Conservative Leadership Conference

The 2008 Conservative Leadership Conference announced today that blogger Michael Brodkorb of “Minnesota Democrats Exposed” has been chosen to receive the annual Blogger of the Year Award. The award will be presented at the CLC luncheon on Friday.

Brodkorb is being widely credited with almost single-handedly torpedoing the U.S. Senate campaign of “comedian” Al Franken this year. His blog has been mentioned by Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and every major news outlet in his state.

In the late 1990s, Brodkorb worked for Minnesota senate Republicans where he learned how to do opposition research. He did it well enough to become director of research for the Minnesota Republican Party and served in similar roles for several Republican campaigns. Minnesota Democrats Exposed, however, is his personal blog, unconnected with his professional activities. Brodkorb says, “If you read Minnesota Democrats Exposed and can’t figure out that I am a partisan Republican, you are a moron. Turn your computer off and get your head examined.”

Brodkorb has done most of the investigative reporting on Al Franken’s seemingly now-doomed senatorial campaign. Because of the information Brodkorb has revealed, the Minnesota Democrat Party has ceased its full-time commitment to Franken’s campaign — a campaign which, at one time, was believed almost certain to win.

Brodkorb uncovered and revealed that Franken had extensive bookkeeping problems and had failed to pay over $70,000 in back income taxes in 17 states. He also found that that New York had levied a $25,000 judgment against Franken’s private corporation for failing to carry workers’ compensation insurance for the years 2002 through 2005 - and that Franken’s corporation was in forfeiture in California. He also uncovered and published a pornographic letter that Franken wrote for Playboy in 2000.

Brodkorb broke these stories and more on his blog, and all were eventually picked up and investigated by mainstream news sites.

“While there are many better-known conservative bloggers around the nation,” says Eric Odom, CLC’s New Media Director, “it’d be hard to top what Minnesota Democrats Exposed has accomplished in undermining the campaign of such a high-profile liberal candidate. For that reason, the Conservative Leadership Conference is proud to name Michael Brodkorb the 2008 Blogger of the Year.”