Editorial: Delete the snark, not the Facebook post

Congressman Fincher's ex aide gets stung by social media for snide post lambasting Obama girls

Elizabeth Lauten said it took her several hours of prayer to realize the impact of what she had done when she lambasted the Obama girls for classlessness during the ceremonial presidential pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey.

This former communications director to northwestern Tennessee Congressman Steve Fincher had the chutzpah to go onto Facebook, critique Sasha and Malia's clothing and facial expressions, and turn an otherwise innocuous annual event into a political controversy.

It didn't have to be that way. It should have been one of those moments where maybe she was bothered, maybe she started writing, maybe she starting thinking (and maybe praying) and then hopefully realized, 'Maybe I shouldn't post this on the Internet.' Next step: Hit delete.

No chance. Lauten posted her snarky letter, and worse yet, once she faced the backlash, she deleted her missive - a cardinal sin in a space where everything lasts forever even if you hope it doesn't.

Lauten ironically posted an apology on Facebook and confirmed on Monday to NBC News that she was resigning. 'I quickly judged the two young ladies in a way that I would never have wanted to be judged myself as a teenager,' said Lauten, according to a USA TODAY article.

The sad thing is that her post led to far greater consequences to her than riling up partisan animus. It led to character assassination of her.

Gawker.com posted a story of Lauten's arrest as a teenager for shoplifting. A meme started circulating on social media of a photo depicting Lauten consuming alcohol in a, shall we say, less than classy way.

This didn't need to happen, but it's something that happens to people all the time: posting or tweeting before you think and then having to face the consequences. In this case, it happened to be a Republican congressional aide making snide remarks about the daughters of a Democrat president, so it went viral.

Lauten's political career is over, at least for the time being, but, sadly, this likely won't be the last time we see poor judgment displayed on the Internet.

- David Plazas wrote this editorial on behalf of The Tennessean editorial board.

U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher. An aide to the Tennessee congressman has apologized for a Facebook post criticizing President Barack Obama's daughters.(Photo: File)

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