Mark Parkinson, former GOP state lawmaker and the current Democratic lieutenant governor candidate, had some explaining to do when he spoke to the Kansas AFL-CIO last week. “As a Republican, I had a pretty good voting record on labor issues, but I didn’t have a great one, and I certainly didn’t have one that would merit your support, and I didn’t have one that would match the governor’s record,” he told union members. “Had I known what I know now about business and labor in 1990 and 1992, some of those votes would have been different.” The votes certainly would have been different had he known he would switch political parties.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Registered?
Commenting on WE Blog now requires you to be a Kansas.com member. Use the links above to register, if you haven't already, or to log in.Contact us
Follow us
Daily Archives
-
Recent Comments
- Daniel on Open thread 11/22
- Rage on Open thread 11/22
- Rage on Open thread 11/22
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/22
- American_Way on Open thread 11/22
- Rage on Open thread 11/22
- American_Way on Health care reform would save state money
- American_Way on Health care reform would save state money
- American_Way on Open thread 11/22
- Phantom on So they said
14 Comments
Talk about pandering and spinning. I’m not a big fan of Labor myself, because they have forgotten everything that labor used to stand for.
GO UNION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I totally support organized labor, but I have come to the same conclusion as Joe.
Pandering. Flip flop. Political expediency.
By these standards, Madonna should be the perfect candidate in Kansas. Ya know, with her ability to continually “re-invent” herself.
Wonder what Parkinson will morph into four years from now when HE runs for governor? I bet it will be whatever his “finger in the wind” political consultant tells him.
Would the real Mark Parkinson please stand up?
When sinners have a change of heart, and become “saved”, we celebrate their salvation instead of focusing on their past sins.
Amen!Brother Parkinson is born again!
Mark Parkinson seems to forget that it was just four years ago about this time that he was telling everyone how bad Kathleen was. He talked about serving with her as a legislator and how bad she was.
Do you really believe that he has made a big change in four years? It’s not as if he changed party a 2 or 3 years ago. He changed just before she announced him as her running mate. Perhaps it was the over $22 million dollar sale of his assisted living business that has changed his mind? Was he not a business man in the 90’s?
What will be do as Governor (remember Sebelius is not really running for Governor she is really running for the US Senate or something else in DC)? Will he switch back to being a Republican?
I have a lot of respect for the candidate that speaks the truth (even if we don’t like to hear it). Why couldn’t Sebelius find a democrat for her running mate? Are their no democrats worthy enough to be on her ticket? Are their no democrats that have worked hard and done all of the things she has asked of them as Governor?
Yes Mark Parkinson should be ashamed (Democrats need to decide if they really want him as their Governor) of his flopping around but Sebelius should be ashamed for not wanting a Democrat as her running mate. Dennis McKinney would have been a good choice. He has worked hard as minority leader; he is a life long Democrat and deserved to be her running mate.
So ask yourself – Do you want a Democrat for Governor that does not have enough respect for those in her own party to allow them to be her running mate and do you really want a life long Republican that says he now sees the light and is really a Democrat?
“Do you really believe that he has made a big change in four years?”
The only change he has made is in party registration. He is still the same wolf in the same sheep’s clothing.
Good question about why no democrats were good enough to run with the queen.
You should ask a democrat, not me.
It seems the dems in kansas cant win crap without governor leadership. And it is clear, governor leadership sees that she doesnt need dems to win. They already drink the “Cult of Sebelius Coolaide”.
She only needs republicans, so she only courts republicans.
Democratic candidates? Heheheheh. Her attitude seems to be “let them eat cake”.
How many of her campaign millions will be spent to help other dems running for the kansas house and senate?
That’s right. About as much as the water that will be left in Cedar Bluff when she leaves office.
There is an old saying. “If you want to live like a Republican, vote Democrat.”
He is the worst of what we hate about politicians. And the governor should be ashamed not to have chosen a real Democrat. This is truly disgusting.
As a staunch Democrat, I have to respectfully disagree. Sebelius is saying to moderate Republicans, we’ll take you and even give you leadership positions if you cut loose from the wack-os.
I think that’s not only the smart thing to do politically, it’s the right thing to do for our state.
Let’s have a real two-party system in this state for once.
If you wait until somebody “perfect” comes along before you act, you’ll never act.
A demand for “perfection” is the enemy of progress.
CapAmer – She can court all of the Republicans she wants and that is a good thing but to give them the number two spot right out of the shoot? Give me a break!
What about the hard work of Dennis McKinney and Jim Ward? Shouldn’t one of them been number two on the ticket? They have done her bidding all of these years not Mark Parkinson. They have worked hard on legislation and worked to get Democrats elected. Now they have to sit in the shadow of a Republican?
You are showing how far the Sebelius kool-aid has gone. Dennis McKinney would have been a great Lt. Governor and then when Sebelius runs for the US Senate in two years (which is what she really wants to be, not Governor) he would have made a good Governor. Now we are going to have to deal with a Democrat wannabe. What a joke! He will not make a good Governor. You will not know what he really stands for.
I have always wondered why McKinney even bothered to register as a democrat since he is so clearly conservative and votes like a republican.
I guess it figures that sts would be po’d sebelius picked who SHE wanted. Not the most conservative dem in the bunch. Parkinson is far more progressive than McKinney will ever be. No wonder sts spits on parkinson while fawning over the uber right McKinney.
sts, you are too transparent and easy to be any fun anymore!
…and knowing how sts hates public schools and LOVES the anti-tax groups, does anyone have to guess where McKinney stands on school finance? heheheheh
sts never met an anti-public education candidate he didnt love.
Kathleen Sebelious thinks Mark Parkinson, a man with no real, solid, core beliefs is more qualified to be Lt. Governor than anyone else in the State of Kansas.What does this say about Kathleen’s management and hiring ability?What does this say about all the potential, REAL Democrats she could have picked?Parkinson is an opportunist at the peak of his career.He is finished after this.
KSFG – She could have chosen Jim Ward from Wichita or Nile Dilmore or Tom Sawyer. Their voting records are pretty much like the rest of the Democrats including Dennis McKinney. She could have chosen Senator Hensley from Topeka or Senator David Haley who would have been the first African American candidate (to the best of my knowledge. She could have chosen Barbara Ballard from Lawrence another African American. There is also Senator Betts from Wichita another African American.
These are only a few of the Democrats in the legislature. There are a lot of Democrats not in the legislature that would have also made a good choice for Lt. Governor and then Governor. Instead we are going to get a person that goes with the wind and you have no idea where he will land.
So KSFG if Dennis is not your pick how about the other Democrats in Kansas? Are none of them worthy to be on the ticket?