False tweets could result in Senate ethics complaint against GOP’s Hoffman, Brodkorb
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 10:20 am
- 15 Comments
Sen. Barb Goodwin, DFL-Columbia Heights, told Senate colleagues on Wednesday night that she is planning to file an ethics complaint against Sen. Gretchen Hoffman, R-Vergas, after Hoffman accused Goodwin of calling people suffering from mental illness “idiots and imbeciles.” In fact, Goodwin was referring the history of the treatment of the mentally ill in Minnesota and progress made since the state referred to them as “idiots and imbeciles.” Hoffman refused to apologize Wednesday night.
Goodwin spoke on the Senate floor about the historical treatment of the mentally ill in Minnesota.
Following that, Sen. Hoffman sent out a tweet, stating that Goodwin was calling those with mental illness names:
Goodwin was incensed over that characterization. “I expect a public apology,” she said. “I have worked with children with mental illness. [Hoffman] clearly understood what I said. This is just plain mean-spirited and I expect an apology and I will file an ethics violation.”
She also noted that GOP party vice chair and Senate Republican Caucus communications staffer Michael Brodkorb retweeted Hoffman’s tweet. “I guess the ethics violation goes to two places.”
Here’s her call for an apology:
After the dust-up, Brodkorb also tweeted for Goodwin to apologize, but he has since deleted that tweet.
The Minnesota Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness also watched the debate. “Having listened to the debate, Sen. Goodwin was providing history not making disparaging remarks — actions speak louder than words.”
Hoffman was not prepared to make an apology and sent out this statement:
I look forward to sitting down with Senator Goodwin to discuss my concerns regarding remarks she made on the Senate floor today during a lengthy debate on Health and Human Services finance bill [sic]. Until I have an opportunity to speak with Senator Goodwin directly and share my experiences as a registered nurse, I have no further comment.
Follow Andy Birkey on Twitter15 Comments
Comment posted May 19, 2011 @ 10:37 am
Well, at least we’ve straightened out who the idiots and imbeciles really are.
Comment posted May 19, 2011 @ 12:42 pm
So misinformation and willful ignorance are legitimate tools for the party of God? Which god do they work for again?
Praise Jebus, God hates honesty, Amen.
Comment posted May 19, 2011 @ 1:10 pm
Hoffman wants to fig in deeper. What about her concerns as a registered nurse allow her to engage in smears? Was this the Fox News school of nursing?
Comment posted May 19, 2011 @ 1:29 pm
“Those are very challenging observations you made, (EricF).” -Nurse Ratched
Praise Jebus, God hates Typhoid Mary, Amen.
Comment posted May 19, 2011 @ 1:30 pm
Hoffman subscribes to the “Lie your ass off until people think it’s true” school of politics.
Comment posted May 19, 2011 @ 5:20 pm
This just proves how they listen. They only hear what they want to hear or what they can use later against someone. Talk about idiotic. Oh, and Limmer is such an ass.
Comment posted May 19, 2011 @ 5:55 pm
Limmer is a prevaricator. I told him so to his face today. He’s so lost on the truth I think he accepts it as valid.
Maybe you should consider writing him and ask him if it is true.
Comment posted May 19, 2011 @ 6:04 pm
Republicans should make use of this lesson of embarrassing history when they consider enshrining a teared society with the marriage amendment and making MORE embarrassing Minnesota history, but ya dont get to lie, deny and cover it up Hoffman!
Comment posted May 19, 2011 @ 6:42 pm
The only Biblical injunction the Republican party doesn’t like is “Thou shall not lie”.
Comment posted May 20, 2011 @ 7:11 am
They have medication now for what ailing Senator Hoffman. If that doesn’t take there’s always a talk by her spiritual adviser who can explain that duplicitous speech is a premeditated lie.
Comment posted May 22, 2011 @ 3:37 am
I was watching when this happened. To be honest, I was only half listening until I heard “imbecile”. I can see where a rabid republican who wasn’t really listening might think they had a “gotcha” moment. Alright, no. Not really. Even a conservative should at least look at whole sentences before engaging in defamation.
Comment posted May 22, 2011 @ 8:37 am
This from Hoffman’s attorney:
“It is our assessment that it is Senator Goodwin’s comments on the floor, as opposed to Senator Hoffman’s understandable reaction to them, that were misleading,” Knaak wrote.
He also asked for a speedy hearing because a “delay would be an effort to embarrass Senator Hoffman by allowing these purported allegations to linger.”
The embarrassment is Hoffman – she has no business being a senator. She is a liar. She did this on purpose – this was an attack on Ms. Goodwin – a republican hack saw an opportunity to discredit a democratic senator and she took it. She was following the republican party pattern of never letting truth or facts get in the way of sliming an opponent.
Comment posted May 22, 2011 @ 10:22 am
OMG!! LOL!! It’s Like. sorta Like, being in Middle School LOL!! OMG!! Like , let’s make up a lie about , a Democrat and Like, put it on Twitter.. That would Like, be Soooooo funny!!! LOL!! OMG!!
Mrs. Goodwin Put this little punk in DETENTION!!
Comment posted May 23, 2011 @ 8:33 am
I’ve had a few days to settle down, and I now feel like I deserve an apology. Hoffman took a speech which highlighted the progress we have made with mental illness and turned it into something ugly and shameful.
I would that she paid much closer attention in her nursing career where this type of inattentive recklessness could have cost lives, not just personal embarrassment.
I wish she was a big enough person to just say it. She made a mistake and she was wrong. It’s really that simple.
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