Though this was an exaggeration — Sullivan hadn’t spoken directly to the governor — it was nothing uncommon or even especially critical in the joke-heavy Twitterverse. But it would not stand in Brownbackistan. Someone in the governor’s administration saw the tweet and blew the whistle on Sullivan to Youth in Government, which then alerted Shawnee Mission East principal Karl Krawitz. Krawitz, apparently believing that children should be seen and not heard, pronounced the school “embarrassed” and asked Sullivan to apologize to the bruised governor. Sullivan told The Washington Post that Krawitz gave her talking points for the proposed mea culpa. Meanwhile, news of Suckedgate spread, and Sullivan’s Twitter following ballooned with supporters.
The Shawnee Mission School District announced Monday that it wouldn’t require Sullivan to apologize, and by that afternoon, Brownback had issued his own apology to Sullivan. (The governor’s staff and Krawitz owe her a stack of Hallmark cards as well.) After this PR nightmare, Gov. Poutypants could use a pick-me-up, so we offer him a few apology tweets after the jump in lieu of Sullivan’s:
We’re sorry you made Kansas the first state without an arts program #heblowsalot
We’re sorry you were the only governor outside Texas to attend Rick Perry’s bigot convention in Houston #heblowsalot
We’re sorry you hired a state IT chief with a degree from a diploma mill #heblowsalot
We’re sorry he quit and then had to admit you hadn’t vetted him #heblowsalot
We’re sorry you’re actively trying to turn young minds off politics #heblowsalot
We’re sorry your staff had to work Thanksgiving weekend due to your getting butt-hurt over a tweet #heblowsalot
We’re sorry your budget had 1,000 state workers taking early buyouts while keeping someone on the payroll to monitor Twitter #heblowsalot
We’re sorry your social-media gestapo blew this completely out of proportion #heblowsalot
We’re sorry you don’t believe in protecting every citizen’s right to free speech #heblowsalot
We’re sorry your staff didn’t have better things to do than try to get a high-schooler in trouble #heblowsalot
We’re sorry you’re so sensitive to what teenage girls think of you #heblowsalot
We’re sorry your spokeswoman thought tattling about a tweet was “important” #heblowsalot
We’re sorry your actions will likely have a chilling effect on other young people #heblowsalot
Finally, we’re not sorry #heblowsalot will forever be associated with you on Twitter.
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I bet Liberal Mommy and Daddy put her up to it or even wrote the Tweet for her. She is a spoiled obnoxious brat that wanted to get a little attention. LIberal Family should have a talk about Respecting your elders or elected officials or just the topic of Respect in general, but oh wait, liberal families don't have family time at the dinner table. Little miss liberal tweeter probably is from a single family home or I bet she has two mommies. The liberal media blew it out of proportion and glad that it was directed at a Govenor they oppose. Had this been tweeted about Govenor Nixon, or Barry the annoited one, the Pitch wouldn't have even run the story.
Oh, man! These comments are hilarious! "What's the point of wasting such virtual space!" And then the, "Even though I am in favor of free speech" post!
Seriously, people - she's 18. Her comment was perhaps ill-timed, but who cares really? Immature, sure....but you never did something stupid when you were 18? I would actually laugh at a prospective employer who wouldn't want to hire her because of this. And probably never patronize that establishment again. Brownback is the obvious problem here. And the fact that he has gotten rid of so many government workers but still has someone monitoring TWEETS, for God's sake....wow. Can we impeach the guy, please??
Her comment was immature and ill-timed considering that she was representing the school at the time. The only entity she should apologize to is the school and the teacher/sponsor who arranged for her to go to the speech. The governor and his office acted even more immaturely than she did. Plus, there's the part where it was funny as he11.
"Even though I am in favor of free speech, I believe an 18 year old should understand there is a time and place for personal comments." -Pr Vlg Employer
You are so right. Jefferson and Madison both wrote eloquently on this topic. In fact the 1st Amendment contains a little-known (But VITAL!) exception for field trips.
When the heck did the Stalinist movement pick up so much steam in this country? And sir, as a business owner, are you sure you want to be on of it's standard-bearers?
Although i agree with our right to free speech , i agree with Tacitus ----Ms Sullivan's reputation will be tarnished for some time to come, and not only with prospective employers. Also, Brownback (or his staff) may have overreacted intially, but by the same token , Ms Sullivan acted immaturely.
This article was a complete waste of my time. You have nothing constructive here and are reporting nothing new. What is your point of wasting such virtual space? If you only needed to feel smart or validated, you should hang out with your pals at an OWS stinkfest.
I would hire Emma Sullivan in a second. She has guts for taking the road that led to a lot of criticism and not just rolling over and apologizing.
It is my hope that her and her generation can help fight Brownbackistan and turn Kansas back into the free, progressive state that it once was.
Really, immature language...it's twitter. Somebody needs to tell Mr. Brownback how terrible he is. Thanks Emma. As a Kansas resident and state employee, i'm ashamed of our governor.
She's just a dumb kid, but Brownback DOES blow. He's against contraception for Pete's sake. He's a theocrat who would flush the Constitution down the toilet and turn the US into a Christian version of the Taliban if he could get away with it. He's bought and paid for by the C Street Family, that feel-good Religious Right political machine, who rents him and other religious kooks a place to stay at a fraction of market price.
But obviously neither does he and he is a govenor and the adult here
Even though I am in favor of free speech, I believe an 18 year old should understand there is a time and place for personal comments. Yes, the governor's office over-reacted but in my view she acted in a thoughtless and crude manner. Did she not think that she was there representing her school? The language she used is disgusting, not fun or funny, and shows her obvious lack of decorum and maturity. She also said early on that she WOULD apologize because of her college applications, and now says she never planned to. Although she is 18, Emma is not yet a young lady in her action or manners; she is selfish and self-serving; and she is obvioulsy enjoying all the exposure she is getting. Since she has now been rewarded with a pass by the school board for her terrible judgement, just watch her continue to act out like the brat she is. As an employer with a business just blocks from Shawnee Mission East, who has hired students through the school's career's program, (much more mature than Emma!) I can guarantee you I would not hire Emma to represent my business in any way, shape or form. She has proven she does not have the judgement, sensibility or maturity to handle it.
If he is really this nieve im sorry but hes not fit to be govenor.
He is clueless get rid of him and get someone that knows what the hell is going on in Kansas and around the rest of the world.
Ms. Sullivan is a self-absorbed, disrespectful teen that should not have attended a summit on leadership in Topeka. She has an attitude that no employer would find attractive and is completely immune to feedback. She claims this is a free speech issue, but it was really just bad form.
The worst part is that from now until the end of time, if you type "Emma Sullivan" into google (as any employer probably would) the result will be hundreds of results referring to her insulting a Governor.
Many employers will see this as a red flag, I suspect.
Sam Brownback should be ashamed of himself. For so many reasons starting with being the first state to demolish the arts to demonstrating to youth everywhere that the highest position in the State of Kansas doesn't believe in protecting every citizen's right to free speech. Yes, Gov. Brownback, we do believe you blow alot!
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