Kline - Pathetically Klinkish (Still!)

Minnesota Congressman John Kline is upset...or as he says "outraged". How 'outraged' is Kline?

He's so 'outraged' that he's sent out not one but TWO! fundraising letters to tell everyone he's 'outraged' at being compared to bumbling Colonel Klink and would you send him some money to fight this major injustice.

How pathetic is that? Kline can't seem to work up any outrage at jobs being outsourced, selling America's infrastructure to foreign countries, giving tax breaks to the wealthy while cutting services to working families, freezing pell grants, slashing funding to veterans, and taking money from criminals, but he angry that he's compared to Colonel Klink...oh yeah, he's outraged...

He's sooooo outraged that he's asking for money to stem the flood of one website picture posting of him as the bumbling Colonel Kline...that was up for a couple of hours and then removed with an apology (verbal and written)...and he's asked now twice! Imagine what he could be doing instead of trying to untwist his shorts? Imagine all the things wrong that he could be addressing other than...his own personal likeness to Colonel Klink. Reason enough to vote the bumbling Colonel out of office.

Come on Kline, speak to the issues instead of acting Klinkish. If you really want to be 'outraged' try speaking about what you've been doing to Minnesota Families and American values:

14.2 million American seniors (including millions of our sickest and most vulnerable seniors) are stuck in a complicated, expensive, and inefficient Medicare prescription drug program because Congressman Kline and the Bu$h Administration allowed lobbyists from insurance and pharmaceutical industries to design the program. But then again it wasn't by mere chance that John Kline accepting $16,000 in PAC money from pharmaceuticals last year alone.

60 million American families who heat their homes with natural gas and 8 million families who heat with heating oil are paying higher bills this winter, even though the John Kline and the Republican Congress recently passed their "national energy plan" into law. Although this plan gives the energy industry billions in new tax breaks and subsidies, it doesn't lower prices for consumers or make our country more energy independent.

The 150,000 U.S. troops currently deployed in Iraq don't have the equipment they need because of waste, fraud and cronyism by the Republican Congress including John Kline and the Department of Defense. While Halliburton and other companies with Republican connections get their contracts, our soldiers still don't have the body armor and armored vehicles they need to fight the war.

750,000 households in the Gulf regions are still displaced today, more than 5 months after Hurricane Katrina hit that region, at least in part because the political hacks the Bush Administration with John Kline's support put in charge of crucial homeland security functions were not adequately prepared to prepare for or respond to this disaster.

More than 10 million students and their families will have larger student loans to repay because House Republicans, led by new Majority Leader John Boehner working hand-in-hand with his commercial loan industry allies and his good friend John Kline cut $12 billion from the student loan program in the recent reconciliation bill and shifted the costs on to students and their families.

A Supersized ZERO for Congressman John Kline

When John Kline is given the choice between serving Minnesotans or big business, or Bu$H, or special interests...,well, let's just say Rep. John Kline's record five zeros speaks for itself:

ZERO from Minnesota's League of Conservation Voters for enviromental and conservation issues

ZERO from The Children's Defense Fund for programs that help children

ZERO from Alliance for Retired Americans for senior issues

ZERO from the AFL-CIO, for an anti-labor voting record.

ZERO from APHA, for a anti-public health voting record.

Five times zero = 5 x 0 = One big supersized ZERO.

Wait.This just in...Kline gets a 17% in voting for programs and bills that would benefit our children's education. NEA gave Kline one of the lowest scores among all congressmen for his anti-public education votes! Still, five zeros and a 17% leave Kline at the very bottom of his class.

Kline Fails Minnesota

John Kline's vote for the Federal Reconciliation bill shows a complete disregard for the basic American standards of fiscal responsibility, fairness, balance and transparency.

Fiscal Responsibility: Today 'Checks and Balances' points out how John Kline's vote for the Federal Reconciliation bill will result in significant decreases in federal funding to Minnesota's counties'. The bill contained a reduction of federal support for 11 states including Minnesota to services such as Medicare and child support. The total cost is not yet known but it is projected to be between $86 and $110 MILLION dollars annually.

Even the AdministrationÂ’s own numbers indicate that the PresidentÂ’s budget proposals would increase deficits by $192 billion over the next five years, compared to what deficits would be if current laws and policies remained unchanged. In essences Kline voted for a budget that is not fiscally sound and will increase the deficit and shift costs to our state and ultimately to.Localal taxpayers.

