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The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend:
"a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."

He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior." (CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)


Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego).

"Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008



Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:

A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist."
(Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)

"A nutty lesbian blogger."
(MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)


Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush


who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
--"Joe"

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Pam Spaulding

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Melissa McEwan

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John Edwards' statement on campaign bloggers Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan

by: Pam Spaulding

Thu Feb 08, 2007 at 12:30:00 PM EST


Official statement from the candidate's blog:
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.
Melissa and Amanda also made statements (Chris @ MyDD received an email):
Amanda Marcotte:
"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."

Melissa McEwen:
"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."

He didn't give the rabid right what it wanted, but he certainly could have taken down the extremists who were all over TV calling for Melissa's and Amanda's heads (like William Donohue), but given the length of time it took to get a statement out there, I'm sure every word was agonized over at campaign HQ and they went with a passive response.

As I said in my earlier post, Amanda and Melissa  were selected by the Edwards campaign to put on a different hat, a professional hat -- not to blog as they would in their personal spaces. Sticking by them recognizes that fact.

So - what's the verdict? Wimpy, on target, what you expected?

How about some fun -- watch bigot Bill Donohue of The Catholic League rail about Jews in Hollywood after the flip.

Pam Spaulding :: John Edwards' statement on campaign bloggers Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan

Meanwhile, has Donohue run afoul of 501(c)(3) laws by attempting to interfere in a campaign?

Hat tip to Liza, who aptly noted to Jill @ Feministe that "the blogs collectively reach more than two million people a day. Just a thought for the Edwards campaign - that's a whole lot of voters from their base to alienate."

See Liza's monster list of links.

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I'm glad that Edwards is keeping them on.
However, I'd be happier if:

(1) Edwards had not issued a wishy-washy statement that kowtows to the fundies.  I'd like him to have said something along the lines of "I have no control over how they phrase their statements on their personal blogs.  I've read their blogs, and concluded that they are not slandering Catholics, Christians, or any other religous groups, but only criticising  the statements of some practitioners, in brash language.  I stand by their right to make statements like this on their personal blogs, while also reminding them of the professionalism that I expect of them when they write for the campaign.  I really wish that Mr. Donahue and those of his ilk would get a grip and remember that there are many viewpoints in this country, not just theirs."

I'll be sending Mr. Edwards my bill ;-)

(2) Amanda and Melissa had not used variants of "I'm sorry if I offended anyone..."  Progressives jump on various bigots when they issue this type of statement...should we be doing this ourselves?  I think not.  How about just reiterating that you are criticizing right-winger's take on issues, not attacking them personally, and that you have a right to criticize them on those issues?

(Please understand, that I respect Amanda and Melissa as bloggers no less because of #2 - you both are exactly what we need on the internets.  It's just an issue of tactics - we don't want to give the freepers any ammunition.)

Social outrage is power protecting itself; it is not morality. -- Andrea Dworkin


I also think...
That whoever at Salon got the story wrong...that they had been fired...should him/her self get fired.  Great fact-checking here!

Social outrage is power protecting itself; it is not morality. -- Andrea Dworkin

[ Parent ]
Edwards did the right thing
Politics is the art of the possible.  What he said, while it does not satisfy many of us who are fans of Amanda and Melissa, showed incredible leadership.  He stuck by his writers, and stuck by their right to say what they want in their own personal space. 

He may have been "offended" by what he read, but this also serves a purpose of identifying with those in the middle who might take issue with the bloggers in their own environment.  Very carefully, he balanced the concerns of both sides, and came up with an appropriately moderate answer. 

Additionally, it shows that he is willing and able to work with those with whom he may have personal disagreements, preferring to rely on their talents rather than their personal convictions.  That will be a breath of fresh air to many who are tired of the polarization that has crippled our government for so long.

Mr Edwards, you have won my support.  May I be able to call you Mr President in 2009!


[ Parent ]
Equivocating
He stuck by his writers, and stuck by their right to say what they want in their own personal space.

I didn't read it that way. It sounded more like "they're on probation" to me. Had reversed the order, and started by saying that he didn't believe that A&M intended malice, and then added that he didn't agree and was offended, I'd have been happier. As it is, though, the first impression is that the candidate himself thinks that two people working for him are "intolerant" and make "offensive" statements...which leads me to wonder why he's got them working for him in the first place. It's equivocating, and I'm afraid that he's not won many points on the right or the left.


[ Parent ]
Though I often agree with you, Josh, not this time...
I think Edwards' answer backfires on him.  You can't give out concessions when someone makes an accusation like this because that just gives validation to the original charges.

People who don't know who Donahue is and what kind of politics he plays only get the message that Edwards was charged with bigotry, apologized, but then didn't take substantive action.

Edwards should give a response that makes himself look as strong and principled as possible--the strength being more important even than the principle for most people--rather than conciliatory.

"Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain" -- Iowa state motto


[ Parent ]
non-apologies
There are a few instances when that's appropriate, and I think this is one of them. I'd be disappointed if Amanda and Melissa were, in fact, apologizing for what they'd written.

