Edwards Campaign Blogger Quits

Amanda Marcotte Resigns After Criticism Over Anti-Catholic Postings

(AP)  One of the chief campaign bloggers for Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards quit Monday after conservative critics raised questions about her history of provocative online messages.

Amanda Marcotte posted on her personal blog, Pandagon, that the criticism "was creating a situation where I felt that every time I coughed, I was risking the Edwards campaign." Marcotte said she resigned from her position Monday, and that her resignation was accepted by the campaign.

Kate Bedingfield, a spokeswoman for the Edwards campaign, confirmed that Marcotte was "no longer working for the campaign." She declined additional comment.

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, demanded last week that Edwards fire Marcotte and a second blogger, Melissa McEwan, for remarks he deemed anti-Catholic. Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, called the messages personally offensive, but decided to keep Marcotte and McEwan on staff.

"No matter what you think about the campaign, I signed on to be a supporter and a tireless employee for them, and if I can't do the job I was hired to do because Bill Donohue doesn't have anything better to do with his time than harass me, then I won't do it," Marcotte wrote Monday night.

Earlier Monday, Marcotte wrote on her personal Web site, "The Christian version of the virgin birth is generally interpreted as super-patriarchal, where ... women are nothing but vessels."

Donohue called both Marcotte and McEwan "foul-mouthed bigots." He did not return a phone call seeking comment Monday night.

McEwan remains on the Edwards campaign staff. She did not return messages left Monday.

[pakaal]

Oh, please, bigots? Have you even heard Donahue? Anti-semitic comments like "Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity" don't exactly instill me with a sense that this man should be calling someone else a bigot. The right-wing hatchet job worked.

And since when have people on the right become so thin-skinned? I read all kinds of comments from both sides saying the worst kind of trash. Right wingers who say this senator or that senator should be hanged or shot, people calling each other traitors, etc. Malkin, one of Donahue's cohorts in this whole affair calls these women bigots. Malkin, who openly calls for racial profiling? Donahue and Malkin, poster children for discovering "foul mouth bigots." Takes two to know one!

[jose1112-2009]

Also Bill Donohue is not running for President of United States. So those of you in the Media who are labeling him and trying to diminish him remember he is not the only Catholic in the United States.

Those two women not only insulted conservative Catholics, but also Liberal Catholics.

Donohue is not the one running for President of ALL of the people of the United States, including Catholics and Christians, Edwards is. Donohue speaks for Conservative Catholics and Edwards is supposed to speak for ALL the people of the United States.

That is why as a Democrat and Catholic...I will never vote for Edwards. He had bad judgment before and after this affair. How can he run a country if he can't even make any judgements about these two bigots on his staff?

[jose1112-2009]

Anyone...Anyone that is openly bigoted and prejudice to any group should not be on your staff.

I am a Democrat AND a Catholic, like most Latinos in the United States. Our religion is intertwined with our culture and for anyone to hire, not only one, but two, hatefilled anti-Catholic and Anti-Christians DOES NOT deserve to be president of the United States.

You would think that now a days Democrats would not hire bigots is amazing. I will vote for any Democrat, but Edwards.

[bigwhtpony]

He can move the White House to his new $6M+ estate in NC. He's certainly a man who knows how the poorest among us lives!

[scott4261]

The "trial lawyer" talking point is wearing kind of thin now. Most people, when they investigate how he won the case that made him a millionaire (from a pool manufacturer whose faulty drain had begun to pull out his client's intestines), realize that he was on the right side of that issue. Edwards has been very consistant on the issues he belives in.

I believe he will win after he is through exposing the sore left by this administration in their dealing with Katrina, among other things.

Many are looking to Hillary or Obama to be the nominee. We'll see how all that plays out, but they were saying the same things about Howard Dean in 2003 and Paul Tsongas in 1991. Neither became president. Edwards is the one to watch. And if he is the nominee, he WILL be our next president.

[golfkt]

Well, he is too contrived...remember he is a plaintiff trial lawyer..he has made millions...his story of being the son of a millworker is bogus...his dad was middle management...
He won't win..he has staked out an extreme position that won't play well once the battles begin...to win, you MUST win the middle..anything too extreme won't play well...

[scott4261]

I partly agree with your statement, golfkt. She did not belong on his campaign staff. But I don't necessarily believe a candidate must pander to the middle. Edwards has the right populist message. He does not seem to be backing down on issues like recinding the unecessary tax cut to the wealthiest 1%. His "Two Americas" speech may have been canned in 2004, but he is starting to emerge as the one to watch for 2008. I believe he will be our next president.

[golfkt]

Bloggers like this DON'T belong on a presidential campaign staff. They create controversy and take away from the candidate. remember to win the presidency you must win the middle, not the margin..