Free Republic

MIdwest Voices: It’s not about Obama’s race, it’s about policies By ROSS BALANO Saturday, Sep 27, 2008 Ross Balano for Midwest Voices. Where’s the change? For all the talk of change coming from the Democratic side, what few specifics I hear sound strikingly the same as what we have come to expect from Democrats. Let’s see: raise taxes, more and bigger government programs, no drilling in ANWR, etc. … What’s new about that? That’s same, not change. Barack Obama thinks these are the things the American people want. If that’s true, then why isn’t Obama running away with this election?...

Ed Morrissey of Hot Air noted a revision to an existing Associated Press report carried in the Miami Herald yesterday. It concerned Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius's accusations that Republicans are engaging in racial "code word" campaigning. The original version that Morrissey cached is here; the revision is here (for now; backup is at my web host here if it changes). Among other adds, changes, and deletes, the revision deleted a racial reference in the original headline. It also removed a direct quote from Sebelius that "(Republicans) are not going to go lightly into the darkness." Morrissey wasn't sure at the...

Could a Catholic in good conscience vote for a candidate who supports legalized abortion when there is a choice of another candidate who does not support abortion or any other intrinsically evil policy? Could a voter’s preference for the candidate’s positions on the pursuit of peace, economic policies benefiting the poor, support for universal health care, a more just immigration policy, etc. overcome a candidate’s support for legalized abortion? In such a case, the Catholic voter must ask and answer the question: What could possibly be a proportionate reason for the more than 45 million children killed by abortion in...

http://iowaindependent.com/5627/sebelius-obamas-race-may-be-a-factor Sebelius: Obama’s race ‘may be a factor’ By John Deeth 9/16/08 8:31 PM IOWA CITY — Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius publicly considered the possibility that Sen. Barack Obama’s race might be a factor in this year’s presidential election during an appearance here Tuesday. “Have any of you noticed that Barack Obama is part African-American?” Sebelius asked in response to a question about why the election is so close. “That may be a factor. All the code language, all that doesn’t show up in the polls. And that may be a factor for some people.” The remark, delivered in the...

Sebelius says GOP using racial 'code language' By NIGEL DUARA – 23 minutes ago IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius accused Republicans on Tuesday of injecting race into the presidential campaign, arguing that they are using "code language" to convince Midwesterners that Democrat Barack Obama is different from them. "Have any of you noticed that Barack Obama is part African-American?" Sebelius asked with sarcasm. "(Republicans) are not going to go lightly into the darkness."

Sen. Pat Roberts (KS) is now the eighth Republican senator to announce that they will not attend the GOP Convention in St. Paul, Minn., next month. Roberts spokeswoman told the Topeka Capital Journal today that Roberts will be campaigning that week, finishing up his 105 county statewide tour during the convention week. Four others who've announced they won't be attending are -- Ted Stevens (AK), Elizabeth Dole (NC), Gordon Smith (OR), and Susan Collins (ME). All are running for re-election and are in close races. (Collins may have the easiest race, but she's never been a close ally of McCain.)...

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 Email to a Friend Barack Obama has narrowed the gap slightly, but John McCain still leads his Democratic opponent by 15 percentage points 52% to 37% in the reliably red state of Kansas. When “leaners” are included, the Republican presidential candidate is ahead 55% to 41%, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Kansas voters. In mid-July, McCain had a 20-point lead over Obama 52% to 32%. Obama was within 10 points of McCain in June just after Hillary Clinton dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Also in Kansas, incumbent...

No Compromises: Kansas State Bishops Declare Voting for Abortion Candidate is "Evil" By Peter J. Smith KANSAS CITY, August 12, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A vote cast for a politician who supports abortion and same-sex "marriage" is nothing less than casting a vote for "evil" says a state conference of Catholic bishops. In a voter's guide released for the second time since 2006, the Kansas Catholic Bishops make it clear that Catholics would "commit moral evil" by voting for a candidate who embraces abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning, and same-sex "marriage," when a morally acceptable candidate is available. The...

A political newcomer knocked Phill Kline out of the race for Johnson County district attorney Tuesday, defeating the hopes of abortion opponents who had campaigned nationwide. With all of the vote counted, Steve Howe, a former Johnson County prosecutor, trounced Kline with 33,260 votes to Kline’s 22,188, a margin of 60 percent to 40 percent, according to final unofficial returns. Howe will face Democrat Rick Guinn in the Nov. 4 general election. In a gathering at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel with his wife and children at his side, Howe thanked his supporters and called on Republicans to come together...

