Kansas GOP Insider (wannabe): March 2013

Thursday, March 28, 2013

The non-stop nightmare

We're never going to wake-up from this nightmare. :( OK, so I'm probably being overly dramatic, but can I just say how devastated and sickened I am that Sen. Pat Roberts is getting a free ride back to Washington for a billionth term?

I am disappointed in the Kansans who are going to re-elect him and in the feckless, spineless conservative leaders who know Roberts has been there too long, but don't have the courage to challenge him.

Every single Republican leader in federal and statewide office is serving on Roberts' committee for re-election. (Oops. I realize upon second read-through, that the insurance commissioner isn't on the re-election committee.) This effectively smothers any tiny flame of hope that someone might challenge him. Obviously, I hoped a Kris Kobach would challenge him, but barring that, I'd even take a Derek Schmidt, for whom I have very lukewarm, tepid support.

But anyone is better than someone who has been in Congress since before I was born.

I'm simply appalled that Kansas -- KANSAS -- can't do better than this. Americans detest Congress with a passion that burns like 10,000 suns. Do you know how hard it is to get more than 50 percent of Americans to agree on any one thing? It is virtually impossible. And yet, more than 80 percent have an unfavorable view of Congress. Of those, 30 percent say they are "angry" with Congress. If Congress was one person, he/she would've been fired years ago.

Instead, people don't like Congress but love "their" guy. I do not get it. Newsflash to every human: "Your" guy, if he's been there for more than two terms, is part of the problem. If his time in the U.S. House is included Roberts has been there for 10 terms and counting.

I'm sorry. That's too long. Someone else is capable of doing that job -- someone with fresh ideas and a stronger connection to the people he represents. (By closer connection, I mean someone who has actively lived here for more than an month at a time for the last 32 years.)

It's not that I don't like Roberts. He seems like an OK guy. He's kind of funny. He sings and dances, but pardon me if his jokes are a little tired. He hasn't been a part of the regular class for longer than I've been alive.

No matter his values, which for the most part are similar to mine, he has NO idea what goes on in the "real" world with people who have very limited say in the decisions.

We can do better. We deserve better. Unfortunately, for that to happen, we need leaders of great integrity. And you know how I can tell Roberts isn't one? He still thinks no one else can do the job he's doing. No one else in Kansas is as "capable" at ruling.

I disagree.

A quick note: Sorry for the lengthy absence. This session has been faster and crazier than in recent years. I've had less time to devote to this than I wanted. But I'm not going anywhere. I have lots still to say -- and I'll get to it when I have a little more time!

Monday, March 11, 2013

One things the Dems do right

Oh look! It's a survey about what grassroots people would like to see at future Washington Days events.

Washington Days is the Democratic equivalent to the Kansas GOP Convention. I've never seen a survey about what I'd like to see happen at future GOP conventions. I would like to.