February 9, 2019

You know me — I said, last December, "Why aren't the Democratic candidates better? I'm just going to be for Amy Klobuchar."

Link.

So what am I supposed to do with this: "Staffers, Documents Show Amy Klobuchar’s Wrath Toward Her Aides/'It’s hard to explain the anxiety that permeates the office,' a former staffer for the Minnesota Democrat told BuzzFeed News."

I could say, eh, it's BuzzFeed, well known fake-newsers.

Or I could say, this is what they do to women. The same thing that would be tolerated (or even celebrated) in a man is terrible in a woman. Oh, Amy's not nice enough. Every single woman who could pull off the presidency is not nice enough in your perverted sexist little world.

From the article:
But behind the doors of her Washington, DC, office, the Minnesota Democrat ran a workplace controlled by fear, anger, and shame, according to interviews with eight former staffers, one that many employees found intolerably cruel. She demeaned and berated her staff almost daily, subjecting them to bouts of explosive rage and regular humiliation within the office, according to interviews and dozens of emails reviewed by BuzzFeed News.
This reminds me of the way the media talk about Trump. He's always raging behind closed doors. He's so angry! What a loose cannon! I have never bought into that tale-telling.
That anger regularly left employees in tears, four former staffers said. She yelled, threw papers, and sometimes even hurled objects; one aide was accidentally hit with a flying binder, according to someone who saw it happen, though the staffer said the senator did not intend to hit anyone with the binder when she threw it.
I've heard of binders full of women. She's a woman full of binders. Notice: "accidentally hit." Remember when Hillary Clinton threw a lamp at Bill? Yeah, Snopes calls that a "legend."
The New York Times summed up the then-prevalent view of Hillary as “a lamp-throwing Delilah, emasculating her weak husband.” This aptly presented why, once the rumor was up and running, it continued to be repeated — it confirmed an image of the First Lady that was already widely suspected.
Back to the legend of Angry Amy:
“I cried. I cried, like, all the time,” said one former staffer.

In the emails seen by BuzzFeed, often sent between 1 and 4 in the morning, Klobuchar regularly berated employees, often in all capital letters, over minor mistakes, misunderstandings, and misplaced commas....
Email sent in the middle of the night isn't like a phone call in the middle of the night. The recipient gets it the next time they check their email. If your boss tells you your written work is full of little errors, you should get on it and proofread much, much more and strive for the level she's set. Yeah, maybe you would cry over falling short of her standard, but move on and get better. How did she act when you did a good job?
As Klobuchar prepares to potentially announce a presidential campaign Sunday, four of those former staffers said they were sharing emails and anecdotes with BuzzFeed News because they believe that insight into her office reflects on the senator’s ability to run the country. 
Sounds like she should have fired them.  They deserved to be fired, were given more of a chance, and they turned on their boss, and are getting revenge now. If it "reflects on the senator’s ability to run the country," how does it reflect? I don't think the President should be about coddling insiders who don't perform up to standard. The President works for us, and we are on the outside, not close to him/her where we can cry for leniency. Find the best people and make them do a great job or — as they say in Trumpspeak — "You're fired." Maybe the problem with Amy is that she didn't fire these people. She had incompetent snakes in the office and she hoped against hope that they'd get better.
Some former staffers have gone on the record to defend Klobuchar. “Amy was one of the best bosses I’ve had,” said Asal Sayas, who was referred to BuzzFeed by Klobuchar’s office and worked as her director of scheduling for three years. “I found her to be incredibly fair and extremely effective.”

