Two years from now, Kansans will be looking at more political upheaval than usual, with the jobs of the term-limited Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and self-term-limited Sen. Sam Brownback both up for grabs. It’s more than possible they could swap jobs. The Republican said Thursday that he’s “going to look at the governor’s race.” As for whether Democrat Sebelius might run for his Senate seat, he said: “It’s a free country. She can do what she wants to do. I don’t think she’s going to win this position. Kansas is a conservative state.” True, but don’t forget that Sebelius already has won four statewide races, compared with Brownback’s three.
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
- Phantom on Open thread 11/22
- Phantom on Open thread 11/22
- Rage on Open thread 11/22
- Pleefer on Open thread 11/22
- Pleefer on Open thread 11/22
- cosmos_originally on Open thread 11/22
- Rage on Open thread 11/22
- Rage on Open thread 11/22
- Phantom on Health care reform would save state money
- Phantom on Health care reform would save state money
24 Comments
Brownback won’t win governor. Nope.
I believe Kansans keep voting for Sam Brownback to keep him out of Kansas. Perhaps he and Sebelius can work together in some Washington think tank next year and trade cubicles.
I’m shocked at you JWink- I thought you were all about the fantastic fundy club?
P.M.: I’m a MODERATE Republican and in that capacity served for years as a precinct committeeman with several hundred other precinct committeemen and precinct committee women in Johnson County. At that time, the hard working, envelope stuffing, political flyer distributers were moderate Republicans, including many former Wichitans as I recall.
But the right wingers gradually infiltrated and reduced the working precinct committee organization to shambles as it’s tried to do here in Wichita.
So that’s the line I try to tread. Interpreted, that means I vote for the candidate and issues of my choice.
I’m not convinced Brownback will really retire from the Senate.
Yeah, he said he would. But when has a Republic Party candidate ever lied to you.
“Extenuating circumstances,” or “‘I was drafted by my party!’” or “President Palin has requested I stay in the Senate and carry her bill to outlaw evolution,” just seem to be able to flow from Sam the Sham’s snarly lips.
Thanks to his presidential bid (albeit, pathetic), Brownback has tapped some big-buck donors by Kansas election standards. And it might be more important to the national Republic Party to try to preserve Brownback in the Senate (and stave off the rise of Kathleen Sebelius on a national stage) to “force” Sam to run for re-election at the last minute before the filing deadline in June, 2010.
I think Sam has become acutely aware that being a United States Senator is a pretty damned good gig; a lot of power, access to the big bucks, limo service and the good restaurants in D.C. can get you a table.
It’s not quite the same thing as walking into Po’r Richard’s after the bars close.
(Is Po’r Richard’s still in business? It just dawned on me how many years it’s been since I’ve been in Topeka after hours. Legendary bad food. But it was open!)
And poor Mary (nee Stauffer) Brownback is just not cut out to be the First Lady of Kansas. She’s a charming woman, but shy as a rabbit. You can see the Zoloft at work when she’s forced to make a public appearance for politics’ sake. Routine events required of the spouse at Cedar Crest will torture her. She could go all Milda on Sam’s ass if he forces her to promote his unabashed ambition to chalk up some “executive experience” in 2012 or 2016.
The job-swap has all the makings of a real soap opera.
If Sam leaves the Senate then he won’t be able to take those luxury trips to visit brutal dictators in the former Soviet Republic to admire how they manage to balance worshipping Jesus and repressing the human rights of their people.
I would welcome the opportunity in 2010 to help retire Brownback from politics. By the way, didn’t Phill Kline promise not to run for political office this year? It sure didn’t take long for him to change his mind. But I doubt if we have seen the last of him.
Hey p-momma, just who is going to deny Sam the Governors office. Mark Parkinson? Please, this guy couldn’t win an ass kicking contest with a double amputee. Who else you got? Raj Goyle. To new and too smarmy. Maybe you could dredge up Jill Docking and run her. I’d love to see that trench coat again.
As for KS, well she will pull a Bill Graves and catch the first train out of town when her terms up. Jerry Moran is the future Senator, not Sebelius.
Monkeyhawk: Your mention of Po’r Richards brings back memories for me also. In the early 1960’s, the original Po’r Richards Restaurant about a block east of 10th and Kansas Avenue was the place to see and be seen for then recent college graduates of K-State, K.U. and presumably Washburn. Also local politicians and Topeka yuppies. Kind of a “Rick’s Place” out of the Casablanca movie in Topeka.
Nice place, good menu and late hours for coffee drinkers like me. Also the dark eyed waitress, Sara, as I recall, was a friend. But a few years later, after the Army, when I dropped by from Kansas City, I noticed with disappointment her memory had faded … different people, more food, more coffee, more years.
I particularly remember the revolving glass mirrored ball revolving above the bar. Kansas glitsh, I guess.
I suspect Po’r Richards Restaurants in Topeka are long gone now. I believe the owner passed away some years ago. And dark-eyed waitress, if you are still working in a restaurant in Topeka, best wishes.
“JWink” –
Po’r Richard’s used to be a downstairs place, right?
Then in the lates 70s or so they moved to street level, on Kansas Avenue I think, and a lot of the charm was gone.
