Anyone reading the politically-motivated leak of a Dem Committeeman's angry letter to Hudson County View might believe its unfortunate language represents Committee group-think.
Anyone reading the caustic prose on that other blog, calling letters from Democratic Committee-persons "a vicious political operation... deployed assaulting Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher's electronic communications" might think the Committee was a raging King Kong to Fisher's Fay Wray.
Ummm, Tiffanie is the Chairwoman of the Hoboken Democratic Committee.
It is a political organization. Her peeps have a right to contact her.
Some Committee-persons may even argue their right to privacy has been disrespected, by seeing their letters leaked to the press. Committee persons should be able to emote to their Democratic Committee leaders without their communications being used against them, ostensibly to gin up support for a candidate they don't support.
The mission of the Hoboken Democratic Committee is to support and elect Democrats. Yes, it is a party organization.
If folks don't agree with the mission of the Democratic Committee, they don't belong there. So, the latest turn of events and the involvement of their Chairwoman is a fair debate. It is a debate the Dem Committee should be having. And they are.
The other blog calls this debate "an orchestrated coordinated onslaught of mostly new Hoboken Democratic Committee people emailed and massive email bomb."
How interesting to hear the tools of democracy- free speech- described in terms of warfare: a "massive... bomb" and an "orchestrated onslaught" by the same blog that thinks "Russia is a hoax" and no problem with Vladimir Putin's "orchestrated onslaught" against a U.S. election.
Well, this blog is not fawning over any Reform candidate. I won't slam either one. I will make fair comment.
Like this:
GA believes that using private Dem Committee communications to aid a political campaign the authors do not support is unethical.
It seems the Chairwoman of the Hoboken Democratic Party has a major conflict of interest to resolve with the mission of the Hoboken Democratic Party organization.
So, to be "fair and balanced" here is a letter not leaked but sent to me for publication, with approval from the author. In my view, it matters on balance for the public to know the Committee is also making reasonable argument.
I've seen snippets of the other email. What I saw was vicious and over the top. Maybe the rest of the email was nicer.
ReplyDeleteI didn't get the email. The nature of heated political debate is that it can be vicious and over the top. You are talking to a SLAPP suit victim, remember? Sure, that language wasn't nice.
DeleteWe sit in judgment over a selective leak of vicious political discourse from a private communication that was leaked to the public in order to offend, disgust which naturally has political benefit. Mission accomplished.
The guy is an elected official, so he's not a private citizen anymore. And what he said about anyone registered republican was too much. It's ok to disagree and it's ok to think you're smarter than the other side, but to label them as he did was in my opinion, too much. He's what I call blindly partisan and people like him are a large part of the reason Trump was elected. It disgusts me that anyone is who is as well educated as he can be that myopic.
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DeleteSorry, I badly edited that last sentence. It should read: It disgusts me that anyone who is as well educated as he is can be that myopic.
DeleteLots of people have harsh private thoughts. What I increasingly see being "orchestrated" are efforts to leak them for public consumption where their importance will inevitably be exaggerated.
ReplyDeleteThe Balkanization has begun.
Someone once told me that her boss or mother or someone suggested she write every email like it would end up above the fold of the New York Times. She took the advice and never had any issues. I have not taken that advice and had many issues. I'm going to guess that the writer of the leaked email is learning something now too.
DeleteEveryone has harsh thoughts, but it is beyond harsh to cast an entire group of people as either "evil or stupid" because they are registered republican. That kind of mindset has no place in a civilized society.
Yeah that's over the line.
DeleteFYI, although I hate linking another site, Hudson County View has the email in question on its site: http://hudsoncountyview.com/a-few-hoboken-dem-committee-members-taking-aim-at-republican-giattino/
ReplyDeleteAlso it's apparently up on his facebook page. So what is the privacy expectation again?
ReplyDeleteThat's the letter? Oh, big whoop.
DeleteThat link is snippets from his letter, yes. I don't know, calling everyone who disagrees with your political viewpoint as evil or stupid is not very smart, pleasant or politically savvy.
DeleteI don't know what he put up on FB- I didn't see it there just now. Look, this is Hoboken politics. None of us are snowflakes.
DeleteAgreed. No snowflakes, which is why I think if this hurts his reputation or standing in the community that's on him. And the fact that it was publicly shared on a website, his fb page etc does not inspire sympathy from me when we all know what Hoboken (Hudson County) politics are. It's nasty out there.
DeleteFrom what I heard, he had it up in its entirety according, now but it's "been removed". That's the story I got. I didn't see it first hand. We're not facebook friends.
Ah, people need to get over it. A guy on the Hoboken forum of nj.com posted regularly about my underwear and other personal bodily matters. Offensive? Yes. Worth ruminating over? No.
DeleteYep, it's nasty season!
Important detail: Mayoral candidates do not receive County Democratic Committee funds.
ReplyDeleteHaven't heard anyone talking about this guy: http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/27440155/article-EXCLUSIVE--Former-Councilman-Angelo-Valente-says-he-ll-run-for-mayor-of-Hoboken--Giattino-declares-at-press-conference?instance=top_story
ReplyDeleteHe must have been on the CC before I started paying attention, never heard of him and don't recall him being visible locally in recent years. Anyone know anything about him?
I heard that Russo asked him to get in to help DeFusco and hurt Stick. I think the DeFusco strategy is to pack the field so that a low vote total can win (like Schundler did in Jersey City won with 18%) AND vote-farm the crap out of the 4th Ward. Beth Mason may jump in. fact, Mike Russo may jump in, too. Voter fraud may pick Hoboken's next mayor.
DeleteThat's an outrageous, incredible and enormously sad scenario you just laid out there, GA. Let MDF and Stick factions shoot each other in the head, reform wins if they get behind one candidate. I prefer Ravi but would settle for Jen (who I like and respect) if need be, hope WE don't shoot ourselves in the head too. Because then the side with the least serious head wound wins. Now THAT's really sad.
Deleteme, why do you think I've been "disturbed" this past week? Political folks with grey hair tell me we're scewed with 2 candidates. What I described is a winning strategy. Cut the pie in so many slices, someone could win the election with a few thousand votes. I want to be wrong.
DeleteValente is a registered Republican
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