No hard feelings from being passed over?

Speaking of Mark Parkinson, Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius scoured the state looking for the best person to be her second-term running mate. In the end, she chose — a Republican. That irked Republicans. But shouldn’t it also have bothered Democrats? Apparently not, because she’s the boss and the party needs building in Kansas, even if that means going outside the party to build it. “I trust her judgment. . . . I say look at all she’s done,” Barbara Stout, chairwoman of the Harvey County Democratic Party, told The Topeka Capital-Journal.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

5 Comments

  1. kelly
    Posted June 11, 2006 at 6:19 am | Permalink

    Barbara Stout is correct. Unless Democrats want to be relegated forever to minority party status, then we must convert some Republicans and Independents to the Democratic Party. We need to rebuild this party, and it won’t happen in just one election. But our Governor is showing the rank and file how to do it. We need to emulate her leadership by welcoming newcomers, working for those candidates who have converted to our party like Walt Chappell and Cindy Neighbor, supporting their campaigns, and celebrating their victories.

  2. Ruby
    Posted June 11, 2006 at 8:55 am | Permalink

    Four or Five Republicans going to the Democrat party does not make the party new. It is about being opportunist. The Governor could not find anyone good enough to be her running mate in the Democrat party. She showed that the first time she ran and she is showing that now. The Democrats in the trenches helping her were never even on her list for a running mate. How sad for them

    Let’s see Morrison’s change to Democrat is because he could not win in a Republican primary. The same goes for Cindy Neighbors who lost in the last primary against a Republican. Now Walt Chappell is an interesting one because he can’t seem to hold a job, appears to do work outside of the state of Kansas and lost in a house race in 1990. He has worked for the Democrat party for the past several years and with the ACLU. He was obviously afraid to take Brenda Landwehr on in a primary.

    The Democrats are using all kinds of excuses as to why this is a good thing for them. But behind the scenes they are not happy about being passed over once again for the Lt. Governor spot. They are not happy that a moderate Republican is being given the opportunity to have a hand up on the next Governors run. They can only see these people as opportunist and not as the future of the Democrat party. How can they trust them? They can’t because they know these people have not loyalty and change at a moments notice.

  3. kelly
    Posted June 11, 2006 at 11:52 am | Permalink

    I don’t see 4 or 5 or even 1 Democrat changing over to the Republican Party to run for office. You’re just shuckin’ and jivin’, and everybody knows it.

  4. Ruby
    Posted June 12, 2006 at 8:18 am | Permalink

    You are more than welcome to accept the opportunist into the Democrat party. They obviously need all the help they can get when the Governor cannot find a Democrat to run on her ticket.

  5. Ben Huie
    Posted June 12, 2006 at 9:03 am | Permalink

    I have long thought that it would be interesting to see moderates file for nomination in the ‘minority party’ in various districts. While this would generally be in the Democratic Party there are heavily Democratic districts in which it would be reversed. I’d like to see significant challenges to entrenched incumbents in BOTH parties.