tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091308627444010002024-03-13T11:00:35.481-05:00Kansas GOP Insider (wannabe)The Kansas Republican Party is filled with characters on the inside. I'm looking through the window and holding up a mirror.Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.comBlogger751125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-66942382050454768232022-06-24T09:37:00.005-05:002022-06-24T09:54:36.958-05:00Celebrate Pro-Life Friends, but Don't Get Too Comfortable<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take a bow, my pro-life friends. It is the culmination of 50 years of honorable, patient battle by pro-life warriors. You earned this win, and you did it with grace and integrity. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUt8I3MNEPQaVwD863SNSGsjo0vVVVoeq_wwyWxZ4TaZ2_t8777pit2-BD2HZTAF8WBct-2-h_fCmsnsM_wo_s9Fc21ph6utKgHA5O_AWDZMnKSp_DB9E9OnTkZH-0qVrbn_NKNkxyArMZvwfvfWfhRAzMPOnYusdOMywwKpCwmmx2i2qzW-rWl_jUZw/s682/20200826190852_5f46a18ec2bf74d8ccd7ce51jpeg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="682" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUt8I3MNEPQaVwD863SNSGsjo0vVVVoeq_wwyWxZ4TaZ2_t8777pit2-BD2HZTAF8WBct-2-h_fCmsnsM_wo_s9Fc21ph6utKgHA5O_AWDZMnKSp_DB9E9OnTkZH-0qVrbn_NKNkxyArMZvwfvfWfhRAzMPOnYusdOMywwKpCwmmx2i2qzW-rWl_jUZw/s320/20200826190852_5f46a18ec2bf74d8ccd7ce51jpeg.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You followed the rules. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more than 50 years, you worked to elect pro-life lawmakers and pro-life judges – in the places where judges are elected. You annually marched – peacefully – in Washington, DC, praying and hoping for an end to Roe v. Wade. Through blizzards and rain, through Democratic and Republican administrations, you marched from the Capitol to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, attracting hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates each year. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More than 63 million babies died by abortionists’ hands over those 50 years, and yet, you remained patient and steadfast.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You didn’t demand the abolition of cultural or constitutional norms. Though the opposition used vile and cruel attacks, you persevered.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Viscous and unfair attacks on pro-life judicial nominees didn’t wear you down. You offered encouragement and support to then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas as the Left pounced. Instead of growing weary, you redoubled your efforts to elect Republicans to the U.S. Senate and to the White House. And when abortion extremists on the Left launched disgusting attacks against another Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, you calmly defend him.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The way you battle matters.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But for the Left, the ends always justify the means. That’s why former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a now-deceased Democrat from Nevada, nuked the filibuster in 2013. He was frustrated Republicans used the long-standing Senate tradition to block some of then-President Barack Obama’s nominees.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the time, Sen. Mitch McConnell issued a warning.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You’ll regret this, and you may regret this a lot sooner than you think,” then Minority Leader McConnell said.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sooner is now.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks to your efforts, McConnell regained the Majority a few years later. And as forewarned, he used a Democratic tactic and eliminated the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. And now Roe is no more.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reid didn’t live long enough to see the end results of his bluster. But pro-life advocates recognize we have Reid to thank for this win.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pro-lifers, you are about to enjoy the bounty of fighting with honor and dignity in the face of overwhelming odds. Celebrate this victory. And remember how you earned it – by fighting fair, by following the rules until the other side broke them.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The fight over abortion now heads from the courtroom to state legislatures where it’s always belonged. New battle lines are being drawn, and Kansas will be the site of an early skirmish when voters consider the Value Them Both amendment. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once again, you will need to don the breastplate of righteousness and take up the shield of faith by knocking on doors, passing out literature, and encouraging your friends and neighbors to vote ‘yes’ on the amendment in August.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Left plans to double down in its destruction of cultural norms, even though that hasn’t worked out well for them so far. Instead of vowing to elect more pro-abortion lawmakers and judges, they (likely) leaked a U.S. Supreme Court’s draft ruling. They posted the home addresses of Supreme Court Justices and protested in front of their homes. They defaced churches and disrupted Catholic services, and they’re threatening to pack the court.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They haven’t yet learned the lesson so apparent to long-time watchers of this cultural debate. The rules count.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is one win in an ongoing war, but it is a big one. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Celebrate, pro-life friends, but don’t get too comfortable. </span></p>Danedrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02725978626389519308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-73943101122470948412021-01-21T12:16:00.003-06:002021-01-21T12:29:26.913-06:00A pundit calls Trump voters stupid. How fresh.<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Kevin D. Williamson, a National Review writer turned failed </span><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Atlantic</i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> pundit, is brilliant. He shoves reality right into the thinking Republican’s gut. Sometimes, it hurts. And sometimes, he beats you with his snobbery, like in his </span></span><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/01/witless-ape-rides-helicopter/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">latest screed</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9c930c3f-7fff-2029-148c-97698932c22a"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He rants (and disappoints):</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You Trumpish Republicans sneered that Joe Biden was too corrupt and too senescent to win a presidential campaign, that he was one part mafioso and one part turnip.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That turnip kicked your dumb asses from Delaware to D.C.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So you rioted. Real smart move, Cletus.</span></p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Williamson wastes hundreds of adjectives calling Trump Republicans “stupid,” as if that’s not something Trump supporters heard day in and day out since the moment Trump descended the golden escalator. Williamson proved he can use a thesaurus, but he used it to lob insults. So that’s … productive. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EQdLgi-b76U/YAnENIoy-UI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/SebVe8ECAbg9qfZyUTAFWUDknnVsZmcQACLcBGAsYHQ/s531/Williamson.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kevin D. Williamson in a dunce hat" border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="491" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EQdLgi-b76U/YAnENIoy-UI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/SebVe8ECAbg9qfZyUTAFWUDknnVsZmcQACLcBGAsYHQ/w370-h400/Williamson.jpg" title="Kevin D. Williamson" width="370" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin D. Williamson is smarter than you. <br />And he wants you to know it.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span><div><span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The vast majority of Trump supporters didn’t r</span><span style="color: #2d2d2d; white-space: pre-wrap;">iot. The vast majority of Trump voters weren’t in DC on Jan. 6. They were working. They were grocery shopping. They were attending Bible studies and youth basketball games. They were helping their kids finish up homework, provided to them over endless Zoom classes. They were matching the socks and folding laundry. And they actively avoided watching the news on Jan. 6, hoping to escape the neverending clown show that is our national discourse. </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They aren’t “Cletus,” though most of them probably don’t spend hours a day navel gazing about etymology like Williamson does. They don’t have time to noodle on the origin of the word “umbrage.” They’re too busy trying to raise their children and eek out a living. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And they are ignored and abused by a political system that offers them nothing. At worst, they’d prefer to be left alone by politicians and policy wonks who started wonking the day they graduated from college and never worked an hourly job in their lives. At best, they’d like policies that spur economic growth -- the kind that leads to upward pressure on wages -- and policies that give their own children a fighting chance for a bright future.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Their kids go to a public school where less than half of the student body tests at grade level in reading and math. At worst, their kids are trapped in those schools AND those schools have been closed for nearly a year because of COVID. One county over -- even one subdivision over-- the wealthier kids are tucked safely in private schools where they’re testing above grade level and learning in-person.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your so-called Cletuses recognize their children will not be able to compete. So they hope beyond hope that good-paying jobs will be available to their kids whether they are taught to read at grade level by 10th grade or not. They used to rely on union jobs and manufacturing. But those jobs are quickly disappearing. American manufacturers are shipping those jobs overseas, thanks in part to Beltway elites and their bloated tax and regulations proposal. In one of his first actions as President, Biden killed the Keystone Pipeline and with it, an estimated 11,000 jobs.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many of the unskilled labor roles that remain in America are outsourced to international laborers through misguided visa programs that allow companies to import people who are willing to work for less, creating downward pressure on all wages. Meanwhile, Biden is opening the floodgates to illegal immigrants who are likely to become a permanent underclass undercutting American workers and wages decades into the future.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are real challenges. Trump failed at solving them (and there are fair arguments that he didn’t really try), but he recognized them and gave voice to them. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Williamson and his over-educated ilk could serve as a lifeline to people who don’t have the time, the educational prowess or the connections to speak for themselves. Instead, Williamson and most of the writers at National Review sneered down their noses at the voiceless. In doing so, they helped usher in the Trump presidency.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2d2d2d; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Cletuses needed a voice. They found Trump. Or rather, Trump found them. And he didn’t do it in a vacuum. The Kevin D. Williamsons of the world would be wise to remember the part they played.</span></p></span></span></div>Danedrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02725978626389519308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-38780355164129431802020-10-05T16:56:00.011-05:002020-10-06T14:14:20.370-05:00Yeah. About that "Republican" the JCRP Just Highlighted<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I really, really don't want to write this right now. With less than a month away from the election, it's important for Republicans to appear united. However, as many long-time listeners know, I draw the line at the people pretending to be Republicans at election time but acting and voting just the opposite once elected.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So here we are. Today, the Johnson County Republican Party has chosen to "highlight" so-called Republican Stacy Obringer-Varhall in its weekly e-newsletter. Varhall is running for Johnson County Commission. You know the commission that is completely beholden to whatever Laura Kelly says? The commission that is hell bent on ensuring your kids never set foot in a school building again? The commission that raises taxes every time the sun shines, and doubles the increase every time rain is in the forecast? That commission. Varhall is running for that board.