Brownback apologizes to Emma Sullivan

[TheGrapher]

Last week, Sam Brownback, Gov of Kansas apologized to a teen girl who tweeted an insult about him last week. She made an inappropriate comment to him and apparently his office was monitoring social media about him and they found the comment and brought it to his attention. He was outraged.

I'm glad this was able to be settled. I don't condone what she said about Brownback and I do think she could've been more appropriate.

But here is the thing: Brownback is a Republican, former senator and now governor. Why was this even an issue in the first place? Are Republican only for small government when they want to? How is his staff, paid by taxpayers, monitoring social media about the governor and making a big deal about something small government? It was a non-threatening insult and yet they want an apology from this girl?

Aren't Republicans also proponents of the Constitution? Inappropriate or not, former Senator Brownback was on Capitol Hill and was supposed to protect this sort of thing. It was her constitutional right to say it, though I think she could've used better words.

There is hypocrisy on both sides but Republicans especially only pick and choose and preach what they want to preach. They preach the constitutional right and small government but this should never have been an issue.

I'm glad Brownback apologized.

[mrveggieman]

What exactly did she say and how did his office come after her?

[ensbergcollector]

her class took a school trip to the capital and she tweeted that she had just seen the governor and told him he sucked.

his office contacted the principal to inform him about the tweet. if you read the article, it seems more like the principal overreated than anyone else.

[Star_Cards]

I heard that. from what I heard the principle was trying to force her to apologize. copletely ridiculous in my opinion. saying someone sucks is hardly even a big deal. sure I guess it's not nice, but it's not like it was racial slur of something derived from hate. I'm sure she was just trying to be funny to her few followers. The hilariously ironic thing is that due to the blow up from whomever caused it (principal or governor) has gotten it national pub when had it been ignored maybe a few hundred people would have seen it (not sure of her follower numbers).

[TheGrapher]

http://news.yahoo.com/teen-tweeter-w...230737888.html

That right there says what she said.

I did read the article. Why should the office have contacted the principal at all and why would his office even seek an apology? Why should Brownback be upset at this?

[Star_Cards]

oh and as far as paying people to manage social media is a pretty big thing these days. PR is huge and it's pretty easy to do a search if you want to know if you are being discussed. Although, I actually would think the tweet was found another way, over a publicist searching for tweets about the governor, but who knows.

[TheGrapher]

It is one thing to have a PR thing and I know that is huge but monitoring tweets about the governor and then getting upset about it and making a big stink, that is where I have a problem with it and it should never have happened in my opinion.

[Star_Cards]

oh I agree. why would a politician go after a teenager that tweeted that he sucked. surely he's heard way worse.

it's not like she accused him of rape, molestation, adultery, murder, or something slanderous or malicious.

[andrewhoya]

Who cares if a teenage girl gives her opinion... I'm sure that guy hears much worse on a weekly basis.

[mrveggieman]

Well let me chime in and say this. Sam Brownback you suck for going after teenagers on twitter. What you going to to? Call my mamma. Sorry I'm a grown man who dosen't live with my mamma. You are going to call my wife? Sorry she's not voting for you either. I'm going to tell everyone I know in Kansas not to vote for you.