I assume you know Kansas, and I certainly don't. But I'm doubtful that almost any Democrat this year will hold off on vicious attacks against anyone, including a woman opponent, if he/she is in trouble.
I do know that the party has been terribly split in Kansas
for years. But the Democrats' behavior in that time, and especially in the last two years since 9-11, is outrageous. It is far too late to be playing possum in the general election. Nearly all Republicans are better than nearly all Democrats, and if a moderate wins the primary, I'd say we had our shot and couldn't convince our own voters. Better luck next time, but support the Republican in the general.
I might make an exception for Michael Bloomberg or Jim Jeffords (when he was a "Republican"), but otherwise we have to eat humble pie. That's just reality.
True, but when it is a man vs. a woman, you can only go so far as a man when attacking. I think this gives Lightner the advantage. She can't be attacked as another "right-wing male."
"I do know that the party has been terribly split in Kansas for years."
Heh, and how !
"But the Democrats' behavior in that time, and especially in the last two years since 9-11, is outrageous."
Far longer than the last 2 years, I'd say. The party has been radicalized (at least at the national level) since Watergate. At least pre-Watergate, there were still enough straights in the Democrat party to keep the kooks from doing too much damage. But those straights are almost all gone now (and even some of the post-Watergate "straights" -- Gore and Gephardt (both elected in '76 to the House) were considered that -- eventually went kook).
"It is far too late to be playing possum in the general election. Nearly all Republicans are better than nearly all Democrats, and if a moderate wins the primary, I'd say we had our shot and couldn't convince our own voters. Better luck next time, but support the Republican in the general. I might make an exception for Michael Bloomberg or Jim Jeffords (when he was a "Republican"), but otherwise we have to eat humble pie. That's just reality."
Alas, it doesn't often work out that way with a party staying united in a fractious primary. In rare instances, such as my '98 Governor's race in TN, I'll vote for the 'Rat if the Republican has clearly jumped the shark. I almost was tempted to leave a blank vote if Lamar! Alexander won the primary for the Senate in this state (and he's been just as bad as I expected he would be, not to mention unresponsive). We just need to sack these RINO phonies, too many are far more destructive than 'Rats (because they cause damage from within). Of course, we're just fretting about one particular and peculiar little House seat in KS when it is almost an epidemic elsewhere (IL, especially, which is finally seeing the corrosive effects of statist RINO control - but that's another story).