It is rare that I use this blog to go after a specific politician–no seriously.  Sure, I talk politics here and I have been known to challenge policy and to urge my readers to get involved in issues that are near and dear to me.  But aside from my own politicking, I’ve kept this as a sort of “campaign-free” zone.  Well, no longer.  Blame John Kline.

John Kline, you see, is another one of the Do Nothing Republicans.  And he’s my Congressional Representative.  He just sent out some campaign materials praising his efforts at “protecting Minnesota’s economy” from wasteful government spending.  But that’s not what he was sent to Washington to do, and I think it’s time to remind him of that fact.

I may not have voted for Kline, but he represente my interests, and the interests of all of us in CD2.  And sitting around and doing nothing but obstructing health care reform, executive appointments, and pretty much anything that would “get things done” is not what I call effective leadership.  Or even leadership.  It’s self-serving electioneering and it is dragging Minnesota, and my district down.

I’m not trying to be a Debbie Downer here.  We should be celebrating the one year anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  But what we should be celebrating is the fact that, because of the election of President Obama, women have not lost any more ground than under the previous administration and with the help of a radically conservative Supreme Court.

The best thing we can do is pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.  Let’s put some teeth into wage discrimination enforcement.  I’m talking treble damages.  ATTORNEYS FEES– y’know, the things that make businesses actually pay attention to something like gender discrimination.  Because we all know that discrimination won’t end until it’s just too darn expensive to maintain.

My initial reaction to the State of the Union is here. That of course is different than the real-time snark below.

Every State of the Union should have a judicial smackdown of someone like Justice Alito and a dance off joke. Especially if it has Reid and Boehner in it.  And if you are reading this then I’m guessing you agree.