If the DNC’s toxic leaked emails are for real, this is what Hillary Clinton should do about them

[rug]

By Colbert I. King
July 23

It may be tempting for the media to walk away from the Republican National Convention and train their cameras and notebooks on next week’s Democratic Party proceedings in Philadelphia. That, however, would mean ignoring a nasty piece of political news that broke over the weekend. The story not only deserves closer public scrutiny; it also, if true, cries out for corrective action by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

On Friday, The Post reported that, among internal emails taken from the Democratic National Committee and published by WikiLeaks were messages exchanged between the DNC’s chief financial officer Brad Marshall and other DNC officials that seemed to indicate they wanted Sen. Bernie Sander (I-Vt.) to be pressed about his faith so his beliefs could be turned against him.

Using a candidate’s faith or lack of religious belief as a political weapon is a disgusting tactic, made all the more repellent if used by a political party that prides itself on religious tolerance and diversity.

Sanders is not mentioned by name in the emails, but here is one of Marshall’s emails quoted in its entirety:

From:[e-mail]
To: [e-mail],[e-mail], [e-mail]
Date: 2016-05-05 03:31
Subject: No s—

It might may no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/07/23/if-the-dncs-toxic-leaked-emails-are-for-real-this-is-what-hillary-clinton-should-do-about-them/

https://www.change.org/p/democratic-national-committee-remove-brad-marshall-from-dnc

[Squinch]

1. Its two emails out of 20000 exchanged by two low level DNC people who were shooting the shit.

And they were shooting the shit long after Sanders had no mathematical path to winning. They were shooting the shit long after everyone who had a brain and who saw Trump on the horizon was wondering how to make Sanders stop running against the winner and stop wasting the Democrats' time and efforts.

This whole thing is moronic.

[rug]

2. True, but it's two emails too many.

They should be booted immediately to stop this sideshow. Shooting the shit or not, it's vile. There's already enough of that on the other side.

[Squinch]

5. So let's all set our hair on fire and give the media exactly what it wants, exactly what

Trump wanted us to give them.

Let's all run around cutting each other's noses off, taking attention away from our own Convention, while Trump and Putin have tea and chuckle at their handiwork.

Because two assholes somewhere were shooting the shit in a gross way.

[rug]

6. No, someone making snide remarks about a candidate being atheist or Jewish has no place in the party

Let alone in leadership.

When shit like this happens people decide how to vote based on how the party reacts more than what the asshole said.

[Squinch]

7. It wasn't the leadership. It was two low level assholes. After Sanders lost.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. Those of us who are hated by Brad's Southern Baptist 'peeps' find his words to be chilling.

This man is cashing checks from my Party and he's out there saying he knows some bigots he can taunt with facts about a candidate they would hold bigotry toward. People who would do that would also smear a candidate for being LGBT if that helped his candidate with his 'peeps' in various bigoted organizations. Being a 'church' does not give one impunity to be a bigot, it's not ok to bait a person's bigotry if it is religious bigotry.

That email, one of the most depressing things I have ever read. My Party working against me and exploiting the bigotry of the religious right to do so. Unacceptable. And the fact that Brad was open about his nasty intentions means that was the culture of his office and working group. He was not covert about it, he was proud to share this vile idea with his peers on DNC systems.

I guess it's bad when Trump baits Muslims but ok if we bait Jews and atheists? Is that really going to play to the back rows? 'No big deal if we do it'.

[Bluenorthwest]

4. I'd like to point out that in your narrative, Brad already knows Sanders has lost but he

still wants to go tell his Southern Baptist 'peeps' that Bernie is a Jewish atheist. You claim Brad knows he's already won and yet he's eager to go cast some bait to some bigots he's cozy with. That really makes it worse.
And of course we know that Southern Baptists hate LGBT and the white SoBaptists tend to be racists as well. What other bait gets placed on Brad's hook?