The senator “cared deeply for me as her staffer," said Kali Cruz, who worked for her during her first term in the Senate. "When I was pregnant with my first baby, she threw me a baby shower, opening up her home and cooking a meal for my family and friends. We worked hard, but we always had some fun, too.”
You know what I like about Sayas and Cruz? I can see their names.  Meanwhile:
The employees [with bad things to say] all asked not to be named, most because of fear of retribution from Klobuchar.... They were hesitant to describe specific incidents on the record, or publish the text of emails, because they feared it would make them identifiable to the senator.
Convenient.
“Women shouldn’t be expected to nurture their employees or colleagues more than men, and they should be no less entitled to challenge them,” Sayas said. “As a strong woman, it was inspiring to work for another strong woman that was direct, incredibly smart, and a leader.”
That's a good theory, but awful women can use that as a cover. If you criticize me, I'll call you a sexist. And I'm afraid of having a woman President, because we will get called sexist when we criticize her. Sayas says "Women shouldn’t be expected to nurture their employees or colleagues," but by the same token, we the people shouldn't be expected to nurture a female office-holder.

BuzzFeed tells us the unnamed bad-mouthers are "experienced congressional employees who say they have worked with difficult lawmakers" and they found Klobuchar "uniquely unbearable."
Anything could set her temper off, they said... minor grammar mistakes, the use of the word “community” in press releases, forgetting to pack the proper coat in her suitcase, failing to charge her iPad, and using staples. “Two months later, that changes, and she’s really pissed about paper clips,” said the second former staffer....
"Community" — ha ha. I agree. Come on. Once you know the person you're writing for hates a word, you don't use that word. If that's too hard to get right, she shouldn't have you ghostwriting for her. I don't use ghostwriters myself, but if you were my ghostwriter and you studded the text with "garner," I would know you were either incompetent or out to get me. You're fired.

272 comments:

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William said...

If you work from home and are your own boss, you're subject to frequent bouts of self abuse.

Howard said...

ST: Being accused of name calling by you is a real honor... like being called a great hitter by Babe Ruth

Howard said...

Blogger William said...

If you work from home and are your own boss, you're subject to frequent bouts of self abuse.


Being self employed for the last 30-years I tell people that my boss is an asshole and I can never get away from the prick.

Bruce Hayden said...

"Email sent in the middle of the night isn't like a phone call in the middle of the night. The recipient gets it the next time they check their email. If your boss tells you your written work is full of little errors, you should get on it and proofread much, much more and strive for the level she's set. Yeah, maybe you would cry over falling short of her standard, but move on and get better. How did she act when you did a good job?"

Ann - I don't think that you quite get it. When you worked for a big law firm, they didn't have email or text messaging yet. When you went home, you were off the clock. Not the case any more. When I was in a decent sized firm (300 then, maybe 500 now), attorneys and paralegals were issued smart phones specifically so that we could get and respond to email around the clock. Or, actually, as an attorney, we were expected to purchase them, and the firm would reimburse. We started with Blackberrys because of the security, but were allowed iPhones once our IT expert could no longer hack them in minutes. Still have that iPhone, and still on occasion use it offline, after doing a full reboot to eliminate the securty software the firm required. In any case, smart phones were called our "ball and chain". You explained the other day why you left that top tier law firm, and went the academic route instead.

It isn't all law firms, of course. As an extreme example, my father, a partner in a small firm for the first half of his career, and a solo for the rest, had two secretaries in 45 years, and delayed his own retirement (at 72) until his last secretary was eligible for full Social Security. I tried to follow his lead, and as a result, thanks to the loyalty of my secretary, was able to discredit two other women in my office trying to get me fired for sexual harassment, despite not having been told their names. She got me the who and why, and I took it back within an hour to my boss and threatened to lodge a complaint against them, if it didn't get dropped immediately.mit was. That is the sort of loyalty you get when you take care of the people working for you.

Shouting Thomas said...

@Howard

I didn't accuse you of name calling. I accused you of being Ritmo, which is quite different.

Ritmo is a known quantity. He's either a psycho or he's just having fun blowing off steam and trying to get a rise out of people. Maybe a little of both.

There's not much point in buying into Ritmo's game.

Howard said...

Doc Mike: Drago implied yesterday that E Warren was likely undead, like Hillary. You will have her as a nice phat softball target for quite some time.

SGT Ted said...

"Or I could say, this is what they do to women. The same thing that would be tolerated (or even celebrated) in a man is terrible in a woman. Oh, Amy's not nice enough. Every single woman who could pull off the presidency is not nice enough in your perverted sexist little world."