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Varhall is running against Charlotte O'Hara, who has a long history as a Republican -- and not just in name only. She's a former state legislator with a <i>Republican voting record</i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span>Varhall, you'll recall, is the Blue Valley School Board member who sent her own kid to Florida for in-school learning so he could play football. She simultaneously voted against allowing kids in the Blue Valley district the same opportunity. It's like Nancy Pelosi and her visit to the hair salon -- only the victims in Varhall's let-them-eat-cake moment weren't adult hairdressers. <i>Varhall's victims are children</i>. </span><span>The hypocrisy is blinding. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, Varhall is one of a handful of <a href="http://www.ksgopinsider.com/2016/07/just-some-pta-moms-right.html">Stand Up Blue Valley</a>'s handpicked candidates who remains on the ballot in November. Mercifully, most of their "Republican" candidates were sent packing following Republican primaries in August. Here's a photo of their Zoom meeting bemoaning that their pro-abort candidates lost:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2S_JvHpFwqg/X3uMnZ24J8I/AAAAAAAAB2c/6lRVnj2SeDAkcx9jeXVGO-RaiX3Galt1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1208/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-10-05%2Bat%2B4.13.27%2BPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="1122" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2S_JvHpFwqg/X3uMnZ24J8I/AAAAAAAAB2c/6lRVnj2SeDAkcx9jeXVGO-RaiX3Galt1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-10-05%2Bat%2B4.13.27%2BPM.png" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There's Jan Kessinger, who is prominently featured in ads supporting Barbara Bollier for Senate. And there's John Skubal, a Stand Up Blue Valley "Republican" who was scrubbed from office by reasonable Republican Kellie Warren in the August primaries. Skubal is ALSO listed as a "Republican for Bollier." There's Michael Poppa, whose claim to fame is advocating for special treatment for the LGBTQIAZXWMNUYO community. And finally, there's Kerry Gooch, the former executive director for the Kansas Democrats. These are the people Stand Up Blue Valley chooses to "explain" how Republicans have lost their way. (Hint: <u>They're all actually Democrats</u>.) That's like lining up Kris Kobach, a KFL spokesperson, NRA leadership, and Kelly Arnold to explain how traditional Democrats lost their way.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Johnson County Republican Party, with its recent newsletter, is allowed Stand Up Blue Valley to set its agenda. I feel like I say this way too often, but it must be said: <b><i>That is unacceptable</i></b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Rumor has it the current crop of JCRP leadership says they HAD to highlight Varhall because other JCRP leadership highlighted her opponent, O'Hara, in a previous newsletter. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This baffling decision to cede to the Democrats reflects poorly, not just on the new crop, but also on their biggest supporters. Word on the street is that former Gov. Jeff Colyer specifically asked Fabian Shepard, the current chair, to run for JCRP Chair. And sources tell me that the JCRP leadership asked for permission from Mike Kuckelman -- last seen putting his finger on the scale in Republican primaries and elevating those who figuratively commit fratricide.(Coming soon: About that.) </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It would have been so easy to tell the Mary Birches of the world complaining about Varhall not getting a newsletter-mention something like this: "I will not be held accountable for the actions of others. Further, the county commission race is the only non-partisan race on the November ballot. As a party, we are going to focus on electing Republicans in partisan elections." (Obviously, <a href="http://www.ksgopinsider.com/2012/10/ken-smith-to-challenge-metsker.html">our county elections should be partisan</a>, but for now, they are not. Until then, feel free to use this feckless excuse to avoid doing anything stupid.) </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I am beyond aggrieved by what JCRP did today. They've legitimized a person who will be the very first on the list for "<a href="http://www.ksgopinsider.com/2020/08/thundering-herd-of-rinos-rebrands-again.html">Republican for Whichever Democrat Is Running for High Office</a>" in 2022. Everyone who pays a lick of attention knows this. Stand Up Blue Valley is probably laughing about the assist the JoCo Republicans just gave to Democratic platform right now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">At some point, the actual Republicans in our party have to refuse to lay down to the Democrats, whether they be honest Democrats who label themselves appropriately, or those in our own party who pretend to be Republicans to get elected. I'm not opposed to compromise, but you'll note: the so-called moderates NEVER do the same for conservatives. And Stand Up Blue Valley will NEVER turn the other cheek for Republicans. Never, ever, ever. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We don't have to be mean, but we should at least be savvy. Turning the JCRP newsletter into Stand Up Blue Valley propaganda was a no good, very bad, awful decision. Please don't make me say this a second time: Do better. </span></p>Danedrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02725978626389519308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-69441342511313074132020-09-28T11:41:00.004-05:002020-09-29T11:14:46.861-05:00Dear Karen: You Don't Get the COVID Moral High Ground<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5e604dd5-7fff-be28-9cae-6f4e4b54f887"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are an awful lot of leftists and their media allies attempting to take the moral high ground by demanding more shut downs, continued cancellations, keeping schools closed, shuttering bars and restaurants, and generally increasing the malaise wrought by government response to the virus. Clearly, the moral high ground sits at an elevation where they aren't getting enough oxygen to their brains. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite an early policy that absolutely devastated New York nursing homes and despite the fact that 18 percent of all (questionably counted) COVID deaths in the U.S. have occurred in the Empire State, the media holds New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo up as some kind of sage who throttled the virus with his bare hands. Democrats even gave the guy a victory lap at the Democratic National Convention. In a pre-recorded address, Cuomo told the 5 people who could stand to listen to his self-righteous bloviating that they did things right in New York and Republican-led states failed in response to COVID-19. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It would be laughable if the Cuomo circus wasn't inflicting real damage. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Millions of Americans are out of work, but the Empire State is particularly hard hit. While unemployment nationally hovers around 10 percent, in New York City, the unemployment rate is 20 percent. The statewide unemployment rate sits at over 12 percent. Bars and restaurants in NYC STILL remain closed for indoor dining. Bang up job, Cuomo and clown show De Blasio. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meanwhile here in Kansas, we have a Governor and her "health" expert presenting conman-style charts and graphs to make the case for additional lockdowns and keeping children out of school. For people who supposedly care about The Children™ they have a really funny way of showing it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More people are suicidal? So what. More people are getting fatally ill because they're too afraid to visit a doctor to get that lump checked out? So what. Substance abuse is up? Big deal. More women and children are being daily subjected to domestic violence? If you care about that, you want to kill grandma.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If I think too long about what is occurring in our nursing homes and from keeping kids out of school, I get so angry I can barely breath -- even without a mask covering up my oxygen intake valves.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All public policy is a balancing act. Say your local government wants to raise the speed limit on a local road. Studies suggest the danger of car accidents increases along with speed. So policymakers must decide whether the value of the extra time gained by people traveling along the road is worth the increased risk. Any policy you can think of -- no matter how mundane-- is a balancing act. Every.last.one.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Except, somehow, in the case of COVID-19 policy. For our Governor, the number of cases is the only thing that matters. (Set aside for a minute the stories about whether those who are asymptomatic or those who receive a positive diagnosis after 40 PCR cycles are even capable of spreading COVID. Also, set aside the ever-moving goal posts. We're on month six of two weeks to "flatten the curve.") </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EEjOq8h4sI0/X3IR7wv6UyI/AAAAAAAAB14/6vYQ0L3IbV4CTLtJ42M0w7fioeeMNXLcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s420/8937ed1729da7991a5dc9694a55fa644.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EEjOq8h4sI0/X3IR7wv6UyI/AAAAAAAAB14/6vYQ0L3IbV4CTLtJ42M0w7fioeeMNXLcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/8937ed1729da7991a5dc9694a55fa644.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make no mistake: Children are suffering due to draconian lockdown measures and repeated cancellations. Actual researchers -- not the bureaucrats who masquerade as Scientists™ on TV-- are reporting severe trouble in children subjected to long-term lockdown. They are finding gadget addiction, mental health problems, and behavioral issues. That doesn’t even begin to account for the educational delays of students who aren’t in schools. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This story in the </span><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/10/05/the-students-left-behind-by-remote-learning" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New Yorker</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, about a bright, but poor kid in Baltimore is infuriating. It details the challenges inherent in trying to educate underprivileged kids like Shemar in a virtual environment. Spoiler alert: It's not going well.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Kids like Shermar might have a chance when in person at school, because they come into contact with caring adults and have meaningful interactions with people who can give them a tiny boost. Right now, however, the Shemars of the world are sitting in dark rooms alone, not getting much of an education. Meanwhile, little suburban kids have parents and grandparents shuttling them to soccer practice and daycares (that never closed, by the way) and ensuring that they are doing whatever worksheet passes for an education these days. Shemar is falling further behind and may never recover, but at least the Karens raising those little suburban kids get to feel morally superior about their masks and “saving grandma.” </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They disgust me.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The kids are not alright.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Things aren’t that much better for adults. In fact, they may be worse because adults are not as resilient as children. Suicides and drug overdoses are just the tip of the iceberg. In one Chicago suburb, </span><a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/ct-nvs-drug-overdose-deaths-up-in-2020-st-0823-20200821-o7lrsnsp4zcxvpnrhg4so6lpmm-story.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">overdose deaths</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> spiked by 50 percent. Oh well, at least grandma is safe in isolation, say the monsters responsible for draconian lockdowns. Unfortunately, that’s not true either.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/justin_hart/status/1310705415030628352">https://twitter.com/justin_hart/status/1310705415030628352</a></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Granny is slightly safer in a nursing home outside of New York state, but she’s not doing well in the remaining 49 states. If she has dementia or Alzheimer’s, the lockdowns increased the likelihood of her untimely death. Back in June, the Center for Disease Control reported 15,000 more deaths than usual for age-related brain diseases. Humans are social creatures. Isolation is not just deadly; it’s cruel.