Feb. 8, 2007 | After personal phone calls to the bloggers from the candidate, the Edwards campaign has rehired the bloggers who were fired yesterday, according to sources inside and close to the campaign.
Salon reported yesterday that on Wednesday morning the Edwards camp fired Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwen, the two bloggers whose hiring had sparked an uproar by conservatives. That information was confirmed by sources in and close to the campaign. But almost as soon as the decision had been communicated to the bloggers, a struggle arose within the campaign about possibly reversing it, the sources said, as the liberal blogosphere exploded.
The campaign remained silent all day about the status of Marcotte and McEwen, and neither woman posted to the John Edwards blog yesterday. There was also radio silence from the campaign for the hours following Salon's report of their initial dismissal, after a promise from a campaign spokeswoman that there would be more information later.
Sources told Salon that much of Wednesday was spent in a series of conference calls among campaign members trying to hash out a solution to the very difficult problem of what to do with the bloggers, debating the details of their departures or the possibility of their swift reinstatement. These discussions culminated, according to sources inside and close to the campaign, in calls last night from Edwards to the bloggers, in which he asked them to come back to the campaign.
In a statement released today, with individual comments from Edwards and the two bloggers, Edwards said, "I've talked to Amanda and Melissa; they have both assured me that it was never their intention to malign anyone's faith, and I take them at their word." The statements did not address Salon's earlier report.
Jennifer Palmieri, a spokeswoman for Edwards, denied to Salon that the bloggers had been fired. However, asked if the bloggers were ever given the impression they were no longer with the campaign, Palmieri responded, "We had discussions going on for about 36 hours about how to handle this, and Edwards -- he himself had never met either one of them and felt it was important to give them time to decide how they wanted to respond, if at all."
As Palmieri was giving her statement to Salon Thursday, a source close to the campaign, who declined to be named because of the delicacy of the situation, was asserting to another Salon reporter that "they were fired," and that Wednesday was spent in a series of confused and sometimes heated conversations within the campaign, trying to hammer out details of a possible reversal of that decision for one or both of the bloggers. "There was a lot of infighting," said the source.
So what happened? Were both Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwen fired, and then rehired by the Edwards campaign once the campaign realized just how much of an uproar they inadvertently caused on the left side of the blogosphere--the very same "netroots" blogs that Edwards was trying to court by hiring both Marcotte and McEwen? Looking at this Salon article, it would appear that Edwards was stuck in a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. First, the Edwards campaign staff probably hired both Marcotte and McEwen simply on the basis of the name recognition of their respective blogs--did the staff even bother doing a careful reading of either Marcotte's or McEwen's postings to determine the content and quality of their writings? They should have expected that the right wing establishment would have combed through both Pandagon and Shakespeare's Sister for any suspected dirt or sleaze that they could use to attack the Edwards campaign. The Edwards campaign should have had a defense strategy ready to go at the moment's notice once the wing-nuts started attacking Marcotte and McEwan, rather than spending 24 hours in this panicky crisis mode of "Oh dear, the wing-nuts are attacking! What should we do?"
So now let's go to the John Edwards blog. Here is a statement released by John Edwards on this issue:
The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte's and Melissa McEwan's posts personally offended me. It's not how I talk to people, and it's not how I expect the people who work for me to talk to people. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that kind of intolerant language will not be permitted from anyone on my campaign, whether it's intended as satire, humor, or anything else. But I also believe in giving everyone a fair shake. I've talked to Amanda and Melissa; they have both assured me that it was never their intention to malign anyone's faith, and I take them at their word. We're beginning a great debate about the future of our country, and we can't let it be hijacked. It will take discipline, focus, and courage to build the America we believe in.
Edwards is obviously keeping both Marcotte and McEwan on his campaign staff. Unfortunately, Edwards defense of both Marcotte and McEwan is rather weak--Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that kind of intolerant language will not be permitted from anyone on my campaign, whether it's intended as satire, humor, or anything else. The problem here is that both Marcotte and McEwan wrote their "intolerant language" on their personal blogs before they were even considered for positions on the Edwards campaign. From what I can see, they never used any "intolerant language" on the Edwards blog itself. In a sense, Edwards is scolding both Marcotte and McEwan for expressing their strong opinions on their own personal blogs, supposedly using this "intolerant language." Both Marcotte and McEwan were punished by Edwards for exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech. This is unacceptable. I really don't care what type of language or opinions a blogger may write about before he or she is considered for a campaign position--they have the right to free speech. It doesn't matter to me if Michelle Malkin decided to join John McCain, Mitt Romeny, or Rudy Giuliani's political campaign. She has every right to do so, and I certainly wouldn't demand her firing for some of the smear and filth that has come from her mouth. Michelle Malkin has every right to express her personal opinion on her personal blog--just as Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan have every right to express their personal opinions on their personal blogs, without the demands from the right wing-nuts that they be fired from the Edwards campaign for expressing them.
While I may have serious criticism regarding how the Edwards campaign handled this matter, I will say this. John Edwards did the right thing in not firing both Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan. Had either of these ladies been fired this early in the campaign, the political repercussions would have been enormous for both the right and the left. But that is for a different post. In the end, both Marcotte and McEwan were forced to issue their own statements of apology on the Edwards blog. Here is Amanda Marcotte's statement:
My writings on my personal blog Pandagon on the issue of religion are generally satirical in nature and always intended strictly as a criticism of public policies and politics. My intention is never to offend anyone for his or her personal beliefs, and I am sorry if anyone was personally offended by writings meant only as criticisms of public politics. Freedom of religion and freedom of expression are central rights, and the sum of my personal writings is a testament to this fact.
And here is Melissa McEwan's statement:
Shakespeare's Sister is my personal blog, and I certainly don't expect Senator Edwards to agree with everything I've posted. We do, however, share many views - including an unwavering support of religious freedom and a deep respect for diverse beliefs. It has never been my intention to disparage people's individual faith, and I'm sorry if my words were taken in that way.
Politics is total war--destroy your opponent completely before he/she destroys you. This lesson should be especially recognized and understood in a presidential campaign. The right wing saw an opportunity here to not only take out John Edwards before the presidential primaries, but perhaps to also cripple the Democratic Party at the same time. That is what this crisis was all about--a political baptism of fire for both Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan, courtesy of the right wing establishment. So far, they have survived. Now it is time for them to start fighting.
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