Two presidential primary candidates, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and businessman Tom Steyer, hit another bump in the road as a Democratic National Committee (DNC) lapse in judgment allowed a security breach. Imagine that. The voter file system is secured (Ha!) by the DNC and retains data files for each candidate. Somehow, someway, an aide to Steyer downloaded Harris’ campaign database, and now it seems no one knows in whose hot little hands a plethora of invaluable contacts has landed.
After the fast and loose shenanigans in 2016, lesser loved Dems probably should have seen that coming.
Now for the good news: Only data from one state appears to have been compromised. And more good news? Harris’ campaign played the victim card again: Not race, not woman of color, but income equality. In a heartfelt fundraising email, the Harris campaign alerted their people of the injustice perpetrated on the virtuous candidate, beginning with “We got some outrageous news last night.”
Cue the dramatic background music, please.
“A staffer for Tom Steyer, a billionaire who has already spent tens of millions of his own dollars to boost his candidacy, stole our campaign’s data in South Carolina. Our organizers have spent months building one of the strongest operations in the state, so we were outraged to learn Steyer’s team had taken volunteer contacts — some of our campaign’s most valuable data — directly from the voter file.”
Now it’s become a she said/he said/damn them, they did: Harris attempting to derail Steyer and Steyer pointing his finger at the DNC. It’s downright juicy entertainment.
The staffer behind the hijinks, now experiencing his fleeting 15 minutes of notoriety, was Steyer’s deputy SC state director Dwane Sims. Oh, he’s been moved along – but not before wreaking havoc.
Loosey Goosey Policy
Kamala Harris and Tom Steyer
Sims joined the Steyer campaign in September after resigning his post as – wait for it – voter file manager at the SC Democratic Party. Sims had access to proprietary data that campaigns collect, like volunteers and donors – the good stuff every national campaign is lost without.
Protocols in place require that proprietary information access be immediately disabled when an employee is offboarded – and they did just that. Except there was one major flub: They left an old training account active, which Sims found and used to download Harris’ file.
Sims claimed he notified all concerned of the gaffe. And he did, about three minutes before accessing the information, according to DNC spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa.
And now everyone claims the information has been “wiped” and no one has the priceless data files.
Database Déjà Vu
One would surmise that the DNC might’ve spent a few shekels to clean up their act before heading into 2020 contests that are sure to be scrutinized by the massive field of wannabes – especially Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Who can forget how Sanders was kicked to the curb by the ever-changing rules rigged in favor of Mrs. Clinton?
By the end of the 2016 primary, 13 million Bernie Bros had contributed nearly $230 million to move their pawn ahead of the mean old queen. It mattered not. It was summed up perfectly by Liberty Nation’s very own chief political correspondent, Graham J. Noble:
“It’s ironic that a party calling itself ‘democratic’ put its thumb on the primary scale to favor one of its own candidates over another. Still, Sanders isn’t a Democrat, either by party affiliation or by ideology, so I’m sure he got over it.”
Oh, he squawked alright, but finally caved to the powerful party elite. But he did not give Mrs. Clinton his database. It may have been stolen for her, but Sanders would not willingly provide his invaluable resource.
But here we have two campaigns, both failing to launch, embroiled in scandal that appears to be just business as usual for Democrats: Lie, cheat, steal, because the ends justify the means. When caught, apologize and point and blame whoever is the best patsy available. According to Alberto Lammers, spokesman for the Steyer campaign, it’s the lackadaisical party that needs to shoulder the blame:
“We are talking about 180 seconds in a system that is notoriously inaccurate. And the DNC is not disputing the key fact that our employee proactively approached them to inform them of the matter. The bottom line is that nothing would have taken place if the DNC had been more diligent about the security of voter data.”
It’s a good thing his boss is a billionaire – Lammers may need a golden parachute after lambasting his own party for a candidate that will not win the primary. For that matter, Harris is fading fast, and her only hope is the number two slot for Warren, Biden, or – and wouldn’t be Karmic justice – the frumpy socialist who still dreams of being king.
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