Fairness: This budget is a statement of Kline's priorities which clearly show: cuts in numerous domestic programs that serve low- and middle-income families alongside continued — and substantially expanded — tax cuts of very large size that concentrate their benefits on people high on the income scale.

Kline voted for cuts which will be made in hundreds of domestic discretionary programs across the budget, including education programs, environmental protection programs, numerous programs to assist low-income families, children, and elderly and disabled people, and research related to cancer, heart disease, and other medical conditions.

Balance: Shared sacrifice...hardly, Kline voted for cuts which will be made in hundreds of domestic discretionary programs across the budget, including education programs, environmental protection programs, numerous programs to assist low-income families, children, and elderly and disabled people, and research related to cancer, heart disease, and other medical conditions. Still, the bill will give tax breaks to the wealthier 2% of taxpayers. Not too hard to see where Kline's priorities are with his yes vote.

Honest or Transparent: The budget conceals or omits information essential to assessing its impacts on deficits and on programs and services that affect millions of Americans.

The budget omits the costs of funding U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan after 2007. The budget also omits the cost of extending relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax after 2006. CBO estimates show that extending AMT relief will reduce revenues by $914 billion over the next ten years if the AdministrationÂ’s tax cuts are made permanent. (Making the tax cuts permanent greatly increases the cost of AMT relief.) The omission of such information makes various Administration claims, such as the claim that the deficit will be cut in half over five years, rather hollow.

Even more serious, the budget fails to contain figures for revenues, expenditures, and deficits for years after 2011. This omission prevents policymakers and the public from seeing how high the deficits would be in those years under Administration budget policies — and how substantially the deficits in those years would be increased by those policies. Adding to this problem, the Administration also took the step of eliminating the standard budget summary table that shows the effects of the budget’s proposed policies on the deficit over the next five years.

John Kline's support of this budget fails the tests of fiscal responsibility, fairness, balance and transparency but most of all it fails the American public and our nation. We can do better and must if we want a better, safer, stronger future.

My Funny Klinentine

Belated Happy Valentines

What?~! It's not like he's dressed as a bumbling colonel or something equally distastful. Besides don't the GOP consider red their color?


kudos to the Truth Surfer

John Kline's Failing Economics With Record High Deficit

With the U.S. Trade Deficit in 2005 soaring to an all time high of $275.8 BILLION, Representative John Kline (MN R) has been heedless, rash, and reckless in regards to the U.S. Economy. Kline's lack of leadership and performance in regards to this economy is compromising both the security and safety of America.

On Kline's website it says:

A strong fiscal conservative, John Kline understands how the federal deficit, created by years of over-spending, is a threat to the long-term health of our economy.

With the GOP in control and John Kline in office this is the fourth straight year of the U.S. deficit hitting a new record . Expect the future with John Kline to be 'more' of the 'same' with record losses in manufacturing jobs and in U.S. Debt. The Commerce Department reported Friday that the gap between what America sells abroad and what it imports rose to $725.8 billion last year, up by 17.5 percent from the previous record of $617.6 billion set in 2004 resulting in the United States losing 3 MILLION manufacturing jobs.

While Kline's been in office our country has set record imports of oil, food, cars and other consumer goods. In other words, during Kline's term, America is more dependent on foreign countries like never before. The deficit with China hit an all-time high as did America's deficits with Japan, Europe, OPEC, Canada, Mexico and South and Central America.

John Kline touting any economic gains while the United States slides deeper in debt suggests a wild carelessness and disregard for consequences. He has shown a consistent inability to give sufficient consideration to any possible policies other than what is being offered by the Bu$h administration.

On the same web page Kline says he works closely with President Bu$h. Maybe he's too close? Minnesotans deserve better than a yes man who only carries out the orders of Bu$h's failing economic policy.Our economy shouldn't be a the mercy of foreign countries, but with the soaring debt, vast imports, and no working economic directive, expect next year to be worse unless we change course and congressional leadership. Isn't it time to elect someone who will resolve America's economic problems instead of allowing them to grow unchecked.

More Kline Konnections With Anonymous Attacks On Rowley

In an earlier post DJK reported that John Kline's campaign paid the owner of Weber Johnson PA $10,000 for 'consulting' over the last two years. Weber Johnson PA now employs a blogger who in the past made anonymous attacks against the Rowley campaign. The previously anonymous blogger was also on the payroll of the Republican Party. Now we have uncovered even more connections between Kline and this Weber Johnson employee/blogger.

