Oy vez. Team Bernie — we get it. You’re pissed. You should be. Now stop losing the election. Please.
Let’s get this out of the way. DWS is horrible. She should go.
Locking Bernie out of voter data was an overreaction, and possibly a breach of contract. Give him his access back.
Now let’s talk about why he and you are screwing the pooch here:
The Bernie Sanders’ campaign had a serious ethical collapse. From Bloomberg:
The database logs created by NGP VAN show that four accounts associated with the Sanders team took advantage of the Wednesday morning breach. Staffers conducted searches that would be especially advantageous to the campaign, including lists of its likeliest supporters in 10 early voting states, including Iowa and New Hampshire.
This was not, as has been repeatedly offered up as an excuse by Team Bernie apologists, a case of a concerned I.T. admin doing some white-hat hacking to see just how vulnerable his own data was. This was a targeted data theft. He sure as hell wasn’t poking around Martin O’Malley’s records.
The logs show that the Vermont senator’s team created at least 24 lists during the 40-minute breach, which started at 10:40 a.m., and saved those lists to their personal folders.
I’ve seen in another diary an argument, based on a Bloomberg quote (that I haven’t yet found) that the data was displayed but could not be exported or printed or transferred — the implication being (I guess) no harm no foul. Apparently this system is essentially a web-based CRM and it allowed the stolen data to be saved in the Bernie staffers’ accounts. Which makes a demand that the saved data be deleted actually pretty damn reasonable. I don’t do web development (thank the gods) but NGP VAN is looking for developers with:
- Working knowledge of web scalability problems and common solutions
- Experience with C# and ASP.NET (bonus points for MVC 4+ and Web API)
- Strong Javascript skills - Angular experience is great
So for you coders out there, maybe there’s some insight to be gleaned. LINK
And the campaign’s assertion that they aren’t really to be blamed because they told the vendor and the DNC about the bug is a really strange defense. “Hey I noticed the doorman keeps falling asleep so I robbed your apartment to show that mine could be robbed too.” Say what?
Let’s recap:
Team Bernie, by it’s own admission, finds a security flaw, or bug. They alert the vendor and the DNC.
When the bug is not patched, high-placed Bernie staffers (at least 2 according to the Bloomberg article) exploit that bug to steal data from the rival campaign.
The DNC overreacts and uses a chainsaw when it needed...I don’t know, a sternly worded letter? And if their actions are outside the procedures laid out in the contract with the campaigns, DWS needs to go yesterday. Any idiot knows that in a situation with potential legal implications you do. things. by. the. book.
But then Team Bernie collectively loses their shit. They release a mealy mouthed passive-aggressive non-apology apology statement, fire one guy when clearly there was more than one involved, play the victim, and sue the DNC.
And do you see the problem here? Do you see who’s name is conspicuously absent? That’s right — Hillary Rodham Clinton. Her campaign’s data was actually stolen. She actually was the victim here. And instead of wading into it, Team Hillary releases a pretty mild “Well we want Bernie just to have access to his data but sure whatever,” statement. Followed by a “Meh, just give his access back and we’ll work it out later.”
So we have a contender for the democratic nomination for President, who wasn’t a democrat at all until a few months ago, do something unethical (his campaign anyway), play the victim, and actually sue the political apparatus of the democratic party. You know who does shit like that? A politician. And what’s Bernie’s greatest strength? Not being a politician. Being a stand-up ethical guy who is above dirty tricks.
Meanwhile, Hillary sits back and manages to be both a victim and relatively nonchalant about the whole thing. Catbird seat. There’s no upside here for anyone but her. Bernie wins, well he’s just another politician who resorted to dirty tricks and played the victim when he was called on it, his stand-up guy aura gone. DNC wins and Bernie supporters are rightly pissed that their guy was hamstrung from behind; they stay home and we get President TrumCruzio.
I know in the fever dreams of a lot of Team Bernie around here, Hillary is some type of Machiavellian spider-woman, sitting in the middle of a vast web of conspiracy and intrigue, plucking the strings and making the mainstream media and DWS and the DNC dance. I’ve seen numerous implicit and explicit statements today that this was all a trap Hillary and DWS set to ensnare poor Bernie. I call bullshit. I don’t think Hillary is that afraid of Bernie. I think her campaign has had a strategy since day 1, and although it sets Team Bernie’s teeth on edge, it’s actually been pretty effective — pretend to be inevitable, save the big guns for the Republicans, don’t rock the boat. This plays right into her hands, Bernie and the DNC duking it out while she just carries on.
And just so I don’t point out a problem without at least taking a stab at a solution, here’s what needs to happen:
Hillary: Privately ask DWS to leave. If she won’t go privately, do it publicly. Private first because you don’t throw friends and supporters under the bus if you don’t have to. If that doesn’t work then public because — you have to. Publicly and strongly demand that Bernie get his access back immediately.
Bernie: Invite an immediate 3rd party forensic audit of your information systems. Publicly assure Hillary that you didn’t ask for it, you didn’t authorize it, and EVERYONE involved in the data breach has been let go. Give your word that your campaign doesn’t have and will not/would not use any data gleaned from the hack. Bernie Sander’s word means something still. Drop the lawsuit contingent upon having your access returned.
DWS: For fuck’s sake try not to hurt yourself walking and chewing gum. But if you want to salvage any credibility, turn Bernie’s access back on (say whatever you want to to save face — nobody cares). Then decide to spend more time with your family and for all our sakes’ go away.
Hillary is my choice. But ffs don’t hand this to her. Lord knows she needs to have constant leftward pressure to steer her in the correct direction. Play smart Team Bernie. A real primary between two good candidates helps us all in the end.
