By JUSTIN KENDALL
Don't cry for Phill. It'll only encourage him.
Moderate Republicans drove a stake through the heart of Phill Kline's political career Tuesday night. Steve Howe ran a lackluster campaign but it was enough to hammer Kline, burying the anti-abortion crusader by 20 percentage points in the Republican primary for Johnson County district attorney. Howe will now face Democrat Rick Guinn in November.
But the story this morning is Kline. In the 2006 race for Kansas Attorney General, Paul Morrison ousted Kline. Kline's political career appeared dead. Then a month later, Johnson County Republicans resurrected Kline by handing him Morrison's DA job in a special election.
Kline's political career appears dead and buried again. But will Kline rise from the dead like Jason Vorhees? Or will Tuesday's loss be the final dagger through Kline's political career?
The Pitch pays tribute to Kline's career with a retrospective look at his career.
October 19, 2000: We name him Best Local Politician with Populist Appeal, long before we knew what was in the heart of Phill.
October 24, 2002: As a right-wing candidate for Kansas attorney general, campaigning for Kline must have been full of little irritations.
July 3, 2003: As Kansas attorney general,l Kline spreads the gay love.
April 7, 2005: An exam of Phill Kline, in the same way he wants to probe Kansas women.
June 16, 2005: Startling allegations against an abortion doctor have been the centerpiece of two years of legislative warfare in Kansas.
August 4, 2005: For Phill Kline, it really is all about the children. Right?
September 29, 2005: Kline's quest for abortion records leaves his pants on fire.
November 3, 2005: GQ weighs in on the annals of Phill Kline.
November 2, 2006: We ask voters to re-elect Phill Kline to give us a reason to write about the douche bag.
December 21, 2006: As Kline takes over the District Attorney's Office, good prosecutors flee.
June 21, 2007: No doubt, his tenure as a district attorney has shown Kline is a dimwit.
July 10, 2008: Double Hockey Sticks is back. And this time he’s got a real house.
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Serious political coverage shouldn't use the word "douchebaggery" in the headline. i like pitch, too, Trevor, but the leftist bs is too thick sometimes and they spend too much time on easy targets like Kline and Phelps.
And I'm someone who hates kline and Phelps because they make traditionalists look like jackasses. The pitch writers are skeptical and thoughtful in most articles (i like that story about the Kelsey murderer, it was honest and unique. But when it comes to politics they just pile on with the predictable
Mike, not liking what you read is a perfectly good reason to present why you do not like it. However, your message seems to be summarized by, �The Pitch wrote a story about my brother that I didn�t like and therefore the paper is an inaccurate, given out, rag, known for pornography stories, written by immature defensive authors.� Even in the area where The Pitch sucks the most, political commentary, nary a soul that has ever read The Pitch would agree with any of your arguments.
Mostly, I am upset by your claim that The Pitch is being given away. I always have had to find it and pick it up myself. If I could get someone to actually give it to me, I would be elated.
i used to run into phill "the pill" kline at a convience store in linwood kansas early in the morning all the time. i was wondering what the hell he was doing every morning in leavenworth county. ah....sneaking in the backdoor to johnson county it turns out. glad to see the cheating douche gone.
Missey: The Pitch has also written an inaccurate article about my brother. They are by no means accurate in their information they get. I am sorry about your loss, as most people are. One thing you have to remember is that they are a tabloid paper that is given out for free. No one will buy it. Nadia and Justin get so defensive when criticized. That is funny. Shows their maturity. Maybe they should spend more time writing articles then worrying about what is being posted on the internet. I would also add Peter Rugg to this list of rejected reporters of more profound papers. The Pitch is the bottom of the barrel. It is known for writing about porn not news. It is some sort of odd fetish.
PK will rise again. Think eveready vampire bunny. Think liquid metal terminator. Steve Howe or someone on his staff will end up having an affair w/ someone in Kline's staff, then the Republicans will have to make ANOTHER deal. I listened to an interview w/ him on KMBZ: he will not stop.
Yeah, grats on following up on KCTVs leavings years after the mainstream Kline hunt was in full season. You are a real trend setter.
Also, glad to see you now have to qualify your "me too"...seems like you are starting to see the light on The Pitch approach to political coverage, which is all I hope for.
I'm not saying "me too" doesn't happen. I'm saying I've written stories that broke news. You've totally missed the point of the July 10, 2008 story. I was the first to report that Kline bought a home in Johnson County (via contract deed). But it's nice to see you can selectively pick lines from stories to fit your premise. Bravo.
I agree, Justin, which is why it amazes me to no end the following quotes from your own stories as listed:
April 7, 2005: An exam of Phill Kline � �which over the past few weeks have earned him headlines from The New York Times to The Los Angeles Times�
June 16, 2005: two years of legislative warfare in Kansas. � �The Wichita Eagle was apparently the only newspaper that reported Kline's April 29, 2004, offensive, which then became fodder for Web sites�
July 10, 2008: Double Hockey Sticks is back. - �In November of last year, a KCTV Channel 5 news crew stalked Kline home to picture.�
You guys are real "firsts" to follow those sources, hunh? Yeah, I can see no �me too� anywhere. Not sure what I was thinking.
This story was also omitted from the list.
http://www.pitch.com/2004-08-2...
And Trevor, it's not saying "me too" if you're the first to report it.
Anyone who thinks this loss drives a stake thru the heart of the PK's political career is not paying attention. Eric Rucker, PK's 1st deputy, at both the DA and AG jobs, won the primary election for Shawnee county DA. If ER wins the DA general election, you can expect to see PK there with him, along with a lot of the regular camp followers.
