Kline: Town halls are a ‘circus for our side, a nightmare for Dems’
Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 1:17 pm
- 9 Comments
Several Minnesota members of Congress have recently held their noses and agreed to hold town hall meetings of one kind or another — despite misgivings about such public forums. The lone holdout: U.S. Rep. John Kline. “They are a circus,” Kline told a small group of constituents at his office yesterday. “They have been a circus for our side, and a nightmare for my Democrat friends, as you’ve seen.”
D.J. Danielson, writing at Bluestem Prairie, notes that Kline declined Rep. Tim Walz’s invitation to co-host town halls in each other’s districts:
So, about a half-dozen of us went off to Kline’s district office in Burnsville yesterday. No video cameras. No ambushing. No hostility. No inflammatory rhetoric. Just a simple request that Congressman Kline hold a town hall forum on health care.
We were kindly greeted by congressional staff including District Director Mike Osskopp who invited us into a conference room to discuss our request. When Kline’s rejection of Walz’s invitation was brought up, Osskopp strongly reiterated that it was their opinion that the invitation was nothing more than a “publicity stunt.”
Kline himself joined the group unexpectedly, and his steadfast refusal to hold a town meeting (he hasn’t held one since 2002) puts Danielson in mind of comments by Michael Brodkorb, deputy chair of the Minnesota GOP: “If you don’t want to meet with people, then don’t run for Congress.”
Danielson concludes:
While he refuses to hold a traditional town hall forum, Kline did express willingness to meet with a smaller group, 50 to 100, from the DFL side to discuss health care.
He explained that he felt the current “auditorium style” town halls have “gotten so far away from their original purpose” and only enable “each side to shout over each other.”
“It shouldn’t be about looking to get on YouTube; it shouldn’t be about getting on Channel 9,” Osskopp added. …
Kline mentioned a couple of times during the conversation that he is “not afraid of Democrats.” Since he spent time meeting with our small group, along with his willingness to meet with a larger group of us and his district director’s willingness to try giving advanced notice for telephone town halls, I would like to take him at his word.
9 Comments
Comment posted August 20, 2009 @ 3:33 pm
John Kline is a liar and a thief – he actually stood before congress and described the long lines of Canadians queuing up in Bloomington waiting for health care and rides at the Mall of America.
John Kline has never met a corporate check he would not be proud to call his own. Somebody needs to ask him what his net-worth was before he was elected to congress and what it is now.
He’s also under investigation for taking money from 2 other great conservative leaders – Tom Delay and Randy “Duke” Cunningham.
Comment posted August 20, 2009 @ 6:59 pm
Yep John! Keep turning them out! Real Americans need to know what douche bags republican’ts are.
Comment posted August 21, 2009 @ 1:33 am
A circus the man says? I attended Tim Walz meeting, the one Kline refused to attend. thanks to Sen. Durenberger, Dr. Wood of Mayo, a Blue Cross Rep and even a Chamber of Commerse Rep. it was very informative! Yes Im for HR676 and ready to accept HR3200. No Co ops please! Why is Kline refusing these circuses? He only is interested in hearing from those that agree with him. The hecklers are not a nightmare as Kline describes. Often they provide entertainment as they are contradictive, confused and definately showing their IQs. Kline if you cant face ALL who you represent (even us who didnt vote for you) then keep yourself locked up just like Mr. Bush did and see where that gets you!
Comment posted August 21, 2009 @ 1:39 am
A previous poster mentions Tom DeLay. Interesting as Tom DeLay proudly admits that HE wants to do away with Medicare and then Social Security! Now all you older conservatives, how does this make you feel? Do you really believe the GOP are looking out for your best interests? Todays GOP are NOTHING like the GOP you remember and you should really begin to consider your best interests come election time. Can you survive without your Social Security and Medicare? Its us Liberals, yes the Democrats that fight like hell to keep your entitlements! Certainly not Kline, Bachman and the rest of the bunch. They are more concerned with personal riches as to keeping your best interests at heart.
Comment posted August 21, 2009 @ 10:07 am
Mr. Kline is an embarrassment to all working men and women. He is anti-union. Anit-health care. Anti-Cash for Clunkers. Anti-stimulus. Anti-free speech. Anti-limits on CEO pay. Anti-increased minimum wage. Anti-cap and trade. Anti-environment. Anti-funding for schools. Anti-equal opportunity. Anti-everything that our President stands for. But he sure was Pro-everything with Bushco.
It is too bad that we can not shut down the Strib and PiPress since they are simply mouth pieces for this right wing loon. He speaks to them all the time since they never challenge him on any topic.
Yet will he talk to his constituents? Not in a million years. We need him to either start agreeing with our President, or be defeated by a landslide.
Comment posted August 21, 2009 @ 10:23 am
Mr. Kline spent the majority of his adult years as a government employee. As a government employee, he participated in socialist medical programs. He is the recipient of a socialist retirement pension. He got free medical care, free housing, free clothing, and a nice salary.
He was what we used to call a “lifer”, as in “stay in the military for the majority of your life”.
But everything that he took and still takes, he is “entitled to” because he spent his life in a government job. Just like any government bureaucrat. Kline is a government bureaucrat living off my tax money, enjoying socialist benefits.
Comment posted August 21, 2009 @ 10:58 am
John Kline was interviewed by Kathy Wurzer (of public radio) yesterday(Thursday) morning – and not once did she ask him about money or his health care or why republicans are against everything.
Where are the responsible reporters? Why are creeps like Kline and Bachmann and Grassely getting off scott-free?
Call MPR and tell them you want real questions with real answers.
Pingback posted August 24, 2009 @ 9:09 pm
[...] – Rep. John Kline was invited to participate in a bipartisan town hall meeting, but called the event a “publicity stunt” and declined to attend, or hold any meetings of his own. [Minnesota Independent,8/20/09] [...]
Comment posted August 29, 2009 @ 3:10 am
Kline lied to WCCO listeners from his pulpit at the Minnesota State Fair today, while sports-lady Michele Tafoya kept very, very quiet. Apparently she couldn’t be bothered to confront Kline about his lies any more than Wurzer did on public radio.
Kline said the the portion of the Stimulus Package dedicated to tax cuts was a “tiny sliver” of a percentage.
Wikipedia states that nearly 40% of the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009″ was devoted to tax cuts. That’s hardly a “tiny sliver”, unless you are very poor at mathematics.
Nice job, Michele..
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