After Blasting Bernie Event as a ‘Hate Rally’ With ‘Armbands,’ Clinton Supporter Scrubs Twitter, Apologizes
A Hillary Clinton supporter — who started a project last year to combat media bias against the former secretary of state — was roundly criticized for tweeting about Bernie Sanders supporters in a way that apparently likened them to fascists.
Tom Watson deleted the offending tweet and apologized unreservedly, calling the remarks “stupid and insensitive” and “intemperate and sloppy.” He told one person on Twitter: “My regret is real.”
Mea culpa: reference earlier tonight to style of Sanders rally was historically insensitive – unintentionally, but deserves an apology.
— Tom Watson (@tomwatson) April 14, 2016
The tweet referred to the Sanders rally in Washington Square Park Wednesday night as a “hate rally,” and asked if attendees were “passing out armbands.”
“I apologize unreservedly for that stupid and senseless moment of complete thoughtlessness,” Watson said in a statement. “I regret it immensely and sincerely. My apology extends to Sen. Sanders, his campaign and followers, and to my fellow Clinton supporters for embarrassing them. Primaries are tough, Twitter is swift, and a moment of anger was hurtful. Onward in this meaningful and important campaign.”
Although deleted, the tweet was screen-grabbed, roundly reposted and criticized, and given its own page on the conservative Twitter aggregation site Twitchy.
Here’s a deleted tweet from @tomwatson comparing people at the Bernie rally to Nazis. pic.twitter.com/lQ4uLHU0zH
— Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) April 14, 2016
i think tonight was the first time a Democratic surrogate called their candidate’s opponent a Nazi — and the honor goes to @tomwatson
— brendan james (@deep_beige) April 14, 2016
Watson co-founded the #HillaryMen project in June 2015 in order “to provide actionable analysis of the 2016 campaign focusing on the gender barrier in U.S. politics.” The project was co-founded with Peter Daou, digital media strategist for Clinton’s 2008 campaign, who went on to run Blue Nation Review, a progressive media project owned by Clinton ally and Media Matters founder David Brock.
Watson is also the author of CauseWired, a book described as “an eye-opening guide to the massive societal impact of online social networks.”
This post has been updated.
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com
