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How Pat Roberts and the GOP Lost Kansas
breitbart.com ^ | 8/6/14 | Dan Riehl

Posted on 08/07/2014 6:01:17 AM PDT by cotton1706

If you want to truly understand politics, especially of the Right-leaning variety, you'll have to look beyond the dumbed-down, self-congratulatory so called journalism of Beltway establishment publications like Politico.

Here is their headline out of Kansas: How Pat Roberts beat Milton Wolf. But the real story has to be read between the lines.

Pat Roberts’ narrower-than-expected win over challenger Milton Wolf on Tuesday night — came with a big lift from party headquarters in Washington.

The Republican Party threw everything they had behind Roberts .... and what did they get for it? Less than 50% of their own base vote, that's what. The anti-Roberts vote was split, not "defeated."

Roberts defeated Wolf, 48 percent to 41 percent; a pair of minor candidates combined for the remaining 11 percent of the vote.

The D.C. GOP consultant class can back-slap all they want. They may even dance themselves silly right out of their expensive loafers. Unfortunately, all the results from Kansas last night proved is that the Republican Party continues to be a party at odds with its base. Furthermore, if they continue to try and ignore that reality, anything and everything they think they are winning now will be wiped away with a disastrous defeat in 2016.

At this point, given the problems with their base voters, they may not even capture their coveted Senate majority in the Fall. Only able to capture 48% of their own vote, the Republican establishment did not emerge energized and victorious out of Kansas last night - what it did was throw just enough money at Kansas to enable an aging, out of touch politician to cling to power for just a few more years.

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: elections; kansas
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To: FreeReign

Same here -

this is why every election needs the “instant runoff”,
where you vote for 1st choice, 2nd choice, and perhaps 3rd choice.

If no candidate receives 50% + 1 vote of the 1st choice votes,
you add 1st and second choices.

That way, someone could have voted this way:
1st - whatever “minor candidate”
2nd - Wolf
3rd - Roberts

And you can see that if those 11% had voted this way, Roberts would have been defeated.


21 posted on 08/07/2014 8:46:09 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: Yashcheritsiy

As far as “getting it” - I don’t think that’s the right analysis.

They’d rather a big gov’t democrat won than a small gov’t republican. They really would.

They don’t want to reduce the power of the gov’t, they just want to have control over it.


22 posted on 08/07/2014 8:47:18 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: cotton1706
...a pair of minor candidates combined for the remaining 11 percent of the vote.

That's the way it's going to be from now on.

Spoilers will be added to ensure that the opposition to the incumbent splits its vote.

One can only assume that without the pair of minor candidates, that 11% would have gone against Roberts and to Wolf.

-PJ

23 posted on 08/07/2014 8:56:52 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: centurion316
>> the arrogance and out of touch attitude that we saw <<

Exactly. Thinking you can pluck some creep out of obscurity and instantly elect him to the highest legislative office in the nation simply by screaming "RINO Washington DC insider!" at a solidly conservative incumbent and marketing your empty suit challenger as "Obama's conservative cousin" is about as arrogant and out of touch as it gets.

Votes want candidates with substance, they don't automatically vote against an incumbent because you want them to.

But you haven't learned anything from that, so you will continue to lose.

24 posted on 08/07/2014 11:11:23 AM PDT by BillyBoy (Looking at the weather lately, I could really use some 'global warming' right now!)
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To: centurion316; Impy; AuH2ORepublican; BillyBoy

Arrogance and out of touch attitude of supporters of Roberts ? We weren’t the ones putting blind faith in a candidate with no record, no accomplishments and no substantive credibility... one offering nothing but promises. The proverbial all hat and no cattle.

And for the record, I favored the challengers in almost EVERY GOP Senate primary race this year (including the one today here in Tennessee). Roberts was one of the very few incumbent Senators demonstrably better than their challenger.


25 posted on 08/07/2014 11:14:14 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: BillyBoy
But you haven't learned anything from that, so you will continue to lose.

Can you think of a time when winning might actually be losing? Probably not.

26 posted on 08/07/2014 12:40:02 PM PDT by itsahoot (Voting for a Progressive RINO is the same as voting for any other Tyrant.)
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To: fieldmarshaldj
And for the record, I favored the challengers in almost EVERY GOP Senate primary race this year

You couldn't have done a better job if they paid you. Oh Wait maybe they did.

Great victory when you elect a 78 year old man to a six year term, and he doesn't even reside in the state he is elected to represent. Gives the word carpetbagger new meaning.

27 posted on 08/07/2014 12:43:31 PM PDT by itsahoot (Voting for a Progressive RINO is the same as voting for any other Tyrant.)
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To: itsahoot; fieldmarshaldj; Impy
>> Can you think of a time when winning might actually be losing? Probably not. <<

Yes, numerous times. For example when the Katherine Harris and Todd Akins cheerleaders got their way and shoved their candidates down our throats, gloating how they "won" against the "haters", and then promptly proceeded to drag us down to defeat in November thanks to having those flawed candidates on the ballot.

