By publishing an exposé on Dan Cox’s son, The Duckpin hits a new low

Real journalists punch up, not down

Establishment Republican blog The Duckpin has been shilling for Kelly Shulz by smearing Dan Cox since the moment the two were announced as competing gubernatorial candidates last year.    

The endless stream of attack articles published by the sycophantically pro-Shulz blogger have dismissed Cox as a conspiracy theorist, depicted his likeness as a clown, and disparaged those who’ve endorsed his candidacy as being “disgraced”. 

All to say nothing of the anonymous in name yet masked in author avatar “Barb”, who in a fit of the covid crazies once called Cox a “clear and present danger” or something. 

In total, a review of Google’s index for the domain reveals 71 articles with “Cox” in the page title. 

But despite this depth and breadth of Cox beat coverage, it was late last week when the bowling pin blog descended to a new low, by publishing an exposé targeting Cox’s son, who serves as his father’s bodyguard.   

Now I will disclose to you in candor that I’m new to political writing, especially of this confrontationally polemical sort.   

But in my brief tenure as a writer, there is one thing I’ve observed about the ethic of the authentic journalist that is consistent with the code of the realized man.  

And that is that real journalists, like real men, do not punch down, only up. 

Punch up as a journalist and you’re speaking truth to power, but punch down and you are little more than a punkish bully.

So Cox’s presumably early twenty-something son tweets in defense of his dad, live streams his video games on twitch, looks good without a shirt on, and likes chicks – sounds like me ten years ago before I melted into a desk job and absorbed enough stress and dark chocolate to expand into the dad bod I write to you now with.

Take it from me Cox’s son, pay no mind to the dorks who stroke their wannabe alpha by bullying people online, and enjoy what you got while it lasts. 

Oh what I would give to play World of Warcraft on the computer I built for ten hours straight with washboard six pack abs only to later attend a licentiously dank college party in a crusty basement.      

On second thought, I’m pretty happy being a dad and a professional – all part of growing up I suppose. 

As for the Duckpin, your shit is so whack dude…