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Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Bortz blasts 'hateful' blog comments

In a comment to Tarbell and Thomas ran most frugal campaigns, Councilman Chris Bortz took aim today at "venomous drivel" by anonymous blog commenters.

What sent Bortz over the edge was an anonymous middle-of-the-night comment which, among other things, remarked about his campaign commercial "showing off his trophy wife."

Bortz's response:
Shame on you.

As a public servant and public figure, I expect criticism, be it founded or not. I expect mindless, heartless and ill-informed attacks going hand-in hand with more carefully considered and constructive criticism.

However, we must all protect and defend our freedom of speech. That means we must be responsible with our words. The most destructive consequence of our most cherished freedom is that too many people mistake defamatory accusations with reasoned dissent. That makes us all weaker, dumber, and angrier while also distracting our focus from high-minded public discourse.

Add to that the internet and its shroud of anonymity and our responsible attitude towards speech becomes even more imperative.

You have displayed a reckless disregard for others with your hateful comments. My wife is most certainly a far better person than you. She would undoubtedly advise me to ignore your ignorance, rise above it, and move on to serious matters. Of course, she would be right. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to invite you to come out from under your rock and deliver your venomous drivel to me in person. I can be found at City Hall.

You, Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous, epitomize what is wrong with America.

Shame on you.

Chris Bortz
Member, Cincinnati City Council
513-352-3249


21 Comments:

at 6:20 PM, December 21, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

stop whining and get to work. Bortz shouldn't be spending so much times reading the blogs if he is going to get his feelings hurt

 
at 7:06 PM, December 21, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bortz just proved what an amature he really is. Go back to real estate, dude. Politics requires much thicker skin. And, yes, stop reading these stupid blogs. Just work. Leave the blogs to those of us who don't have an office at City Hall. Since you do, Chris, perhaps you should use it for official biz - not this nonsense.

 
at 7:12 PM, December 21, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good God, has Bortz seen how Nate Livingston, the Whistleblower and other blogs have waged character assassination against politicians and candidates?!

Bortz really better grow some thick skin and stop acting like a spoiled and sheltered child of privledge. Perhaps he should go back to teaching English at Cincinnati Country Day.

 
at 8:15 PM, December 21, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great job Chris - call out the people who hide behind their computers.

 
at 8:25 PM, December 21, 2005 Blogger Nick said...

I for one give Chris a lot of credit for what he wrote, and I agree wholeheartedly. These blog comments have become nothing more than hate-filled trash that embarasses our community. The person who wrote it should be ashamed of themselves.

As for the advice given by others here: I'm pretty sure Chris has the time to work AND spend 10 minutes a day or so checking blogs. And let's see how quick you 'stop whining' when someone says something about your wife.

Just because someone is a public servant doesn't mean its okay to treat them like dirt. Stop acting like children on here. The sad fact of the matter is that if you would act like responsible adults on here (and on other blogs) you could have so much more influence on policy decisions and interaction with elected leaders.

Instead, the local blogs have been overrun by idiots who would rather spread nasty rumors and hurl insults at people. What a shame.

 
at 8:58 PM, December 21, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Chris, your wife is smoking hot. Don't worry about some losers on the blogs. Watch out for those conflicts of interest.

 
at 8:59 PM, December 21, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Um Bortz, there's a hell of a lot more "wrong with America" than anonymous bloggers.

 
at 11:18 PM, December 21, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

C'mon folks, it WAS hokey to get a corny letter from his wife as campaign lit, and in the TV ad she gazes up adoringly at him like a puppy dog- can you say "Stepford wife"?

 
at 11:00 AM, December 22, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Talk about crybabies. I thought Pepper was bad, but, this guy takes the cake.

Grow up.

Reduce your salary to $ 30,000 like you and Ghitz promised.

If counsel doesn't agree with the salary reduction, which they should not, prove that you and Ghitz truly meant what you said and donate your after tax salary above the $ 30,000 dollar mark to inner city programs.

