Glamour Magazine has an exclusive interview with Jen O’Malley Dillon, the campaign manager of Joe Biden’s successful presidential campaign, and the first female campaign manager to get a Democrat into the White House. I would argue that O’Malley Dillon is the first woman CM to get a president of any party into the White House, because Kellyanne Conway should not f–king count. Jen will also serve as the Biden Administration’s deputy chief of staff (the Josh Lyman position, for West Wing fans). This Glamour piece is fantastic, and Jen talks a lot about juggling motherhood with a full-time job, and the sacrifices which had to be made on both sides. She speaks with brutal honesty about the double standards of being a woman in a high-powered job, and how many people doubted her along the way, and all of that is worth a read. But it’s an offhand comment about Republicans which has gotten all the headlines. A few highlights:
Why she agreed to be Biden’s campaign manager: “I just had this sense—for both my husband and me, because you obviously can’t do any of this sh-t if you don’t have a partner that believes in it as much as you do and is willing to help. I just felt like, How do you answer to your kids when you look back on your life? How do you go on with your life without doing something to help? So I left all that stability….When it came to Vice President Biden, we had just around that time found out that my dad had cancer. We didn’t know how serious it was. And I asked myself, “Am I even up for this?” This is scary sh-t, and everything is at stake. In the end, I just really felt called. I had to do something. And I believed in the vice president. It was kind of as simple as that.
On compromising & listening: “Like Joe Biden says all the time, “Great leadership starts with listening.” It’s challenging for us to do that right now, because of how polarized we are. But politics breaks down to one-on-one conversations and not being afraid to talk. I get that you’re not supposed to talk politics at the holiday dinner. Well, f–k that. It’s because we don’t do that that we are in this situation now. I also think, as in love, compromise is a good thing. The atmosphere in the world now is like, “Oh, if you compromise, you don’t believe in something.” No, it’s: I believe in it so much that I’m going to work to find a path we can both go down together. That feels to me like the heart of relationships and love and success across the board.
Redefining compromise: “And frankly, [compromise is] what we need. The president-elect was able to connect with people over this sense of unity. In the primary, people would mock him, like, “You think you can work with Republicans?” I’m not saying they’re not a bunch of f–kers. Mitch McConnell is terrible. But this sense that you couldn’t wish for that, you couldn’t wish for this bipartisan ideal? He rejected that. From start to finish, he set out with this idea that unity was possible, that together we are stronger, that we, as a country, need healing, and our politics needs that too. Which is not to say it is easy. It is like a relationship. You can’t do politics alone. If the other person is not willing to do the work, then that becomes really hard. But I think, more than not, people want to see impact. They want to see us moving in a path forward. They want to do their work, get paid a fair share, have time for themselves and their family, and see each other as neighbors.
Did you catch that? “In the primary, people would mock him, like, “You think you can work with Republicans?” I’m not saying they’re not a bunch of f–kers. Mitch McConnell is terrible.” WHERE IS THE LIE? Again, it’s been four years of bullsh-t and misogyny and racism and white supremacy, and all of it has been A-OK with the Republicans in Congress. It actually started before the Trump Era too – McConnell’s entire goal during the Obama era was to be a giant a–hole, to thwart everything on Obama’s agenda.
But, you know, since a woman said it and since a Democrat said it, Republicans have to be performatively outraged:
Biden talks about unity and healing, but you want to know what they really think?
Read how the person he wants as the next WH deputy chief of staff called Republicans in Congress a bunch of f***ers
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 17, 2020
Poor Little Marco, he really thinks that we’re going to forget the past four years, when every single Republican ignored ALL of the deeply offensive sh-t Trump said on an hourly basis? My girl Nicolle Wallace had time:
Are we really talking about the f word in any context other than the f-ing people who stood by Trump as he boasted about “grabbing women in the pussy”, smeared “shit hole countries” called black NFL players “sons of bitches” and assaulted our democracy while ignoring covid?
— Nicolle Wallace (@NicolleDWallace) December 17, 2020
Photos courtesy of Instagram.
F-them. That’s my first and final thought. She is absolutely right. (And Nicolle Wallace is completely on point!)
I wish I could “like” this reply a million times, MaryContrary!!
On behalf of Democrats and all decent people everywhere: The GOP can go fuck themselves.
Tell them it’s just locker room talk.
Perfect!
Women do not belong in the locker room, only the bedroom.
And not a word uttered from Lil Marco when Ted Yoho called AOC a f&%king B*&ch on the Capitol steps.
Hahah, true. And it’s still not bearly as bad as what Trump said.
Very different standards for women.
