Debate for Me, Not For Thee

Star/Trib rationalization machine "Readers' Representative" Kate Parry:

Efforts to silence or weaken opposing voices mire our country in a paralyzing standoff.

Star/Trib "Blog House" writer Tim O'Brien:

Last month, we took a look at the time of day that Michael Brodkorb of Minnesota Democrats Exposed (8) was posting to his blog. For the month of March, the former research director for the Minnesota Republican Party -- who claims his blog "is not created, endorsed, sponsored, or authorized by any political party, candidate, or candidate's committee" -- posted 31 times on weekends, 47 times between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m., and 167 times between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Friday, generally considered work hours. The tally for April was 71 posts during the workday, 35 after hours.

His employer -- Weber Johnson PA, a public relations firm that has represented the Minnesota Republican Party, Sen. Norm Coleman, Rep. John Kline and Gov. Tim Pawlenty -- apparently doesn't mind an employee spending a big chunk of his workday posting and launching attacks against candidates and political parties opposing former (and current?) clients of the firm. It's almost as if it were part of his job description.

So who says Mr. Brodkorb's employer doesn't have a liberal policy on, say, posting during breaks? Over lunch or during lulls in the action? It happens - I've had such employers myself. Like Nick Coleman's attempt to get Scott Johnson fired for posting during "work hours" (a concept far more meaningful for union glumps like O'Brien than for people at regular companies that measure performance and assess accountability by, say, performance rather than adherence to arbitrary rules), it shows that the Strib can't fight Brodkorb (or any of us) on substance; they have to try to cut off our logistics.

Explain that "paralyzing standoff", won't you, Ms. Parry?

Posted by Mitch at June 5, 2006 05:35 AM | TrackBack