Last fall’s elections were terrible for social conservatives in Kansas, as Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Topeka, helped Democrats take over Congress, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius easily won re-election, Attorney General Phill Kline got trounced, and moderates reclaimed the State Board of Education.
Though Tuesday’s municipal elections shouldn’t have been about social issues, some anti-abortion groups tried to make them about that — without electoral success. Their candidate, Wichita Mayor Carlos Mayans, lost badly. If Kevass Harding holds onto his tiny lead, all three conservative candidates for the Wichita school board will have lost.
With these election results and the passage of casino gaming by the Legislature this session, are social conservatives losing their grip on power? If so, will they regroup and rise again?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Hillary Clinton’s inevitability factor took another hit Wednesday, as Barack Obama’s presidential campaign announced it raised $25 million in the first quarter from an astonishing 100,000 contributors. On Monday the Clinton camp released its own $26 million total, citing 50,000 donors. Clearly, those excited about Obama’s bid are doing more than showing up in droves for his campaign appearances. That means if Clinton wants the Democratic nomination, she will have to work harder to counter not only his charisma but his cash.
Meanwhile, a Chicago art student has tried to remind people that Obama is only human, via a messianic life-size sculpture of the candidate complete with halo (see photo). Titled "Blessing," David Cordero’s piece is "about caution in assigning all these inflated expectations on one individual, and expecting them to change something that many hands have shaped," the artist said.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Will the eight wonders of Kansas include the world’s largest ball of twine, the deepest hand-dug well, or Brutus, the really big shovel? In addition to these, Kansas has beautiful landscapes, amazing architecture and some extremely quirky sites (think Garden of Eden in Lucas — see photo).
Kudos to the Kansas Sampler Foundation for spearheading the project in which Kansans can vote for their favorite significant events and places in the state. Kansans can be better at attracting tourism and commerce if they remind themselves of all the things that make this a great place to work and live.
What are some of your nominations for wonders?
Posted by Patrice Hein
Some of the GOP legislators who were outmaneuvered on the gambling bill have their former leaders to blame. Tim Shallenburger, Robin Jennison and Doug Mays (in photo) all opposed a gambling expansion during their terms as speaker of the Kansas House but worked for the bill in recent days — Mays and Jennison as registered lobbyists for gambling interests and Shallenburger on behalf of southeast Kansas’ bid to get a casino. Jennison told Harris News Service that the proliferation of border casinos "changed my mind, Tim’s mind and Doug’s mind." Shallenburger pointed to the limits in the bill: "I think those who fear Kansas has taken a giant step toward evil are totally off-base."
But gambling opponent Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita, said: "There’s a lot of legislators that will not be giving lobbyist Doug Mays the time of day."
Posted by Rhonda Holman
As the war in Iraq and allegations of corruption continue to frustrate the American people, President Bush’s inner circle of trusted aides is getting smaller.
The latest defection was Bush’s chief campaign strategist and aide, Matthew Dowd (in photo), who says his faith in Bush was misplaced. Dowd said he had believed that Bush would use his Texas-style of governing to get things done in Washington and unite the country, but that he was disappointed by Bush’s "my way or the highway" stance, especially about Iraq.
Posted by Patrice Hein
Deb Miller, the Kansas secretary of transportation, marked National Work Zone Awareness Week with a Reader Views letter urging Kansans "to be especially mindful of the people who are working on the roadway, separated by just a few feet from the cars and trucks passing by." The statistics confirm there’s a problem. Of the more than 1,800 work zone crashes in Kansas last year, 241 occurred in Sedgwick County; 99 people were injured in the county’s crashes, out of 660 statewide.
Posted by Rhonda Holman