Kline's Congressional Office Apparently Maintains An Enemies List

You'd expect your Congressman to keep track of emails and letters you send him. Feedback from constituents is important. But would you expect your Congressman to search and record posts you make on a blog and then file them away for some future use?

That's what has been going on at Congressman John Kline's office. A Government employee has been paid to find blog posts from at least one citizen and then file them away on what appears to be a modern version of a Nixon "enemies list".

The Star Tribune's Kevin Diaz reports that Kline's office had been gathering blog posts from Paul Bartlett, a DFL activist who has written unfavorable things about Kline in the past.

Today Bartlett responded to the revelation:

Kline's staff exposed their dark underbelly during their Diaz interview, revealing that they have maintained "a lengthy file of his e-mails and blog entries." I would expect that they would maintain my e-mails, after all, I was a constituent and had every right to contact my congressman, but to admit that they search the blogs looking for my postings is disturbingly paranoid.

Following the Rove playbook, the Kline campaign has employed a singular strategy: citizen intimidation. Their relentless attack on David Bailey exposed their meanness; their attempt to disrupt the Murtha event showed their desperation; I knew they'd get around to me.

John Kline has joined some fine company: J. Edgar Hoover, Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon. Like them, Kline maintains an "enemies list."

Kline's Communication Director Troy Young has been contacted to verify the Star Tribune story and to find out how many other citizens are being monitored. So far no response.