Posted: 06/29/09 21:24
by Dave Mindeman
Representative (and I use the term loosely) John Kline has been talking endlessly about standing on principle. Yet, it is hard to see which principles he is relying on.
His recent foray into the news has been puzzling....
1. Tells the MN Supreme Court What to Do. Kline decides to make comments on his preference in a Court decision that has nothing whatsoever to do with his situation. It can only be labeled as a completely partisan comment. And this comes from a person who rails against the troublesome partisanship in Congress. And in addition, this is a guy who supposedly thinks judicial activism is abhorrent.
2. New Ranking Member of Education and Labor Committee. His first actions as new ranking member are to lie about the potential effects of the Employee Free Choice Act on secret ballots. He has claimed loudly that it will do away with the secret ballot...although if he actually read the bill, he would know it does not.
3. Kline as Member of Intelligence Committee. Proudly proclaiming that he is now a member of the House Intelligence Committee, Kline lets everyone know that he is privy to top secret intelligence information. Then, within weeks, he puts himself into a classified ethics dilemma by stating that classified memos would prove a partisan point for his party. Kline, the military officer, knows better.
This is on top of the 2nd District Congressman's refusal to apply for funding for appropriate 2nd District projects such as the Cedar Avenue BRT. Claiming that all of it, every project requested, is pork and he refuses to do anthing about it.
Has Kline forgotten what his job consists of?
Why does the 2nd District keep electing this individual? He meets none of the criteria expected of a Congressional representative.
Read his comments carefully regarding the US Senate contest ... Kline is encouraging Coleman to continue his appeal, yet his suggested solution is a new election.
Is Kline proposing a 2010 Senate campaign in which he would be the Republican nominee ?
Look at the numbers, Coleman did not lose by 312 votes ... he lost by 63,209 .. as that many McCain voters decided that Coleman did not represent their views.
Compare Kline and Coleman. Coleman was Minnesota's leading user of earmarks; something that Kline wants ended. Coleman supported SCHIP while Kline opposed it. Coleman opposed drilling in ANWR which Kline supported. There are others (climate change, fuel efficiency, immigration), but remember the last critical vote before the election was TARP (or the bank bailout) - Coleman voted for it; Kline opposed it. Too many people have forgotten why Coleman lost.
The GOP is happy that Minnesota does not have a second Senator ... a RINO that might break along the lines of Snowe, Collins, etc is not what they want ... but John Kline is the loyal soldier that they would welcome with open arms.
All this stated, Kline will have to wait to see how Pawlenty reads the MN-Supreme Court ruling ... wow 5-0 seems like a pretty overwhelming win.