2014 Kansas election: GOP scrambles to save Pat Roberts

politico.com ^ | 9/10/14 | Manu Raju

[cotton1706]

The GOP’s political machine is kicking into overdrive to save a Senate seat in Kansas that’s suddenly complicating its path to the majority.

With polls showing Sen. Pat Roberts in serious trouble against independent Greg Orman, top Senate Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, are leaning on big-ticket donors to fill the long-time Kansas senator’s campaign coffers. Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and John McCain of Arizona are planning to barnstorm the state on Roberts’ behalf. And in a bid to boost the senator’s sagging poll numbers, the Roberts campaign is planning an ad blitz to cast his long record and seniority in Washington in a more positive light.

Republicans are also poring over Orman’s record, looking for ways to cast him as a liberal and shady businessman out to enrich himself. Local stories are popping up about a lawsuit against Orman by the boxing equipment manufacturer Everlast and a legal fight the candidate had with legendary actress Debbie Reynolds over a $1 million loan he made to her Hollywood museum.

“We’ve added to the campaign,” Roberts said in an interview this week. “We’re going to be much more aggressive. We’re done with the primary, and we’re getting ready for the general.”

[martinidon]

Unfortunately, not voting for the lesser of two evils will allow the dems to gain permanent control of the country. When over 50% of the voting population gets on the Government handout programs; and we are almost there, you can vote strong conservative all you want but it will not matter. The conservatives will only be a minority....

[wmfights]

Your approach will bring change, guaranteed. Democrats will win more elections, control more of government, and Republicans will once again be the permanent minority party of this country.

You're approach has been a failure. The govt is in more control of our lives than ever. We have lost on every social issue. The judiciary is a joke. Our preeminence as a world military power is declining rapidly.

At least with my approach the representatives we elect will fight for us. I'd rather go down fighting with the likes of Sen. Cruz than be happy in defeat with the "good old boys network".

[wmfights]

When over 50% of the voting population gets on the Government handout programs; and we are almost there, you can vote strong conservative all you want but it will not matter. The conservatives will only be a minority..

Electing people who are "nice guys" and "team players" hasn't done anything to stop the rise of the socialist state.

We may well see the break up of the USA just as you see the dismantling of the UK starting. Electing those that identify with DC rather than those they are supposed to represent us is not going to stop the decline.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Descriptions of Roberts as a RINO are laughably ludicrous. He’s the most Conservative Senator from KS in over 50 years.

[Monorprise]

That’s not going to help, we need to primary them until they do as they did in Mississippi.

Only when they cheat should we run 3rd party. Never abstain from voting, that just tells them low turn out.

[Impy]

The random loser Milton Wolf would be facing near certain defeat if he had been nominated over conservative Pat Roberts.

[Kansas58]

Orman gave money to Harry Reid.

Does that answer your question?

[cotton1706]

“The random loser Milton Wolf would be facing near certain defeat if he had been nominated over conservative Pat Roberts.”

That’s what we’re always told, and in this case, may even be true. But I’m thoroughly enjoying seeing Pat Roberts struggle for his seat. Because you know who is watching all of this with abject fear? This group of people, who will be voting conservative for two years straight, as they look over their shoulders, or may even be considering retirement or another office:

Shelby (AL) - 2016 - 76% (Average) - 76% (Heritage) - 82% (CFG) - 76% (ACU) - 68% (FreedomWorks)

Coats (IN) - 2016 - 73% (Average) - 70% (Heritage) - 75% (CFG) - 83% (ACU) - 65% (FreedomWorks)

Thune (SD) - 2016 - 73% (Average) - 65% (Heritage) - 80% (CFG) - 88% (ACU) - 59% (FreedomWorks)

Moran (KS) - 2016 - 72% (Average) - 66% (Heritage) - 75% (CFG) - 80% (ACU) - 67% (FreedomWorks)

Burr (NC) - 2016 - 70% (Average) - 62% (Heritage) - 67% (CFG) - 84% (ACU) - 67% (FreedomWorks)

Boozman (AR) - 2016 - 69% (Average) - 71% (Heritage) - 70% (CFG) - 80% (ACU) - 55% (FreedomWorks)

Ayotte (NH) - 2016 - 67% (Average) - 57% (Heritage) - 79% (CFG) - 68% (ACU) - 64% (FreedomWorks)

Portman (OH) - 2016 - 64% (Average) - 57% (Heritage) - 71% (CFG) - 64% (ACU) - 64% (FreedomWorks)

Blunt (MO) - 2016 - 59% (Average) - 57% (Heritage) - 67% (CFG) - 71% (ACU) - 41% (FreedomWorks)
Kirk (IL) - 2016 - 55% (Average) - 44% (Heritage) - 74% (CFG) - 44% (ACU) - 59% (FreedomWorks)

Isakson (GA) - 2016 - 54% (Average) - 54% (Heritage) - 59% (CFG) - 54% (ACU) - 50% (FreedomWorks)

McCain (AZ) - 2016 - 54% (Average) - 43% (Heritage) - 71% (CFG) - 52% (ACU) - 48% (FreedomWorks)

Hoeven (ND) - 2016 - 51% (Average) - 44% (Heritage) - 58% (CFG) - 60% (ACU) - 41% (FreedomWorks)

Murkowski (AK) - 2016 - 41% (Average) - 36% (Heritage) - 52% (CFG) - 38% (ACU) - 36% (FreedomWorks)

[Kansas58]

You are making absolutely no sense at all.

