Lawrence.com -- A diseased Kansas elephant? [Repug defections]

[longship]

This hit yesterday, so it doesn't qualify for LBN. But I thought people might be interested in what is happening to the GOP in KS. This begs the question, if this is happening in a very red state, could it also be happening across the nation? Enquiring minds want to know!

By Gavon Laessig
Monday, September 4, 2006

You need sniff no further than the Kansas Republican Party’s own website to get a decent whiff of that putrid, clinging stench of fear, which now hangs over the state GOP like a wet pachyderm queef.

“No Need To Panic,” pleads the homepage at ksgop.org. Immediately beneath that quivering hyperlink lies an even more telling bit of Freudian mock-bravado: “What, Me Worried?” (Question for Republican strategists: Exactly at what point in an election year is it considered desirable to draw direct comparisons between your party and Alfred E. Neuman?)

The reason for the Republicans’ soiled Dockers? Mid-term elections are coming up and the political landscape is looking to be about as kind to conservative politicians as penicillin is to the clap. Considering that the Kansas Republican Party has a lock on both chambers of the state congress which would make Mussolini blush, and considering that George W. Bush received a greater vote share in Kansas for the 2004 election than he did in Texas, how is it that Kansas Republicans are so petrified?

...

Much more at link.

A diseased Kansas elephant?

[rhiannon55]

1. A Lawrencian here

:hi:

Lawrence.com is one of our hometown alternative news and events sources. I love living on this blue island in an incredibly red state, because the red seems to be washing out into a kind of pale fuscia these days. I think the KS GOP is very scared. And I'm lovin' it!

[ComerPerro]

5. you should hang out with us then

[rhiannon55]

10. Online or in person?

I may already know you... Lawrence is not that big of a town. Wanna have a beer at FreeState and bash bush? :beer: :toast:

[Scout1071]

12. I'll be on the hill this weekend. Drinking some beers and watching

the Hawks.

Look for me. I'll be the one in blue.

[ComerPerro]

16. I'll be the one in a blue shirt that trashes Missouri

even though we aren't even playing them. LOL


Seriously, though, you gonna be in town for the game?

[Scout1071]

18. Hell yes I'll be there.

I was there last week too. What a great game! If you haven't been to a game in a while....GO. It really is a blast these days. And winning doesn't hurt.

[ComerPerro]

19. Am gonna try to make it, we had free tickets to game and tailgating

but a very close family friend passed away rather unexpectedly, and the wake is gonna be Saturday around 11.

And, much as I'd like to go to the game, I won't feel right "slipping away" to go to the game.

Although, ironically enough, he would have understood, lol.

[Scout1071]

22. OK, but just so you know, kick-off isn't until 6pm.

Where will you be on Gameday?

[ComerPerro]

23. Probalby stuck in traffic

this town is a fucking hellish nightmare on gamedays.

And its parents' weekend, too, right?

[ComerPerro]

14. We do meetups every month at Westport Flea Market in KC

And occasional other get-togethers.

There is also a drinking liberally group that (at least used to, might still) meets on Tuesdays at Free State.

And, Friday, there is a Bush protest in KC in the afternoon that will be attended by some of our KC area DUers, followed by a Meetup at the Westport Flea Market.

I can't make the protest, but I am wanting to go to the Flea Market meetup afterward.

[rhiannon55]

20. I'm planning to go to the protest on Friday

I mentioned this morning that I'm taking Friday off to protest the Moron-in-Chief in KC, and a co-worker (whom I had thought was fairly intelligent) said, grumpily, "Great way to support your president!" I retorted that he's not MY president, that I haven't HAD a president in almost six years. She hasn't spoken to me all day.

Freepers are everywhere -- SIGH-- even here in the People's Republic of Lawrence!

[ComerPerro]

21. be sure to go to the meetup afterwards then, I'll try to be there

[Mabus]

28. Be sure to come by the Westport Flea Market afterwards

I took a copy of the leaflet to Drinking Liberally last night to invited everyone to join us for the protest. I also asked them to join us at the Flea Market for the after-rally-DU-meetup get-together. It should be fun and the KS/MO meetup people are a lot of fun.

[ComerPerro]

17. Gotta pick up fiancee after work at 5, but I'm free now

[Scout1071]

11. Welcome to DU.

I work in Lawrence - and I attended KU.

Welcome to DU!

[Mabus]

29. FYI, lawrence.com is owned & operated by the Lawrence J-W

ATTN: lawrence.com
c/o Lawrence Journal-World
645 New Hampshire Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
source: http://www.lawrence.com/about/staph/

since lawrence.com is a part of the J-W family I think disqualifies as an "alternative" news source. However, The Lawrencian is an alternative news source.