Oh bullshit. Men who do what Amy does are considered assholes, full stop.

Howard said...

ST: Go meta when you got nothing... got it mr macho IT dweeb

Inga...Allie Oop said...

Elizabeth Warren, name called by the Bully in Chief, hounded by the right wing over her claim of NA heritage, belittled at every turn by haters, nevertheless she’s persisting. She’s a powerhouse, look out here she comes.

Howard said...

SGT Ted: All my best coaches, teachers and bosses were assholes. That's what it takes if you want to crush the competition.

bobby said...

"I can't say I've had the pleasure of being abused at work or home. I don't think strong and aggressive women are intimidating. They have a lot to offer and only go ballistic around men who stink of fear and loathing."

Minutes later:

"Being self employed for the last 30-years . . . "

Your credentials for opining on harridan bosses might be a bit weak. ;)

Jack Klompus said...

"She’s a powerhouse, look out here she comes."

My god you're a mental case.

SGT Ted said...

Yes, lets ignore the Democrats going full Commie and pretend that the REAL issue is people being mean to a privileged white woman who acts like an asshole.

Howard said...

I really wish she would stop, Inga. The Cherokee shtick was a series of self-serving lies. Minor league Trumpian. She's a liability, time to close the door and throw away the key, she's done put a fork in it, the phat lady has sung.

Howard said...

I work all the time with clients and in the field with heavy industry contractors. Many of them were non-abusive assholes. Plus I worked for 10+ years as a salaryman.

Everyone has a boss, bobby.

Howard said...

You cucks forget that when you don't have a lot of time to waste, someone is going to have to be an asshole about it.

Howard said...

can't stand the heat? have a trumpian pity party... the buck stops with everybody

Shouting Thomas said...

@Howard

I'm going with the Ritmo bot theory until you prove otherwise.

He's quite the shape shifter. Each time he comes back with a new name and a new back story.

SGT Ted said...

"SGT Ted: All my best coaches, teachers and bosses were assholes. That's what it takes if you want to crush the competition."

That's not been my experience. And my career involved literally crushing the competition. The true assholes usually wound up kicked to the curb because they hurt the organization.

You confuse being hard when you need to and holding people accountable to get results with being an asshole, maybe? I know many women who have done this when they get into a leadership position.

walter said...

AOC wants to get rid of powerhouses...or at least rebuild all of them.
Warren is onboard.
It's unclear whether (Native?) American bison will escape methane restriction pogrom.
Klobuchar might be losing Althouse because she's becoming less boring.
She's high energy now.

rehajm said...

The herd must be culled is all...

Howard said...

SGT Ted: I hear what you are saying. There are levels of asshole. The assholes I learned from were/are insistent, demanding, get right to the point, occasionally get pissed at stupid unforced errors and have great instincts. I read Ann's point is that women who play hardball in the workplace frequently get labeled as out of control bitches.

Howard said...

ritmo...kryptonite, I'm melting

MayBee said...

The late night emails in all caps is innuendo that she's a little drinky.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

James John Klobuchar...was loved by Minnesotans.

That may be the case but according to her Wikipedia entry he was an alcoholic, drunk-driving asshole who got, quote, wanderlust, and left their family.

langford peel said...

Drunk, nasty and mean.

Must be like looking in a mirror for you Althouse.

It’s no wonder that you are so defensive.

Nichevo said...

You know me — I said, last December, "Why aren't the Democratic candidates better? I'm just going to be for Amy Klobuchar."
Link.

So what am I supposed to do with this:


Regret it? Oh right, it's you. Like you said, we know you. So the right answer is, double down on your mistake.

SGT Ted said...

"I read Ann's point is that women who play hardball in the workplace frequently get labeled as out of control bitches."

I read it as Ann not recognizing that there's a difference between being a demanding boss and a raging bitch and that defending a raging bitch by blaming it on sexism towards women is bullshit excuse making.

