Hotdish Friday – Whore or Hack, Is Hatch In Hot Water?

Like a game of telephone played by third-graders, the “he said, he said” nature of the Governor’s race is degrading quickly.

more insideThanks to a moment on the campaign trail vaguely reminiscent of Cindy Brady on the televised quiz show, a whirlwind of media has now surrounded DFL Gubernatorial candidate Mike Hatch and his running mate Judi Dutcher. 

Hatch has now called Stanley Hubbard a “political hack” and is accused of calling Forum Communications reporter a “republican whore.”

Hatch claims he called the second reporter a hack, too, and asks the reporter to release the tape, but the reporter and the Forum capitol bureau chief refuse.

And we still have four more days…

It’s not surprising that Hatch would be a little short-fused these days; with the race neck and neck, having a PAC drop $500,000 worth of advertising on you in the last week of the election has to be frustrating, and to have one of the original founders of the group be the head of one of your news networks is even worse. 

Followed that up with a reporter who is claiming Hatch called him a whore, and the bad press seems insurmountable.  Especially when the same newspaper who makes that claim also was scheduled to have its slate of newspapers endorse Tim Pawlenty for Governor yesterday.

It’s a fine moment in Minnesota media.  If a paper picks up the story and runs with it, they can alleviate that pesky  charge of liberal bias.  If they don’t pick up what at this point has become mostly a “he said he said” story, they are a tool of the DFL.

And meanwhile, the Republican will point out that no one supports politicians that swear.

Unless, of course, it’s the president.