[ Parent ]
I doubt...
...that the form of the apology was up to them much at all.  The campaign has gaffe consultants for that sort of thing, I expect.

From my point of view, the reason to read blogs is to get an independent, and therefore free and honest, opinion.  So it's kind of disappointing to see them going to work for a campaign in the first place.  I don't mean that I begrudge them the experience or that they shouldn't have taken the jobs or anything like that.  Just that they now have roles which are much different, and much less interesting to me--not independent and not necessarily honest.

"Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain" -- Iowa state motto


[ Parent ]
Diplomacy
The end result is what counts.  Yes, it would've been great in some respects if Senator Edwards had blasted back at the bigots like Donohue and Malkin, but that would also have given them more fuel to keep this thing going, thus diverting important time, energy, column inches, bandwidth, and airtime from the issues we all care about.  The issues for which the winguts and homobigots can't answer.

Think about it, though.  In the last 24 hours, I've seen more copies of Donohue's and Malkin's vile statements published all over hell's half acre than I've ever seen in sum.  Even some of the MSM (many members of whom now look pretty idiotic, especially the NYT, CNN, and Tucker Carlson) published Donohue's remarks.

Edwards didn't need to remind the world what dangerous, bigoted idealogues they are.  It was done for him.

Hooray for Melissa and Amanda.


Spineless wimp who's going to have his ass handed to him
Glad to hear that Edwards won't tolerate intolerance and that he believes in "giving everyone a fair shake."

And yet, I don't believe I've heard a word from him about the right of LGBT people to civil marriage and full civil rights.

My verdict? Mealy-mouthed spineless wimp who's going to have his ass handed to him.


That's basically what I said somewhere else
Except that I noticed he made a point of not wanting to offend religious folks (don't worry about the queers, eh, Johnnie Boy?).  Yet, it's these same crazy fundies that he's so scared of offending that want to string him up in a sling for simply HIRING female, liberal bloggers.

Boy is still a big ass pussy.  And pardon me ahead of time if I offended.  teehee


[ Parent ]
Can't mention Donohue
Look, Edwards could not fire McEwan or Marcotte because that would have essentially made Donohue a bigger player in the election than he is, and he is a punk so you can't do that.  Edwards couldn't mention Donohue in the statement because that would have done the same thing, giving Donohue power he doesn't merit.  Donohue is not worthy of acknowledgment by anyone except to heap scorn and abuse on his anti-Semitic, sorry, loathesome, small-minded, dishonest, creepy ass.

I think his tone and response was fine.  It was a solid, "this is over" statement, which is all he needed to do.  The noise machine will try to make this a story again now, so a "this is over" statement might not work, but if he continually refers any attempts to make it a story to his statement, it can be a big nothing pretty quickly.


milk toast
is what pops into my mind when I hear Edwards.  I'm glad he didn't fire the bloggers.  They have more guts than he does.  Hope they don't have to completely squelch that in order to continue playing...

adequate
it was an adequate response, and as such doesn't give me and special enthusiasm for edwards.

Click HERE and sign up: Campaign For Military Partners.

Lurleen on Twitter.


ditto that
n/t

find me over at bluejersey.com

[ Parent ]
Tightrope Walking
I think he's done an excellent job of finessing the situation. If the Fundies had been smart they would have kept their mouths shut and waited - instead of getting so far out in front of the process that Edwards was able to defuse the situation and not have to have it interfere with getting his message out during the campaign's heat.

That said, it still doesn't mean I'm voting for him although, in the interest of full-disclosure, I did vote for him over Kerry in the Florida 2004 primary.


[ Parent ]
pot and the kettle
Cursing is a fireable offense.  I seem to remember a certain Vice-President telling a Senator to f--- off.(I don't want Pam to get in trouble if she is ever hired by a political campaign)  I also seem to remember that being said on the floor of the Senate.  I move that President Bush should fire Dick Cheney.

i second that
all in favor say aye.

[ Parent ]
Whatever...
...Edwards did a focus group or two (if he didn't, why the long delay) and decided that removing them would have been worse for his (non-existent) candidacy than keeping them on.

Edwards is not going to be the Democratic candidate, and this incident merely shows that he is what I have long said that he is--a spineless wimp.


a spineless wimp
and a pretty boy.  The last Democratic pretty boy we had in the White House gave us DOMA and DADT.  He sounded good at first then lost his spine too.  Watch out for the pretty boys.  Don't be fooled by their good looks.

[ Parent ]
Edwards is a jerk...
...He had to wait until his focus groups told him what to do.

American politics is down the tubes.  Busy Euros, learn a foreign language and prepare to emigrate.


[ Parent ]
bill donohue made me laugh and now i feel dirty...
he's completely insane.

The gays stole my lunch money

Donohue isn't insane...
...he's laughing all the way to the bank.  The insane people are the ones who are sending him money.

[ Parent ]
That's really the trick, isn't it...
...find something to get people pissed about, get them to send money, and if you're lucky you can keep the gravy train running for years...

[ Parent ]
a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup!
All those "I like"s!  I kept expecting him to break into a dance routine of  "I like coffee, I like tea...."

Click HERE and sign up: Campaign For Military Partners.

