Posted on 06/10/2008 5:02:03 AM PDT by Non-Sequitur
Saying he has a passion for justice, District Attorney Phill Kline announced Monday that he would be a candidate to retain his job as Johnson County’s top law enforcement officer.
At an evening news conference, with his wife and daughter at his side, Kline said he would file today to run as a Republican. That means Kline will face former Johnson County prosecutor Steve Howe in the Aug. 5 primary; the winner will take on former Johnson County prosecutor Rick Guinn, a Democrat, in November.
(Excerpt) Read more at kansascity.com ...
He certainly is a glutton for punishment. This situation just gets more and more surreal. At this point, I wouldn't put it past Paul Morrison to run for DA again.
Paul Morrison/Phill Kline ping!
Does this mean you’ll commit seppaku if he’s reelected ?
I’ll bet you a sawbuck you already have a Guinn bumperstick on your Volvo. ;-)
Yes, I promise you that I will. I can't think of a safer bet to make.
Honda, not Volvo. And no, it would clash with the Howe sign on my lawn. Steve Howe will make a great DA for Johnson County. He's smart, experienced, had years as a prosecutor. He should have been selected back when Morrison resigned. Guinn is another convert for political purposes.
”A man’s got to know his limitations.”
~Clint Eastwood (as Dirty Harry in Magnum Force)
Wouldn't that be a hoot! I'd pay real money to see him and Phill go head to head.
Honda... I just knew it had to be one of those Yuppiemobiles. No doubt if Howe loses the nomination against the statesman, you’ll slap a Guinn sticker on that puppy.
It ought to be statewide. Kline should still be the state AG, but all the KS RINOs preferred to vote for the RINO turned rodent pervert.
Which means that they felt a RINO turned rodent pervert was still a better choice than a boob like Phill. What's that say about him?
Howe isn't running against a statesman. He's running against Phill. And I have a better chance of beating Howe than Kline does.
Besides if Phill wins then I commit ritual suicide, remember? What will you do when Phill goes down in flames yet again?
I admit that it isn't a rusted out sh*tbox of a Ford Torino like the one you all love to have up on blocks in front of your double-wides, but it gets me around.
Besides, beige Honda Odyssey's are the official car of south JoCo. I have a blue-grey one so that makes me a rebel among my neighbors.
Nope, he's just interested in seeing things through.
I know he had said his intent was not to run for election, but his personal situation has changed. When he was named to the position in September, his wife was ill and the docs didn't know what was wrong with her. Since then, the docs have figured it out, and her health has been restored.
I'm very glad Phil is running again. I respect him a lot, and he's not afraid to enforce the law, even against politically connected individuals and organizations.
No it isn't. And if Phill keeps screwing up the Kelsey Smith prosecution then he'll get run out of town on a rail when the perp walks. I understand that the judge in the case has had to take Phill to task a couple of time about withholding evidence from the defense.
I admire the fact that he's willing to try to enforce the law, even when he is viciously attacked by politically connected individuals and organizations. He may well lose, but he'll still have his character. Those who have done their best to ruin the man (i.e. Sebellius, Tiller and Planned Parenthood) will still be evil.
All will stand before God one day, and I suspect things will go better for Phil than for the others I've mentioned.
So am I. It'd begun to look like a boring race.
So is Guinn. No doubt he's hoping for a divisive primary and a weakened opponent. Unfortunately for him, Howe has not been idle. Johnson County Commissioners Ed Eilert, David Lindstrom and Doug Wood have announced their support for him. The mayors of most of the larger citise in the county, including Carl Gerlach (OP), Mike Copeland (Olathe), Laura McConwell (Mission), and Ron Shaffer (Prairie Village) have announced for him. House Majority Leader Ray Merrick and most county GOP legislators have announced their support for him. 3rd District GOP Chair Ernie Straub, and GOP county officers Marvin Kleeb and Brad Seiter endorsed Howe as well. And there is no chance of defections, because all these people know there is no chance for Phill to win. So there is literally nobody left for Phill to go to for support, nobody to go to for money, and darned few people who will vote for him. Howe is the prohibitive favorite in November. Or was, until Phill jumped in. Now it depends on how much damage, if any, Phill can do.
One person who is no doubt spitting nails over Phill's boneheaded decision is our illustrious state GOP leader Kris Kobach. Kris wants to run for the Senate in 2010 when Brownback steps down, and the 2008 election is the only one where he gets to strut his stuff. In order to appear the hero he needs to get back Kansas 2nd from Boyda and keep the JoCo DAs office. Well, beating Boyda isn't going to be easy once Ryun and Jenkins get through with each other. And if Kline weakens Howe in the DA's race and allows Guinn to win then there goes that chance, too.
Phill isn't running against Sebelius, Tiller, or Planned Parenthood. He's running against Steve Howe, a bright, experienced, competent prosecuting attorney who has the support of all branches of the local GOP. On the basis of quality of opponents alone, Phill hasn't a chance.
And Planned Parenthood will still be operating. The one thing lost on everyone is that if Howe is elected, and if Planned Parenthood has done anything illegal, then they will be prosecuted. And prosecuted by a competent DA. If Kline weakens Howe and Guinn wins the race then they will not.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.