Some leading religious conservatives are threatening to leave the Republican Party if it nominates pro-choice Rudy Giuliani for president. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and others are considering supporting a third-party candidate. It is refreshing to see social conservatives show some independence and commitment to issues rather than to a political party. But if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee, would they really vote for a third-party candidate, which likely would hand the presidency to Clinton? Do they think Clinton would be preferable to Giuliani, who says he favors strict-constructionist judges?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
In his new memoir, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas calls Anita Hill "my most traitorous adversary," rekindling debate about Hill’s 1991 sexual harassment allegations against Thomas. He claims Hill was part of a plot by "left-wing zealots" to block his confirmation because of his abortion views.
And on CBS’ "60 Minutes" Sunday, Thomas claimed that Hill "was not the demure, religious, conservative person that they portrayed."
But Thomas isn’t likely to have the last word on the subject. Hill responded in a New York Times commentary this week, saying, "I will not stand by silently and allow him, in his anger, to reinvent me."
She went on: "Regrettably, since 1991 I have repeatedly seen this kind of character attack on women and men who complain of harassment and discrimination in the workplace."
Meanwhile, Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson arguesthat Thomas is one of the more cogent arguments against affirmative action.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., further declared his independence from President Bush on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program in a Kansas City Star commentary: “I strongly believe President Bush is wrong in his threat to veto this bill. He is claiming the bill does things that it simply does not do: It is not the first step towards the federalization of health care; it does not provide government health care to families making over $80,000; it does not allow adults to be covered under the program; and it will not erode the private health insurance market.”
What it does, Roberts went on, is “ensures necessary steps are taken to encourage private market participation and targets SCHIP back to its original focus: low-income children.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has deferred to Rod Bremby, her secretary of health and environment, on Sunflower Electric Power Corp.’s application to expand its coal-fired plant operation near Holcomb. And an opinion Bremby received from Attorney General Paul Morrison said Bremby can nix the plant if it would threaten the state’s population or environment. “Such actions may include denying an air quality permit application on the basis of anticipated emissions of a particular pollutant or modifying a proposed permit to address such pollutant,” the opinion said.
Of course, whether Bremby will exercise the authority that Morrison says he has remains an uncommonly well-kept secret in Topeka.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
State Sen. Donald Betts, D-Wichita, confirmed the rumors Friday about the next move in his young political life, challenging Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, for the 4th Congressional District seat. Betts plans to announce his candidacy today at Friends University, where not so long ago he was the first African-American student body president. Betts has been an effective state senator, making more of a mark than Democrats usually do in the heavily GOP Legislature. For one thing, he succeeded in putting Kansas on record as criminalizing racial profiling by law enforcement. But Democratic resistance may be futile against Tiahrt, who swept into office with the GOP revolution in 1994. While maintaining pristine conservative credentials, Tiahrt has become a master at delivering federal funding, a talent only enhanced by his assignment early this year as the ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on the interior, environment and related agencies.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
