February 09, 2007

2/9: Lessons From L'Affaire Marcotte

As a fan of blogs and bloggers, the Blogometer worries that some DCers will over-react to the John Edwards/Amanda Marcotte dust-up and eschew the medium altogether. This would be a huge mistake for any candidate looking to survive in our online-dominated world. Instead we offer the following 3 lessons we think any campaign ought to draw from this episode:

• 1. Make sure the candidate, or at least a senior communications aide, has read and is familiar with the blog of any potential hire.
• 2. Know which groups your bloggers have previously poked in the eye and have the research ready to hit back.
• 3. Don't blog. Now this is very different than not engaging online communities. Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), John McCain (R-AZ), ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), and Mitt Romney (R) all have respected bloggers on staff, but in more of an outreach/coordinator role, not as blogging voices.

Elaborating on the last item, blogging may not be the best medium for candidates to connect with voters/activists. Blog readers do form strong emotional bonds with their favorite bloggers. But the successful ones devote large amounts of time to their craft, time any competent candidate must be spending elsewhere. Also, campaigns only last so long before candidates must return to govern, but blogs (at least the better ones) keep going. Its better for candidates to use blogger outreach to develop relationships to get their message out online then to become master of the medium themselves.

EDWARDS: No Distraction Here

John Edwards decision to retain bloggers Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan won him praise through out the netroots 2/7, and at least one leader of the movement announced his conversion to Edwards cause. MyDD's Chris Bowers explains: "They listened to us, not to the establishment, and not to the right-wing. This will help build the movement, and free the Democratic Party from conservative Republican influence in our primaries. ... Now, I will happily identify myself as an Edwards supporter."

But many 'rooters also promised the issue was far from over. Crooks and LiarsJohn Amato explains: "This particular gambit might have failed, but there will be more and we must be prepared to face them and push back. ... So let's give props to Edwards for some "outside the Beltway" thinking, but keep alert for any more Swiftboat attempts to derail Democratic campaigns."

When the Catholic League's Bill Donohue released a statement condemning Edwards' decision, MyDD's Matt Stoller declared 'Game On' and urged readers to join a BlogPac effort "to prevent this antisemitic freak from having influence over our public discourse." According to Bowers, BlogPac "has set up a page where you can email the news organizations and reporters who acted as stenographers for the right-wing smear machine on this story." Over 1.5K emails have been sent "to the news organizations who produced shoddy, stenographed stories" already. Bowers notes that Nedra Pickler of the AP already responded to the campaign, adding an unflattering Donahue quote to her original story.

Digby is also urging her readers to join the MSM pressure campaign and firedoglake's TRex summarizes the story in a frothy tone that started the whole fracas to begin with: "So, Frothing Crypto-Catholic Sociopath Bill Donohue has been one of the squeakiest wheels in Squeakytown on the issue of the Edwards '08 campaign's decision to hire two bloggers ... Donohue's main bone of contention against the two bloggers was their supposed "intolerance" toward people who believe that Adam and Eve rode dinosaurs to church and that life of a child begins when a man says to a woman, "Hey, honey, are you awake?"

Also in 'roots reaction, Daily Kos' Mike Stark has a warning for other WH'08 Dems: "If any other Democratic candidate attacks Edwards for standing by us, we have to do whatever we can to end that candidacy. God help me, but if anyone puts the shiv to Edwards for this, it will become my personal mission to expose every weakness in that campaign. And I hope you'll help out."

In less activist lefty blogger circles, doubts could be found about the wisdom of retaining Marcotte. The Huffington Post political editor Melinda Henneberger says "even among Catholic liberals, Marcotte's comments were widely seen as hurtful" and links to dotCommonweal commentboards showing similar sentiments including: "I have no time for Donohue...But, I have to say, Marcotte's comments were viciously anti-Catholic. The fact that many on the left failed to realize that explains very clearly why the GOP (a party that violates Catholic social theory over 90 percent of the time) seems to attract legions of Catholics."

EDWARDS II: She's Innocent, I Tells Ya!

Closely following coverage of the story, Outside the Beltway's James Joyner asks readers what exactly Shakespeare's Sister's Melissa McEwan said to land her in the same boat as Marcotte: "While I've seen lots of offensive quotes from Marcotte around the blogosphere since this controversy erupted, I haven't seen a single one from McEwan cited. Is this a bizarre case of guilt-by-association, with John Edwards throwing her under the bus for expediency?"

A reader forwards an example, but Joyner is unmoved: "While this could certainly be offensive to religious people, I read it to say she pities those who are perpetually outraged, not those with devout religious beliefs."

Also on the right, Rep. Jack Kingston (D-GA) ex-aide David All worries "the damage left by stories, or controversies like this, hurt the entire 'sphere and those of us who work in it as a profession. They simply send new ripples of fear through an already scared and unknowing politician or company that some of us are trying to escort to the modern world."