If your leadership style makes others think you are an out of control bitch and drives them away, you are probably an out of control bitch.

walter said...

Howie ain't Ritmo/TTR/PPPT/TICS.
His signature has been small droppings with pretty tame name-calling.
The latter clearly can't help himself in both regards.

FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Howard said...

Shorter SGT Ted: Ann is a raging bitch. I don't see it.

Howard said...

the check's in the mail, Walter

Ralph L said...

delayed his own retirement (at 72) until his last secretary was eligible for full Social Security

My grandfather married his, several years after my grandmother died. He later told my uncle it was a marriage of convenience only.

The new Ritmo has a long moniker that escapes me but isn't PPPT.

Bruce Hayden said...

"That's not been my experience. And my career involved literally crushing the competition. The true assholes usually wound up kicked to the curb because they hurt the organization."

A good organization will do that. The VP running the office when I was accused of sexual harassment was up for EVP and Corporate Patent Counsel. He was a screamer, but most of our offices were far enough away that we didn't have to deal with him that much on that level. He had unreasonable expectations that everyone, except for him, had to meet. The other guy was considered a great boss, and the better attorney. He got the promotion. He had been a 1st level supervisor in our office, before being transferred away to make VP. When we were asked which one to promote, we were almost unanimous in our choice. At the time, the company had several hundred thousand employees worldwide, and the last thing that you want on the executive committee is an asshole. Or at least reporting to the CEO.

I think that maybe the line here is that there are places where the boss can be an asshole, and get away with it. An elected representative is a prime candidate for this, which maybe why it is so bad in DC, esp in Congress, since they are elected, and mostly can't get rid of, except by the voters, who mostly don't know or care about their management style. Teachers, to some extent, are in a similar boat, with union protection, and underlings (the students) that are rarely listened to. They are often called "petty tyrants". The problem with that sort of management style is that it doesn't scale well.

Most of the top tier Dem candidates for President in 2020 are Senators, who typically have near zero actual management experience beyond running their offices, where they are virtual kings and queens. Managing several dozen employees that you can scream at all you want is far different than managing millions of civilian employees, as well as better than a million in uniform. We saw that ineptness in action with Obama, who basicly just allocated different departments to different constituencies to be run as private fiefdoms, and spent his eight years in office playing golf, hobnobbing with celebrities, and calculating his brackets.

SGT Ted said...

"Shorter SGT Ted: Ann is a raging bitch. I don't see it."

That's a really stupid take lacking any evidence to support my saying anything that remotely resembles that.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“She’s a powerhouse, look out here she comes."

“My god you're a mental case.”

And you’re a moron. Who swept the House? Democrats. And you were one of the dumbasses who said they wouldn’t.

rightguy said...

If you don't don't say or do exactly what She wants, you will get Klobbered.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“We saw that ineptness in action with Obama...”

And we see the incompetence of Trump and Cultists who continue to be deluded regarding him.

Howard said...

You're right Ted, apologies. I see you concluding she is making a bullshit excuse, which is far enough.

Inga...Allie Oop said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Humperdink said...

"Klobuchar has been in the Senate 12 years and is a nobody."

Lost my head there, for a minute I thought you were talking about my senator, Bob Casey (D-Coma). He surfaces every six (6) years to run on his dead father's casket .... er.... coattails.

FullMoon said...

Restraint:

Inga said...

And Trump posts 22 tweets this weekend, the goddamn President Althouse loves so much.

LOL. What a dumb bitch you are Althouse. I’ve been restraining myself from saying that for a long time. How’s that for lack of restraint?

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Drunk, nasty and mean.

Must be like looking in a mirror for you Althouse.

It’s no wonder that you are so defensive.”

2/9/19, 12:44 PM

Loony Moon loves him some Langford Peel. Hmmmm, I think these two come from Lems Levity. I really give Althouse credit for not deleting Peel like she does the female,M. And for allowing Loony Moon to clutter the thread with old quotes, which by now he’s done many many times, to what end? I’m still here commenting and I’ve defended Althouse more than I’ve slammed her.

