Brownback vs. Sullivan

Another politician, another imbroglio. This time fate dragged Kansas governor Sam Brownback into the spotlight when Kansas high school student Emma Sullivan tweeted a disparaging remark about the governor. Brownback's staff spotted the tweet and made enough of a stink about it that Sullivan's principal hauled her into his office and ordered her to write an apology. ABC News has the story.

It never seemed to occur either to the principal or to Brownback's staff that the story might not reflect well on them if it became known to a larger audience. As it did, of course.

Ironically, I think this will turn out to be a net win for Brownback. His damage control was perfect:

“My staff over-reacted to this tweet, and for that I apologize. Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms,” Brownback said in a statement.

The notion of punishing an unknown teenager for a rude tweet -- and it was merely rude, not even insightful -- is grade-A stupid, so stupid that it's hard to imagine any seasoned politician countenancing the effort. My guess is that Brownback, no novice pol, genuinely believes his staff overreacted. Whether or not I'm right, though, Brownback looks magnanimous, albeit at his staff's expense. The net boon to his reputation, though, is probably great enough that nobody on the staff will lose his or her job.

However, I'd like to know more about Karl Krawiak, Sullivan's principal. Here's an excerpt from an early account of the incident in the Wichita Eagle:

The principal “laid into me about how this was unacceptable and an embarrassment,” Sullivan said. “He said I had created this huge controversy and everyone was up in arms about it … and now he had to do damage control.

“I’m mainly shocked that they would even see that tweet and be concerned about me,” she said. “I just honestly feel they’re making a lot bigger deal out of it than it actually was.”

How is it that Sullivan, 18, is so much wiser than Krawiak, who one assumes is older than she?

Somebody decided it was better to cater to the governor's clueless and oversensitive staff than to exercise a little common sense and say, "This isn't a big deal." Was it Krawiak or somebody higher in the school district? That is, was Krawiak threatened with disciplinary action by his superiors, or does he come by his servility naturally?