In less partisan analysis, Buzz Machine's Jeff Jarvis wonders "whether campaigns and conversation are incompatible" since the blogging medium is all about unfiltered thought. Jarvis adds: "In other words, on our blogs, we all say things that might offend someone. ... Why don't we just get used to the idea that people say things that might offend others and that soon we will all - campaign workers and campaigners alike - have such things on the permanent record."

The Fix's Chris Cillizza adds: "These incidents illustrate the challenges before every 2008 campaign seeking to bolster its blogging bona fides. On the one hand, they to hire people with credibility in liberal or conservative circles. On the other, they need to realize that they will be held to account for past comments and positions taken by their bloggers."

GOP FIELD: Tancredoless

The Krusty Konservative is out with his 'Six Pack' rankings on the top IA contenders including:

• Mitt Romney: Romney continues to lead the pack in Iowa. His Iowa campaign is fully staffed, and he is now frequently visiting the state.
• John McCain: McCain is the clear second place finisher, but well behind Romney. McCain has put together an impressive Iowa staff, but they still need to fill the critical campaign manager position.
• Mike Huckabee: I'm sure some of you staffers think third is too high for Huckabee. ... Huckabee made a two day swing through the state recently and had good not great crowds.
• Tommy Thompson: I think Thompson is a very credible candidate in the Iowa caucus. While he doesn't have the appeal that Huckabee has with social conservatives, we must remember that this is the guy who helped lead the charge for welfare reform.
• Sam Brownback: Brownback had a good start to the year but has been unable to sustain it. ... Brownback has made some visits to the state but they haven't created much noise.
• Rudy Giuliani: I really don't want to give this spot to Rudy, I would rather give it to someone like Tom Tancredo ... However, I gave the sixth spot to Rudy because once he makes his move in Iowa he will shoot up in the rankings.

BROWNBACK: Off To See The Wizard

RedState's Leon Wolf announced 2/8 that he was off to follow Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) down the yellow brick road as the official campaign blogger. On why he chose Brownback Wolf writes: "One of the most - if not the most - important issues facing this country today is the federal judiciary. ... Senator Brownback was the first and most insistent voice to demand that we learn more about [Harriet Miers]."

With the first of RedState's front pagers officially signed on with '08 campaign, Erick Erickson explained Wolf would still be posting on RedState but "that his stuff related to the '08 races" would not appear on the front page.

GIULIANI: Better Than The Current Administration

The Corner's Kathryn Jean Lopez posts colleague Kate O'Beirne's observation that while "New York City voters elect the French of American politics" since they find "the mistress, and the messy divorce" really amusing, voters "west of the Hudson" might not.

Also at The Corner, John Derbyshire shares the thoughts of a frequent correspondent: "When I was in law school at [major law school] in 1996, Giuliani came to speak on immigration. ... he made one of your favorite points: We don't need new immigration laws, we need to enforce the ones we already have. ... Anyway, since then I've always been predisposed to give Rudy the benefit of the doubt on immigration. I don't think he will come around completely, but he wouldn't be nearly as bad as the current administration."

MCCAIN: It's A Supply Side-Off!

Kausfiles takes on Robert Novak's defense of John McCain's 'supply-side credentials' particularly Novak's claim that: "He supports radically scaling down the estate tax and does not now favor upper income increases in the Social Security tax."

Kaus responds: "Wow. He does not now favor upper income Social Security tax increases! That'll reassure the anti-tax crowd. And McCain supports radically scaling down the estate tax! Isn't that the, um, Democrats' estate tax plan? I think it is! Anti-tax Republicans want to repeal the estate tax, as Novak knows. ... Oh, yes: McCain also talks to Arthur Laffer! ... It's hard to believe Republican economic conservatives are such cheap dates that they'll fall for McCain based on the thin evidence offered by Novak of his "transformation."

ROMNEY: He Was For Everything Before He Was Against It

Illustrating the latest Mitt-Flop IA's Caucus Cooler posts exclusive video "from a 1994 speech in which Governor Romney expresses support for radical campaign finance reforms." CC notes the "new Romney" recently called McCain-Feingold "one of the worst things in my lifetime."

Undeterred by Romney's past views on campaign finance reform, both Hugh Hewitt and Dean Barnett post about Romney's recent online fundraising prowess. Hewitt: "Romney Raises $1.4 Million Online In 35 Days." Barnett: "To put Romney's on-line fundraising into perspective, consider that the notoriously web-savvy John Edwards raised only $746k and change on-line in the same time period. And Romney raised his $1.4 million on line without the help, guidance and leadership of two virtual gyno-warriors. Amazing!"

Also in Townhall-Romney-loving, Mary Katharine Ham reports recent Romney speeches "hitting the fiscal conservative points" along with his "trip to the RSC will help Romney with the folks with whom McCain has failed to endear himself."

The Brody File posts video of Romney's "fiscal conservative" speech in Detroit, MI and writes: "He's talking economy, taxes, etc. As 2008 draws closer, he's going to continue to make the case that he's a smart fiscal conservative. He's going to point to his balanced budget in Boston as the centerpiece of this strategy."