Have we finally seen the last of Kline? We can only pray. "A political newcomer knocked Phill Kline out of the race for Johnson County district attorney Tuesday, defeating the hopes of abortion opponents who had campaigned nationwide. With all of the vote counted, Steve Howe, a former Johnson County prosecutor, trounced Kline with 33,260 votes to Kline’s 22,188, a margin of 60 percent to 40 percent, according to final unofficial returns. Howe will face Democrat Rick Guinn in the Nov. 4 general election."

Kansas Senator Pat Roberts has slipped below the 50% level of support in his bid for re-election. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state found that the Republican incumbent now leads Democratic Congressmen Jim Slattery 48% to 39%. In May, Roberts attracted 52% of the vote and was up by a dozen points. Any incumbent who polls below 50% is considered potentially vulnerable. The race is particularly interesting given that Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932.

Obama-Sebelius ‘08  by Aaron Goldstein  I have reason to believe Barack Obama will pick a woman to be his running mate. It just won’t be Hillary Clinton. Several months ago, I wrote that Obama did not need Hillary. He does not need her now – unless she has pictures. But short of making him an offer he can’t refuse, I believe Barack Obama will select Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to be his number two. I am certainly not the first person to speculate about Sebelius. According to liberal blogger Ben Smith, former Democratic presidential aspirant Wesley Clark introduced Sebelius as “the next vice president...

Last weekend Congressman Duncan Hunter came to Kansas to campaign with Jim. Rep. Hunter, a former Presidential candidate and Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, represents the 52nd District of California. Rep. Hunter accompanied Jim and Team Ryun to a meet and greet in Wamego (thanks to all who helped organize it), a BBQ in Manhattan (thanks to the Addairs, our great hosts!) and even an afternoon of sporting clays. We had a great weekend of events and of course there are tons of pictures! If you had your picture taken over the weekend and would like a copy...

Saying he has a passion for justice, District Attorney Phill Kline announced Monday that he would be a candidate to retain his job as Johnson County’s top law enforcement officer. At an evening news conference, with his wife and daughter at his side, Kline said he would file today to run as a Republican. That means Kline will face former Johnson County prosecutor Steve Howe in the Aug. 5 primary; the winner will take on former Johnson County prosecutor Rick Guinn, a Democrat, in November.

Until recently, for all Kansans knew, Kathleen Sebelius was the best thing to happen to the state since ethanol. Their “moderate” Democrat governor—there are no liberals in Kansas—had taken major national wall space as a bonafide political pin-up. VogueMagazine did a feature on the handsome, 60 year-old in designer gowns. Time Magazine named Sebelius one of America’s five best governors, and the Democrats tapped her to give the party’s response to the president’s state of the union speech. More impressively, Barback Obama had reportedly put Sebelius at the very top of his short list for his vice-presidential running mate, a...

Obama says 10K people died in Kansas...

... What is beyond debate is that, with Kline, it has been one thing after another. So I can fully understand why Kansas GOP officials are throwing fits over news that Kline may renege on his promise to sit out this year’s election. Imagine their horror upon learning of the draft-Kline movement. And that it’s entirely possible he will run for a full term as Johnson County district attorney. Or at least won’t rule it out. ...

In Kansas, the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds John McCain enjoying a twenty-one percentage point advantage over Barack Obama. It’s McCain 55% Obama 34%. McCain is viewed favorably by 61% of Kansas voters while Obama earns positive reviews from 45%. Rasmussen Markets shows that Republicans are currently given a 86.0 % chance of winning the Six Electoral College Votes from Kansas this fall. Four years ago, George W. Bush won the state by twenty-five percentage points. At the time this poll was released, Kansas was rated as “Safely Republican” in the Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator. Forty-seven percent...

John McCain might be taking this maverick thing a bit far. I mean, sending good aviation jobs to France? At least that's the charge from Boeing backers, who accuse the Arizona senator of helping Airbus get a $35 billion Air Force tanker contract at the expense of American jobs, including hundreds of them right here in the Air Capital. Boeing supporters, looking for a villain in this economic defeat, have put McCain in their crosshairs. "I hope the voters of this state remember what John McCain has done to them and their jobs," said Rep. Norm Dicks, a Washington...

Barack Obama pummeled Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the latest round of their battle for the White House nomination on Saturday, earning momentum and valuable delegates with big wins in Washington and Nebraska caucuses. Obama registered comfortable victories in both states, outscoring Clinton by margins of roughly 2 to 1, according to media projections. His triumphs will boost the Illinois senator's campaign to be the country's first black president, after a fierce Super Tuesday duel that saw the two share the honors. It was not immediately clear how many delegates Obama picked up from his victories on Saturday, with the...