Amanda Marcotte
Amanda Marie Marcotte (born September 2, 1977) is an American blogger and journalist who writes on feminism and politics from a liberal perspective. Marcotte has written for several online publications, including "Slate", "The Guardian", and "Salon", where she is currently senior politics writer. Early life. Born in El Paso, Texas, Marcotte was raised in the small town of Alpine, Texas in the Trans-Pecos region. She graduated summa cum laude from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas with a degree in English literature. Around 2004, she began writing for the liberal blog Pandagon.net, then later for "Slate  and The Guardian". In 2004 Marcotte won a Koufax Award for her "Mouse Words" blog. Career. "Time" magazine has called Marcotte "an outspoken voice of the left", writing, "there is a welcome wonkishness to Marcotte, who, unlike some star bloggers, is not afraid to parse policy with her readers." "Time" also called her blogging "provocative and profanity-laced." In early 2007 Marcotte made several controversial statements on her blog, including criticism of the men falsely accused in the Duke lacrosse case, using vulgar language to refer to Catholic doctrine on the Virgin birth of Jesus, and describing the Catholic Church 's opposition to birth control as motivated by a desire to force women to "bear more tithing Catholics." Marcotte has given presentations at Skepticon, SXSW, Women In Secularism 2, and SkepchickCON. She was formerly on the speakers' bureau of the Secular Student Alliance. Marcotte is the author of "It's a Jungle Out There: The Feminist Survival Guide to Politically Inhospitable Environments" (2008), "Get Opinionated" (2010) and "Troll Nation: How The Right Became Trump-Worshipping Monsters Set On Rat-F*cking Liberals, America, and Truth Itself" (2018). As of 2021, Marcotte writes full-time for "Salon"; her stories are often republished  and syndicated through partner sites including "Raw Story" and "Alternet". John Edwards Campaign. On January 30, 2007, John Edwards's 2008 presidential campaign hired Marcotte as its blogmaster, saying that while Edwards was "personally offended" by some of Marcotte's remarks about the Catholic Church, her job as their blogmaster was secure. Following criticism, Marcotte announced her resignation from the Edwards campaign. In an article for "Salon" a few days later, she said her resignation was a result of being targeted by the "right-wing smear machine." Personal life. Marcotte lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Marc Faletti, a producer  who is a vice president of Multimedia for Rewire.News.