Melissa McEwan and Amanda Marcotte, the progressive bloggers whom John Edwards decided not to fire in the wake of attacks from Catholic wingnuts Bill Donohue and others, have both resigned, citing concern for the Edwards campaign following a hate-filled onslaught and death threats from Donohue and his followers.
McEwan claimes that “sustained ideological attacks” made her a liability to the campaign. She writes on her blog, Shakespeare’s Sister: “There will be some who clamor to claim victory for my resignation, but I caution them that in doing so, they are tacitly accepting responsibility for those who have deluged my blog and my inbox with vitriol and veiled threats. It is not right-wing bloggers, nor people like Bill Donohue or Bill O’Reilly, who prompted nor deserve credit for my resignation, no matter how much they want it, but individuals who used public criticisms of me as an excuse to unleash frightening ugliness, the likes of which anyone with a modicum of respect for responsible discourse would denounce without hesitation. This is a win for no one.”
Marcotte made an announcement on her blog, Pandagon, as well: “In fact, [Bill Donohue has] 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. “
Here are some of the hate-filled letters that Marcotte received from Donohue followers.
Yes, “Christian” Bill Donohue of the Catholic League (212-371-3191) who called McEwan and Marcotte “two anti-Catholic, vulgar, trash-talking bigots” but who, among other things, enjoys a good “gook” joke.
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