Pina Coladas, Walks In The Rain, Yadda Yadda
By Mitch Berg
Michael Brodkorb is one of the best bloggers in Minnesota today. He’s at the leading edge of a revolution in journalism. There is more solid, worthwhile content in a days’ worth of posting in Minnesota Democrats exposed than there is in six months on Minnesota Monitor.
He’s also a valued colleague of mine on the Northern Alliance Radio Network, someone who’s grown into the (amateur) radio business with great panache.
But I gotta confess – I don’t care what’s on Dean Barkley’s Match.com profile.
Don’t get me wrong; I don’t much care for the “Independence” Party’s former Senate candidate (and, for a brief stretch, appointed senator after the death of Paul Wellstone and before the swearing-in of Norm Coleman) and likely future sacrificial lamb candidate in the Sixth CD against Michele Bachmann, who also served as a sort of shadow governor during the Ventura Administration. He’s a big part of the reason the “libertarian populist” that the media fancied Ventura governed as a mushy-center-left DFL Lite goober.
But as a fellow single guy, I gotta say – let’s leave Barkley’s personal life out of the public discussion. A person’s family, and/or his primary relationship (and especially any kids involved) – no matter what their party, platform or for that matter preferences – should be their refuge from all the BS of public life. His search – even on a personals website – should be his own business.
I’ve condemned leftybloggers in the past for their habit of publishing peoples’ work and home numbers and bringing hordes of drooling droogs after the families of those who disagree with them. This isn’t quite the same – it’s a personal profile, not a home address – and ergo in no way as base and loathsome.
But it’s high time there was a gentleman’s (and ladies’) agreement; leave peoples’ personal lives out of the public conversation, unless that life affects their ability to do the job.
(And if Barkley’s “likes” from his ad are commentary on his fitness for office, then I guess I’m going to stick with radio).
Brodkorb’s one of the best bloggers in town. But Mike, while I gotcher back as a rule, I’m gonna sit this one out.
June 18th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Yup. I did — and, in the long run, really do — expect better of him. (And I disagree with him a lot more often than you do, Mitch. Then again, I’m less conservative than you are, which is okay, I expect, with both of us.)
June 18th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
I agree it’s a stupid topic although I’m not sure that it’s better than many of the things I’ve seen posted on MDE. At some point it just becomes nit-picking and mud-slinging. When it sinks to that level, it’s easy to see why so many people are turned off by politics.
June 18th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Angryclown agrees with Mitch. Point this person out and Angryclown will spray seltzer down his pants.
June 19th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Point this person out and Angryclown will spray seltzer down his pants.
That might fall under the category of “erotica”, which Barkley lists among his “Likes”.
June 19th, 2007 at 11:28 am
I’m thinking that maybe Michael Brodkorb should start a TV show, perhaps for MSNBC: “To Catch a Pre-dater”.
He could rip the lid off the secret that people who have been through divorces, breakups, or have been widowed or widowered will, upon occasion, attempt to date other people, some of whom may, in fact, be younger than they are. He can then follow them around as they go on their “dates“, and perhaps find them simultaneously masticating in public to their mutual satisfaction at the all-you-can-eat Sunday night sushi thing at Martini Blu, say, and get the camera to focus in on the appalling “Public Display of Affection,” where one of them might hug or even kiss the other.
That’ll show them, eh?
But, yeah, the DFL would have done it to a Republican, too. So that makes it okay.
Pfui.
June 19th, 2007 at 11:37 am
I’m with you on this one. Actually looking at the guy’s profile, he comes off as — gasp! — a human being. This whole idea of attacking politicians for being something less than supermen (or women) is absurd. It makes it harder for decent people to enter into politics and gives rhetorical cover to people who are doing truly bad things.
I don’t give a damn about who Dean Barkley dates, and neither should Broadkorb or anyone else. Unless he’s dating a live boy or a dead dog, it’s none of our damned business.