Sarah Palin said that recent descriptions of her by unnamed McCain aides as a “diva” and a “whack job” who alienates campaign staff were untrue – and she wants to meet with anyone who might feel that way. “I have never met any of those who I have heard to have written something or say something negative,” Palin said. “I would love to meet these people, have a conversation instead of them superficially making a statement like that.” Palin also is optimistic about the election. “I truly believe that the wisdom of the people will be rebuilt on (Election Day),” she said. “As they enter that voting booth, they will understand the stark contrast between the two tickets.”
John McCain has been treating President Bush as radioactive on the stump, and has appeared with him only once publicly since Bush’s endorsement at the White House in March. Out of the public eye, though, Bush has raised $146 million for Republican Party committees and candidates this election ($40 million less than he raised last election cycle) and offered a pep talk Tuesday at Republican National Committee headquarters. Bush also has done 85 GOP fundraising events, but hasn’t appeared at a single rally for a GOP candidate for Congress. It must be a strange feeling for the campaigner in chief to be on the sidelines for this one.
Of course, Bush’s approval rating has reached a new low even in Republican Kansas, sinking 4 points in a month to 36 percent in October in a SurveyUSA poll co-sponsored by KWCH, Channel 12. The last time Bush’s approval was as high as 50 percent in Kansas was January 2006.
Funny how Sedgwick County voters last year nixed casino gambling and even slot machines at the now-defunct greyhound track, yet Las Vegas remains the top destination for Wichita Mid-Continent Airport users. That’s according to an assessment by Sabre Airline Solutions of the Mid-Continent market for the 12 months ending in March 2008; rounding out the top five destinations were Atlanta, Chicago, Orlando and Phoenix.
Apparently, area travelers want to gamble, just not where they live. Any bets on whether Las Vegas will slip out of Mid-Continent’s No. 1 spot when Sumner County gets its destination casino?
According to a market assessment by Sabre Airline Solutions, the passenger retention rate in Wichita Mid-Continent Airport’s “catchment” area – two-thirds of Kansas, plus northern Oklahoma – has increased from 56 to 66 percent since 2001. That means that even as commercial airlines have struggled nationwide, Mid-Continent has won back some of the travelers who had been driving to out-of-state airports for cheaper fares.
That improvement is a credit to the aggressive, creative approach taken since 2002 by the city of Wichita, Sedgwick County, Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce, Regional Economic Area Partnership and, as of 2006, the state government to attract and keep low-fare carriers AirTran Airways, Frontier Airlines and Allegiant Air. The affordable airfares initiative, which includes controversial public subsidies, has driven down the cost of business and leisure travel for south-central Kansans during a time when they are eager to hang onto every penny.
Sarah Palin said that recent descriptions of her by unnamed McCain aides as a “diva” and a “whack job” who alienates campaign staff were untrue – and she wants to meet with anyone who might feel that way. “I have never met any of those who I have heard to have written something or say something negative,” Palin said. “I would love to meet these people, have a conversation instead of them superficially making a statement like that.” Palin also is optimistic about the election. “I truly believe that the wisdom of the people will be rebuilt on (Election Day),” she said. “As they enter that voting booth, they will understand the stark contrast between the two tickets.”
