The press release announcing the #Blue2016 Congressional bid was, of course, satire. But the effort to recruit a candidate to run against Rep. Jody Hice was not.
We received the email form letter from an outfit called "Run for America," the brainchild of David Burstein, a 20-something who wants to entice more millennials to run for office.
"Your district, GA-10, happens to be one that we are targeting for our outreach and recruitment efforts. Specifically, we see an opportunity for a Republican candidate in 2016."
We don't live in the 10th district, but that's beside the point.
"Do you realize I'm a reporter?" was my response to the PAC's recruiter, who said she did and urged a 20-minute discussion with a recruitment director.
The press release, penned by Daniel Malloy, quickly ignited a spirited opposition campaign that offered more than enough reasons why a lowly reporter in Atlanta shouldn't run for a seat in Athens.
A stopbluestein.com campaign ensued - we can vouch for the veracity of all the claims only if you consider Terrapin an imported beer - and Peach Pundit made more spurious accusations alleging a "threat to freedom" and, worse, ownership of Pepsi stock.
Word soon got back to Hice, the freshman Republican who succeeded Paul Broun in the northeast Georgia district. He offered some sloganeering advice about running in his deep-red territory: "You've got to get away from the blue."
Redstein does have a certain ring to it.
Here are a handful of our favorite tweets:
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