Jack Klompus said...

"And you’re a moron. Who swept the House? Democrats. And you were one of the dumbasses who said they wouldn’t."

Haha...what? I never posted a single comment on the midterm election, you harpy dingbat. What does the opposition' s party's success in a midterm have to do with a lame phony candidate for President being a "powerhouse?"
Do you still write L and R on the toes of your shoes.

FullMoon said...

This happened. How rare is it for AA to call someone out? Pretty doggone rare,and usually with one or two sentences.


Ann Althouse said...

Inga, you said something awful and got people talking, then you published — what? — 16 MORE COMMENTS JUSTIFYING YOURSELF.

It makes NO SENSE for one person to publish so many comments in a thread. You said something that sounded hateful and really wrong to me and to many other people, and yet you don't apologize, you just keep responding, comment after comment, as if you've got a lot to say and it's really interesting. Show some goddamn restraint.

FullMoon said...

Re: Warren. She believed the Indian stories. That was not the problem. Her problem is her inability to apologize and spin the situation in her favor.

Free or subsidized tuition? Simple, pay for a couple of scholarships out of her own pocket. Somebody in politics with a staff and backing should be able to come up with something.

Zach said...

My guess is that Prez Trump is very easy to work for.

The easiest partners to work for were men who came from backgrounds of generational wealth and power. They were usually completely self-assured about directing the help, clear and concise in their direction and completely emotionally untroubled about being the boss.

So, if you worked for a guy like this (and I did on several occasions), you always knew precisely what was demanded of you and you knew that no quibbling was allowed or necessary. Everything was clear.


It looks like your guess is correct:
https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/26/politics/trump-firing-people-jeff-sessions-contrast/index.html

I remember reading an article on Trump's management style during the campaign. Basically a family office where everyone has been around forever and has gotten used to the big boss's ways.

I wonder if some of Trump's difficulties adjusting to the Presidency have had to do with the fact that he's suddenly the boss of people he has no personal relationship with.

FullMoon said...

Inga D actually says:

And for allowing Loony Moon to clutter the thread .....

Static Ping said...

Let me add here that being a bad boss is not necessarily a disqualification for President. There are many examples of difficult people who were excellent leaders and accomplished great things.

That said, Amy basically only has two things going for her in the primaries:

1. She's a "moderate."
2. She's "Minnesota nice."

These reports attack the latter, which is important because being nice is part of her persona. If she is publicly nice and cruel in private it undermines her entire image.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Haha...what? I never posted a single comment on the midterm election...”

Yeah sure, sure, I believe you...asshole.

Zach said...

even otherwise effective leaders like George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower have had visible temper tantrums when confronted with the challenge of idiocy on their staff.

Eisenhower got salty on occasion, but he was amazingly nonconfrontational for a guy whose job was to be George Patton and Bernard Montgomery's boss.

He gave some very strong personalities a lot of leeway in the name of team building.

tcrosse said...

"Minnesota Nice" is shorthand for passive aggressive.

bobby said...

To me, one of the best markers of character is how one treats waitstaff, low-level employees, kids, etc.

AK fails this test.

Sure, demanding and abusive bosses can use those skills in moderation to boost organizational performance.

But the story with AK - the story known to most people even peripherally involved in Minnesota politics - isn't one of performance-boosting, directed tirades, but rather of a constant never-my-fault screamer.

You can try - many here now have - but there's no way you turn this into a positive character trait. Y'all sound like apologists for wife-beaters.

Known Unknown said...

"Men never got away with throwing things at subordinates."

Ask Scott Rudin if throwing stuff at subordinates is okay. Sure, it's Hollywood, which is basically Glam Government, so the behavior fits.

Known Unknown said...

Hilariously, Rudin would always fire his lackeys and then the next day he'd ask where the hell they were. When told "you fired person x yesterday" he would go "Oh, no no no, I can't do this without person x, get them back here."

FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Inga...Allie Oop said...