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The average stay in a nursing home prior to death is a little more than a year. In that final year of life, nursing home residents deserve to benefit from the care and love of their families. I can’t speak for everyone, but I definitely speak for myself when I say given a choice between a few months shaved off of my life because of something like COVID or a bit more time in complete isolation, I choose actual living versus mere existence. Many people may choose differently, but they should have the choice. But that’s not what’s happening with COVID. A lunatic like Cuomo can isolate and quarantine nursing homes without any say from the people who live or work there. And he can do so while ordering those sickened with COVID to remain in the nursing homes, creating the precise conditions in which the virus thrives.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can find approximately 95,000 stories about young, seemingly healthy individuals who were severely ill and/or died with COVID, and almost nothing about the</span><a href="https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/they-are-literally-dying-alone-families-fight-for-nursing-home-visitation/85-1a39516d-3873-4e70-948f-60eec58bf872" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> toll isolation is taking on nursing home residents</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I can find a handful of stories about children suffering due to forced social isolation and lack of educational resources, but approximately eight billion stories a day about the number of COVID cases. (It’s funny how we hear so much about cases and statistical outlier deaths, but very little about the actual death rate. It’s dropping like a rock.)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The lopsided nature of this reporting isn’t because social isolation isn’t damaging nursing home residents or children. It’s because political allegiances now demand that half of society, and in particular the cultural elites and news media, avert their eyes to the horrors COVID policy has wrought.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I won’t even go into the demoralizing cruelty and insensitivity of not allowing people to visit their loved ones in hospitals or have funerals, because COVID. Apparently, you’re only safe from the clutches of the not-so-deadly virus in large groups if you’re throwing bricks into buildings, setting structures on fire, or looting private businesses.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Karens of the world do not hold the moral high ground in this COVID insanity. They’re welcome to continue averting their eyes, but the rest of us shouldn’t. It's time our COVID policies take more into consideration than just case counts.</span></p></span></span><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div>Danedrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02725978626389519308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-56290243636383462932020-08-24T14:57:00.001-05:002020-08-24T14:57:49.260-05:00Thundering Herd of RINOs Rebrands Again<div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Kansas's most famous thundering herd of RINOs is riding again, and their song and dance is starting to get a bit stale. Like the second verse of the lyrical masterpiece, "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall," the thundering herd is wearing out its welcome with its 98th reiteration of so-called Kansas Republicans for a Democrat™.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xuoOFZwd268/X0QPoXKHb8I/AAAAAAAABwI/VH3kfJP_Xmw4pDn0MW9mZp4kPvpudrXvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1344/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-08-24%2Bat%2B2.05.37%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="1232" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xuoOFZwd268/X0QPoXKHb8I/AAAAAAAABwI/VH3kfJP_Xmw4pDn0MW9mZp4kPvpudrXvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-08-24%2Bat%2B2.05.37%2BPM.png" /></a></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Today, Barbara Bollier announced endorsements from 75 "Republican" lawmakers and leaders. This most recent group of thundering RINOs isn't to be confused with the 27 Republican leaders who signed on to back Laura Kelly for Governor in 2014 or the Save Kansas Coalition of Republicans who formed to bloviate against Gov. Brownback in 2014, or the 46 Republicans who created <a href="https://gardnernews.com/traditional-republicans-for-common-sense-launches/" target="_blank">Traditional Republicans for Common Sense in 2012</a> to <strike>advocate for</strike> <strike>"job creation and funding schools"</strike> be a thorn in the side of elected Republicans, or the <a href="https://www.governing.com/news/headlines/mct-kansas-election.html" target="_blank">100 Republicans </a>who signed on to back Paul Davis for Governor in 2014, or... you get the point. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">What attribute do nearly all of these named "leaders" share? Almost to a man (and woman) they are political has-beens and electoral losers, bitter that voters rejected their tired ideas in a primary election.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BXqqIfNVphw/X0QZOoHYASI/AAAAAAAABwk/KmpQdvU20H87qtYRuDHmfOZPe74HsMukgCLcBGAsYHQ/s666/Dems.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="666" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BXqqIfNVphw/X0QZOoHYASI/AAAAAAAABwk/KmpQdvU20H87qtYRuDHmfOZPe74HsMukgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Dems.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">To Bollier's credit, at least she finally signed on to the party who shares her values of hostility to religion, gun confiscation, infanticide, and allowing men to compete against women in boxing. The same can't be said of the likes of </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Rochelle Chronister, Fred Kerr, Tim Owens, Lana Oleen, Sandy Praeger, Gary Sherrer, Steve Morris, and Jim Yonally who apparently retain their Republican credentials simply so they can sign on to some new "Republicans for Liberal Cause or Candidate" group every two years and maybe get their names in the paper once again. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">And their numbers grow when sitting officeholders lose Republican primaries. (Looking at you, Jan, John, Mary Jo, Tim, etc. You know who you are.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">It borders on embarrassing. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">(As someone who knows a thing or two about rejection, let me just offer this advice to the losers: Being graceful isn't easy. It isn't pleasant but you get to keep your dignity and your principles. It's worth so much more than having your name mentioned in a single news cycle.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">If you don't support any Republican policies and you don't support any Republican candidates (other than yourself when you dishonestly place yourself on the ballot as such), should you call yourself a "Republican?" Asking for a friend.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">For what it's worth, this sham has gone national. See rainbow-belted John Kasich. See Jeff Flake. See the shameful number of so-called Republicans holding on to relevance with a death grip by publicly endorsing Joe Biden for President. Here's a tip: It is possible to not really like the Republican at the top of the ticket and just keep your mouth shut instead of pimping for the other guy. I've done it so many times I feel like I deserve the Best Political Filter Award</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">™</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"> pretty much every two years. (Man, if that award came with a cash prize... hello, beach house and private yacht.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Unfortunately, the national Republicans are only exacerbating the problem this year by deciding not to have a platform. Instead, our party has opted for "Whatever Trump Thinks." This is a terrible, terrible idea. Elected officials should know the platform and fear wandering off the reservation. If we're to be the party of principles rather than a cult of personality, we need a platform. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Danedrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02725978626389519308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-41507882465190888812019-07-24T09:30:00.001-05:002019-07-24T09:30:46.284-05:00What Team Red Can Learn from Team Blue<span style="font-size: large;">You know what Dems do better than Republicans? I mean, besides controlling the media and higher education, indoctrinating children in primary schools and being woke? Their party faithful (censored: the less-than-nice names I'd like to add here) pony up $10-$25 individually to help fund their political candidates.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Go look through just about any Democratic candidate's campaign finance filing. You'll find line after line after line of individuals who kicked in small amounts. Obviously, those small dollar donors can add up to a large bucket of money, but as importantly, it gives a psychological edge to the candidate. And the candidate gets a decent news cycle out of it, saying no matter the small amount of dollars on the bottom line, that they have broad support of "the People." </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It takes money to win a campaign, and I would argue for Republicans, it takes more money. Team Red doesn't control the media, and with the exception of President Trump, we don't drive the narrative either. We need cash to push out our message, because we can't count on the Democrats (or our questionable social media skills -- no offense, friends) to get our message to the masses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So if you have a favorite Republican candidate, or even a least favorite Democrat, reach deep into your wallet, forego a cup of coffee and send a check to your favorite Republican or the opponent of your least favorite Dem. You're helping more than you know.</span><br />
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<br />Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-43114912835119394112019-06-26T15:59:00.001-05:002019-06-27T15:55:20.850-05:00Jerry Moran Uses the 'G' Word, Signaling Run for Governor<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sen. Jerry Moran came roaring back to the Sunflower State this weekend quasi-inferring he plans to make a run for the state's top job in 2022. He told grassroots Republicans at the annual Olathe Republican Party picnic June 22 that we can't take Kansas for granted after the Kansas Supreme Court invented a right to abortion in the Kansas Constitution.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">...We don't have to go far from home to see why who is Governor and who is deciding about judges is important," Moran said. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The state's junior Senator, Moran, headed the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2012, and he credited his leadership at the NRSC with helping win back the Senate Majority in 2014. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I personally think they have some blood on their hands for the way the NRSC propped up Thad Cochrane, Weekend-at-Bernie's style, to keep Chris McDaniel out of the U.S. Senate.* </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Monan's defense, the good guys did take back 9 seats during his NRSC tenure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"We now need to focus not only on Washington," Moran told Olathe picnickers on Saturday. "We can't take Kansas for granted. I'm fully committed to working with folks across Kansas who want a different result in 2020 and 2022."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Moran has an uncanny ability to just disappear when the going gets tough only to suddenly reappear someplace else, like Wallace County shaking hands and kissing babies. He sometimes uses his cape of invisibility to conservative advantage. Back in 2003 as a young(er) Congressman, Republican U.S. House leadership tried to strong arm Moran into voting in favor of an expensive, bloated Medicare prescription bill backed by then President George W. Leadership locked down the House in the middle of the night and placed doormen at the exits, preventing "no" votes from leaving the House floor. Moran somehow escaped. It passed the House, without his vote, in the wee hours of the following morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">His vanishing act was in full force during the 2018 election in Kansas. He refused to endorse, even in the general election. He ALWAYS refuses to publicly endorse, though he'll toss indirect support. Like a magical, invisible cash fairy, Moran sprinkled six figures into various Republican-leaning Kansas PACs in the lead up to the 2018 election.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My guess is he's about reappear and commandeer the Kansas Republican train to ensure Gov. Laura Kelly is a one-termer. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I mention all this now for two reasons: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Every breathing Republican within approximately 1,200 miles of Topeka is eyeballing the U.S. Senate seat Pat Roberts is about to vacate. For the record, Washington is about 1,200 miles from Top City. (Ahem. Matt Schlapp. Ahem. Mike Pompeo. Ahem. All the Barca</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">loungers in Kansas are occupied.)* If Moran decides not to run for a third Senate term, it could relieve some pressure on what is shaping up to be a crowded Republican Senate race in 2020. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. Moran would likely clear the Republican field in a 2022 gubernatorial race. I'd gladly board that train.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">*Self censored. (I am going to start using asterisks when I stop myself from saying out loud stuff I shouldn't. You're welcome. It makes me feel better. And when I get up to 25 asterisks, I'm going to reward myself. You, too, can feel free to buy me a cookie -- or something low carb, like an avocado -- as a reward the next time you see me.)</span></div>
Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-4988281214592844092019-03-04T17:00:00.001-06:002019-03-05T09:26:42.916-06:00The Page 6 Version of Events and Unsolicited Advice<span style="font-size: large;">Last week, some high-ranking House officials and a Medicaid expansion lobbyist stopped for dinner and drinks at White Linen, a hipster restaurant where people with deep pockets and ambitions can snack on cheese and meat charcuterie for $22. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The new restaurant <b>probably</b> should've posted a few rules about over-imbibing <i>prior</i> to allowing some of Kansas's high-ranking Republican House leaders in the door. And the elected officials (and lobbyist friend) should have behaved appropriately in public.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But they didn't.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rest assured, the restaurant's oversight has now been corrected. And here's why:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">These House members proceeded to drink way too much and act like fraternity members bellying up to a house party rather than respected government officials. The restaurant manager asked them to leave several times, until finally, a House committee chair (who for now, shall remain unnamed,) apologized and offered the entire restaurant an awkwardly worded a toast.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fast forward to mere moments after their loud and embarrassing departure. The chefs and owners of the restaurant posted this on their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thewhitelinen/">Facebook page</a>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that we need to be more explicit about our alcohol policies at The White Linen. We want to ensure our guests, who are on their best behaviors, that we will enforce Kansas alcohol laws that require us to refuse to overserve individuals who are visibly intoxicated/incapacitated, and therefore, may not be on their best behaviors. We work diligently to make sure we uphold Kansas laws and that our guests have a great experience in the meantime. We hope our past, current, and future customers can understand our intentions to keep the restaurant a safe and inviting environment and will dine with us with our policies in mind."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Slick burn. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The people involved were long-serving and powerful state lawmakers. They put White Linen owners (and servers) in an incredibly awkward position, in which they were asked to break Kansas law on behalf of Kansas lawmakers. At worst, it reeks of subtle corruption. At best, it's unbecoming.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's my unsolicited advice: Stop treating the Legislature like a college party. When you gavel out for the night or the weekend, get in your car and go home, especially if you have a family and live less than an hour from the Capitol. To paraphrase the great Ted Mosby, nothing good happens after hours. The decisions you make after hours are the wrong ones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I say this as someone who lives in fear of lawmakers getting conned into something stupid--like Medicaid expansion--because they didn't have the ability to behave themselves in the presence of an expansion lobbyist at The White Linen. Be better.</span>Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-689227381873597072019-02-28T17:42:00.000-06:002019-02-28T17:42:09.062-06:00The Third District Horse Race<span style="font-size: large;">I have so much information sitting like a vat of soup in my gut, and I want to regurgitate it to the pages of the internet with chunky abandon. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, I can't divulge everything I know. (For first time listeners, here's a brief list of reasons why. 1. I worked for Kobach and am loyal to him. 2. I now work for the Sentinel, which means I have to write about a lot of these people, and I'd like people to return my phone calls. 3. I'm no longer anonymous. *Shakes fist at Dems who outed me*).</span><div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The good news is, I have a few nuggets I can puke up here. Let's talk Third District, shall we? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Congresswoman Sharice Davids (stomach heaving) has all the looks of a one termer. Traditionally, Congress people are most likely to lose their first re-election. Things typically get easier after that. And she's a blank slate who really isn't very representative of the district. Lots of politicos (and newcomers) are giving this seat an eyeball, knowing a race against Davids will be challenging but not impossible. (I really, really miss Yoder, but he gone. He's ditched politics for the big bucks. He's a K Street consultant, which is polite-speak for D.C. lobbyist now. I'm glad he found a comfortable spot to land, but I sure wish he was still representing the Third District in Congress.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyone who listens to her talk for approximately 5 minutes recognizes she's a boat without an oar. She's traveling left, listening to Nancy Pelosi without any real positions. Check out her interview with KCPT's Mike Shanin below. She doesn't answer a single question.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Local politicos believe that it's going to take a set of ovaries to defeat Davids in 2020. Word on the street is that at least two are swinging hats towards the ring. Amanda Adkins is a former chair of the Kansas GOP. She's a VP (or something important) at Cerner. Prior to that gig, she was closely tied to former Gov. Sam Brownback, which might be the kiss of political death in Kansas. Cerner executives typically throw lots of cash at their favorite candidates, and as an Important Person there, the thought is that Adkins would be flush with dollars immediately. However, I'm told today that Cerner feels burned after the last election and won't be quite as generous to candidates this cycle. So, we'll see whether that theory holds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile, newcomer Sara Hart Weir is said to be mulling a run. She got a rock star introduction, speaking at the Kansans for Life Valentine's Day Dinner. She's from Olathe and the President and CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society and as such, I hear she knows all the movers & shakers in Washington. (So... the swamp creatures? Time will tell.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've also heard rumors of ovary-impaired folks eyeballing the Third District Congressional seat. Those names include Speaker of the Kansas House Ron Ryckman, former Gov. Jeff Colyer and former insurance commissioner Ken Selzer. Ryckman isn't exactly term limited, but there's a tradition that says his speakership turns into a pumpkin at the end of this term. He's likely looking for a nice landing spot in Kansas politics. I think Colyer's name is likely being tossed around because everyone thinks he's also looking for a landing spot. I don't know how serious those rumors are. I think the Selzer rumors are also just folks talking out of school.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Long term callers know I am reluctant to pick a horse this early in the race. That said, I'd hitch my wagon to any of those horses in the general without batting an eyelash.</span></div>
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Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-7829269953705988742018-04-30T11:37:00.002-05:002020-08-24T13:34:13.931-05:00Congressional Candidate Watkins Prepares for Matrimony with Planned Parenthood Award Winner<span style="font-size: large;">I have good news and bad news for fans of Second Congressional District candidate Steve Watkins. The West Point grad and former Airborne Ranger is getting <a href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:3X84RM0hwGwJ:https://www.theknot.com/us/fong-liu-and-steve-watkins-may-2018/photos+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us">married on May 12th</a>. (Though a website at The Knot devoted to the couple has since been scrubbed, Google handily caches that stuff.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Normally, I'd simply say, congratulations, and it's about time. Matrimony is awesome! However, there's something voters should know about Watkins' bride. It's something I would want to know as I considered the (overwhelming) number of Republican candidates for Congress in the Second District.</span><br />
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<a href="https://findadoc.bidmc.org/details/2109/fong-liu-gynecologic_oncology-boston-haverhill" style="font-size: x-large;">Fong Liu</a><span style="font-size: large;">, Watkins' intended, is a Planned Parenthood award winner. Liu is an OB-GYN. When she was in medical school, she served on the board of Planned Parenthood Alabama, and won the </span><a href="http://prolifeaction.org/wp-content/uploads/docs/pp/PPAnnualReport2003-2004.pdf" style="font-size: x-large;">2004 Young Volunteer of the Year Award </a><span style="font-size: large;"> (page 21) </span><span style="font-size: large;">from the organization.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">She earned the honor by being a "patient escort, lobbyist, educator and past president of her local chapter of Medical Students for Choice."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For me, this disqualifies Watkins as a viable Republican candidate for U.S. Congress. It's not uncommon for a candidate to have a spouse with differing political views, but this isn't a soft-sort of difference of opinion about something like tax policy. This shows a dramatic moral departure from what most Kansas Republicans demand from their Congressional candidates.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Looking the other way is unconscionable. Giving a Congressional platform that will allow a rabid abortion supporter access to lobby on behalf of Planned Parenthood is intolerable for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Liu is an obstetrician and gynecologist who has lobbied on behalf of Planned Parenthood, an organization that sells baby body parts. This is a woman who walked pregnant women in to meet their babies' executioners.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I can't find anywhere online in which Liu denounces her prior support or reveals a change of heart. If I were a voter in the Second Congressional District, I would need to see an <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/01/11/577104446/the-anti-abortion-group-thats-urging-clinic-workers-to-quit-their-jobs">Abby Johnson-sized</a> turn in order to support Watkins' candidacy. I just can't stomach the potential damage of having her rubbing elbows with policy makers if her deepest political principle is ensuring abortion on demand and using taxpayer money to do it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I don't live in Kansas' Second District, but I am happy to report there are a number of great candidates in that race. Pro-life voters have several choices so they can cast a vote that doesn't mar their conscience in any way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I sincerely wish Watkins and Liu the happiest of marriages when they enter matrimony May 12, but if Watkins has an ounce of pro-life principle in his body, he will abort his campaign rather than provide his wife an opportunity to advance her favorite cause of abortion through his candidacy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Side note: Folks should probably take a look at donors to Watkins' PAC and his campaign. I hear there are some politically savvy folks behind him, and this makes me wonder if they knew this and found it acceptable. </span>Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-63585845980849426812018-03-23T15:47:00.000-05:002018-03-27T17:31:46.550-05:00Guy Who May Not Actually Know Any Republicans Attempts to Handicap GOP Race<span style="font-size: large;">Serious question: Have Steve Kraske or his affable side kick from Lawrence ever met an actual Republican voter?