Lurleen on Twitter.


Donohue
That anyone, much less a smart man like Edwards, would give this lunatic a second thought just shows how far into absurdity we have plummeted.  He looks like Karl Rove's retarded feral twin, who has spent the last fifty years locked in a basement with nothing to read but Christianity Today and Catholic Digest and Mein Kampf, but the latter only for the juicy parts.  And when he was locked in said basement, the only thing he had left to keep what few marbles he had was a pile of straw, out of which he lovingly constructed friends--let us call them "strawmen"--to talk to, to argue with, and goodness knows what else.

"Hollywood likes anal sex.  They love abortions.  I like families." paraphrased here

Huh.  Well, I like puppies!  There.  I like anal sex and puppies, just not at the same time.  And I am very fond of my family too.  Yes, I don't have a wife or kids, but I do have a family--I have my mom and dad, who have been together for 33 years, and my brother and his wife and their three nephews whom I adore as though they were my own flesh and blood, one of which to whom I am a godparent, and my sister and her husband, plus a whole stable of Watermans who helped raise me and are just as valuable to me as my immediate family.  I am gay, they know I am gay, and I am part of the family.

I know Joe "Don't ask me about that corpse in my office" Scarborough will probably be the last to do this, but doesn't anyone stop Donohue and say, "Dude.  Really.  Take it easy.  Are you ok?  Did you forget your meds?  They have meds for people like you."  And the headline--"Hollywood vs the Heartland?" 

Guess what--there's lots of anal sex going on the heartland.  I never had to travel far to get it.  And some of the best tops have been Catholic boys.

Methinks Donohue protests too much.


cdc report on hetero anal intercourse
was it here at Pam's that i first heard this?  anyway, the cdc recently released a report which found that a very large percentage of heterosexuals are into anal intercourse.  it's not a gay thing, it's a human thing.  salon blurb here

Click HERE and sign up: Campaign For Military Partners.

Lurleen on Twitter.


[ Parent ]
Hmm
That blurb was all about depression and not about butt fucking!  I call foul!  ;)

Seriously, if we aren't supposed to fuck that way, why does it feel good? I know, drugs make you feel good too, but drugs in moderation are a good thing (mainly, for pain relief).  Same thing with butt sex; you don't want to make it the center of your life, but it does feel good, and if one believes Intelligent Design then this was done for a reason.  We are supposed to enjoy some things.  Alternatively, if we evolved with no designer, it still feels good, so there is no reason why we can't enjoy that "special feature."


[ Parent ]
yes it was here
Lurleen, i recall pam discussing how all the men over at Concerned Women for America must be plowing the backfield for the CDC stats to be what they were!

btw, i just read one of the blurbs in contention written by the pandagon blog chick and i'm amazed at how benign it is...compared to the vile crap you hear coming from the religious right nonstop...they can sure dish it out but they can't take it...


[ Parent ]
It's how straight teenagers stay virgins
You can't go in the front door so try the the backdoor, or you can go down on me and then I'll blow you. Just as long as we don't have sex.

Did anyone see on Keith Olbermann last night where The Vagina Monologues is playing somewhere and because someone complained about the word vagina the theatre changed the marquis to read The Hoohah Monologues. Jeez.


[ Parent ]
He looks like Karl Rove's retarded feral twin, who has spent the last fifty years locked in a basement ...
LOL! Oh, man! I'm literally typing between gasps for breath.

When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will.

- Abraham Lincoln.


[ Parent ]
what do amanda and melissa expect?
I mean, really?  this is a presidental campaign, not a popularity contest.  everything is fair game.  i have never read amanda's site, but i have enjoyed melissa's stuff over at shakespeare's sister.  fact is, she's made a name for herself with her sharp-tongued prose and that's what many readers find so appealing.  but again, she's working for a candidate. this is not about melissa anymore, or melissa's blog, or melissa's ego.  or the first ammendment. 

the rush to defend her in the liberal blogosphere has been swift.  many point to bill donahue and his wacky hypocracy.  fair point.  but this isn't about him, either.  it's about John Edward's candidacy to become the next president.

amanda and melissa (standard non-) apoplogy is lame and disappointing.  when we look back and plot the demise of the Edwards campaign, we can regard this as the beginning.

find me over at bluejersey.com


I disagree...
Their work is what garnered their own strong niches in the blogosphere, and that is what got the interest of the Edwards campaign in the first place. Your comment in a way is supportive of a have-one's-cake-and-eat-it-too mentality: Edwards wants bloggers who have the ability to garner the netroots, but then the very writings which got these two so recognized in said netroots is deemed "offensive."

It was all out there for anyone to see...BEFORE they were hired.

And people who slam these two for their apologies, still do not seem to mention a word about the hate-filled, bigoted speech of Donohue. I am personally offended by his comments.

And I notice that he certainly was not approached by the Edwards campaign with a job offer, was he?


[ Parent ]
Um, er, ah, I'm floored....
...I mean, really?  this is a presidental campaign, not a popularity contest.

What in hell do you think that a presidential campaign is?  It's a popularity contest.


[ Parent ]
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