Hahahaha, Trump Whitehouse looking for “Executive Time” leaker. These staff members love Trump so much they are non stop leakers.

FullMoon said...

Commonality:

langford peel said...

Drunk, nasty and mean.

Must be like looking in a mirror for you Althouse.

It’s no wonder that you are so defensive.


Inga said...

LOL. What a dumb bitch you are Althouse. I’ve been restraining myself from saying that for a long time. How’s that for lack of restraint?

Greg P said...

Blogger Inga...Allie Oop said...
“She’s a powerhouse, look out here she comes."

“My god you're a mental case.”

And you’re a moron. Who swept the House? Democrats. And you were one of the dumbasses who said they wouldn’t.


1: Amy K had nothing to do with the House elections
2: The GOP picked up >60 seats in 2010. THAT was "sweeping the House". The Dems didn't come anywhere close to that.

Greg P said...

Althouse: What you left out was AK's accused constant use of "the worst ever!"

A good boss says "here are my standards, I expect you to meet them." Then fires the people who don't.

A bad boss screams at people, denigrates them, buts does NOT fire them. Because the problems are with the boss, not the individual.

Year after year, AK loses more staff than almost anyone else in Congress. "Loses" as in "the quit rather than put up with her shit."

Yes, her pets / chief sucks-ups are willing to go on the record as to what a wonderful person she is. So what?

The people bitching about her are still working for her, otherwise they wouldn't be worried about her "retaliation." If they were incompetent enough to deserve the treatment she dishes out, they would have been fired, and not afraid of her any more.

Crazy World said...

How dumb do you have to be to work for someone who throws things at you?

Greg P said...

No dumb, just desperate.

There's a lot of people who want to be in DC, and not jobs for all of them. Once they get one, many are going to be unwilling to leave until they to another one.

Which is what makes AK's high quit rate so significant

Big Mike said...

What Greg P wrote.

I would like Althouse to contemplate the first sentence of Article II of the Constitution:

“The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.”

If an individual cannot manage her senatorial office staff, how can she manage the entire executive branch of the federal government?

roesch/voltaire said...

Good thing she didn’t just say you are fired as then Mead would have to write that Amy has been Trumped .

gg6 said...

So, I guess - based on the Meade and Althouse comments I see here as follow-up to the original post - I should believe the original Althouse post was merely post-modern irony?? Ohhhh, OK, I'll go along with that. No problemo, amigo! Now I can better appreciate the incoherent nature of all the responses...

Kevin Walsh said...

Should people thought of as 'incompetent' be berated and screamed at, or instructed politely the right or preferred way of doing things?

Lots of managers out there, male and female, who think screaming is the way to go.

Gk1 said...

I don't really know much about Kulmbacher but this just seems to be typical, intramural culling of a crowded field. The fact she willingly participated in the public lynching of Kavanaugh is the blackest mark I can imagine having on your record. I would never vote for her in a million years based on that.

dustbunny said...

I’m from Minnesota and Minnesota Nice is not a compliment. It means being phoney nice. Amy is well known for her public likability but appears to have serious anger issues in private. Amiable but Angry Amy. Her father was a well known mediocrity

bobby said...

"Her father was a well known mediocrity."

Her father was a regular guy from the Iron Range who wrote a very populous-based, Regular-Joe sort of daily column for years, fighting for the little guy in the face of injustice, whether that injustice was government-based or private.

He connected with readers for decades, and he was widely loved by The People, and reviled by the people he skewered.

He probably could have been elected governor had he tried, he was that well-loved.

He's the only reason AK was elected. She was a big-firm white-shoe lawyer with absolutely no qualifications of her own - a Yale grad dropped in populous Minnesota.

You might well call Jim K a "mediocrity" in terms of his technical writing skills, but he was hugely popular.

Paul From Minneapolis said...

One thing's for sure, I wouldn't wanna be the staffer breaking the news about THIS story to her!

walter said...

AK-2020

Rusty said...

Howard is ritmo-light. Always trying to prove he has the right stuff. Always coming up short. A loyal soldier of the left, however.

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