The Kansas Republican Party made its ideological breakup official with last week’s formation of the Kansas Traditional Republican Majority — seemingly a moderate bookend to the conservative Kansas Republican Assembly. Predictably, the latter denounced the former as “a liberal front group for Democrats.” None of this serves Kansas Republican Party chairman Tim Shallenburger’s worthy goal of unity. Meanwhile, Kansas’ Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, newly named by Time as one of the nation’s five best governors, is enviably positioned to win re-election next year. How is that possible, given that Kansas has 783,000 Republicans and 454,000 Democrats? Because Kansas Republicans seem to be having trouble with math as well as science these days.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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Here’s some info you won’t see in the press:
Political Profile of Members of “Kansas Traditional Republican Majority”
http://www.kansasmeadowlark.com/2005/12-08/index.htm
“Because Kansas Republicans seem to be having trouble with math as well as science these days.”
Oooh … Good one Rhonda!
Meadowlark has amassed a large amount of info on the members of the KTRM. I can’t hear him, but somehow I don’t think he is chirping happily about this set of his fellow Republicans.
“Night of the Long Tusks” for the KS Republican party???
In it’s quest for ideological purity, the republican party is setting itself up to purge it’s own membership of anyone who doesn’t bow down to it’s leadership on all issues. How astonishingly Stalinist!
Jed, Absolutely,
My cryptic reference was to Hitler’s purge of the SA leadership from the NSDAP…
Thirteen years ago, the extremists took over the Sedgwick County Republicans. I wasn’t a Republican, but I heard plenty o’ complaints from dismayed moderates who were.
They’ve controlled the national Republican party for quite a while.
So much for the “Big Tent” party.
Brian,
I got the ‘night of the long knives’ reference when you first posted it. I laughed my ass off.
And it has the added advantage of connecting GOP internicene fights to those within National Socialism (Nazism), to which they bear more than a passing resemblance. Ditto with the fights within the national College Republicans between future luminaries such as Grover Norquist and Karl Rove.
Republican internicene warfare, like fascism, begins at home.
CF,
Glad you liked it and got it. :-)
I hope they tear each other apart.
Thomas Frank, the author of “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” contended that the people who profited (financially and power – wise) the most from the populist success of the Republican party in Kansas were the wealthy Northeast Republican elites. The sweaty masses voted Republican and the rich Repubs got richer. If he is right, one would have to wonder why the KTRM folks would want to upset this delicate balance and it would seem in their interests to not do so.
If you go to the KTRM website, they speak of the extremism in the agenda of the conservative branch of their party (which seems hard to argue with). I am wondering why this public fight within the party was necessary. It seems possible to me that the Repubs could have put their crazy cousins (like Connie Morris and Gietzen) back in the attic without anyone noticing too much. Maybe the belief is that the far-right have gained too much power and thus would not go back into the attic quietly? Why go public with this fight, at this time? Was the calculation for the timing of this fight, based on the party’s belief that they won’t be able to put together a serious threat against Sebelius this year, so start this fight now, rather than later?
Questions abound about this splintering process, and the theater that may get to see should be quite fun.
This is GREAT!It’s like a whole new season of ‘Survivor’, where only the bigots survive.
My questions above, naively forget the significant progress that has been recently made by social-conservative Republicans in the state. The following list is from an LJWorld.com article:
Topeka — Kansas is currently on a right-wing joyride.
Name an idea that carries the right-wing label, and it’s getting serious play in Kansas.
Constitutional ban on gay marriage — done.
Science standards critical of evolution — done.
Investigating abortion clinics — done.
Obstacles to sex education — in the works.
Politically untouchable ultra-conservative congressmen — ongoing.
The list goes on. [end of quote]
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/dec/12/kansas_leaning_further_right/?print
The social conservative agenda in Kansas is reflected by the Bush social conservative agenda. So, it seems that if any modicum of sanity is going to be restored by the Republicans, they need to do something sooner, rather than later.
The question that I need to ponder is what can an unaffiliated voter/closet Democrat like myself do to help the forces of reason in the Kansas Republican Party?
I’d welcome ideas on this question.