The blogger, Michael Brodkorb is listed as the chair of the Senate District 38 Republican Party. which is located in Kline's Congressional District. As chair of SD 38, Brodkorb's job is to promote John Kline's re-election, which he has done by making anonymous attacks on Kline's likely DFL opponent Coleen Rowley.

Rep. Kline's campaign is now well aware of this connection, but has done nothing to stop the attacks. Much like Kline has done nothing to stop the attacks on military veterans Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Jack Murtha, but then complains loudly to anyone who will listen that every military veteran should feel insulted when he was depicted as Col. Klink in a photoshopped picture.

Mr. Brodkorb's response to this is his employer did not work for Rep. Kline, noting that Weber Johnson PA did not exist when Rep. Kline paid for the consulting services. We note that Weber Johnson PA was formed in January 6, 2005 and payments to Weber Johnson PA founder Joe Weber continued until January 12, 2005. Also Joe Weber publicly flaunts the Rep. Kline connection on Weber Johnson PA's website.
(to view the WJPA registration click here and type "Weber Johnson" into the search box)

Again we ask, is Rep. Kline going to continue to hire a company that employs people making anonymous attacks? Is John Kline going to continue to accept help from a Republican Senate District Chair that makes anonymous attacks? Remember, it took a large amount of public pressure to finally force Kline to say he would return tainted money given to him by indicted Rep. Tom Delay. Will it take that same kind of public pressure for Rep. Kline to sever ties with more of these other unethical practices?

Kline Exaggerates on Website

John Kline (MN-R) either doesn't have a clue, is prone to exaggerate, or is lying. I'll leave it up to you to decide.

FACT: US manufacturing lost 2.9 million jobs, almost 17% of the manufacturing work force. The wipeout is across the board. Not a single manufacturing payroll classification created a single new job. This soaring dekline in lost jobs has been over the last 4 years (since Kline's been in office). The US is experiencing a job depression!

On February 10 the Commerce Department released a record US trade deficit in goods and services for 2005—$726 billion. The US deficit in Advanced Technology Products reached a new high. Offshore production for home markets and jobs outsourcing has made the US highly dependent on foreign provided goods and services, while simultaneously reducing the export capability of the US economy.

On Kline Website:

Fostering a Strong Economy
John's work in both the private and public sectors has given him a strong understanding of how government policies directly impact our economy.

In Washington John is fighting for policies that help create jobs and increase productivity.

Given the facts, either John Kline is: delusional, confused, exaggerating wildly, lying or at the very least...he's utterly failed in his stated goal. When will John Kline update his website to reflect reality and tell the truth?

Kline's $ To Company That Pays Anonymous Blogger's Salary?

Over the past two years, John Kline's campaign paid $10,000 to Weber Johnson PA, a political consulting firm run by the brother of former Republican Congressman Vin Weber. Oddly enough, the source of many anonymous attacks on Kline's opponent Coleen Rowley have come from a blogger who is employed by Weber Johnson PA.

See the Kline payment records here, here and here.

The payments did not come while the then anonymous blogger was on Weber Johnson's payroll. At the time of the payments the blogger was on the payroll of the Republican Party.

Is Kline behind the anonymous blogger's attacks on Coleen? If not, is John Kline going to continue to do business with a firm that employs people who launch anonymous attacks?

Semper Fi or Faithless?

While John Kline and the Bush administration claim to be strong on National Security, they both have an undeniable solid records of ignoring the needs of our soldiers and veterans.

Next time you see John Kline in uniform, wrapped in a flag, declaring his support for our military...ask him if taking care of our fighting men and women should be a first priority for anyone who claims to be strong on national security like him? And if he says yes, then ask him why his voting record doesn't reflect military support. We all know actions speak louder than words:

Kline's Actions On the battlefield:
Kline isn't providing our soldiers proper or sufficient body armor/humvee armor. Tens of thousands of soldiers deployed to Iraq were outfitted with Vietnam-era flak jackets incapable of stopping an AK-47 round instead of the Army's best body armor because the Bush Administration had failed to procure and provide them with the needed armor kits prior to their deployment.

While John Kline has repeatedly said that body armor is not a problem even Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said there has been an ongoing shortage of body armor for soldiers in Iraq because the government did not anticipate the scope of the insurgency. A study was recently release that showed 80% of the fatal injuries to Marines might have been prevented by additional armor coverage. Additionally more than 10,000 of the 12,000 Humvees in Iraq are currently without adequate armor. The Bush Administration's Fiscal Year 2005 budget which Kline supported would provide funding for the construction of 818 new armored Humvees, but provides zero funding for upgrading the 10,000 vulnerable vehicles already in Iraq. The Army does not expect a full compliment of heavily armored Humvees to arrive in Iraq for more than another year.

