Kansas City Star columnist Mike Hendricks noted that the music blaring as Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and her new running mate, former Kansas GOP chairman Mark Parkinson, waded into the crowd at the Overland Park announcement event last week was Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.” Hendricks wondered why: “Might it be that, in becoming a Dem to run as Sebelius’ No. 2, Parkinson was now free of the increasingly right-leaning state party he once led?”
The lyrics, after all, are:
“If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be travelling on, now,
There’s too many places I haven’t seen
And if I stayed here with you, now
Things just wouldn’t be the same
Well I’m as free as a bird now,
And a bird you cannot change.
And a bird you cannot change.
And a bird you cannot change.
Lord knows I can’t change.
“Bye, bye, it’s been a sweet love.
And though this feeling I can’t change.
Please don’t take it badly,
The Lord knows I’m to blame.
And if I stayed here with you now
Things just wouldn’t be the same.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
10 Comments
Honestly! Does anybody care about the Lt. Governor? 95% of Kansans won’t even know who he is and of that 95%, 70% of those people don’t even know that States actually have “vice” governors.
Of course I’m just speculating on my statitics, but I couldn’t be that far off.
As far as “Free Bird”, that was for the audience who is in touch with their mutton chops self.
Gee, Joe, afraid the audience might be full of aged dopers?
Why would any thinking, semi-sentient human being want to belong to the Kansas Republican party in the first place? The only ones belonging to it have no concept of the real world. They’re stuck in the world of religious persecution and intelligent design.
Another Baby Boomer with yet another, “Look at me, look at my generation, we’re still SO relevant,” column.Get OVER yourselves, boomers.Yawn.
ok, this song is played at redneck funerals and the democratic candidates are playing it for their theme song. Does this mean they intend to bury themselves in this race?
She thinks that by picking someone from Johnson County she can pick up the county she lost in the last election. What she ignores is that Parkinson was the only Republican from Johnson County who in 1992 voted for the flawed school formula we deal with now and stuck it to Johnson County. The Governor just signed the school funding bill that shafts Johnson County once again. So where does this put her? That’s right no where!
You are right JW about there being no plan. She has been an in active Governor that has only offered expansion of programs, new programs and don’t forget about her big proposal of the largest tax increase in Kansas history.
She did try to get driver licenses passed for illegals but fortunately she failed. She did try to get in state tuition for illegals and she succeeded. A US citizen born and raised in Kansas that leaves for a short period of time can’t get in state tuition but let’s give it to illegals. Makes a lot of sense to ignore US citizens and help those that broke the law. Many of them are using fake SS numbers and ID’s. If a US citizen did that they would be put in jail but not the illegal’s they need to be given more rights.
She has ignored the rank and file democrats that have worked to help her and to protect her but she stepped over the top of them to find a Republican to run with her. I guess it speaks volumes on her opinion of her fellow Democrats. None of them have been good enough to be her running mate. Now she sets up a Republican/Democrat to be the next Governor which means that none of the long time Democrats that have been waiting to run will have a chance. Boy does she have a way of saying thank you to those that help her.
I guess I should feel bad for them but they got what they asked for. She does not care about anyone but herself and how she can be advanced for her future only. How selfish can you get?
Selfish? You obviously don’t know what this word means. The Republicans trying to repeal the estate tax with the argument that small business owners and farmers will benefit are not only selfish, but liars as well. Ken Lay and Jack Abramoff and (closer to home) David Wittig are selfish. The Governor has initiated legislation to protect our National Guard soldiers, has created Healthwave so that children can have low-cost health insurance, and she has lobbied for modest wage increases for state employees who had gone so long without raises. As for Parkinson, she is only trying to rebuild the Democratic Party into a majority power, and she seems to be succeeding. We’ll see in November.
“The Governor has initiated legislation to protect our National Guard soldiers, has created Healthwave so that children can have low-cost health insurance, and she has lobbied for modest wage increases for state employees who had gone so long without raises.”
Kelly, I don’t know where you get your facts but the governor has not introduced legislation to protect our Kansas Guard soldiers now the legislature did but not the governor.
As far as Healthwave goes that was put in place about 9 or 10 years ago and the governor had nothing to do with it. She wasn’t a legislator and she wasn’t the Governor. It was actually the Republicans along with some Democrats that actually designed the program and has kept it in tack.
The modest wages are accurate. Why didn’t she offer more? She did for the Highway Patrol and for teachers. Why didn’t she offer what the average was for teachers? That would have amounted to about a 6% increase in wages.
As for building the Democrat party with Republicans that are opportunist it speaks volumes. It says that the Democrat party apparently does not have anyone that is good enough to be her running mate. For the Democrats that have waited to make a run for Governor she has now taken that away from them. What does that say for the Democrats that have worked so hard to get her and others elected? It says she thought very little of them and stepping over the top of them was no big deal. Democrats should be outraged! Some are but have been told they must not say anything publicly. They are just supposed to be good little girls and boys and do what the queen bee is telling them they have to do.
At lease Republicans would be standing up and speaking their own opinions and not allowing someone to tell them what to say and when to say it.
The Governor is saying there is not one Democrat good enough to serve with me. This would be funny if it wasn’t so shameful and embarrassing to them Democrats that have worked hard for a long time and expected their service to pay off at some point. Just shameful.
“As far as Healthwave goes that was put in place about 9 or 10 years ago and the governor had nothing to do with it.”
Sorry Ruby, you need to check your facts also. Healthwave has only been around the last two years or so. I don’t know what involvement the governor had in developng it.
The federal program that initiated what would become Healthwave was first introduced in 1997. Maybe this is what Ruby meant.
Healthwave itself has not been around that long.
http://www.kansashealthwave.org/hwhistory.asp
The Governor isn’t saying there isn’t a democrat good enough Ruby. She is already prepared and aware her time is up. The choice of Parkinson was simply to do her part in attempting to present the appearence of some sort of mass exodous equaling that of the one the democrats have experienced.Many people told her that instate tuition for illegals and vetoing campaign reform were sucidial, but I for one have to give her credit for sticking to her guns.Perhaps had she not been caught soliciting illegal campaign contributions she might have had a chance, however, it probably didn’t matter at that point and she just decided to take a shot.For a democrat, she isn’t a half bad lady, a tremendous improvement over that drunk Joan Finney. I may have even voted for her had she not been an insurance industry shill.In any even, Canfield will be the next Governor.