The presidential hopefuls fell over themselves this past weekend claiming that they were the candidates of “change.†Hillary Clinton argued that while Barack Obama and John Edwards talk a lot about change, she has a record of delivering it. The public doesn’t seem to be buying it, as Zogby and Gallup polls now put Obama ahead of Clinton in New Hampshire by 10 percentage points and 13 points, respectively. Meanwhile, GOP candidates, who mostly have argued for a continuation of the unpopular policies of the current administration, did 180-degree turns trying to recast themselves as agents of change.
George McGovern has no admiration for Richard Nixon, the man who trounced him in the 1972 election. But he contended in a Washington Post commentary that the case for impeaching President Bush and Dick Cheney is far stronger and better for the country than the one against Nixon. “The nation would be much more secure and productive under a Nixon presidency than with Bush,†McGovern wrote. “Indeed, has any administration in our national history been so damaging as the Bush-Cheney era?â€
The already wide-open 2008 presidential race could get even crazier if New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (in photo) decides to enter the race as an independent, third-party candidate, as reports suggest he might.
Bloomberg will attend a bipartisan “unity†conference today at the University of Oklahoma with other moderate leaders such as outgoing Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, who’s been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate on a Bloomberg ticket.
Organizers say they want to encourage the major parties to field candidates that will move Washington, D.C., politics beyond their bitter partisan divide. If there’s evidence of continued gridlock on the campaign trail, Bloomberg might offer himself as an alternative, the thinking goes.
If he doesn’t run, it won’t be for lack of money.
When the 1 percent arena sales tax ended with 2007, it left the sales tax rate throughout the county at 6.3 percent (except in Derby, where it’s 6.8 percent). That leaves Wichita again looking good as a shopping destination for Kansans. In some Kansas counties and towns near Kansas City, rates are topping 8 percent and crowding 9 percent. In Topeka, Salina, Newton, Hutchinson, Pittsburg, Parsons, Lawrence, Hays and Manhattan and elsewhere, shoppers pay more than 7 percent sales tax.
When Kansans see a current or potential holder of political office appearing in a public service announcement, they may wonder: “Was that really a taxpayer-funded campaign ad?†It’s a timely question: Kansas Securities Commissioner Chris Biggs (a possible replacement for Attorney General Paul Morrison), Treasurer Lynn Jenkins (in photo, now running for Congress) and Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh (considering a run for governor in 2010) can be seen in current ads, respectively, warning of investment scams, touting the state’s Learning Quest education savings plan and urging parents to read to their kids. The ads with Jenkins and Biggs were not funded by tax dollars, reported the Topeka Capital-Journal. State party leaders say such ads are OK when they support some program. Kansans must decide for themselves whether such ads are too self-serving.
The presidential hopefuls fell over themselves this past weekend claiming that they were the candidates of “change.†Hillary Clinton argued that while Barack Obama and John Edwards talk a lot about change, she has a record of delivering it. The public doesn’t seem to be buying it, as Zogby and Gallup polls now put Obama ahead of Clinton in New Hampshire by 10 percentage points and 13 points, respectively. Meanwhile, GOP candidates, who mostly have argued for a continuation of the unpopular policies of the current administration, did 180-degree turns trying to recast themselves as agents of change.