Somehow, I think you won't so when you, Bortz, are all talk and no action then who truly is hiding underneath the rock ?

 
at 11:02 AM, December 22, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's funny! Bortz said: don't talk about my wife but if you want to, come to city hall and I will fight you! That is funny! I can see it now. . . some of the local radicals are down at city hall venting about something that happened in the city that they didn't like. Bortz takes offense, jumps up and goes into a speech about freedom of speech and how we need to protect it but goes on to tell the citizen that if they say another word he will punch them in the mouth. This guy is a joke if there ever was one. Maybe I'll go to City Hall and say that to his face (I don't mind a good fight every once in a while).

 
at 12:34 PM, December 22, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I might be there to tag team with you.

Maybe he doesn't realize how big anonymous is !!!

 
at 2:02 PM, December 22, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why is Bortz posting as anonymous himself? Do we really know that it was him responding?

He is right, his wife is not a trophy wife.

 
at 8:55 PM, December 22, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Korte- great article! Make an issue out of nothing. Let's just make everyone's family members targets- which is of course what they agreed to do when their husbands/wives/girlfriends/etc. asked what they thought about running for office. I hope more people reconsider their thoughts before commenting on crappy "stories" such as this. Before long Cincinnati will end up like Washington, D.C.- full of shallow, callous politicians who could give a damn about the latest rumor or derogatory comments because he/she is just happy that the latest real scandal is covered up by gossip. Give me a break. While I do enjoy reading about the Cinti politicians, they are not famous and this is just Cincinnati. People in Cincinnati spend way to much analyzing and criticizing instead of helping. Good luck Cincy. Go Bengals!

Thank God I live in New York!
Adam

 
at 12:26 AM, December 23, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

He didn't mind exploiting his wife when her letter to voters went out which just happened to mention her mission work with Mother Teresa- presumably to show us what an ecumenical household they have since he's Jewish....

 
at 12:32 AM, December 23, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

A quote from his post: "You, Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous, epitomize what is wrong with America." Love how he only thinks of females as "Mrs.", not "Ms."-speaks volumes on his views of women, so that pretty much confirms he'd value a trophy wife.

 
at 6:45 AM, December 23, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Chris-just chill. you are a public figure now. can't let this get to you. keep working to improve our town & don't worry about us anonymous bloggers...we're just having fun. you have a real job.

 
at 9:49 AM, December 23, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The bottom line is, if you don't want your significant others pulled into the political picture, then don't bring them in yourself. When Bortz used her to campaign, he set this whole thing up himself.

 
at 10:03 AM, December 23, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Instead of all the comments telling Chris to "chill" and get a tough skin, why don't you hateful bloggers use the new year to evaluate the cruel and unfair things that you say about people?

Chill thyself...

 
at 10:31 PM, December 25, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Alicia Doesn't Live Here Anymore

And I for the Anonymous Bloggers:

Do hereby denounce every cruel and unfair thing written about anyone and their trophy wife by any hateful blogger.

"If you got the money, Honey ! I've got the Whine"

"Build me a west banks !"

"Build me a west banks !"

"Build me a west banks !"

 
at 2:21 PM, December 27, 2005 Blogger The Sour Kraut said...

me thinks Chris Bortz protests too much.

It amazes me how some a so thin skinned over different issues. We can tolerate our government lying to start a war and killing thousand and then stealing the wealth of Iraq to pay for it and fill the pocket of a few or we tolerate denying due process to Arabs in Cuba and at home we have a city council that is afraid of incurring the wrath of a police union while too many live inpoverty, but don't talk about a councilman's woman.

Was it really that bad that someone refers to one's wife as a trophy wife? There are those closer to the society in which Bortz lives, who also have opinions that Bortz would not like to hear. It is nothing particularly bad but then their threshold of what is said in polite society may be lower than fo us po folk.

Perhaps he feels insecure because if he were not from a rich family, could he have bagged any trophy?

And if he wants me to say it to his face, set it up.

 
at 1:47 PM, December 28, 2005 Anonymous Anonymous said...

When you make someone a part of your TV ad, the public can comment on him or her.

 
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