Further Proof that the Obama Campaign Needs to Grow Up

by Damozel | Obama has a lot of passionate people working for his campaign. That's a good thing.  But now that we're past the intrafamily infighting, it's time for them to start comporting themselves as reasonable adults. 

Here in Florida, where a lot of Democrats would have preferred Hillary, what's desperately needed is some Obama supporters willing to reach kindly, warmly, and compassionately across the great divide to pull those people across into Obamaland.  Some of them are lost forever.  Some aren't going to go willingly.  But some probably will eventually agree that the issues are more important than one's preferences for a candidate and agree to join hands --- if the surly whippersnappers and angry Hillary-baiters who all too often are held out as Obama's representatives would just learn some basic diplomacy or even just some basic good manners.

For example, consider this exchange between superdelegate Jon Ausman and Obama Florida finance chair Kirk Wagar.

As Florida Dems prepare for Saturday's Jefferson-Jackson dinner aimed at bringing the party "together once and for all," a spat over the Obama campaign's decision to replace some already-designated Florida delegates with Obama backers has intensified.

And how. DNC member Jon Ausman late Thursday e-mailed Dems (and reporters) choice sections of what he says were e-mails from Obama's Florida finance chair Kirk Wagar -- in which Wagar curses Ausman out and criticizes Sen. Bill Nelson and party director Leonard Joseph.

The highlights: "You (Jon Ausman) f&^%ed us. We are dealing with it. You need to accept the fact that you f*&^ed us."

And of Nelson: "I am getting very sick of (Senator) Nelson making a bad situation worse."(Naked Politics) 

Want to know how an adult deals with this sort of nonsense?  For the benefit of any Obama campaign workers who don't know, consider Ausman's reply.

"We are at a point in time when we need to heal and come together. Help me understand how these messages, which you have sent to me in writing, help Senator Obama's campaign."(Naked Politics)

'Help me understand.'  Love it.  I am going to use it next time I am assailed by an infuriated Obama supporters.

You'd think that victory would make them gracious, but it seems only to have made them vengeful.  Good luck getting him in past McCain if they don't calm down, take a deep breath, and start showing Hillary's supporters why Obama is the better option than McCain.  He is, of course.  But --- as Ron Paul's advocates just wouldn't learn --- 'My candidate is better than yours, ASSHOLE!' isn't especially effective as a means of drawing people into the fold. 

Wagar sent a message 'apologizing for the profanity' as a particular 'vice' of his --- as if the profanity, and not the tone, were the issue.  Wagar also undercut the apology with a note that this vice 'rears it's [sic] head with more frequency' when he deals with Ausman --- a sterling example of blaming the victim.  He also complains that 'Ausman had used "out of context snippets from some ongoing and sometimes heated arguments we have had over the course of this campaign.'  Yes, explaining that this sort of thing happened more than once makes me feel a lot better. 

I am sure that Wagar is a nice young man --- he certainly looks it in the photographs I see on the internet --- and that he wouldn't in the ordinary course address such unmannerly comments to a fellow Democrat.  But how we behave when we're exasperated reflects on our candidate, whether we like it or not.   

Obama's supporters, in Florida and elsewhere, had better learn to make nice with former Hillary supporters --- whether they like it or want to believe it, Obama needs us --- or  Grandpa McCain will be sitting in the Oval Office starting next January.  The nation cannot afford it.  Believe it.

Memeorandum has blogger reactions here.

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Comments

[candymarl]

I've pleaded with Obama supporters for restraint with no dice. Heck, I even offered to vote for the man and was still cussed and vilified.

It's who they are and all of the warnings in the world to stop their attitude doesn't seem to help.

I agree with you 100%. I hope they see the light unless they want a flood of McCain Democrats similar to the flood of Reagan Democrats.

[Edna]

Damozel, I passionately agree with every word you said. I have been outraged about Kirk Wagar's e-mails to Jon Ausman ever since I learned of them just under a month ago. As a lifelong, loyal Democrat who has always voted for my party's nominee in every election since my 18th birthday, I was really trying, after the Democratic Rules & Bylaws Committee met and came up with the fairest solution possible to the delegate mess, to accept that and to try to bring myself around to our party's presumptive nominee. I am a Florida Democrat who was terribly outraged and upset about Dean's draconian decision to yank away ALL of our delegates, from the moment he made it. I followed the delegate nightmare from the beginning and, while I would have preferred all our delegates' full votes restored, I was ready to accept that each delegate getting half a vote was a fair solution. I was ready to move beyond the hurt, alienation, disenfranchisement, yada yada yada and start the healing and unifying process behind our nominee, even though I've always thought he was all slogans and no substance, and had come to think that he was also a hypocrite who actions and those of his campaign are often diametrically opposed to the flowery slogans he spouts. But then I learned of the Wager e-mails. As you so rightly point out, the man (Obama) can't even WIN graciously!!! The delegate mess was all OVER! Obama has the nomination sewn up! Okay, if Wager/the campaign wanted to argue about the delegate slate, fine, go for it, although in my humble opinion, they should have just left the dang thing alone, but okay, argue away. But to send those e-mails, using such despicable, abusive, shocking, UNCALLED FOR, immature, personally-attacking, threatening language? That was the moment that Barack Obama lost my vote forever. His campaign is NOT about "new politics", and certainly not about "inclusiveness". He still could have gotten me back, though, if he had fired Wagar. But did he? Heck no. In fact, the official response of the campaign was to say that Wagar's job was "absolutely safe" and to further dis the people of Florida by showing a completely dismissive attitude and saying that "non one cares about a few hotel rooms in Denver". Unreal.

Again, I agree with every word you said. I am TOTALLY disgusted with Obama and his campaign, and amazed that my fellow liberal Democrats don't see what a flaming hypocrite he is when he speaks of "new politics".

[Edna]

P.S. The Obama campaign made it crystal clear during the primary season, CONSISTENTLY, via many statements of official campaign spokespeople and actions, that they did not want my vote to count in the primary season. And by not firing Wagar after those despicable e-mails, they made it equally clear that they don't want my vote in the general election. Message received. For the first time in my life, I will write in a candidate (Al Gore), not that it will do any good. But I CANNOT vote for this man.