RINO stampede in Kansas

americanthinker.com ^ | 7/16/14 | Thomas Lifson

[cotton1706]

The headline from AP certainly is alarming: “100 Kansas GOP endorse Democrat for governor.” And the lead paragraph continues the theme:

Democratic challenger Paul Davis sought Tuesday to give his campaign for Kansas governor a bipartisan boost by announcing endorsements from more than 100 moderate Republicans who've split with conservative GOP Gov. Sam Brownback over education and tax policy.

You might be wondering, to borrow Thomas Frank’s infamous book title, “What’s the matter with Kansas”? I can’t claim to be an expert on the Jayhawker State, but it does appear that this is a matter of sour grapes:

Six state senators on the list lost their seats in 2012 primaries to Brownback-favored candidates, including former Senate President Steve Morris, of Hugoton.

Brownback, after winning the governor’s office in 2010 with 63% of the vote, has moved aggressively to implement a conservative agenda, cutting income taxes. This has rankled the government industry and its many rent-seekers. The good old days when everyone gouged the taxpayers and shared their wealth among the ruling class are missed.

[demshateGod]

It’ll work out. Are you saying he shouldn’t have cut taxes? They don’t work?

[KC Burke]

My point was to make clear that Kansas state Republicans have a long history of division. This isn’t like Texas Republicans where a vast conservative leaning majority battle with a 20 percent moderate faction and most always win. Kansas has old-line “Main Street” or mercantile Republican moderates who don’t hold critical issues like Pro-Life central to their Republican member ship.

Kansas has had Democrat Governors off and on for fifty years due to that fairly even split and lack of unity. That is a plain fact. I have met all of those from 1967 through ding dong Sebielius. Out of the last nine Governors in a state that always goes Republican in the national election, five of the nine have been Democrats and this disunity due to blooding fighting is the reason why.

[centurion316]

I completely agree with your observations. You clearly understand this quite well.

[DoodleDawg]

It’ll work out. Are you saying he shouldn’t have cut taxes? They don’t work?

Haven't been working the way he had hoped. He's got quite a deficit to fill and the question will be what they cut to eliminate it. Hack away at the schools even more and you turn even more of the Johnson Countians away from you.

Brownback ran for governor for one reason; he wants to be president. He is no doubt hoping to leverage two elections as governor into the vice-presidency in the 2016. This could derail his plans.

[mosesdapoet]

Kansan’s
Time to print up this campaign chestnut and pass it around in your precinct;

TRUE REPUBLICANS TRUE CONSERVATIVES
DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY THE GOPES (GOP ELITE SNOBS) FEEDING LIKE PIGS FROM THE KANSAS PUBLIC TROUGH...USING YOUR TAX DOLLARS TO FURTHUR THEMSELVES....
SUPPORT SAM BROWNBACK AND HIS REFORMS