Yes I am Really Posting an Apology to Hugh Hewitt on my Blog

By Benjamin M. Adams on January 20, 2017

Dear Hugh,

I’m sorry that I called you a phony. I did it on more than one occasion when I was new to Twitter. It was easy to get caught up in the rollicking absurdity of the 2016 cycle, but that is offered solely as an explanation and not as an excuse. I never had any way to judge the sincerity of your beliefs, nor do I have any basis to question them.

I believe that “phony” is the worst insult I’ve ever used on the Twitter platform. To many, that may not seem so bad, but only by way of a bar set far too low. Imagine using similar words in a classroom or in a boardroom or in a house of worship. Clumsy, unkind words also tend to create listeners who can’t hear you in any meaningful way.

My early experiences on Twitter will be the subject of a future piece. Suffice to say that after six months of being a snarky talker, I just couldn’t stand myself for another minute. I’m sure plenty of other people couldn’t stand me either. I changed my username slightly and changed my tone bigly. I also decided to quit my law practice and wrote about that decision here.

I wanted to apologize to you at the time but did not for fear that I might be wasting my breath, justifiably muted. I can see that you’re determined to hear through the noise. I can imagine that teaching con law to recent college grads might help one to develop that particular skill.

A final, more categorical imperative drives me to deliver this mea culpa to you, Hugh. That is to say that both my father and my brother were born in Columbus. Dad has always been a rabid Buckeyes fan. One of my earliest memories is Dad and I watching the tuba player dot the “i” on TV.

So anyway, there it is — a full frontal apology by me– offered humbly and without reservation. Enjoy the view, people. You may not see it again anytime soon.

UPDATE: Apologia Prospere!

To which I responded…

Now, can we all just get along?