Marco Rubio needs to sit his whiny ass all the way down. He is up for re-election in 2022; let’s make sure he loses.
Florida and Kentucky really know how to elect total effing moron losers, don’t they?
Don’t leave out Texas!
Mitch delights in being a fucker. Rubio is such a little twerp. This doesn’t make him look good at all but none of them seem to care anymore. Honestly I prefer Mitch’s version only because it doesn’t breathe life into the crazies. Rubio won himself a news cycle over this one and it’s annoying af.
I love Jen. She’s keeping it real. She orchestrated the first campaign that succeeded in showing me I could get involved and how to do that besides just showing up to vote.
I got a survey to help keep me engaged and feeling a part of this administration.
And thank her for saying what any sane person has been thinking.
If you cheered on Donald Trump and the “Fuck Your Feelings” mentality for four long years, you have forever surrendered your right to get upset when a Democrat uses crude language.
thank you? this is where my mind went too, like these are the same people who wear tshirts that say “fuck your feelings” and now they’re trying to play the decorum game? smh
Remember when Melania asked who gives a f&ck about Christmas decorations? Crickets from the same people who freak out about the sanctity of Christmas. It’s all manufactured nonsense.
This. I hope she does not apologize.
No lies detected though
As I read this again, the outrage? Was because she told no lie?
It seems the GOP can see the truth when it is convenient for them but just hate when a woman says it.
I mean, did she lie? McConnell is terrible. Everyone – including Mitch – knows that. He knows he’s playing dirty. he doesn’t care, but he knows he’s doing it.
Nicolle’s response was perfect.
Those f@ckers can f@cking go f@ck themselves every f@cking second of every f@cking day.
The GOP is in death throes. The world is changing, and the old white guys and ineffectual young white guys can’t handle the loss of power, so they’re clinging to these antiquated ideas about women, and people of color, and every form of Otherhood that they created. They’ve already lost, but like Trump, they can’t believe it.
They are f***ers. All of them. Marc Rubio better keep an eye on keeping his damn Senate seat since some of the Trumps are eyeing it. Then let’s see how much he talks about how great the Grand Ole Party is. Bah.
Humm are they really that concerned about cussing? I think not they cuss endlessly. They want to tear down a woman at the top of her success who beat them in spite of the mail shenanigans, the elite Kracken strike force and the blatant efforts by Trump to rip this country apart to keep his Presidential Immunity. SHE BEAT THEM. She and an actual strike force of advisors that was genuinely multicultural and competent beat Trump and now she must be dragged. Fuck all of those fuckity jackasses. Women are here to play. If you don’t want to work with us, Get ready to do more loosing.
Don’t we have endless audio of Trump saying F@ck? But yes…women have to our mouths clean so we can bear children and not stand in the same room as a married man or something.
As a West Wing fan and a member of the Lemon Lyman brigade, I appreciate the reference so much.
And Republican Nazis? Fuck em.
Kellyanne Conway took over only in the final stretch. Totally different from JOD who ran the whole kit and caboodle from start to finish, directing strategy and managing a gigantic team over nearly a year. This has nothing to do with party or gender — these are just facts. Jen did something unprecedented.
The performative pearl clutching of goopers reminds me of something equally false: Elisabeth Hasselbeck on the View. I don’t remember what set her off, but she was bleating about the decorum and requirements of football players to appear at all NFL functions in suits. Now I don’t think this was her larger point, but the “decorum” and “honor” obsessions among people who don’t care about actual decorum (like the NFL covering up head injuries and enforcing “stupid decorum” rules like wearing a suit but not firing men who beat their wives or rape women).
This is the same thing. What is the crocodile tears of pearl clutching? Like I actually find inappropriate language to be inappropriate; Jen O’Malley Dillon wasn’t inappropriate, or wrong.
Jen ran a campaign from her living room while taking care of her kids and WON. She gets to be a little salty if she wants to. I wouldn’t advise doing it again, cause that’s just not Biden’s vibe, but who amongst us hasn’t landed a few f-bombs this year while working at home?
She isn’t wrong and she’s nicer than I am.
They are such hypocrites, they go after the Squad for their gender, nationality, religion and previous work experience. They support a madman who targets individuals and think that they own the right to a woman’s body. The republicans are disgusting.
The ain’t wrong. And she better not get screwed out of a job for saying this. Every Republican in Trump’s office is a trash deplorable human. As well as the congressmen and senators who supported him. F$&:%ers is the NICEST thing you could say about them. I will not forget.
F*ck your feelings.
I used to have a tee shirt that had the Dick Cheney quote (from the floor of the senate) telling Dems to “go fuck yourself.” But on par for the hypocrisy that is the Republican Party.