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My guess, based on a <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/steve-kraske/article206245979.html">recent column</a>, is no. I want to preface everything I'm about to say with this: Contrary to what you may have heard, I don't have a horse in the Kansas Governor's race. I really like the GOP candidates, and I have grave concerns about each of them. (And if you're all lucky, maybe I'll regale you with Deep Thoughts on the topic in the future.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the meantime, Kraske's most recent effort at handicapping the race is just laughable. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Kraske theorizes, accurately, that Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach was likely the man to beat in the GOP primary for Governor. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Suddenly, though, January morphed into March, and Kobach is looking nothing like King Kong," Kraske breathlessly tells readers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Everyone with two functioning brain cells knew the race would tighten when Colyer became Governor, based on the advantages of incumbency. When some of the candidates dropped out of the crowded race, the field was bound to narrow further. That one is based on math.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kraske quotes an old poll conducted on Feb. 13 and 14 that found Gov. Jeff Colyer with a lead within the margin of error of 23 percent to Kobach's 21 percent. The poll included other candidates like Wink Hartman and Mark Hutton who have dropped out. And it was taken at the height of positive coverage for Colyer. He had just taken the Governor's office less than two weeks earlier. Since then, Hartman, who polled at 5 percent, has become Kobach's running mate. Does Kobach pick up that 5 percent? It's tough to say, but my gut says probably. A more recent poll suggests that too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kraske's other exhibits for his thesis is Kobach's last campaign finance report. Kobach was lighter on funds than other candidates. Here again, that's yesterday's news. Kobach just named one of the state's wealthiest people as his running mate. Hartman was willing to ply his own campaign with $1.6 million of his own money. Will he drop a cool million into a joint ticket? Who knows? It's a plot twist that shouldn't be overlooked by Kraske and his faithful professorial sidekick. The money game is different today than it was back in January.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kraske's final point is that Kobach's recent trial versus the ACLU went poorly, and here is where it starts to become obvious that the columnist is just penciling a tome of wistful thinking: No one except a handful of journalists and the "resistance" paid any attention to that trial. (Full disclosure: One of the attorneys involved once represented me in a legal matter.) Most members of the "resistance" aren't voting in the Republican primary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Republican voters weren't following along that trial trying to choose a gubernatorial horse in the race. Republican voters aren't breathlessly awaiting a verdict. They paid about as much attention to the media coverage of that trial as I pay to American Idol. (Is that show still even a thing?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">No matter how that particular event shakes out, it will be a tree falling in the forest with no one around to hear it save for Bryan Lowry. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why do I have this picture of a young Lowry? I don't know. Someone sent it to me a few years ago. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The idea that a stampede of Republican voters is going to base their votes on it is ridiculous. It is, however, likely to be mentioned in every story about Kobach until the end of time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Star columnist glosses over a recent poll, released by the Kobach campaign so grain of salt etc., that found 31 percent of likely voters choose Kobach to 18 percent for Colyer. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Its margin of error is 4.4 percent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That poll was conducted between March 15 and 17. It's a lot fresher than the poll on which Kraske hangs his hat. It </span><span style="font-size: large;">suggests that 36 percent of those polled are still undecided in the race. Those are the likely targets of Kraske's pitch, but m</span><span style="font-size: large;">ost Republican voters--especially those who vote in midterm primary elections--don't pick up the Star all that often. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bottom line: It's a little early to make sweeping generalizations about the state of the GOP race, especially if you're someone who doesn't know any actual Republican voters.</span>Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-81224653633109907512018-03-15T16:11:00.002-05:002018-03-15T16:14:06.831-05:00In Which Gidget Plays Fun Killer<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lawmakers are invited to Skinny's tonight for an annual drunken karaoke event. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, it's the middle of the session. Yes, half of them have families at home who they've barely seen, and no, they still haven't decided what they'll do about school finance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But they're headed to Skinny's in Topeka tonight to drink and make merry with lobbyists who organize the debauchery. The event begins at 9 p.m., but the real fun starts much later when liquid courage draws them to the microphone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It sounds fun, but the optics are awful.</span>Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-68894695852768099242018-03-01T15:59:00.000-06:002018-03-01T16:04:08.355-06:00Swamp Meddling in KS with a Side of 2nd District Polling<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The swamp is stepping into the Kansas Democratic race for Governor. Normally, I oppose Washington, D.C. jumping into the Sunflower State and pretending to understand anything about our Home on the Range. But if the swamp people want to mess up the Democratic primary, my feelings won't be hurt at all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The former western regional candidate services director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Jordy Ziegler, just announced she'll join Sen. Laura Kelly's campaign as campaign manager.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It sure looks like the Swamp is choosing the Kansas Democratic nominee before Democratic voters have a chance to cast a ballot. That should make other Democratic candidates fiery mad. The only one who seems to be firing back so far is Rep. Jim Ward. He's launched an all out assault on Kelly's voting record on gun control. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dems probably shouldn't be all that surprised by the national party's actions. See <a href="http://www.insideksgop.com/2014/09/evil-clowns-advance-bid-to.html">Chad Taylor</a> and how the Dems disenfranchised all of their own voters in favor of an "independent" candidate in the race against Sen. Pat Roberts circa 2014. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Swamp Dems should be careful. Their more recent efforts at selecting a party nominee over the objections of the actual voters yielded the Hillary campaign, and we all know how that ended: With liberals in genital hats crying and screaming at the sky. Great for comedic relief, not so great if winning is the goal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Speaking of swamp meddling, o</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">ne Republican candidate for Kansas 2nd Congressional seat visited Washington, D.C. last week. I don't have any insider information on why that might be, but if I had to guess, I'd say the Swamp is likely very interested in the Kansas Republican primary in the second district. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Washington pundits are calling the race to replace Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins one to watch, and the Democrats have a strong-ish candidate amassing a war chest. That would be failed gubernatorial candidate Paul Davis. He lost to now-Ambassador Sam Brownback, but he managed a moral victory, narrowly winning the second. At last report, he'd raised $700,000 compared to a bevy or Republicans who collectively earned less. And that's money those candidates will need to fend off one another long before the general election. It's a problem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So... perhaps the NRCC is auditioning candidates, hoping to back a horse in that race. For what it's worth, the NRCC is gross. They should stick to backing incumbents and let Kansans choose its own Republican horse. I think that's generally their task, but Democrats need to pick up a mere 24 seats to turn over control of the House to Nancy Pelosi, and with so many House Republicans choosing not to seek re-election, the GOP will be playing a lot of defense in 2018. (Also, every once in awhile, the general electorate really mucks things up. See the Roy Moore campaign. I don't know how regular voters goofed so epically on that one, but they boffed it badly, and now there's a Democrat representing ALABAMA in the U.S. Senate. Alabama!!!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So... one Republican candidate was in D.C. last week. Make of that what you will. For all I know, the candidate was visiting an old friend or polishing shoes at Metro Station to raise campaign bucks. That may be more lucrative than fundraising in Kansas right now since the gubernatorial race seems to be sucking up all the oxygen right now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But while we're on the topic, I should mention that I've heard rumor of poll results in the 2nd. According to my super insider-y and somewhat gossip-y sources, a poll of 529 registered Republicans in the district gives a lead to Tyler Tannahill.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tannahill is a political newcomer, which in all honestly, makes me incredibly nervous. (See Donald Trump's ridiculous comments on gun control. People who've spent time in the political trenches don't say stupid stuff like, "take the guns first and worry about due process later." They don't say those things, because they've carefully considered the issues and policies. Trump uses instinct, which might work great in the animal kingdom, but here in the human arena, we've been gifted with the ability to use logic and reason coupled with careful thought and study.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Despite being a newcomer, Tannahill made a splash early by holding a campaign raffle for an AR-15. He launched the raffle a day before the shooting at a Florida school, and when the liberals discovered the raffle for an "assault" rifle, they went remarkably rabid, upping Tannahill's name recognition in an instant. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Impressively, he didn't back down. So that's good. Perhaps he relies on reason and careful thought rather than "instinct."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The national media attention may be responsible for the mid-February poll indicating Tannahill would receive 14 percent of the vote in a primary election were it held that day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">State Sen. Caryn Tyson garnered 7.8 percent, followed by Sen. Steve Fitzgerald at 6.2 percent, and Rep. Kevin Jones at 3.2 percent. The remaining candidates didn't break 1 percent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The real takeaway from the poll is that 67 percent of voters in the 2nd remain undecided. Something needs to happen there to narrow the field, but so far, I don't see much reason for anyone to budge. No one has raised obscene amounts of money, and the polls aren't showing a big enough spread to encourage anyone to bow out. The very good news is voters in the 2nd have a lot of really good choices. Hopefully, they'll choose wisely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-44336590597236606402018-02-20T12:00:00.000-06:002018-02-21T15:32:50.240-06:00A Pair of Brewing Bromances in Kansas Governor's Race?<span style="font-size: large;">Heading into the Kansas Republican gubernatorial debate, I was worried the candidates were going to take off the gloves and start slapping one another in the face. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Instead, the audience was treated to a pair of brewing bromances.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Word on the street is a few of these candidates might be swiping right and creating teams.