Klobuchar Revisited: You Know Who Loves Her? Republicans-- And We Ought To Ask Ourselves Why

And it's not just because she treats her staff like shit. When we covered her announcement Sunday, we came across former Iowa state Senator David Johnson. Johnson, a dairy farmer, served in the legislature since 1999, representing the beet-red northwest part of the state. In 2016, he left the GOP-- noting that Trump was unqualified to lead the nation. He didn't join the Democrats but continued on as an independent. Once he realized he wouldn't win reelection, he announced he wouldn't run again in 2018. Now Johnson is working to help Klobuchar win the Democratic caucus, claiming "there are more than 700,000 Iowa no-party voters I can help organize in her support."

Remember, Johnson didn't leave the GOP to join the Democratic Party or because he was disgusted with his own congressman-- Steve King-- or his racism, xenophobia and Nazi inclinations. He left because of Trump and held to his conservative perspectives in the legislature for the two years after his switch. And Johnson is far from the only conservative Republican who has an affinity for Klobuchar. Yesterday, Burgess Everett and Marianne Levine, reporting for Politico, noted that the middle of the road Minnesota Democrat "has an unusual constituency behind her as she launches her run for president: Senate Republicans" and many of them are "raving" about her.

“I hope I’m not condemning her nascent run for the presidency,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) as he praised Klobuchar. “She’s too reasonable, too likable, too nice.”

“She wants to achieve a solution and I would hope that’s not a disqualifying thing for someone who would like to be president,” said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), who runs the Senate Rules Committee with Klobuchar. “I like her a lot and hope that’s not harmful to her.”

Apparently she never took off one of her shoes and threw it at either Cornyn or Blunt-- or if she did, they liked it. One reason they like her is because she’s "established herself as someone who can cut deals with Republicans and occasionally tacks to the center. It’s a combination that that could give her a boost among primary voters seeking a candidate with bipartisan bona fides if it doesn’t doom her with a party moving quickly to the left." Klobuchar's kind of compromise is giving in to the Republican policy agenda. In other words, nit so much compromise as surrender.

Wilbur Ross is a billionaire, a crook and a murderer-- one of Trump's worst cabinet picks. And the information about him was readily available during his confirmation hearings. The normal Democratic senators thinking about running for president-- Elizabeth Warren, Bernie, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jeff Merkley-- all voted NO. Even Joe Manchin voted NO. Klobuchar somehow seemed to find common ground with the Republicans to vote to confirm Ross (as did Michael Bennet and Sherrod Brown). And last week Klobuchar was doing the same thing when AIPAC and the GOP demanded that boycotting Israel should be illegal. Booker, Brown, Gillibrand, Harris, Merkley, Bernie and Warren all voted NO. Klobuchar and Bennet went for the unconstitutional common ground.

Republicans say that Klobuchar was one of the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee who was most respectful when questioning Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh last year about sexual assault allegations, even as Klobuchar found herself being asked by the nominee whether she had a drinking problem. But befitting her “Minnesota nice” style, Klobuchar moved on and didn’t linger on the confrontation.

“Her questioning [on] the Judiciary Committee is excellent,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). “Her questions can be thoughtful and respectful. Still probing, they’re not easy, but it’s a good model.”

“Of the folks that are running, she’s probably more responsible,” said Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS).

Klobuchar’s Republican pals say that her political abilities would be imposing in a general election against Trump, noting her strong appeal in the Midwest-- the region that tipped the presidency to Trump in 2016.

Some Democrats are “going to be looking for somebody that is actually going to be electable in a general election. And I think it’s a spot she could fill,” said Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the GOP whip.

“I don’t like to give Democrats advice but they’ve got to be able to carry the Midwest,” Collins said.

It’s not just Republican senators who are fans. George Will, a conservative columnist for the Washington Post, penned an op-ed recently that described Klobuchar as “the person perhaps best equipped to send the current president packing,” pointing to her Midwest roots as an asset for Democrats and praising her even-keeled temperament.

Is that what the country is looking for now? Some centrist who's better than Trump but will accomplish exactly nothing noteworthy ever? If that's who they want, Klobuchar's the one. This is a polling question PPP asked of Democratic primary voters last week: