Singelton goes anti-union on front page...

So much for the firewall! Word's getting around - Romenesko and beyond - about Lean Dean's "embarrassing" tirade in yesterday's Denver Post.

The rare front-page editorial for the Sunday edition of the Denver Post refers to Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter as "a toady for labor bosses", "a bag man for unions" and "Jimmy Hoffa." The piece is consistent with Singleton's longstanding antipathy towards organized labor.

"You can be opposed to what the governor does," said one staffer who asked to remain anonymous. "But this name-calling stuff is embarrassing." The language in the editorial was so raw that the staffer predicted some distress among people in the newsroom.

The governor's spokesman, Evan Dreyer agreed that the language was not as professional as an editorial that opposed the governor's order in the Post's rival, the Rocky Mountain News.
"It's fair to criticize the plan and the governor," Dreyer said. But, he added, there are ways to disagree without getting personal.