28 posted on 08/07/2014 12:43:54 PM PDT by BillyBoy (Looking at the weather lately, I could really use some 'global warming' right now!)
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To: cotton1706
I agree with this assessment but the results will be a GOPe pick up of the Senate in November because much of the 40% of Americans who call themselves conservatives but have yet to ever vote (surprisingly there are a lot of them when you start to check)will show up and vote for the Republican thinking he/she is the conservative. This happened in 2010 when new people came into the arena and it will happen again this year. I do believe these folks will be up to speed by 2016 and THAT will bring another GOPe loss if they don't smarten up and give us a conservative to vote for. Right now there are none except Scott Walker.
29 posted on 08/07/2014 12:51:09 PM PDT by jmaroneps37 (Conservatism is truth. Liberalism is lies.)
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To: itsahoot; fieldmarshaldj; Impy
Handy election day voting guide from the Levinites:


Doesn't even reside in the state = AWESOME!!! GO LIZ GO!!!


Doesn't even reside in the state = UNFORGIVABLE SIN!!!

30 posted on 08/07/2014 12:51:16 PM PDT by BillyBoy (Looking at the weather lately, I could really use some 'global warming' right now!)
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To: itsahoot

Y’know, I always find it peculiar when someone on FR has a blank profile page and no state flag. It’s like they have something to hide...


31 posted on 08/07/2014 12:57:39 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: BillyBoy

Yup. These Wolf disciples just need to let it go.


32 posted on 08/07/2014 12:59:05 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: cotton1706

I’m worried this is going to happend today in TN with Lamar. There were 4 other candidates on the ballot. I’m going to be sick if Lamar wins but with less than 50%.

I truly hate the man. I also voted for one of the many candidates in the governor primary against our current GOPe GOV. Haslam. He’s a tool.

I also voted against Marsha Blackburn. She jumps on the Boehner bandwagon too much for me these days. But she’ll easily win.

The rest of my ballot were unapposed R committee people and school districts. There were 3 Supreme Court and many appellate court peole up on a Replace/Retain choice. I follow the “when in doubt, vote them out” idea and voted to Replace all of them.


33 posted on 08/07/2014 1:08:27 PM PDT by Fledermaus (Conservatives are all that's left to defend the Constitution. Dems hate it, and Repubs don't care.)
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To: fieldmarshaldj
It’s like they have something to hide...

Cool getting under your GOPe skin am I?

34 posted on 08/07/2014 1:11:34 PM PDT by itsahoot (Voting for a Progressive RINO is the same as voting for any other Tyrant.)
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To: BillyBoy
For example when the Katherine Harris and Todd Akins cheerleaders got their way and shoved their candidates down our throats

Perhaps if you weren't sold out to the GOPe you might give a little credit to Karl Rove for their defeat, not to mention total outright fraud in Nevada.

35 posted on 08/07/2014 1:13:56 PM PDT by itsahoot (Voting for a Progressive RINO is the same as voting for any other Tyrant.)
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To: itsahoot

Let it go. You’re attacking the wrong people, Hoss.


36 posted on 08/07/2014 1:23:26 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: itsahoot

There was no fraud in Nevada. There didn’t have to be putting up a nutjob who had already blown 2 races in a row en route to a third loss. Reid could’ve run against a ficus plant and lost, but when Sharron Angle hoodwinked Tea Partiers into supporting her abortion of a candidacy, he lucked out. The only Republican in NV he could’ve beaten in 2010 (even as Republican Brian Sandoval beat Reid’s boy in the Governor’s race).


37 posted on 08/07/2014 1:27:51 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: Truth29

Pretty much agree...........


38 posted on 08/07/2014 1:30:02 PM PDT by Osage Orange (I have strong feelings about gun control. If there's a gun around, I want to be controlling it.)
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To: MarkL
36 years ago....I registered "Independent"...because I was dumb and young...and hated both Parties.

Then I figured out..I could not vote in the primaries. So, I re-registered to the Pubbie Party....And then I figured out I still hate both Parties.

39 posted on 08/07/2014 1:36:27 PM PDT by Osage Orange (I have strong feelings about gun control. If there's a gun around, I want to be controlling it.)
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To: itsahoot; fieldmarshaldj; Impy
>> Perhaps if you weren't sold out to the GOPe <<

Right. I've opposed dozens of Republican establishment incumbents, including big name Senators up this cycle like Mitch McConnell, Thad Cochran, Lindsey Graham, Lamar Alexander, John Cornyn, and Susan Collins, because I've "sold out to the GOPe". Certainly news to them when they beg me for donations and I tell them to take a hike .

You guys having officially started using the "GOPe" and "RINO" the way the left uses "racist" and "homophobe". It doesn't matter how many blacks you support, if you oppose Obama, you're racist. Meanwhile it doesn't matter how many entrenched incumbents we work to defeat, if we oppose some unqualified hack in Kansas who says he's Obama's cousin, we're "GOPe"

Congratulates, you've now rendered the word meaningless with your hyperbole.

40 posted on 08/07/2014 1:46:24 PM PDT by BillyBoy (Looking at the weather lately, I could really use some 'global warming' right now!)
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