If Conservative Pat Roberts is defeated by LIBERAL Greg Orman ——

The result will be that Republican Senators will blame that defeat on Roberts being too “Partisan” or too “Conservative”.

A defeat by a liberal HURTS conservatives. Period.

[cotton1706]

“The result will be that Republican Senators will blame that defeat on Roberts being too “Partisan” or too “Conservative”.”

Nonsense. The Republican Senators know Roberts personally. And they know he’s no real conservative. He was called a “prickly moderate” when he was first elected.

And don’t think they haven’t noticed the correlation between conservative votes and election victory results. The senators with the lowest conservative ratings have had the most problems getting through their primaries.

McConnell and Cornyn have high conservative ratings, and they got 60%. Graham is lower and he got 56%. Cochran and Alexander are lower still and they got 50% and 49%.

While they may SAY that Roberts has struggled or lost (if that happens) because he was “too conservative,” they will know the reality. Hatch voted in literal lockstep with Mike Lee to get through the primary and election.

And what’s more, the democrats know that moderates are easier to take out than conservatives because they stand for nothing and will try to out-liberal them or go-along.

Roberts and Cochran should have retired, and they probably wanted to, but the powers that be talked them into running again, and now they’re facing the consequences.

[Kansas58]

You would probably vote for Orman if you lived here.

You want revenge.

Revenge is not a strategy for victory.

[cotton1706]

“You would probably vote for Orman if you lived here.
You want revenge.

Revenge is not a strategy for victory.”

I don’t vote for liberals. And from what little I’ve read about Orman, he’s a liberal. I blanked my ballot for Scott Brown in 2012. I couldn’t stomach voting for a person who voted like he did in the senate, no matter what the party. If I didn’t want to vote for Roberts, I’d likely leave it blank.

I’m not out for revenge. These people are supposed to be OUR representatives. And they treat us like children, and sheep, while they betray us at every turn. They talk constantly about how we “must win back the Senate” but not a word is said about John Warner endorsing the democrat or Richard Lugar endorsing the democrat, or the republican former governor of MI who just endorsed the democrat or the republicans in KS who just endorsed the democrat. They all literally HATE conservatives and conservatism. Roberts has at times voted like a conservative and at times like a moderate.

I say, hey, if you want to act like that, don’t expect my vote when you come around every six years. It’s not vengeful. You haven’t represented me well, I’m not voting for you again. Simple as that.

And I hope you say the same thing about revenge to the moderates, who want to take revenge out on Sam Brownback, or Lisa Murkowski, who out of revenge, ran as an independent, or Charlie Crist, same thing. For you see, our strategies are different. The moderate’s strategy is to prevent conservatives from getting into the senate, and to co-opt them should they get there. My strategy is to hold the phony conservatives accountable and to force them to shape up or lose support.

[Kansas58]

Pat Roberts is MORE conservative than Sam Brownback.

I like Brownback, but what I just stated is the truth.

You need to quit picking on Roberts, he is a good man.

[cotton1706]

“You need to quit picking on Roberts, he is a good man.”

See there it is! I don’t give a damn if he’s a good man or not. Makes absolutely no difference to me. I don’t care about his wife or his children or how he grew up. I am not fooled or swayed by any of that crap. His voting record is shaky, he rarely visits the state he’s supposed to represent, he’s 78 years old and he’s a political hack (his dad was RNC chariman then he worked for a senator and congressman, then took his seat and stayed there). And since he’s so old, this will likely be his last term and will no longer feel accountable to the people, and those people will be far away and he won’t have to visit with them ever again anyway. That is VERY dangerous. It smacks of oligarchy and aristocracy, not representative government.

And as usual, no blame at all is to be put on Roberts for the difficult position he finds himself in. Somehow, I’m to blame. Not HIS votes, or HIS actions or HIS arrogance or HIS thinking that he would just breeze once again back into office.

No, no no. The problem is that accountant in Massachusetts. He’s ruining things for everybody!!

[cotton1706]

“Pat Roberts is MORE conservative than Sam Brownback.”

And just for your own info if you’re interested, comparing apples to apples, Brownback was more conservative in the mid 2000’s and then they evened out. And I remember Brownback falling for the Catholic “be for Amnesty, they’re all human beings” nonsense (I’m also a Catholic), which accounts for his low ratings around that period. Can’t remember if Roberts fell for that too.

