Vote for Kline!
Before you go hating me for supporting a Republican, this diary is about selecting the worst of the worst for Bill Maher's "Flip-a-District" campaign on his HBO show Real Time. In order to show just how messed up our campaign laws are in the US. Maher is running an elimination bracket to select the "Worst, Most Entrenched, member of Congress" and do everything in his power through the show and through local appearances to bring attention to the race and the Rep. I am advocating for John Kline as the best candidate for this contest. I also would like to suggest that MN-02 get national attention because of the potential for a pick-up in the house.
We are down to the final four with John Kline, Renee Elmers, Blake Farenthold, and Mike Coffman in the running, but there is a compelling case for selecting John Kline above other Representatives. Don't get me wrong, the other candidates have worked their hardest against the American people, but Kline represents the worst and most eligible for "flipping" and MN-02 could use your help to make it happen.
While Bill Maher is a divisive character and some don't like his methods, I believe that having media attention brought to this race will make donors and voters take alert to the prospect that MN-02 should be a target for a Democratic pick-up.
The Worst of the Worst
Kline is a name that, until recently, had seldom come up in comedy shows, twitter campaigns, and liberal blogs. He hasn't opened his mouth to say that women are stupid, that there is such a thing as legitimate rape, or that he's not a witch. But what Kline represents is another level of evil. He is the most one of the most rightwing, ideological and influential members of congress and he has flown completely under the radar for 6 terms.
John Kline votes wrong on just about every issue out there. He's wrong on
immigration, he's wrong on the
2nd Amendment, he's wrong on
veterans, he's wrong on
women's issues, and he's wrong on the
environment. He also supported the government shutdown. He has so consistently voted to dismantle the rights of the average American that he sits to the right of Michelle Bachmann (once the pride of Minnesota Conservatives).
But more troubling than his consistent votes against his constituents and Americans, is his position on the Education & Workforce Committee. Kline is working on creating the next debt crisis in America. He has used his position on this committee to support loan policies that will bankrupt the last two generations of students (and likely the next) and make real higher education all but unaffordable to anyone but the One Percenters by setting loans at Market Rate and capping them at a ridiculous 8.5%. His intent (based on his donors) is to drive working students to predatorial For-profit Education Centers that offer the promise of affordable education while taking the money of the increasingly dwindling population of working middle-class and failing to deliver on those promises.
Eliminating the Unwinnable
Having established that John Kline is one of the worst members of Congress and definitely deserves his nomination, the next point to consider is whether the district can be flipped.
Looking at the 2012 election results, it is clear that the electorate in MN-02 is roughly equal. While Coffman's district is slightly bluer, Ellmers and Farenthold are both in districts that wont be winnable this election. I may garner a lot of hate for this statement but given that in a presidential election year, neither district was even close (more than 10 points for Ellmers and no point at even getting into Farenthold) and that voter turnout is lower in a midterm election, I don't think people who are pragmatic can look at these numbers and see these districts as winnable in 2014. You can argue with me about this but I don't believe in miracles.
Given the numbers of the last election and the make-up of these districts, I think it is fair to pick one of the two districts that could actually flip blue this year. This means that the "flip-a-district" campaign is down to just two districts, MN-02 (Kline) and CO-06 (Coffman).
Where Money Matters
Coffman appears to be scared about his position. And it is obvious that democrats and PACs have taken notice. Coffman's opponent, Andrew Romanoff has raised more money than Coffman. With over 3 million on each side, the race is saturated with money and attention.
MN-02 has sat widely unnoticed until recently. Kline has raised massive amounts of money compared to his opponent and intends to buy his seat with For-Profit Education's money. He sits in his solidly purchased seat and appears confident that 3x funds are sufficient to keep it.
I would argue that because CO-06 is a bluer district, that the democrat is well-funded and the race is saturated with money and that the district is already a target as a democratic pick-up, flip-a-district should leave it alone. There is a chance that Maher could have a negative impact on the race which appears to be so close and the bigger chance is that he will simply be wasted as a resource. MN-02 on the other hand, needs more funding and more attention, something that HBO's Real Time is sure to bring. Kline simply must be the target of this campaign. People need to know who this man is and why he is bad for Minnesota and the US.
How You Can Help
I won't advocate abandoning any of the Final Four for donations and volunteer work. The more we push, the more likely we are to pick-up state races as well as the Governor/Senator races if there are any. But I would ask that Kos give a little love to the Flip-A-District campaign as well as Kline's opposition, Mike Obermueller. Obermueller is a solid candidate who has been all but neglected by the Democratic machine outside of Minnesota. We need your help in MN-02 to have any chance of competing with Kline's massive funding.
Flip Kline
1. Twitter
2. Instagram
3. Facebook
On any of the social media above, say something unkind about Kline. Make sure that what you say is public. Facts/link help (yes, Maher is looking at WHY we want the incumbants flipped). Make sure you include Kline's name and #flipadistrict. The democrats of MN-02 have been kind enough to get you started on twitter.
Help Mike Obermueller
1. Donate to his campaign
2. Volunteer
Mike Obermueller is a born and raised Minnesotan. He comes from a farmingfamily and he does pro bono legal work for the community. He's a stand-up guy, a good candidate, and he deserves all the help we can give him.
Help the DFL Endorsed Downticket Candidates
Thomas Lofgren House 20A http://thomaslofgren.us/
David Bly House 20B http://davidbly.com/
Sandra Masin House 51A http://masin4rep.org/
Rick Hansen House 51A http://www.votehansen.com/
Laurie Halverson House 51B http://halverson4house.com/
Joe Atkins House 52B http://www.joeatkins.com/
Dan Schoen House 54A http://www.danschoen.com/
Don Slaten House 54B http://www.voteslaten.com/
Jay Whiting House 55A http://whitingforminnesota.com/
Kevin Burkart House 55B http://electburkart.com/
Dan Kimmel House 56A http://dankimmelstaterep.org/
Will Morgan House 56B http://www.repwillmorgan.com/
Bruce Folken House 57A http://www.bfolkenforhouse2014.com/
Denise Packard House 57B http://www.packardforhouse.com/
Amy Willingham House 58A http://www.amywillingham.com/
Marla Vagts House 58B http://www.marlavagts.com/
It is the ground game that will truly win this district and the local candidates are working their hardest to knock on all the doors in the district. Democrats are notoriously bad about turning up for midterm elections. If you can volunteer or donate to any of the candidates above, you could make a difference. If they increase turnout in their district, they will increase turn-out in MN-02.