North Dakota College Republicans Attack Corey Mock For Facebook Postings
The North Dakota College Republicans have been reading Democrat Secretary of State candidate Corey Mock’s Facebook page:
For what it’s worth, I find this entirely inappropriate. It this modern age of social networking and internet media the lines between the personal lives of politicians and their political lives has never been more blurry. Especially when said politicians use social media for both politics and socializing. But where do we draw the line?
I’m not sure, but I know it’s somewhere before we get to the point where we’re cherry-picking status updates and pictures from people’s Facebook pages for the purposes of political attacks.
This isn’t going to play well for Republicans. Mock is unlikely to unseat entrenched incumbent Al Jaeger in the coming election, so attacking him like this really only gives him ammunition to accuse Republicans of going dirty. Mock has brought up some fairly valid issues in his campaign against Jaeger, and this is going to be perceived as petty retaliation.
What’s more, with Democrats losing one and maybe two seats in Washington DC as well as being unlikely to pick up a single statewide office or make any gains in the legislature, they’re desperate for issues. We’ve already seen it with the bogus faux-controversy about the Obama cartoon in the Public Service Commission office as well as the false smear launched against Rick Berg by the Democrat party chairman.
Just as this video gives Mock ammunition in his race against Jaeger, it gives Democrats in the state the excuse they need to go negative against Republicans.
And, hell, even setting aside the political aspects of it what has Mock really been caught doing? I emailed him about it this evening, and his reply to me he said the College Republicans have “found out that I am an average North Dakotan that has been caught enjoying a beer on new years eve with his girlfriend.”
“Be careful that victories do not carry the seed of future defeats,” said Ralph Sockman. By posting this video, I worry that the College Republicans may have opened a door to a place we don’t want to go in North Dakota politics. Namely, open season on the Facebook page of anyone in any position of public political notoriety.
I don’t think that serves anyone’s interests.
Tags: al jaeger, corey mock, facebook, north dakota college republicans, North Dakota News
