My personal interaction with Nick Coleman

For those of you unware of the almost-petered-out firestorm about Nick Coleman, consider this a summary. Nick Coleman wrote a column in the Minneapolis Star Tribune that vitriolically bashed the blogosphere in general, and Power Line Blog specifically. I mean, this guy's has got a major chip on his shoulder about something. So, the nice guys at Power Line responded to the attacks (which included references to the sizes of their male organs), and they also discuss is here, here, here, here and here. Jim Geraghty over at TKS also posted some great analyis of Coleman's column. Check out "The Blogging Equivalent of Tyson Biting Holyfield's Ear," and "A Shining Moment for the Star Tribune."

Being the friendly guy I am, I wanted to make sure Mr. Coleman saw the rebuttles to his vitriol, so I emailed him the link to Geraghty's first post. I wrote:

Mr. Coleman, if you haven't seen the following response to your Dec. 29 article, you might be interested in it. My one comment: grow up.

Yesterday, Jim Geraghty posted the angry letter that Coleman sent to National Review, and included his own response. I emailed that link to Mr. Coleman as well. He responded:

I haven't seen him do anything with this one yet [see next quote]. He also was wrong about me being a "nasty little" man. Maybe he mixed me up with Hind Rocket. I am 6-feet-tall, 200 lbs, and like to whack people with a hockey stick. [is that a threat?]

Nick Coleman
Columnist
*NOTE: the only part of Geraghty's "nasty little man" description Coleman contested was the "little" part, nothing else.

and forwarded me his latest email to Geraghty, available here. Some highlights:

Geraghty: Your weasel-ly correction/retort hardly answers my complaint, but it's a start...Most of what you write is tedious tripe and you know nothing about Minnesota, me, or my family. The Frat Boys are cowards and mental midgets who hide behind anonymity but who must get a thrill reading their fictions on a supposedly reputable site such as the NRO's. Apparently, you make a nice living cutting and pasting from them and their ilk. That makes you a bottom feeder.

Your faithful reader,
Nick Coleman
Columnist

Note: Geraghty's response is pure humility, sweetness and light:

"I apologize — again — for the factual errors — it was the same year, but you now know the correct chronology. TKS strives for accuracy, when I fall short, you know."

I had to respond to this Coleman jerk:

Well I must say, Mr. Coleman, I am impressed with the respectful tone of your reply to Mr. Geraghty. I must say it bothered me when Geraghty lowered himself to childish and personally demeaning statements by referring to the size of genital organs.....oh wait that was you, sir.

Coleman's response:

Hmm. Ok. So you are of the opinion that monikers like Hind Rocket and Big Truck don't beg to have lockerroom jokes made about them? I wasn't the first one to do so. A lot of people who know them have made fun of of the same thing. Maybe they should get grown up names.

I decided to pass on all my, uh, "correspondence" with Coleman to Jim Geraghty. I ended my email with this:

And that was when I decided I was done. This guy doesn't deserve any more attention. Thanks, Mr. Geraghty, for the polite and humble way you have responded to this angry columnist with a chip on his shoulder.

and I actually got an email back--and it was awesome!

Just put up another "correction" to his life story, objections he didn't bother to raise in his first e-mail. He's got the same general nasty tone, calling me a bottom- feeder, etc. , so you're in good company.

I wonder if I get a column next week speculating on the size of my you-know-what.

You're 100 percent right regarding further attention - To quote Deiter from Sprockets on SNL, "this discourse has grown tiresome."

I hadn't seen the hockey stick line, however. Forward it to the Powerline guys, if you feel like it. I don't want to have anything more to do with this schmuck, but they may take an interest in their least favorite columnist sending threatening e-mails to readers.

Thanks for your support. When this stuff gets my blood pressure up, notes like this from readers make a difference.

Best,
Jim

Somebody write this down: I got a personal thank you from one of the best political bloggers out there!