Kansas GOP Insider (wannabe): Kansas gets its supermajority

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Kansas gets its supermajority

Despite the horrible nationwide election results, Kansans upped the conservative ante on Nov. 7. Really, Kansas' results were the only bright spot on Tuesday night. Had Kansas' results mirrored the rest of the country, I'd probably be standing atop a high bridge trying to talk myself into jumping off. (I kid. I kid. But seriously, that was one depressing, depressing election night. Worse than 2008. At least that year, I saw it coming. I could prepare my fragile psyche.)

Back to the heartland, so the Republicans, and conservatives specifically will see a supermajority in the Statehouse when the 2013 legislative session kicks off. In the Senate, conservatives will hold 27 of 40 seats. In the House, we're rallying with 75 of 125 members. (Slightly short of the necessary two-thirds majority, but with a conservative Governor and Senate, we can concede those 9 seats.)

I was disappointed to see that Sen. Chris Steineger lost. It was an interesting experiment to see whether an 'R' could hold that district. Steineger was our best bet. I'd hoped he would get us in the door up in KCK. Alas, it wasn't to be. (Steineger would not have added to the Senate majority, really, because he was too moderate for my tastes, but it would've been a start.)

I also think Johnson County Republicans should be carefully examining our margins of victory. They were narrower than I expected, which means we must remain vigilant. We can't lay down and stop working for conservative ideals. Those margins were too close in an election that should've seen a conservative push from upticket.

An example: The Kelly Meigs vs. Dave Pack race. The provisional ballots have yet to be counted, and Meigs holds a slight lead of approximately 300 votes. There are still 200 provisional ballots on the table. Yes, she's the victor, but that's an awfully slim margin in a year in which I would expect nothing less than 52-48 percent wins at a minimum.

Also, in 2010, every Johnson County House seat belonged to a Republican. We gained seats due to redistricting, but we lost at least one. Democrat Nancy Lusk beat Republican Marla Brems in the 22nd District. The Dem won by an almost 20-point margin. Not cool. (I know so little about those candidates and that race, but still...) Additionally, in the 24th District, Democrat Emily Perry beat Republican Christopher Waldschmidt. (Again, I know little about the race or those candidates.)

The race between Republican Melissa Rooker and Megan England was also too close for comfort. Rooker won, but only by 200 votes. (Provisionals still need to be counted.)

All of this tells me that even in Kansas, we have work to do. We have neighbors -- in JOHNSON COUNTY where the taxpayers reside -- who think we should take money from those who work to provide things like cell phones for those who don't or work. It's called redistribution, and it should be rejected at every level.

So, a cautionary victory in Kansas, and now the real work begins. We have a sparkling opportunity to show the rest of the country what true freedom looks like. Because of the results nationwide, I personally believe Kansas elected officials need to hit the gas on conservative policies. I would love to see this conservative majority push immediately and decisively for things like school choice. (We've lost this country if we can't break the public schools' political indoctrination camps.) An example? In Kids Voting Kansas, a public school sponsored event that "teaches" children about the rights and responsibilities of voting, Kansas kids by a huge margin elected President Obama.

Let that sink in for a moment: Kansas school children overwhelmingly would've elected the President while their Kansas parents in the actual polls overwhelmingly supported Mitt Romney. In the Kids Voting Kansas polls, 26,880 students selected Obama to 19,269 students supporting Mitt Romney. Romney won the state of Kansas by more almost 20 points.

In addition to breaking the public school monopoly, Kansas political leaders should also work to limit the reach of the government in the lives of everyday Kansans.

Officials are projecting a more than $300 million budget shortfall next year, and there will be tremendous pressure to increase taxes or continue a sales tax that is set to sunset in order to balance the budget. Those plans should be rejected. We need real, lasting cuts to the state budget.

Now that the election is over, the real work of conservative activists begins. We must hold our newly-elected leaders accountable to our ideals as we show the rest of the country what freedom and prosperity really looks like.

Our work isn't over. It's just begun.

2 comments:

  1. I believe you mean $327 million shortfall.

    http://www.kansas.com/2012/11/06/2558769/state-tax-cuts-may-lead-to-327.html

    Also, the phone issue you discuss was a program started under President Reagan as a way to make sure people could reach emergency services.

    http://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Reports/FCC-State_Link/Monitor/mr98-2.pdf

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  2. Reagan starting a program does not a sacred cow make. The program was created in order to insure that rural America had access to phones. I think that mission was accomplished long ago. Time to stick a fork in it.

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