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's what I've heard: Wink Hartman is set to suspend his campaign, maybe as early as this week, but he may not be out of politics all together once he does.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile, Kobach is going to be looking for a number two to share his ticket. The unicorn, Republican lieutenant governor partner is a woman from the Big First Congressional District with elected experience, ag street cred, and a (conservative) voting record. That person is a myth, so Governor candidates will have to settle for someone who ticks only a few of those boxes (or at least someone who can fake it in cowboy boots and a snazzy belt buckle.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hartman doesn't have many of the unicorn requirements, but he has the one characteristic key to Kobach's heart: Hartman shares Kobach's values, judging from the Saturday's debate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As an added benefit to such a ticket, Hartman solves concerns some voters might have about Kobach. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Several insiders worry that the Secretary of State is more of a legislator than an executive. Hartman has spent his life as an executive. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Hartman's biggest challenge is that he doesn't have the ability to wow a room, a quality Kobach has in spades. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Kobach doesn't seem to enjoy fundraising all that much, and Hartman has a giant wallet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">They complement one another well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps most importantly, I suspect a lot of hard Kobach supporters would choose Hartman as their second choice, and a lot of Hartman supporters would say Kobach is their second choice. Few of the supporters of either campaign are likely to walk away if they join forces.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If the rumors are true, expect Kobach to make an LG announcement a few weeks from now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm also hearing rumors that Mark Hutton and Ken Selzer may be eyeing a partnership. I am not hearing as many specifics, so this one doesn't ring quite as true, BUT those two gave each other lots of positive nods during Saturday night's debate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If that duo decides to team up, Selzer belongs at the top of the ticket. He has executive experience, and a statewide victory in a crowded Republican primary.</span>Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-20375070248092809752018-02-13T11:36:00.000-06:002018-02-13T12:29:49.594-06:00Musical Chairs -- Topeka (And D.C. Style??)<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Big announcement coming tonight--Gov. Jeff Colyer will name his number two. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But a handful of names being tossed around could lead to one of my favorite games: Musical chairs. I don't have any special insider-y knowledge, but I'll share what I'm hearing about where the music might stop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Sen. Rick Billinger -- He's a farmer from the Big First, so almost a unicorn as everyone is looking for an LG who has ties to the Big First. Most would prefer a female, but short of some surgeries and hormone therapies, there aren't too many of those available with the right credentials.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He's from Goodland, where he served on the county commission for a few decades. He served two terms in the Kansas House and is in his first term in the state Senate. To be fair, I've also said he's a Hutton supporter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If he gets the nod, folks in the 40th Senate District will name his replacement before the end of this session, marking the second statehouse change due to Colyer's ascendency. (The first is Larry Campbell. Campbell was named state budget director and will be replaced by precinct folks in Olathe soon.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. Jim McNeice -- He's a member of the Kansas State Board of Education. He checks virtually none of the unicorn boxes. He's male, virtually unknown, and from Wichita. He is a former teacher and principal, so there may be some school lobby excitement at his candidacy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have no idea how state school board members are replaced. If it's anything similar to how local school board members are replaced, the board itself chooses the replacement. In my experience, most boards are really, really bad at this, and I have little hope the state board is any different in that regard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. Secretary of Ag Jackie McClaskey--she ticks all the right boxes. Ag background, ovaries, first district, but rumor has it she wasn't interested in the position. Still, Hawver says she's getting the nod. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If she does, it will be interesting to see who replaces her as the head of Ag. There are a lot of farmer types in the statehouse. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">4. Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins -- This makes ABSOLUTELY no sense to me at all. BUT, her name has come up a few times now. She would've had a clean shot at the Governorship, but she chose not to run. However, LG is a part-time gig, and her resignation from Congress would spark a special election in the 2nd. There are a few reasons some Establishment-types might see that as beneficial. A Republican incumbent would have an easier shot at retaining the seat come November, and precinct people in the 2nd--NOT the primary electorate--would choose the Republican candidate for a special election. That person would then be the frontrunner in the August primary. I *do* think Establishment-types are leery of the choices right now. There are a bunch of candidates in the Republican race, and to date, none have raised nearly the amount of cash Paul Davis has. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Any of the above would spark a fun game of musical chairs, because replacement candidates for the jobs they're all in likely come from the Kansas Legislature, sparking additional openings. This could be fun!</span>Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-81213345438251896602018-02-01T15:31:00.002-06:002018-02-01T15:31:45.232-06:00One Legislator To Depart for Colyer Appointment<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Get ready. One lawmaker is set to be named state budget director tomorrow. I don't have permission to name the person, but it means a JoCo district may be getting a new legislator soon.</span>Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-37512212495139064852018-01-28T10:59:00.002-06:002018-01-28T10:59:30.771-06:00How Conservatives Should Respond to Media Requests from Now On<span style="font-size: large;">Conservatives are, in general, awful at dealing with the media. They seem to think telling the truth will be enough to cut through an undeniable and unreasonable bias. It never is, despite their best efforts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, we've now seen the ideal way to respond to media requests, courtesy of David Kensinger. Kensinger, as insiders know, is a former adviser to Gov. Sam Brownback. He's now a lobbyist.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And he trolled the media so hard that I can't stop laughing about it. Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley filed a police report alleging that Kensinger threatened him by pointing a finger gun in his direction and mouthing the word, "Boom."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When the Kansas City Star sent Kensinger an email inquiring about allegedly threatening a lawmaker, Kensinger responded with the word, "Seriously?" and a picture of David Hasselhoff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is how conservatives should respond when asked something ridiculous--with a picture of the Hoff. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I only wish I'd thought of it first.</span><br />
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<br />Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-84150031446834282652018-01-26T17:42:00.000-06:002018-01-26T17:42:04.064-06:00Spinning the Wheel of Potential Lt. Gov Candidates<span style="font-size: large;">So... this is a super quick gossip drop. I'd like to write more, but I don't have the time to get too in-depth. So, I'm going to regurgitate some 4-1-1 and simply say, Talk amongst yourselves!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In addition to the 9 gazillion candidates for governor, come June 1, assuming everyone is still in the race, there will also be 9 gazillion running mates. This could be fun!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">First, let's talk ideal qualities in a running mate in the Republican primary. The unicorn is a female with legislative experience with strong ties to the Big First. This person doesn't really exist. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Word on the street is that approximately 1.5 million of the current Republican candidates have sent word to Ashley McMillian, the Vice Chair of the KS Republican Party. She doesn't have legislative experience, but she knows everyone, she's from the Big First, and she has Republican street cred. (Rules for obtaining Republican street cred: Never listens to rap music. Likes children. Blocks Gidget on Facebook. Knows all the cool kids, etc. etc.) </span><span style="font-size: large;">Rumor has it, she's told everyone she's not interested, so everyone is forced to look elsewhere. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Other popular potential LG candidates, according to the rumor mill, include Sen. Molly Baumgardner and former state Sen. Garrett Love. Baumgardner's district covers parts of the Third and Second Congressional District. She lives in Louisburg, but the district that she covers includes my house in Johnson County--barely. The people who talk about such things tell me she's been asked by more than one candidate and has told at least one candidate no thanks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Former state Sen. Garrett Love is another popular contender for an LG nod. He identifies as a male, so that hurts him. But he's from the Big First, where he's well known. He also has a reputation as a good fundraiser. I haven't looked, but people tell me his Senate account bulges with six figures. I hear he's also told at least one person he isn't interested. I don't know if that means he's not interested in serving with the person who asked or if that means he's not interested at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We're going to know Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer's running mate quite soon--probably. (I guess he could name an LG and then run with someone else.) Sources tell me he's looking at Jackie McClaskey. McClaskey is the current Kansas Secretary of Agriculture. And, she's a she from the Big First. Currently, she lives in Manhattan, where the state's Dept. of Ag is located. (This is in opposition of what's in state statute, but who's keeping track of that kind of nonsense these days.) Anyway, she is from Girard, went to K-State, now works in Ag. She ticks all of the Big First boxes,</span><span style="font-size: large;"> and she identifies as a woman. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kobach, I've heard, is leaning on someone who ISN'T from the Big First and who isn't a woman, but I've also heard that he's considering Senate President Susan Wagle. (I hear she's interested, too). This rumor makes about as much sense to me as attempting to get a line-less sun tan by basking in the three hours of sunlight in a Siberian winter. Kobach is running as a conservative, and Wagle's conservative street cred is, well, questionable. Though she's definitely making a bid to govern from the right this session, she's been squishy. Still, as some tell me, she is a woman. She has legislative experience, and only careful political watchers recognize that Wagle's politics have been a somewhat whiplash affair. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wink Hartman might announce his LG before the others. Word on the street is that he won't wait until the filing deadline in June to make that announcement. I haven't heard any names bandied about, but I have heard he himself has been approached by a few candidates about the possibility of joining tickets with Hartman as the LG. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I think anyone who watches Facebook probably suspects Mark Hutton is thinking about Erin Davis as a potential number two. She's a woman with legislative experience and she's definitely in his corner. