Doogan and wife at an Eric Croft fundraiser
That's right, House District 25 constituents, you can be PROUD of your representative!!!! He missed the "unimportant" vote on the 2010 Operating Budget because of "life maintenance" last week:
But this week it meant flying to Anchorage to do some personal errands and, of course, to serve pizza at House District 25 and 26 and Senate District M constituent meeting...
...As a result, I am not in Juneau for the House floor vote on the FY2010 state operating budget.
What? You say. Skipping out on the vote on a really, really spendy and important piece of legislation? What kind of legislator are you, anyway?
Well, that could be debated. But what's not debatable is that the floor vote on the budget is one of the least important events in any session.
However, it seems that what's REALLY IMPORTANT to Rep. Doogan during this short Legislative Session is outing THE most popular blogger in the state...MUDFLATS.
You see, Representative Doogan seems to have a glaring personality flaw that is quite undesirable in someone who is supposed to be working for the people of Alaska...he's obsessed with vengeance. We in the Alaska Progressive blogger world (and those of us in Alaskans for Truth) have known for a long time that ever since he was "called out" on his treatment of fellow Alaskans", Doogan (remember...the guy who is supposed to be a Legislator?) was aggressively investigating Mudflats' identity. (I have suspected for awhile that he had help and I have my suspicions about who he/she/they might be.)
In Mudflats own words:
...it seemed odd to me that Mr. Doogan was seemingly more focused on the messenger, than on defending his position, or even better, apologizing to people whom he had insulted. I didn't think much more about it until yesterday, when I got this email:
From: "doogans@gci.net"
To: akmuckraker@yahoo.com
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 2:55:14 PM
Subject: your identity
******:
I am reliably told that you are the anonymous blogger who writes Mudflats. I am planning to reveal this in the enews I send to my constituents tomorrow, and am writing to let you know this and offer the opportunity to comment.
Mike Doogan
I was a bit surprised to see my real name, as you can imagine. But after the initial surprise wore off, it really hit me. This is an elected State Representative, of my own political party, who has decided that it's not OK for me to control the information about my identity; that it's not OK to express my opinion on my own blog without shouting from the rooftops who I am.
Mudflats describes the chain of events on the rest of that post. Doogan put out an email using his constituent list specifically to "out" her.
Class act all the way...
Of course, Alaska Dispatch, a blog of "unbiased journalists" and friends of Doogan, had the information more-than-and Tony Hopfinger was discussing it on Andrew Halcro's show. They also did a "completely neutral totally unbiased story" that drips with so much jealous gloating I felt like I had to take a shower after reading it:
UPDATED: State Rep. Mike Doogan has revealed in his email newsletter the woman behind the hugely popular, Sarah Palin-bashing blog, Mudflats (themudflats.net). And she doesn't like it!
Wow, Amanda and Tony, you guys seem positively giddy! Did you send that off to Bill McAllister so he won't throw you off the Governor's press release list again after you brown-nosed your way back on?
Oh wait...I mean allegedly...
Doogan tries to claim that, "as soon as she (Mudflats) began to influence public policy she gave up her right to remain anonymous.
However, there is absolutely no historical justification for that claims. Anonymity HAS ALWAYS BEEN a tool of political writers in the U.S., as best demonstrated by Benjamin Franklin:
During the eighteenth century, it was common for writers and journalists to use pseudonyms, or false names, when they created newspaper articles and letters to the editor. (Ben) Franklin used this convention extensively throughout his life, sometimes to express an idea that might have been considered slanderous or even illegal by the authorities; other times to present two sides of an issue, much like the point-counterpoint style of journalism used today.
Perhaps, Mr. Doogan, flying a kite in a thunderstorm is just what you need to get a clue.
Then, Amanda makes an assumption that is actually more revealing of her own pettiness:
The issue of anonymity--particularly that of Mudflats'--was brought up last night at a forum about blogging sponsored by the Alaska Press Club, which the Alaska Dispatch sat on. Shannyn Moore, who has her own blog and also writes for The Huffington Post, and who is a friend of ****redacted****, vigorously defended Mudflats' right to anonymity. It was pointed out to her by Dispatch editor Amanda Coyne, however, that if ****redacted**** was a strident Republican who was attacking a politician who Moore supported, Moore would probably do everything she could to reveal that person's identity.
Actually, Amanda, as someone who has been a blogger since 2005 and didn't get into it only because I was losing my job at the Daily News and was desperate to find a way to make money and still write, I find your understanding of the blogosphere to be sorely lacking. (I also find that you guys try to run a blog while simultaneously looking down your nose at bloggers...but I digress.) I've regularly been attacked by, posted on, and have had emails from Conservative blogs and bloggers. In Denver during the Democratic Convention (you know, the Convention that the Alaska journalists didn't bother to attend) I actually ran into quite a few bloggers, Conservative and Progressive, who went by their screen names. I NEVER felt the overpowering need to find out their exact identity, where they worked, their spouse's and kids' names. Even this week, when I've had the "joy" of being maligned and insulted by more Conservative blogs than I knew existed, discovering their "true identities" never crossed my mind.
You see, bloggers...real bloggers...are content to do battle on the field of ideas. We don't have the need to try to gain power over our opponents by knowing their identities, blood types, underwear and shoe sizes. While you held yourselves aloof, the Progressive blogging community learned to unite and work together as a result of the brutal 2008 election cycle. We help each other for the benefit of all rather than try and tear down a successful blog in hopes of taking its place. I doubt that Alaska Dispatch will ever enjoy the kind of community, comradarie and traffic that Mudflats has. The site just doesn't have the soul for it.
I remember when I was in the thick of my musician life about 15 years ago. I was too tired after a gig to unload my keyboard so I locked the car up and went to bed. The next day, I found the window broken and the keyboard gone. When I went to the music store to get a rental, I told the clerk (another musician) why. He came over to me, put his hand on my shoulder and told me how sorry he was. I burst into tears because he understood...I just lost my best friend. I knew it would be hard getting to know a new instrument and my playing would be different.
Mike Doogan broke the window and stole Jeannie's favorite instrument. Mudflats will continue to be a wonderful blog and close-knit community, but the "outing" has changed the dynamic forever. She has to learn how to play a different instrument...and she will play it beautifully.
**************UPDATE***************
I had a long, passionate discussion with Amanda Coyne and Tony Hopfinger, the editors of the blog The Alaska Dispatch.
1) They emphatically deny having anything to do with the outing of Mudflats. I'll take them at their word.
2) They both say they don't think that Rep. Doogan should have done that and they question his motives. My question to them...why the hell didn't they at least question him about that and include his reponses in the story?
3) They strongly disagreed that their story was biased. I pointed out that:
--they allowed themselves to write a PR piece for Doogan rather than ask him any questions (or at least report on them)
--they called Mudflats a "Sarah Palin-bashing blog"--it's as if all the posts on Rural Alaska and Drift River don't exist!
--when KTUU did a story on my ethics complaint, I called and asked them why they didn't interview me. They stated it was because they just used the written statements from me and the Governor. I find that to be fair. However, Dispatch used the written newsletter AND a personal interview with Doogan, while they only pulled from Mudflats blog for her side of the story. |