Kline's Actions Off the battlefield:
Both President Bush and John Kline have a lengthy history of opposing any legislation providing health care to soldiers serving on the front lines in Iraq and the War on Terrorism and their families. Despite his recent rhetoric, Both clearly and repeatedly opposed providing reservists and their families with access to military health care. On July 8, 2003, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld stated "If the President is presented a bill that...expands TRICARE, then I would join other senior advisors to the President in recommending that he veto the bill."

On November 6, 2003, Congress (but not John Kline) overrode the President's objections and passed legislation opening the TRICARE program to National Guard and Reserve soldiers and their families for one year. Even though the President signed this legislation, his Administration has refused to implement the law, and thousands of reservists and their families have been denied access to health care. In fact, the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) reports that "the Pentagon has yet to offer any timetable for implementation or give any indication that implementation planning has even begun. Apparently, they're clinging to the hope that they can somehow get out of this responsibility." (Legislative Update, 2/27/04).

Kline Voted Against $53 Million Boost for Veterans Health Care & Benefits. Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. The amendment failed, 213-214.

Kline Voted For the Budget that cut veterans programs (HR95). Kline voted for final passage of the $2.6 trillion budget conference report for 2006. The report cut Medicaid spending by $10 billion, spent every penny of the Social Security surplus, increased the nation deficit by $167.5 billion over 5 years and paved the way for oil drilling in the Arctic additional Wildlife Refuge. Furthermore, the conference report cut funding for veterans' health care by $additional billion over five years. Yet the budget still found room for $106 billion in tax cuts for those who need it the least, wealthy corporations and their owners.

Kline voted against debt assistance for returning Guard & Reservists.

Kline opposed increased spending On Veterans And Homeland Security.

Kline opposed $100 Million increase for Military Personnel. The vote was against a proposal to the budget to increase funding for military health care by $100 million and transitional job training for military personnel by $50 million.

Kline Voted Against Additional Job Assistance to Veterans Returning from Overseas. The vote opposed a motion to a job training reauthorization bill to provide extra assistance to veterans who are returning from conflicts overseas.

Kline Voted Against Full Retirement & Disability Benefits For All Veterans. A motion fund full disability and retirement benefits for all of the nation's veterans.

Kline Voted against providing the highest levels of funding for veterans' medical care(HJR 2) and President Bush's full request for Homeland Security funding.

How Does Kline Pronounce Boehner?

Congressman John Kline (MN R) and the GOP Congressional Republicans voted for Boehner to be the new Majority Leader. How did he get the Majority Leadership? Well let's see:

Boehner gave $150,000 to 30 Republicans on December 15, according to his filing for the Freedom Project, his leadership PAC. In other words, he 'bought' the votes for his new leadership position. So much for cleaning up GOP corruption.

Kline's friend Boehner is a member of a 'male only' country club with a $75,000 initiation fee. With dues that high Boehner has had to take almost $14,000 in free trips from lobbyist connected Ripon Society. He's repeatedly voted against local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, against all nondiscrimination legislation and voted to bar same-sex couples in DC from adopting children. He is one of only a handful that refused to sign a pledge indicating that he would discriminate against his own staff based on sexual orientation and consistentistant rating of ZERO from the Human Rights Campaign. (nice guy hey?)

So just how does Kline pronounce Boehner? As his 'friend'
But most Americans would pronounce it as 'Crook'.

The Clucking Hens Vote In The Sly Old Fox

John Kline's friend and top choice, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, chosen House majority leader This is another nail in the GOP corruption scandal. You don't get a new direction with the same old map. Boehner has been and continues to be as corrupt as Delay.

Sadly, rather than use this opportunity to choose ethical leadership, Kline and the other GOP house members decide to 'stay the course'.

Kline: More Than A Little 'Klinkish'

Let's review:
How outraged and hurt was John Kline (MN R) when:

Tom Daschle and Max Cleland -- veterans like Kline -- were compared to Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein?

When John Kerry's war record was falsely attacked by the Swift Boat Vets?

When Murta's military record was investigated and he was labeled unpatriotic

John Kline wasn't..he was silent.

But now when he has an opportunity at self promotion in his re-election campaign and can deflect attention away from his dismal congressional record, Kline is playing at being outraged (outrageous?). Wow... besides being sad and a little pathetic... it very 'klinkish'.