Bullies 1, Sanity 0

While I'm glad we're going to have Amanda Marcotte in full-throated voice again, I hate, hate, hate that a lunatic bully like William Donohue, who runs an organization that seems to consist only of himself, has gotten his way:

I was hired by the Edwards campaign for the skills and talents I bring to the table, and my willingness to work hard for what’s right. Unfortunately, Bill Donohue and his calvacade of right wing shills don’t respect that a mere woman like me could be hired for my skills, and pretended that John Edwards had to be held accountable for some of my personal, non-mainstream views on religious influence on politics (I’m anti-theocracy, for those who were keeping track). Bill Donohue—anti-Semite, right wing lackey whose entire job is to create non-controversies in order to derail liberal politics—has been running a scorched earth campaign to get me fired for my personal beliefs and my writings on this blog.

In fact, he’s made no bones about the fact that his intent is to “silence” me, as if he—a perfect stranger—should have a right to curtail my freedom of speech. Why? Because I’m a woman? Because I’m pro-choice? Because I’m not religious? All of the above, it seems.

Regardless, it was creating a situation where I felt that every time I coughed, I was risking the Edwards campaign. 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. I resigned my position today and they accepted.

There is good news. The main good news is that I don’t have a conflict of interest issue anymore that was preventing me from defending myself against these baseless accusations. So it’s on. The other good news is that the blogosphere has risen as one and protested, loudly, the influence a handful of well-financed right wing shills have on the public discourse.

Bill Donohue doesn’t speak for Catholics, he speaks for the right wing noise machine. You guys pointed this out, you made a stink, you refused to walk into the same stupid trap that is laid out for liberals and Democrats by the right wing noise machine and I think you made a difference. While loyalty played into the pushback some, the real story is that we liberals are not taking this crap any longer and we’re pushing back. And now that I’m attached to only myself again, I’m ready and eager to join in the pushing back with you. Like Lorraine say, Jesus did not say to shut your piehole.

I understand Amanda's decision fully. I probably would have done the same, but mostly under the doctrine of I Need This Shit Like I Need A Second Navel. But it's an ominous sign when only progressives have to, in the words of Ari Fleischer, "watch what they say, watch what they do", while Glenn Beck gets to demand that a Muslim Congressman prove he's not working with terrorists, and says that Barack Obama "might as well be white."

If Democrats (and yes, I'm referring to John Edwards "I was appalled too but she's really good" non-defense defense of Amanda) don't find their balls pretty soon, they'll find themselves kicked out on their ear come November 2008. Because we are getting sick and tired of this pussy-ass, whiny handwringing that our party does every time some nutjob on the right gets his panties in a twist.