The Christmas season notion of peace on Earth and good will to men appeared to evaporate rather quickly on Dec. 26 as a pair of Connecticut politicians took to Twitter in a vitriolic display of social media smackdowns.
The Twitter war began innocently enough when Danbury”™s Republican Mayor Mark Boughton retweeted news of the multimillion-dollar contract buyout of UConn football coach Bob Diaco. Boughton”™s simple “Oh good grief”¦” comment, which was aimed at no one particular, caught the eye of Michael Mandell, executive director of the Democratic State Central Committee, who responded to Boughton with the tweet, “How quick b4 you attack @DanMalloyCT? Dont let holiday hld back ur crass politics-we need a gov cndte negotiating UCONN athletics contracts”.
From there, Boughton envisioned a penal future for Mandell ”“ a reference to the ongoing federal investigation of the Democratic State Central Committee”™s fundraising activities ”“ while Mandell taunted Boughton”™s failed efforts to secure statewide office. Here is a sample of the Trumpesque conversation that the political rivals offered their Twitter followers:
@MayorMark: Enjoy these holidays with your family young Michael. You won’t be in CT for them next year. #OrangeIsTheNewBlack
@mcmandell: @MayorMark atta way to address the qstn-driving histrionics. Q for you – are you running for @UConnHuskies director or to be a real leader?
@MayorMark: Hahahaha. Character counts. Ya kill me. Tell ur cell mate about your “character”
@mcmandell: There are real issues that @DanMalloyCT & @CTDems are fighting in state & then theres 3-timer @MayorMark giving it a shot 4 pure politics
@MayorMark: Real issues? Please.. Don’t don’t do us any favors. Your “work” has put us last in every category in the free world. Stop.
Mandell then tried to lasso Boughton commenting on a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former Danbury firefighter, but Boughton shifted his attention from the state to a galaxy far, far away by using Twitter to mark the passing of actress Carrie Fisher. As of this writing, neither man has acknowledged the other on social media.
