Aaron Blake thinks that Bill Maher’s audience made a mistake in targeting Rep. John Kline of Minnesota for defeat.
Comedian Bill Maher announced Friday night that he will personally target Republican Rep. John Kline (Minn.) for defeat in the November election — the culmination of his longstanding “Flip a District” contest in which the HBO host allowed his viewers to pick which Republican he would attempt to unseat.
If you look at it from the perspective of choosing a candidate who is ripe for defeat then John Kline was a poor choice. But, if you look at it from the perspective of choosing a candidate who is popular in his home district but really shouldn’t be, then Rep. John Kline was an outstanding choice. Kline faces state Rep. Mike Obermueller (DFL), who he defeated by eight points in 2012. Presumably Obermueller doesn’t oppose gay marriage, would support legislation to address climate change, and we know he hasn’t voted to repeal ObamaCare 54 times. John Kline has a reputation as a moderate but he votes with the teabaggers all the time. All the Democrats need is for his constituents to become aware of how radical his recent voting record really is and they toss him out in favor of Some Dude.