[MuseRider]

2. LOL, "No need to panic" HaaaaHaaaa

I was very worried at first when all these Republicans started coming over, I did not trust it and I am still leary but these two statements give me a little chance to breathe a little easier.

"“They just seem to be fairly intolerant of anything that doesn’t meet their goals,” he says. “You can’t legislate morality. You’re never gonna solve anything and so far as I’m concerned you waste a lot of time.”"

"“A lot of it is the social issues,” he says. “They feel that the conservatives aren’t very tolerant of their view-points. Partly because the moderates don’t even want to really deal with these social issues. They’re not motivated to be public servants because of these issues, whereas many of the conservatives are.”"

'Bout time they woke up.

[longship]

4. All the moderate Republicans I know say the same thing.

They are totally disgusted by ChimpCo and their agenda. All of them are going to be voting for Democratic Party candidates this year. This is something that the public opinion polls do not seem to be measuring. It's part of the reason why I think that Dems can win many, many seats and can take over both the Senate and the House this year.

Things are really falling apart for the Repukes. If this is happening in KS, what's happening in less red states?

Damn! If we only had a more curious and responsible press.

[MuseRider]

7. We will have to see how this works

since we are getting a lot of those "fancy schmancy" lectronic voting machines. No one will bat an eye if we go totally red again.

[Warpy]

3. Pubbies know their party will get them defeated

so they're listing themselves as Democrats. The example in the article, Kent Goyan, is described as being to the right of Salem in the 17th century.

I'd suggest this is the same old "stealth candidate" policy the Moral Majority started to push back in the late 70s with such great success.

I just hope Kansans won't be fooled.

[ComerPerro]

8. Most of it here is disgust with the Religious right

Dennis Moore is gonna get re-elected (even though he has Lawrence, he also represents an otherwise very Republican area), and a woman named Nancy Boyda is gonna unseat Ryun in Topeka.

And I think our Dem Governor will win re-election. Only bad thing is she picked a Moderate Repub as Lieutenant Gov.

[Scout1071]

13. Dennis Moore represents a purple area.

I live in that portion you think is red, but it's not that bad! Now, a little further South is a whole other story....

[Warpy]

24. I know that, I've been hearing it

from Kansans in both party for some time.

Somebody needs to put the brakes on this idiocy, and it looks like it will start in a state the Dominionists thought they had sewn up: Kansas.

However, the example given in the article sounds like the typical stealth candidate to me.

Just be careful, folks. That (D) after a name doesn't mean he's gonna be your friend.

[ComerPerro]

25. Yeah, but at least he's willing to play dress-up for a while

unlike some of the other freaks they run here.

[longship]

9. Gov Sebelius is one of the people responsible for this.

I know Kathleen and helped her on her campaigns back in the day. She's a true blue Democrat who's been at the forefront of KS politics for some time. I've been out of the loop on KS politics for about a decade, but I trust her judgement here.

You have the right to be skeptical, but I think you can trust this as being real.

BTW, when I lived in KS, we had some stealths trying for Dem precinct committee assignments. It was very easy to detect because we knew who the players were. The same thing here. These moderate Republicans should be the real thing.

[Mabus]

26. LOL, a stealth Dem was outed before the primary

Jesse L. Hall was running as a Dem in the state Board of Ed. primary last month against Dem incumbent Janet Waugh. He was found out and the calling trees got active to inform people. I got at least four phone calls and half a dozen e-mails about him beina stealth candidate. See http://redstaterabble.blogspot.com/2006/06/rsr-exclusive-jesse-hall.html for details.

We can still spot the weasels.

[MuseRider]

27. I think it was his county

that is to the right of Salem not him. Not that that means a lot, we do have to be careful.

Edit for wrong word

[ComerPerro]

6. Thomas Frank wasn't lying in "What's the Matter With Kansas?"

Here, we have two powerful poltical forces:

The Radical Religious Right, and the Moderate Republicans.

That's the best we got.

Some of the "Mod Squad" are starting to jump ship.


Its encouraging, but it disturbs me, becasue I think they will still risk pulling our party even more to the center.

[longship]

15. The KS Dem party is fairly centrist.

There are plenty of liberals in places like Wichita (where I lived) and in Topeka, Lawrence and a few other strongholds. However, most of the rest of the state is pretty conservative. This makes for strange bedfellows. The secret to the Dem successes in KS is not minding when a candidate has some conservative traits and recognizing that it's the big picture which is important--more Dems mean more Dem power means more chance to get the liberal agenda items put forward.

The KS Dem party is damned well-organized. They've had a history of pulling out unexpected victories, like many of the recent governorships. Hell, in the early 90's Dems even held the majority in the state legislature.

I have faith that KS Dems know what they're doing.