Whether someone is pro-abortion (Pro choice) or anti-abortion (pro life), a neutral observer can easily see that PK and his gang are mainly interested in seeing Roe v Wade over-turned or at least seriously watered down. And they make no secret of that goal.
The real fight turns upon if they are able (or willing) to do anything else if they are in positions of power. I would suggest looking at not only PK's career, but the past of those who have worked with and for him over the last 5-10 years. Akin to the Pitch piece on his former consumer deputy, Bryan, I think a good reporter could ferret out some interesting FACTS about such people as former JOCO ADA Steve Maxwell.
If you regular lie down with dogs.... Fleas (or worse) will follow.
Nadia,
You reference a story that didn�t make the list. Why was it excluded? That piece was actually one that made my monocle pop and would have had me likely exclude the word �all� when referencing the list.
Damn your being-able-to-point-out-a-single-exclusion-hide.
Nadia,
After your interview with the man that killed my daughter I wouldn't exactly call you a stand up and thorough reporter. Too bad you weren't professional enough to ask him tough questions. It showed me just what kind of person you are. Like I said to you in the courtroom, I hope you write an ACCURATE story this time.
Missey Smith
KELSEY's mother
I wrote about Phill Kline in 2004 and I'm still here:
http://www.pitch.com/2004-01-2...
"...at least you could do is show some degree of professionalism in how you cover the election..."
The Pitch... professionalism... ah, that's where you were confused.
I speak of the lackluster performance of The Pitch in bringing unique political commentary. You guys handle most of your work phenomenally well and your investigative prowess is only outdone by the manner in which you present unbiased information in your news stories. At least until it comes to covering political topics. Then, you reek of the stale laundry amassed throughout media land, and suffer from the same stinky bias. This is evidenced by the pieces presented in your list which are all single sided, opinionated, or both. Each one reads disappointingly like mainstream tripe if it were slightly better written.
I realize I am not your target audience, and appreciate that you periodically at least listen to my lamenting. I also appreciate that Kansas City isn�t a hot bed for the political front. But, politically, if you expect folks to simply tune into a mainstream echo chamber, and all you do is provide it, what furtherance does that provide for The Pitch, its writers, or its readers? You guys have the best media going in this region because of your unique stories and incredible writing talent. So, it pisses me off to no end to see you �me too� political coverage.
He'd been rejected by Johnson County voters, but through a quirk in the political rules, Religious Right Republican committepersons anointed Phill "Slimeball" Kline Johnson County DA.
As soon as the voters got the chance to express their extreme distaste for Kline and his ideological agenda, they decisively booted him again. Let's hope he won't rise like a vampire from his political coffin and turn up somewhere else where he can further abuse the taxpaying public's trust.
He'd been rejected by Johnson County voters, but through a quirk in the political rules, Religious Right Republican committepersons anointed him Johnson County DA.
Now, at last, that the voters have been given a chance to express their extreme distaste for Kline and his ideological agenda, they've decisively booted him again. Let's hope he won't rise like a vampire from his political coffin and turn up somewhere else where he can abuse the taxpaying public's trust.
As with the KC Star articles today, no one has focused one bit on what Steve Howe brings to the table....other than he's not Phill Kline. What a sad commentary on Steve Howe and on how the local main stream and gutter stream media (yeah that's you Pitch) have handled the "news".
Whether you like Phill Kline or not, agree with his positions or not, at least you could do is show some degree of professionalism in how you cover the election and the record of this particular public servant. But then, no one has ever confused the KC Star of The Pitch as professional or journalism.
I wish both Howe and Guinn the best of luck in their upcoming campaigns and which ever one gets elected even more luck with the local media. As for Kline, he believed in what he stood for and made it clear he was sticking to his principles regardless of how the cards fell. While I don't agree with everything he's done, I have to admire his spirit.
As with the KC Star articles today, no one has focused one bit on what Steve Howe brings to the table....other than he's not Phill Kline. What a sad commentary on Steve Howe and on how the local main stream and gutter stream media (yeah that's you Pitch) have handled the "news".
Whether you like Phill Kline or not, agree with his positions or not, at least you could do is show some degree of professionalism in how you cover the election and the record of this particular public servant. But then, no one has ever confused the KC Star of The Pitch as professional or journalism.
I wish both Howe and Guinn the best of luck in their upcoming campaigns and which ever one gets elected even more luck with the local media. As for Kline, he believed in what he stood for and made it clear he was sticking to his principles regardless of how the cards fell. While I don't agree with everything he's done, I have to admire his spirit.
As with the KC Star articles today, no one has focused one bit on what Steve Howe brings to the table....other than he's not Phill Kline. What a sad commentary on Steve Howe and on how the local main stream and gutter stream media (yeah that's you Pitch) have handled the "news".
Whether you like Phill Kline or not, agree with his positions or not, at least you could do is show some degree of professionalism in how you cover the election and the record of this particular public servant. But then, no one has ever confused the KC Star of The Pitch as professional or journalism.
I wish both Howe and Guinn the best of luck in their upcoming campaigns and which ever one gets elected even more luck with the local media. As for Kline, he believed in what he stood for and made it clear he was sticking to his principles regardless of how the cards fell. While I don't agree with everything he's done, I have to admire his spirit.
So there is eight years of Phil Kline in The Pitch, neatly summarized by someone who hasn�t been there for as long. So, what happens now?
Looks like C.J.�s 2005 article is the last one written by someone still at The Pitch, so does she get to pick the next whipping boy? Perhaps you just wait for mainstreamers to again tell you who to whip on? What's it like to always have the same view of the dog in front of you when it comes to political commentary?
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