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I haven't heard a thing about the remainder of the Kansas GOP candidates, nor have I been able to read their social media tea leaves to take a guess. Kansas Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer is definitely the dark horse in the race. He raised a surprising amount of money and has ties to the Big First and the Third, which opens up his options considerably.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, about the Dems: I've heard a crazy story. Word on the street is that presumed frontrunner state Sen. Laura Kelly is hoping to moderate her socialist side. Therefore, she's looking at actual Dem moderates. My (probably bad) Dem source tells me she's winking in the direction of former state treasurer Dennis McKinney. McKinney has served as a statewide official and hails from the Big First. Having farm creds probably matters a lot less on the D side of the ticket in Kansas. There are a LOT of Republicans in the First district, and a salty handful of Dems. The Dem strongholds are the People's Republic of Lawrence, JoCo, WyCo, and pockets of Topeka and Wichita. If the Dems continue on the path of actually having a primary election, the Dem candidates would be wise to pick an LG partner who can draw voters from those strongholders. If the Ds do what the Ds usually do, they'll settle on a frontrunner before the primary election. I honestly don't see that happening this time around, but the Ds continually surprise me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And in that vain, the other rumor I've heard is that Kelly is considering Josh Svaty, the scariest of the Dem gubernatorial candidates for Republicans, to be her side kick. He would probably say she should be his number two, because he's the frontrunner. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm curious what you all think. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As David Kensinger would say, "Boom."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-45135240561883347132017-11-29T12:06:00.001-06:002017-11-29T12:06:40.607-06:00A Return to Ray Merricka?<span style="font-size: large;">Ray Merrick has money in his campaign account, and he's bored. That's the answer Merrick gives when asked whether he'll run for the Kansas House in 2018.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Merrick, a Stillwell Republican, served from 2013 to 2017 as Speaker of the Kansas House. He didn't seek re-election in 2016. He was replaced in the House by Rep. Sean Tarwater, who in his first month in office voted for a retroactive tax increase. Tarwater would cast similar votes throughout the 2017 session, culminating in a veto override vote that ripped an extra $1.2 billion from taxpayers' wallets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The seat, the 27th District, is a decidely conservative one. His predecessors in the seat include former Reps. Phyllis Gilmore and Charlotte O'Hara.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Merrick's House campaign finance <a href="http://merrick%20didn%27t%20seek%20re-election%20in%202016%2C%20and%20today%2C%20the%2027th%20district%20is%20represented%20by%20sean%20tarwater.%20tarwater%27s%20voting%20record%20is%20significantly%20more%20liberal%20than%20his%20district.%20his%20predecessors%2C%20merrick%2C%20former%20reps.%20jeff%20colyer%2C%20and%20charlotte%20o%27hara%2C%20are%20significantly%20to%20the%20right%20of%20tarwater.%20%20in%20tarwater%27s%20first%20month%20in%20office%2C%20he%20voted%20for%20a%20retroactive%20tax%20increase.%20he%20voted%20to%20override%20the%20governor%27s%20veto%20of%20that%20tax%20increase%2C%20and%20he%20voted%20for%20the%20enormous%20%241.2%20billion%20tax%20increase%20that%20will%20cost%20the%20average%20kansas%20family%20an%20extra%20%24600%20per%20year.%20despite%20the%20tax%20increase%2C%20the%20budget%20will%20be%20busted%20in%20two%20years%2C%20because%20tarwater%20%28and%20others%29%20voted%20to%20balloon%20spending%20along%20with%20the%20tax%20hike./">report</a> filed in 2015 showed cash-on-hand of more than $100,000. Tarwater's last report showed $153 cash-on-hand.</span><br />
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Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-20328782700934365322017-10-24T17:00:00.001-05:002017-10-24T17:17:44.167-05:00Vote for the Non-Hippies <span style="font-size: large;">There's a chance conservatives are focusing on the wrong things during this new, fall local election season. Obviously, the Gina Burke-Terry Goodman election is a barn burner. That guy. He's probably going to lose, and it will be his own doing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, while conservatives are carefully watching that race, we don't have our eyes on a few races with really unfortunate liberal candidates. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm going to be kind of lukewarm on this whole endorsement thing and tell you that conservatives need to get behind </span><a href="http://www.mandihunter.org/" style="font-size: x-large;">Mandi Hunter</a><span style="font-size: large;"> for the Shawnee Mission School Board and </span><a href="http://www.davejanson.com/" style="font-size: x-large;">Dave Janson</a><span style="font-size: large;"> for Overland Park City Council. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hunter and Janson aren't exciting candidates. (Dear friends telling me I HAVE to get people interested in them--it's not that easy. People are interested in the Burke campaign because she's a good candidate and her opponent is acting nutty.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Opponents of Hunter and Janson aren't acting crazy, but make no mistake: Their opponents are Bernie burnouts who can't tell you which pronoun to use when someone has 'XY' chromosomes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hunter faces Heather Ousley. Her claim to fame is walking every year to Topeka from Shawnee "advocating," because kids in the Shawnee Mission School District have to make do with aquatic centers valued at only $20 million. She is also married to a state legislator. He has a beard. (But can he change a tire? He didn't campaign on it.) She last presided over a hippy drum circle <a href="http://www.insideksgop.com/2017/01/a-hippy-circle-sans-drums.html">meeting</a> in January in which people explained why they're "woke." (I shudder at playing that fast and loose with the English.) What I am trying to say here is she's super liberal in ways that are uncomfortable for people who don't live in San Francisco. Hunter is the better of the two in the race, so pull the correct lever, Shawnee Mission voters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Janson is an incumbent on the Overland Park City Council, and that good ol' boy network is turning out to be a bit of an embarrassment. That said, Janson faces Logan Heley, and the Democrats are keen on giving this fraternity bro a platform from which to run for bigger things. (As an aside, I really feel like the political ranks are already too full of fraternity brothers bro-ing. These now deleted tweets aren't all that old.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">He went to the University of Southern California and that was like last week. He's young, and on LinkedIn, he lists his job as fighting hunger. The only things missing are patchouli incense, and a Nancy Pelosi poster. So, let's just not, OK? Direct your vote in Janson's direction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-53667806622386163382017-10-23T12:44:00.001-05:002017-10-23T12:44:30.961-05:00Topeka Weinstein-ing<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you heard rumors--LOTS of them--about an individual sexually harassing young ladies to the point he was instructed (per leadership) never to be alone in the room with young women, would you say something? Would you name names? Would you find it acceptable that leadership made such a deal with the devil? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Asking for a friend.</span>Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-86062471973106557962017-10-12T05:32:00.004-05:002017-10-12T05:32:58.521-05:00Fish Gotta Swim. Birds Gotta Fly. I Have To Get This Off My Chest<span style="font-size: large;">It's shower time. <a href="http://www.insideksgop.com/2016/06/i-need-shower.html">Again</a>. Sigh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's also 3:30 a.m. and I am having trouble sleeping. I want to regurgitate the things I know, but I can't and THAT my friends is one of the many reasons I once started an anonymous blog. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about the sorry state of the Kansas Republican Party. The GOP holds a LOT of seats in the Kansas Legislature, the entire statewide delegation and every Congressional Kansas seat, but the brand itself is in tatters. (The same can probably be said for the national party.) What does "Republican" stand for? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Right now, I think the answer is "not Democrat," but the party has a platform with specific things listed. A good third of our elected state legislators probably couldn't tell you anything that's in it, and they certainly don't vote as if they've ever read it. Here's a small taste:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"The judicial branch of our federal government, and that of our state, must recognize that it is a co-equal branch of government, not a super-legislative body...We believe judges should be arbiters of conflict and not policy makers."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">How many of our current legislators believe that? Not enough. The Kansas Supreme Court doesn't have the power to appropriate funds, but lawmakers dance whenever the Court says "more." If "provide a suitable provision for finance of the educational interests of the state" can be translated to mean "give school attorneys all the money," it's only a matter of time before Justices find a phrase in the Kansas Constitution requiring that judicial branch employees receive raises equal to 10 percent of the state general fund each year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Kansas Republican Party platform also expressly opposes Medicaid expansion. It reads, "We ask that the Governor and/or legislators refrain from expanding Medicaid and other federal health care programs." About half of the Kansas Republican legislators didn't receive that memo. They're dying to expand Medicaid, even as many privately admit it's terrible policy that will bankrupt the state. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The platform says Republicans "recognize that prosperity can only be achieved when economic resources remain in the hands of the people." It expressly supports the Fair Tax, which would eliminate individual and corporate income taxes in Kansas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Government should always seek first to constrain its expenditures to the least possible. Increasing the burden on its citizens should be a last resort, and any effort to do so beyond the rate of economic growth should be submitted by a vote of the citizenry."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, we all know what happened last session: Every attempt at finding government efficiencies was scrapped, though many Republicans regurgitate the lie that there just wasn't a penny to be cut anywhere. Legislation to require school districts to use state procurement services for things like technology and to develop a statewide health plan for all school districts--rather than 286 different school district health plans -- were deemed ineffective, because change is scary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And then lawmakers dropped NEW spending into the budget. In one example, $2.7 million was drained from a special health plan reserve fund to create a state employee health clinic. That's new spending for something that will compete with the hospital down the street. You'll recall lawmakers spent hours and hours worrying about the fate of St. Francis Hospital and handwringing that they had no choice but to drop the largest tax increase in state history on hard working Kansans. It's revolting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's what's kept me awake tonight: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last year about this time, I was in trouble with some party insiders, because a person I nominated for the Eisenhower Series wrote on her Facebook page that a Democratic candidate for state senate was looking for volunteers. She didn't say she was volunteering herself, but the candidate was a personal friend. I assume she was being helpful. I never asked, because I'm not a jerk. I don't think that if I nominate you for something or do something nice for you that I get to tell you what to write on your own Facebook page.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The whole thing caused what I thought was mild drama, which I learned recently a bigger deal than I thought. (Drama is super not my thing. I like to watch it, but I have zero interest in being a party to it.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was told I nominated someone who "wasn't a Republican," despite the fact that my nominee was once a sitting council member with a conservative voting record. She never voted for a tax increase, and a good half of the Republican Party can't say that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, I was over it, I thought, until I started thinking about what it means to be a Republican. What exactly is our brand?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Does it mean absolute fealty to the party platform? Does it mean some weird sort of loyalty to individuals within the party? If you have a perfect Republican voting record, but say something nice about a Democrat, are you black balled forever? </span><span style="font-size: large;">What are the standards? And are the standards different for one person than they are for another?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-66841665938571890142017-10-04T14:39:00.003-05:002017-10-04T14:39:21.160-05:00Colyer and the Medicaid Expansion Conundrum<span style="font-size: large;">Word on the street is that Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer is ready to cave on Medicaid expansion. This is abject gossip, and I'm putting it here, because someone needs to say it and it looks like no one else will. </span><br />
