KC Blue Blog: WTF (Wildly Trashing Funkhouser)

While I think the KC Blue Blog is one of the top 5 political blogs in the area, its writers have been in a petulant funk ever since the voters of Kansas City dared to elect Mark Funkhouser to be our Mayor, ignoring the KC Blue Blog's endorsement of his opponent. Since that time, the KCBB has been frothing in its hatred of Funkhouser, which is sad but not unusual for the losing side in an election, even those who advise that after an election we should "move into a united community of progress".

Lately, though, the anger has spilled over toward those of us who dare to voice or write supportive things about Funkhouser. I attracted the ire of the KCBB for pointing out that I'd rather have Joe Miller assisting Funkhouser than a snake oil salesman like Steve Glorioso (a pretty noncontroversial position that KCBB found necessary to misrepresent before attacking). This morning, Star Columnist Mike Hendricks drew the fury of voter-scorned KCBB for his column making the similarly noncontroversial point that Gloria Squitiro, like Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton and other political spouses, has the ear of her spouse. Yeah, really, "they" did it. (KCBB writers have adopted the royal "we" as a mark of their superiority.)

To work themselves and their Brooks-supporting dead-enders into a frenzy, "they" once again misrepresent the point of Hendricks' column. Laughably, "they" claim that mentioning Gloria Squitiro in the same column as Nancy Reagan and Hillary Clinton means that Hendricks is somehow claiming that there are no major differences between the three women. "They" then go on to claim that Hendricks is comparing Funkhouser to Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan. Of course, he makes no such claims, but KCBB has a strange need to be angry about anything which is not hateful about Funkhouser, so the truth is sacrificed on the altar of false reading. KCBB builds straw men, and burns them to make the sacrifice complete.

It also seems that KC Blue Blog has fallen victim to a sad lack of humor - a common malady of the self-righteously indignant. Despite Tony's frequent warnings that "TKC is a joke/humor blog", KCBB misses his humor and claims that Mike Hendricks rips off Tony's posts. Some bloggers have a vastly over-inflated sense of blog influence. The fact that the Kansas City Star writes about current events in Kansas City does not mean that they are ripping off blogs which are also writing about current events in Kansas City. Of course, no Kansas City Star journalist would get away with making such a goofy charge without even a citation, as KCBB has allowed itself to publish.

The political world is not always gentle, and I understand that even intelligent and good-willed people can have their feelings hurt by a candidate who dares to succeed where they have intoned that they will fail. But, really, it doesn't do one's credibility any good to attack Mike Hendricks for "pretending to know a single thing about politics" for writing a column mildly supportive of a candidate you predicted would lose.

Criticizing Funkhouser where he is wrong is certainly justified. Personally, I have disagreed with his selection of Semler for the Park Board, and I pointed out that accepting the Honda was not the smartest thing he could do. I called his appointments outside of the application process "a bonehead play".

But there is a line between legitimate criticism and constant, irrational slamming of a new Mayor who is getting his feet underneath him. Please, KCBB, get over your disappointment and move on. Right now, you and Tony (again, a joke blogger) are distinguishing yourselves in your unrelenting attacks on Funkhouser and anyone associated with him. At least Tony is trying to be funny.