I never met “Richard.” I assume that was the guy. But I remember thinking “This is what a guy serving in the Army in the Korean War was fighting for; some place that was just a little bit tacky, with flat black walls and Asian kitsch for decor; a place where you could get ham & eggs and/or a chicken-fried steak at 2 in the morning; where bikers and other low-lifes like legislators might show up on any given night.
It’s be interesting to go back and see what Topeka has to offer these days. When the Lege is in session, it’s a much more interesting town. For 90 days, with all the rube-resentatives in town, and the lobbyists who will pay the tab if you can somehow make them think you’re somebody (anybody!) and, especially, the legislative groupies.
There’s a whole subset of divorcees, estranged wives, professional sluts, and ambitious young college grads who live to work as secretaries to legislators when they’re in session. Not every legislator is boinking his secretary, but a lot of them are boinking somebody’s secretary. That’s the way to bet, anyway.
Power, money, booze, sex, greasy food… That should be Topeka’s Chamber of Commerce slogan.
;^)
After Kate’s abysmal performance on the national stage, I’m afraid that she’s pretty much finished.
No matter how hard the Eagle editors blow, that little doll won’t inflate again.
MonkeyH: In 1960, when I arrived in Topeka, there was only only one Po’r Richards Restaurant. It was on Tenth Street, a block east of Topeka’s main street, Kansas Avenue. I believe its two story brick building was eventually torn down for the entrance loop of I-70. I believe the “new” Santa Fe building is located north across the street. I remember seeing the owner, Richard _____, occasionally working there as a bartender. That location did have a downstairs meeting room but the main restaurant was located on the first floor. Later in the early 1960’s, Po’r Richards expanded into a few other locations, one on Kansas Avenue, another on west Sixth Street, maybe others.
I agree that Po’r Richards Restaurant did have a certain nostalgic charm for those days.
Of course, regarding Topeka, there was an old saying: “If it wasn’t for the patients at the old Menningers psychological hospital, Topeka wouldn’t have had any class!”
Brownback is garbage and would be better suited running a small, judgmental church somewhere.
No Chris, I don’t want anyone with republicon leanings, but I suppose if it came down to Brownback and Parksinson I’d have to vote Parkinson.
I guess that’s the most I could expect in kansas. Although- Sebelius was once a republicon too. And I’m pretty happy with her.
If Brownback does indeed step down from the Senate, then we are likely to see a very formidible race between Sebelius and Moran (and I actually agree with Chris here, advantage Moran, because he is acceptable to the foul weather voters and moderates who supported Sebelius for governor). However, if Sebelius were to run against Brownback for the Senate, advantage, quite possibly, Sebelius. Brownback, not Roberts, is the vulnerable Senator.
As for the governorship, Brownback would be a shaky candidate if the moderate Republicans or Democrats ran a strong candidate against him, because of his conservative Christian credentials (re: Phill Kline, certain state board of education members). For example, if Docking did decide to run, you’d have the same problem that would have existed for the Republicans if Gore had run for the presidency in 2008, a reminder of what could have been. A number of REPUBLICANS would like their vote from the race against Docking that first put Brownback in the Senate back.
Brownback for Gov.? Who’d be lieutenant gov., Phil?
Brownback wins for gov., we might all want to move to the Refuge State (Alaska).
Brownback is Catholic.
Many “moderates” are not the least bit worried about voting for a Catholic.
Fundamentalism first developed as a protest to Catholic teaching.
They are NOT the same thing.
Brownback would win, hands down.
Maybe when Palin’s visiting the wal-marts (like brownback suggested) she could promote this product?
http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/2008/09/mommy_and_me.html
On Brownback’s Catholicism, from the 2006 Rolling Stone interview (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/9178374/gods_senator/ ):
“The nation’s leading evangelicals have already lined up behind Brownback, a feat in itself. A decade ago, evangelical support for a Catholic would have been unthinkable. Many evangelicals viewed the Pope as the Antichrist and the Roman Catholic Church as the Whore of Babylon. But Brownback is the beneficiary of a strategy known as co-belligerency — a united front between conservative Catholics and evangelicals in the culture war. Pat Robertson has tapped the “outstanding senator from Kansas” as his man for president. David Barton, the Christian right’s all-but-official presidential historian, calls Brownback “uncompromising” — the highest praise in a movement that considers intransigence next to godliness. And James Dobson, the movement’s strongest chieftain, can find no fault in Brownback. “He has fulfilled every expectation,” Dobson says. “
Brownback also attends Topeka Bible Church with his family, as does Robert Meissner, Topeka’s right-wing, anti-evolution candidate for the KS state board of education.
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/oct/22/science_standards_rule/
Oh, good one, Phantom! … available in the new family size 24 pack …
political_mama said: I guess that’s the most I could expect in kansas. Although- Sebelius was once a republicon too. And I’m pretty happy with her.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – – - – - – - – - – -
I would have to take issue with you on Kathleen Sebelius ever being a Republican. She married the son of Congressman Keith Sebelius who was a Republican (RINO), sort of. Kathleen herself was the daughter of a one term Democrap Governor of Ohio and has always belonged to the “evil” party.
In my opinion, pal, i’m not really sure it’s the right kind of stuff 4 my girlfriend!?