Proof I'm no insider

I know a lot of activists and party honchos in the Kansas GOP, but here's one thing I know nothing about: Hurricane Morgan/Kobach/McMillan/Rojas.

For the last several years, the Kansas Republican Party has been under investigation by the Federal Elections Commission for violations that occurred while Kris Kobach was chair of the state GOP. At the time, Christian Morgan was executive director.

The Topeka Capitol Journal writes, "FEC investigators pored over state GOP financial records for months before determining extent of mismanagement during the election cycle in 2007 and 2008. The party was led at that time by Kris Kobach, who served as chairman of the party, and Christian Morgan, who was the party's executive director. Kobach was subsequently elected Kansas secretary of state."

I have zero clue as to what went down and who is to blame, but the role of executive director has cycled through a handful of people since the infamous shake-up of Kobach and Morgan. Amanda Adkins now chairs the party (ahem. Brownback's handmaiden.) And Clay Barker currently serves as executive director.

He replaced Cici Rojas -- who had the role for about 10 seconds. And she replaced Ashley McMillan. (Or maybe that's vice versa. I can't remember.)

Either way, it says something about the organization when its employees are running like rats from a sinking ship as was the case between the directorship of Morgan and Barker.

Barker has served in the role for a few years now, I think, so one can assume the ship is at least halfway stable at the moment. However, Morgan and Kobach detest each other with a passion that burns like a Death Valley fireworks display. I'd like to know more about that pair's falling out, but I'm pretty sure that's not information I'll ever be privy to.

I'd also love to know what exactly happened with Rojas and with McMillan. I'm not in deep enough to know, sadly. That said, I think the state party would do well to divulge everything it knows and everything has done in the aftermath.

As sure as I type, the KS GOP is trying to fundraise, and from what I hear from long-time donors, many are withdrawing support from the state party and giving instead to individual candidates. This has always made more sense than donating to the parties anyway, but the state party can't survive on wine and cheese alone.