RCP Blog's John McIntyre argues Romney will have trouble maintaining his "pro-tax cut" credentials considering a Boston Heraldarticle detailing Romney's past doubts about Bush's tax cuts. McIntyre concludes: "This report flies directly in the face of Romney's economic address yesterday, and subsequent interview on CNBC with Larry Kudlow, and is only going to reinforce a building image of an overly ambitious politician who is a flip-flopper on core issues."

DODD: Anti-Predator

Crooks and LiarsNicole Belle thanks Chris Dodd for taking on predatory lending: "This is a big one for me. I can't tell you how huge the foreclosure market is in California because of these kinds of practices, and the people being preyed upon are the ones in the worst shape. Great to see the Democratic majority addressing the needs of real people."

OBAMA: Moving Rapidly

Blue Hampshire's NHcollegedem reports he's already noticing real-world effects from the Barack Obama Facebook movement: "A few days ago I received an email from a regional coordinator asking me to apply to be the NH Coordinator for Students for Barack Obama. ... Well, I guess they are moving rapidly, because on Wednesday I received an email from Anthony Low, who was hired as the NH Coordinator. He asked me to apply to be a chapter director for my college. ... Students for Barack Obama is a group to be reckoned with, they are using internet resources very effectively to organize quickly."

At MyDDJonathan Singer posts a 2/1 interview with Obama, including:

• Singer: Now for the people who feel like they're undergoing deja vu all over again, as Yogi Berra put it, in terms of American policy towards Iran...
• Obama: I think the major difference is that there will not be any tolerance, I think, on the part of this Congress for unilateral action by the United States against Iran. You're not going to get the kind of authorization language that you got for Iraq.

IRAQ: More Than Just Non-Binding Resolutions Can Be Filibustered

The Left Coaster continues to establish itself as a leader in demanding consequential Dem action on Iraq. Under the header "Will the Dems ever grow a pair or are they just a different brand of the war party?" Soccerdad links to fellow anti-war bloggers:

• Matthew Rothschild: "What a pathetic sight the Senate was earlier this week when it failed to take up nonbinding resolutions on the Iraq War. Republicans rallied enough support to doom the watered-down condemnations of Bush's surge. And Democrats didn't want to go on record opposing funding for the troops.
• John Walsh: "We hear over and over again that it "takes 60 votes to get something serious done in the Senate." That is a lot of malarkey. It takes only one senator to begin a filibuster against any bill. And then it takes only 41 votes to uphold that filibuster and prevent any proposed law from coming to the floor. ... Thus, the present authorization for defense funding in the coming fiscal year can be stopped cold if it contains funds for the war on Iraq."

The Carpetbagger Report is not yet demanding similar action but does praise VoteVets.org recent rhetoric while on the Hill and adds: "For reasons that I've never fully been able to grasp, congressional Dems just aren't comfortable using the kind of language congressional Republicans use. When it comes to national security, they've been bullied into the defensive. It's why Dems must have been thrilled to have the VoteVets.org reps making all the arguments publicly that they're too-often tepid to make."

Talk Left's Big Tent Democrat agrees with most of recent constitutional scholar Bruce Ackerman's thoughts on the need for congressional authorization for air strikes in Iran, argues: "he does miss the important wrinkle - that the 2002 Iraq AUMF could be Bush's rationale for striking Iran. That is why I say to stop a war with Iran, end the war in Iraq."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: 110K Donors Strong

KTatActBlue begins his "30,000-foot view of ActBlue" telling MyDD readers "ActBlue is a Federal PAC and series of State PACs active in 22 states that empowers anyone -- individuals, local groups, and national organizations -- to fundraise for the Democratic candidates of their choice. To date, that's $18,953,791 worth of empowerment." KT follows up with some fun ActBlue facts including:

• In the 05-06 cycle, the top 5 recipients benefiting from ActBlue were Freshman Sen. Jim Webb ($890k), Freshman Rep. Joe Sestak ($870k), IL-10 challenger Dan Seals ($540k), OH-02 challenger Paul Hackett ($540k), Freshman Rep. Tim Mahoney ($510k).
• Progressive bloggers Daily Kos, MyDD, Swing State Project, Firedoglake, Crooks & Liars, Down with Tyranny, Atrios, and AmericaBlog together raised $2.3 million in 2005-06
• Over 110,000 people have now donated to candidates using ActBlue. The average contribution is $110 split between two candidates.

LEST WE FORGET: Laughing It All Off

Many on the right are gleefully linking to this Iowa Hawk parody of internal John Edwards campaign memos by the newly famous Amanda Maroctte including:

To: Senator John Edwards
From: Amanda Marcotte
Re: Job Offer
Dear Senator Edwards:
I am f*****g delighted to accept your offer of the position of Official Blogger for the Edwards 2008 presidential campaign. Please find attached my f*****g W-2 form.
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for this totally f*****g awesome opportunity to help you take America back from f*****g BushCo and the other f***tard bible-humping extremists that have turned this once great nation into a goddamn rape factory for their snakehandling Jesus Camp hatebots.

Posted by Conn Carroll at February 9, 2007 12:33 PM