Roberts - 2010 - 93% (Average) - 93% (CFG) - 96% (ACU) - 91% (FreedomWorks)

Brownback 2010 94% (Average) 87% (CFG) 100% (ACU) 95% (FreedomWorks)

Roberts - 2009 - 87% (Average) - 93% (CFG) - 96% (ACU) - 77% (FreedomWorks)

Brownback 2009 85% (Average) 85% (CFG) 92% (ACU) 77% (FeedomWorks)

Roberts - 2008 - 69% (Average) - 77% (CFG) - 72% (ACU) - 57% (FreedomWorks)

Brownback 2008 73% (Average) 86% (CFG) 76% (ACU) 57% (FreedomWorks)

Roberts - 2007 - 66% (Average) - 57% (CFG) - 92% (ACU) - 50% (FreedomWorks)

Brownback 2007 80% (Average) 89% (CFG) 95% (ACU) 55% (FreedomWorks)

Roberts - 2006 - 69% (Average) - 57% (CFG) - 84% (ACU) - 67% (FreedomWorks)

Brownback 2006 90% (Average) 93% (CFG) 87% (ACU) 91% (FreedomWorks)

Roberts - 2005 - 81% (Average) - 76% (CFG) - 88% (ACU) - 79% (FreedomWorks)

Brownback 2005 89% (Average) 88% (CFG) 100% (ACU) 80% (FreedomWorks)

[Kansas58]

You are an absurd, pedantic and foolish person.

You are also a LIAR!

Pat Roberts is in Kansas FREQUENTLY! And this is true every single year.

Do you know how expensive it is to fly into Dodge City Kansas? It is a rather small town. Roberts spends the night in Topeka and Wichita and Kansas city FREQUENTLY! There is absolutely NO reason for Roberts to visit rural Dodge City every single time he comes to Kansas.

I have met with Roberts in Wichita dozens of times. I have met with Roberts in Topeka dozens of times.

And, you say that it doesn’t matter if he is a “good man” or not? What on Earth is wrong with you? Of course it matters!

You are a prideful and arrogant jerk and you are doing damage to the Conservative cause.

Frankly, anyone who you would support is probably a guaranteed loser, as you have no respect for common courtesy and you have a complete lack of common sense.

You are allied with the Left.

You are doing the work of the Left.

That is a fact.

You are allowing the perfect to be the enemy of the good. In fact you are promoting evil.

[cotton1706]

Typical rant. Don’t criticize MY senator. Don’t look at his votes. Don’t look at his history. Don’t think. He has an “R.” Vote for him.

And no, it doesn’t matter if he’s a “good man” if he votes like crap. These people are politicians. Their expertise is the personal touch. I don’t fall for that. I look at what they do, and how they vote. Would you vote for a liberal who’s a “good man?”

And once again, I’m the problem. Not the Senator. Protect the Senator! At all costs!

[Kansas58]

Why are you here?
To preen?
To pat YOURSELF on the back and feel “superior” to the unwashed?
To tell the rest of us how “pure” and “perfect” you think you are?

Again, you are a fool. and YES, people like are exactly the problem. You lack common sense. You also lack the admirable trait of loyalty, which is required to accomplish anything of value in the political world.

You are here not for a cause, you are here for your pride.

And your pride is more important to you than any piece of legislation.

[cotton1706]

Loyalty to who? To the Republican Party? To the Republican Establishment? No I don’t owe them any loyalty. They’ve put up, anointed, whatever you want to call it, loser candidate after loser candidate. Every single one of their preferred candidates went down in flames in November 2012, and their preferred candidates this year are faring no better. Pat Roberts is in the fight of his life, not from anything I’ve done, but what he and the Establishment have done. And I’m supposed to show them loyalty when they’ve stabbed us in the back time after time? Get real.

[Kansas58]

You are absurd and ridiculous!

If EVERY Democrat in the US Senate was replaced by someone as conservative as Pat Roberts, can you think of anything that the Republican Party would do to hurt the Conservative cause?

NO you CANT!

I am telling you that you are a TRAITOR to the conservative cause. You are a TRAITOR because you have no concept of loyalty towards anyone who is trying to advance the cause you claim to believe in.

I think you really want conservatism to fail, so that you can feel even more important and superior and “special”.

You feel completely INSIGNIFICANT when Conservatism is on the rise. However, it is easy and cheap and lazy to be a constant, nagging critic isn’t it? It is easy to pile on when things are tough.

You are so wonderful.

You are so special.

You are such a USEFUL IDIOT FOR THE LEFT!

The Conservative movement needs your loyalty. Yet you are such a self-centered, petulant child that you wish for conservatives to fail, so that you can say:

“I TOLD YOU SO”

You are pathetic.

And yes, I know you and your kind perfectly!