Delegate's Staffer Fired Over Web Post
It's happened again: Del. Annie Crockett-Stark's campaign has been struck by a young staffer's Internet postings.
Two years ago it was LyAnna Johnson blogging about campaigning in a district that includes Bland County and parts of Pulaski, Giles, Tazewell and Wythe counties. Johnson wrote of trolling for votes among "rednecks" who resembled Bigfoot and freak show tattooed men who lived in places that looked like horror movie sets.
This time it was Elisabeth Beamer whose Facebook page quoted the Republican Crockett-Stark referring to campaign contributors as -- well, as something that can't be repeated in this publication.
Perhaps it's best described as the R-rated version of "doo-doo head." Crockett-Stark says she never made the statement.
Johnson was from Odessa, Texas by way of Washington, D.C. She came to Southwest Virginia with a freshly printed political science degree and a recommendation from a Republican at the state level.
Beamer is a local -- a Christiansburg High School graduate -- with a freshly printed political science degree and experience as political director of the College Republican Federation of Virginia. She spent some time in D.C., too.
This is another playing out of the love-hate relationship political campaigns have with folks like Johnson and Beamer, said Craig Brians, an associate professor of political science at Virginia Tech, Campaigns depend on enthusiastic, not-yet jaded staffers and volunteers eager to work long hours for short pay -- or no pay at all.
"The drawback with them," Brians said, "is they might not always have the best judgment.
"Many of them, contrary to everything they should know about the Internet, they think of it as a place where they can carve out this very personal space."
Beamer's page told people she likes hip-hop, "The West Wing," Rudy Giuliani and "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?"
It also included a list titled "Elisabeth and Anthony's Campaign 101." It began with "Drinking is not conducive to success" and ended with, "You know you've hit it big when your candidate starts referring to fundraising as [doo-doo head] raising."
That's an error common among people networking online, according to Robert McGee, a Virginia Tech professor who teaches about media's effects.
"They use it to present an image to a certain audience," he said, "and they tend to forget that's not the only audience that's out there."
University of Virginia politics professor Larry Sabato said he warns students about this kind of thing all the time.
"They think they're communicating with their friends," Sabato said. "Sadly, a lot of people who go to these pages are anything but their friends."
Sabato ticked off a list of national political figures in trouble for various missteps to illustrate that Beamer's offense -- while she certainly shouldn't have committed it -- might seem small.
"In the universe of sins, I'd say that ranks right down there at the bottom of the list," he said.
However, Crockett-Stark -- in a race this year against Democrat Bill Thomas in the 6th District -- judged it serious enough to fire Beamer. The delegate issued an e-mail statement through campaign manager Anthony Reedy.
"I did not make the alleged quote on my former employee's Facebook page," the statement said. "When the issue came to my attention, I immediately met with Ms. Beamer and decided that it would be best if she no longer worked for the campaign.
"She informed me that it was meant as a private joke to a friend. She has apologized to me personally. I appreciate the work she did for my campaign and wish her well in the future."
Crockett-Stark said in 2005 that she didn't know what a blog was until she heard about Johnson's. A blogger -- at "It's Gotta Be ... Annie B!" and "Raising Kaine" -- spread the news about Beamer's Facebook page. ("Raising Kaine" calls itself "The Voice of Progressive Virginia." "It's Gotta Be ... Annie B!" is an anti-Crockett-Stark site that says it's been "Setting the record straight on the 6th District's do-nothing delegate since 2007.")
Someone -- he doesn't remember who -- e-mailed a link to Frank Kilgore, whom the Virginia Public Access Project lists as Crockett-Stark's largest individual donor this election cycle.
"Obviously, it's very offensive and insulting," Kilgore said. Crockett-Stark's denial isn't enough to erase the offense, in his opinion.
"Until this young lady says, 'I made it up,' " Kilgore said, "I have to feel there's some validity to it."
Beamer didn't answer e-mails requesting an interview.
Someone answering the phone at her parents' home said, "It's for you" a moment before the line went dead. When someone answered a second call moments later, that person said Beamer wasn't there.
Beamer no longer has a Facebook page.
"I'm sorry she lost her job," Sabato said of the former campaign aide. "But if that's the worst thing she's done, she's going straight to heaven."
Comments
I see a pattern here... (Liberal Pi - 9/7/2007 12:03:47 PM)Delegate Crockett-Stark never accepts responsibility.For the abuser fees it's "Governor Kaine tricked me"
For this incident "Angry Annie" fires her staffer rather than admit to her verbal blunder.
Anne B. needs to grow up and accept some responsibility.