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(I call this taking one for the team, which means there will be no Miss Congeniality tiaras in my future. Sigh.)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is no issue more important to the future of Kansas and even the nation right now than Medicaid expansion. I won't bore you with the details of why I believe this to be true. I'll simply say -- getting entwined in a long-term social welfare program is a terrible idea because math. And getting in bed with the federal government for the promise of extra funding never ends well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Brownback is leaving. Full stop. Unless someone in the Senate digs up a dead puppy scandal, Brownback is headed to Washington to fight for religious freedom. That's probably best for all of us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Colyer is going to be the next Governor of Kansas for at least the next year, and if he wants to continue on in the role, he's going to HAVE to distance himself from Brownback. It's an unreasonable demand from a very uneducated public, but it's true. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Colyer could attempt to step to the right of Brownback, perhaps by limiting some of Brownback's beloved economic development tools, like PEAK and STAR Bonds. But that would mean no ribbon cuttings for things like <a href="http://www.insideksgop.com/2016/03/head-exploding-over-brownback-veto.html?m=1">horse arenas</a> in KCK and medical clinics for state employees in Topeka. (And potentially campaign checks from <a href="https://www.cerner.com/">one</a> of Kansas' biggest companies.) The clinic and the horse arena are already happening, but there are still lots of options, like a southwest Johnson County airport that could mean one of the biggest ribbon cuttings and accomplishments in recent memory. (It.is.killing.me.not.to.write.about.this, but stay tuned.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The challenge with Colyer stepping to the right of Brownback is a guy named Kris Kobach. Kobach probably has that market all locked up. Colyer is going to have to go big and go Left or go home, and nothing is bigger or lefter than Medicaid expansion. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's the crux: There aren't enough votes to override Medicaid expansion in the Kansas Legislature, but there are more than enough to pass it, and Colyer can allow it to become law without his signature. This is what I've heard he'll do as long as the legislation includes three things. I do not know what those three things are, but that's the rumor. If a Medicaid expansion bill crosses Colyer's desk with the magical three beans (whatever those are) he will allow it to become law without his signature.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have a theory as to what one of those magic beans is: a federal waiver that would allow Kansas to tie Medicaid to work for able-bodied adults. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kansas already has work requirements for its welfare program and that has paid dividends, but Kansas isn't in control of whether the federal government grants such a waiver. That decision is </span><span style="font-size: large;">dependent on the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the federal government. Right now, there is no HHS Secretary, because swamp thing Tom Price decided to fly around on private jets drinking champagne instead of riding in steerage on commercial flights. So there's that. But also, there are no guarantees that Republicans will hold the office of President beyond the next three years. Whatever the feds giveth, they can taketh away, and a Democratic President will have zero qualms about yanking Kansas' waiver. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Colyer has always struck me as very sincere in his distaste for Medicaid expansion, so I hope what I'm hearing is so much idle gossip and a fear of the unknown. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Medicaid expansion is bad policy and crippling to Kansas' budget long term.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> I'm putting this out there so that you, dear voters and activists, can rally your representatives and senators and the LG himself on the off chance there's any truth to the rumors. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-69628745392847733732017-08-27T18:51:00.001-05:002017-08-27T18:51:16.531-05:00Pinch Hitting Guest Post on Race, Voter Fraud, and Dishonest Media<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>It's Illogical to Call Republicans Nazis</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>By: Anonymous</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Racist: A person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races, or who believes that a particular race is superior to another.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The media, along with liberals and moderate republicans, do everything in their playbook to paint conservatives like Donald Trump as racist. They try to tie conservative ideals and policy to racism, and even worse to the Nazi party. In fact, they use the term racist so often that the term itself begins to lose meaning.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The requirement of photo ID to vote is painted as a racist policy. Why? Because the media and liberals have this outdated belief that someone a black person is either too poor or too uneducated to obtain a photo ID? That belief is more racist than having a policy in place that protects the vote of a person regardless of their race.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-cf0e0ca6-261a-56b4-09b1-6382657185c0"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kansas requires photo ID to vote, but unlike many other states, Kansas does not ask what someone’s race is when they register to vote. Why? Simply put, your race is irrelevant when it comes to your right to vote.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Requiring proof of citizenship to vote is apparently racist. Why? Because the media and left believe that a black person is too poor or uneducated to have access to their birth certificate. But they ignore the fact that if they wanted to follow through on their argument of someone being too poor or uneducated, the likelihood of that person living in the same state as they were born in is extremely high. Therefore that person wouldn’t even need to find their birth certificate, because if you were born in Kansas, the state is able to verify your citizenship for you for the purpose of voting.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, let’s move on to the charge of conservatives being Nazis. If the media and liberals would truly do their research, they would realize that a core belief of the Nazi Party was “common good before individual good.” That common theme is much closer to the platform of Bernie Sanders than of any conservative Republican.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Germany, under Hitler’s leadership, not only killed millions of Jews, they killed those the weakest among society. Similarly to those who believe we have the right to kill unborn children, which is eerily close to the praise the media gives to Iceland for nearly “eradicating” Down’s syndrome through abortion.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hitler believed that any income that does not come from work, shall be abolished, therefore all financial trusts should become property of the government. This culminated in the punishment of death for anyone who did not work for the common good of the people. In other words, anyone who put their rights above the government’s was to be killed. And that right there, is one reason Hitler had a hatred for Jews. Yes, they were a different race, but many were the bankers and the wealthy in pre-WWII Germany. And the only way that Hitler would be able to have any power would be to eradicate those who held the ideal of individual rights above the idea that a government founded on the common good would give to a leader like Hitler.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The idea that a conservative, someone who is for individual rights and limited government, is somehow a Nazi or a racist is not only wrong; it is illogical.</span></div>
Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309130862744401000.post-42209169323874847942017-08-07T11:45:00.001-05:002017-08-07T11:45:20.972-05:00Quick Gossip Drop<span style="font-size: large;">By now, everyone knows Kansas Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer is in the race for Governor. He joins Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, Wichita businessman Wink Hartman, the guy from Prairie Village (or someplace), former GOP gubernatorial candidate Jim Barnett--aka, the guy campaigning as the Democrat in the Kansas Republican primary. Meanwhile, odds are Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer will also enter the race, and he'll be an incumbent when he does.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Selzer filed paperwork last Friday to appoint a campaign treasurer. Why he opted to file on a Friday afternoon in August -- the time most likely to escape anyone's attention--is anyone's guess. Is his candidacy supposed to be a stealthy one?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Word on the street is prior to the filing, Selzer had a little pow-wow with former state Rep. Mark Hutton and House Speaker Ron Ryckman. The meeting was to determine which of the three should run for Governor. I like Selzer. Nice guy, but I put his odds of winning a crowded Republican primary for the state's top job right up there with my chances of winning the lottery. </span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mUlf7iIK594/WYiW0ZmcpBI/AAAAAAAACEM/ZzKWbFhVrl8WYsYvb7untBmdaXeg9YCygCLcBGAs/s1600/chance.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="309" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mUlf7iIK594/WYiW0ZmcpBI/AAAAAAAACEM/ZzKWbFhVrl8WYsYvb7untBmdaXeg9YCygCLcBGAs/s1600/chance.jpeg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">There's a chance, but it's a slim one. Knowing that Selzer may have been in cahoots with Hutton, who thinks giving someone a t<a href="http://www.insideksgop.com/2016/09/and-this-guy-is-on-list-to-be-commerce.html">ax cut of less than $25,000</a> is worthless, isn't a point in Selzer's favor. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe Selzer doesn't realize that Hutton earns his living off the taxpayers in the form of government building contracts. Maybe Selzer doesn't realize that the former state representative thinks $1,000 is better spent by the government than by a small business owner. (See Hutton's baffling understanding of economics in the Wichita <a href="http://www.kansas.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article101897627.html">Eagle </a>circa September 2016.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The closed door meeting between Selzer, Ryckman, and Hutton </span><span style="font-size: large;">was followed by polling commissioned by Ryckman. The poll was to determine how bad that tax vote hurt the Speaker. Judging from the fact that Selzer emerged as "the candidate," I'm going to read some tea leaves, here: T</span><span style="font-size: large;">hat vote to heap on Kansans a massive retroactive tax hike was about as popular as drowning puppies. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Republicans are fortunate in that we have an extraordinarily deep bench--one that even includes Democrats (Looking at you, Barnett!). But, every Republican entering the race at this point is simply helping Kobach secure the nomination. I</span><span style="font-size: large;">f that is the Selzer-Ryckman-Hutton plan, they are likely to call it a success come August 2018.</span><br />
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<br />Gidgethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871086076784603021noreply@blogger.com3