Good for former Kansas Attorney General Bob Stephan for better explaining his recent decision to part ways with the re-election campaign of Attorney General Phill Kline. Many voters will share Stephan’s concerns — with how Kline has used churches to raise campaign dollars and with how a church made donations to a business owned by Kline’s wife, Deborah. Kline’s campaign defended the “love offerings” to his wife’s business, SWT Communications, which has contributed at least $1,181 to Kline’s campaign. But “when you use your faith to shuttle money into your for-profit corporation, that bothers me,” Stephan told the Lawrence Journal-World. “Especially when you are there, certainly giving voice to your faith, but with the credential of being the attorney general.”
Stephan, who held the office from 1979 to 1995, commands a lot of respect in the state and GOP. On the question of whether to go public with his problems with Kline’s campaign, Stephan said, “I’ve hesitated, frankly, because Republicans have helped me all my political career. But there are some things you decide are important. This speaks to the candidate.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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15 Comments
I think Stephen’s departure is the final nail in Kline’s coffin. As noted above, Stephen is definitely a Republican; this will make it a lot easier for Republicans across the state to not vote for Kline.
Kansas voters are getting ready to give Phill a love offering in a few short weeks!
Love offerings to a for-profit corporation? Puhleez.
Cynical thought follows:
By using the church as a conduit for the money (this appears to be what Mr. Stephan is alleging), the donors are making a facially deductible donation for income tax purposes (assuming the ability to itemize deductions), for an indirect contribution to a political campaign (via the aforementioned “love offering”), thereby achieving two purposes; taking a deduction for an otherwise nondeductible contribution, plus preserving their ability to make a direct contribution to the campaign up to the maximum allowed by Kansas law, without needing to account for the “charitable” gift.
I wish to make one point, here: IMHO, an individual should be able to make direct gifts to any campaign s/he wishes in such amounts as s/he sees fit, so long as the identity and amount of the donation are promptly disclosed by the campaign. I abhor PACs; 527 orgs, and the like. This is based upon my cherishing the First Amendment protections.
‘Nuff said.
Philllllll Kline: what a sleaze. One needn’t be a Christian or an ethicist to see this for what it is.
I remember Kline’s original campaign against Biggs, and he attacked Biggs for testifying in defense of someone charged with some ugly crime.
Hmmm. Gee. Testifying for the defense in someone’s trial. What a horribly immoral act!
Screw this ‘trial’ nonsense! Get a rope!
Yet the good people of Kansas elected him anyway. Sigh. . .
The Kline campaign is melting down. Good for Stephan for having the ethics to do this.
Where is KansasMeadowlurk extolling Kline’s culture of life virtues. I think Kline’s actions speak more to his valuing a culture of corruption.
Just sad.
Yeah I made sure to post this on his SJ blog hehe.
When the ’smell test’ is too much for even a Republican, you know you’ve hit the bottom of the barrel!
Although registered as Republican for many, many years, there is no way I could possibly vote for Kline. I think he is unqualified and incapable of being the top law enforcement officer of this state. Period.
BTW…I am voting for Sebelius as well. Party affiliation used to mean something…but in these cases, it doesn’t mean diddly.
Go Raptor…voters who tow the party line are missing out on their American privilege – the right to choose.Kline was a mistake. We got burned and learned. The guy was in it to follow his personal religious views. Sick Fuck that he is.He needs to take his dry, humorless act on the road. This will convince other GOP folks to jump ship.He’ll sink back into his choir and never really know was a waste of our lives he was.
If only we had an attorney general who wasn’t obsessed with teenage sex to prevent these sorts of crimes. Oh well, we’ll have to wait a few more weeks.
That’s all I”m hearing from Republicans across Kansas. They’re disgusted and fed up enough to drop their lifelong affiliations with the republican party, and most plan to vote a total democratic ticket. They want to send a message to the RepubliCON party in Kansas that they’re not going to support them anymore.
You’re dreaming again, PeeMom.
It’s nice to dream.Unfortunately, we could wake up with a nightmare in January–Melvin Neufeld as Speaker of the House.AUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
In case you were wondering — GARTH McGINN’s – (Democratic candidate 4th Congressional District) attitude on church and state.
“As God as my witness and with Jesus absolutely in my heart, I fundamentally reject that a country full of more hateful, spiteful, religious, intolerance is a better place and I will always strive to keep it and all religion out of our government. The separation of church and state is after all a fundamental moral value in of itself which is no doubt why our Founding Fathers started the Bill of Rights with it.”
VIVA McGINN
HE WILL WIN !!!