tantrums. Get off your high horse! Recognize please that you are criticizing MSM, Bill Donahue, et al while you commit the very crimes of which you accuse them. You are entitled to your opinions. Unfortunately, what you seem to be unableor unwilling to grasp is that not everyone is so enthusiastic about your sharing them. Come out from behind your computer. Get a new "day job" perhaps working with the masses of homeless women who haven't had the advantages you've had. See what the plight of truly disadvantaged women is like for a year or two. Then, by all means, come back to the net and share with us the benefit of your experience. If you weren't fired, you did not "have to quit" the Edwards campaign. You chose to leave because you couldn't stand the heat. Learn from your mistakes, change what needs to be changed about your own actions/behaviors/attitudes and move on but, for God's sake, quit tilting at windmills that stopped spinning before you were born.

One more thing, when one makes a mistake, and is taken to task for it, it is advisable to not point at others who may or may not have made the same mistake as justification for your own actions.

Growing up is painful. Welcome to the world.

Ms Marcotte's story, as she tells it anyway, is unfortunately an excellent example of why I can't bring myself to be called a Democrat. The country is being run off the rails by the current administration, wrecking any ability I ever had to support the GOP. Yet, as I look to the left side of the political spectrum, I see a movement that is all too often captive to peurile shenanigans, driven by un-serious people, and hidden behind flimsy identity group politics.

Perhaps Ms Marcotte, rather than ranting her objections like this, and blaming some vast right-wing conspiracy, should take to heart the comments of Edwards himself, the man she sought to work for. Although she says he did not force her to leave his campaign, he did publicly and clearly rebuke her for the content and tone of her writing. If this doesn't make it clear to her that she is beyond the pale, perhaps nothing will.

I know I'm probably missing something obvious. Tell me.

Hypothetical: John Edwards needs publicity photos. He hires an unknown photographer named Robert Mapplethorpe, who he's heard is young and edgy and in tune with new technology. Mapplethorpe takes some great photos of Edwards.

Meantime, Mapplethorpe privately releases a book of his stock-in-trade, including a commentary on gays and the church entitled "Black Men F***ing While Christ Looks On Unmortified, Also F***ing a Black Man."

Mapplethorpe and Edwards both receive hate mail. Edwards says he's shocked, shocked! to see the hate mail, but considers it politic to downplay any seeming support for gay Jesus sex, even as an artistic statement that's trying to make a point, considering the huge potential political fallout--and it is a political campaign--from being seen to be taking snide swipes at the Christian community. Mapplethorpe is also shocked, shocked! to get hate mail, and at the lack of support and understanding for his oeuvre, and resigns. Christians are angry. Conservatives are angry (and gleeful at the gift of political ammunition). Onlookers say:

"It's because he's an atheist!" -- atheistic Mapplethorpe supporter

"No, No, it's because he's a gay man!" -- Identity Politics Mapplethorpe Supporter

"I'm offended at what seems smug Christian-bashing" -- Christian

"I don't see any reason to change or truncate my art" -- Mapplethorpe

"(Uncomfortable Silence)" -- Edwards

I don't like playing the fun game of assigning blame and shame at every opportunity. But I do think that, um, duh--what'd everybody expect to happen?