Bold Move, Newbies

This is sure to rankle some feathers. The Johnson County Republican Party has issued an official position on the judicial retention election. In a newsletter I received late last night, JCRP issued an email that reads:

"The Kansas Supreme Court is on the ballot this year. We have an opportunity to make a difference and send a message that Kansans believe that the Supreme Court has over-stepped. Make this year the year we stand up and say, WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH!"

This is a bold move for the county party's recently elected leaders. While I agree with the official position--can those awful justices--I have a feeling there are a lot of Republican candidates wishing that this campaign issue would just go away. Some candidates are worried that it's a losing issue; others are annoyed that the effort to oust the justices is taking volunteers away from tight legislative campaigns. I actually suspect rallying the people who support this cause to the polls will help Republican candidates, but not everyone sees it my way. (When will they learn?)

And then there are the so-called mods, many of whom are on record saying the justices are just awesome. (Those people are wrong, and honestly, I don't know how they can call themselves Republicans with a straight face.)

So while I think the JCRP official position is the right one, (Listen to Joseph Ashby on the topic with audio from the U.S. Supreme Court slapping the Kansas Supremes, here) I am fully expecting to hear about some quiet seething.