Daily Archives: May 3, 2009

Stewart skewers Kansas via Specter

May 3, 20096:05 a.m.

Obama SpecterFirst came this odd moment at a news conference with Republican-turned-Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and President Obama: “Sen. Obama,” Specter said, “before the Democratic primary used to tell me, ‘Arlen, if a Jewish kid from Kansas can carry Pennsylvania, how can a black kid from Kansas carry Pennsylvania?’”
That inspired this from Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show”: “That actually reminds me of a good joke. A Jew and a black guy live in Kansas. They have to move to hold elected office.”
In the interest of accuracy (rather than comedy): Specter was born in Wichita and grew up in Russell, but Obama was raised elsewhere by a mother and grandparents from Kansas.

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under Congress, President Obama | Comments (19)

Kansans down on Obama, Sebelius

May 3, 20096:03 a.m.

Obama HHSWhether because of the tea parties or the passing of just another tax day, April took a toll on President Obama’s standing among Kansans. The latest Survey USA poll in the state, co-sponsored by KWCH, Channel 12, found his approval rating at 44 percent, down 11 points since March and 18 points since he took office. In the same poll, Sens. Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback each had 53 percent approval. As former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ exited the state and joined Obama’s Cabinet, she received her lowest approval rating in at least the past four years — 46 percent, down 9 points since March.

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under Kansas delegation, Kansas government, President Obama | Comments (13)

Open thread 5/3

May 3, 20096:02 a.m.

thread392

By The Editors | Filed under Open thread | Comments (119)

Can Six break Kansas’ AG curse?

May 3, 20096:01 a.m.

New AGThen-Eagle columnist Bob Getz wrote in 2002 that he thought the “Kansas attorney general’s office has a curse on it — a nasty, dream-demolishing, ambition-crushing curse.” Getz drew his conclusions from the political misfortunes, “some veritably scandalous,” of recent attorneys general Vern Miller, Curt Schneider, Bob Stephan and Carla Stovall — “all of them strong favorites at one time to become governor, who stumbled and fell by the political wayside,” he wrote. Amazingly, the pattern has extended in this decade, with Phill Kline and Paul Morrison suffering their own reversals of fortune. So far, current Attorney General Steve Six (in photo) has avoided drama for more than a year.

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under Kansas government | Comments (4)

So they said

May 3, 20096:00 a.m.

foxterry“If he’s not cautious in the way he’s handling it, we’re going back to being a territory.” — Rep. Scott Schwab, R-Olathe, on Gov. Mark Parkinson’s tax policy ideas

“Quite frankly, it sounded like the same message, projected an octave lower and about 12 inches higher off the ground.” — Sen. Ty Masterson, R-Andover, to KWCH, Channel 12, about Parkinson’s speech

“We must hold Sam Brownback accountable for this vote.” — Wichita pastor Terry Fox (in photo), telling OneNewsNow.com that the senator “violated the Scriptures and his own church’s teaching” and “betrayed” many conservative Christians by voting to confirm HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

“I would say she’s probably got the toughest job in Washington coming up.” — Former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, on Sebelius’ role in the Obama administration’s plans for a new health care policy

“I lost my partner.” — Dole again, on the party switch of Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, saying that he jokingly told Specter he intended to take Specter’s name off a sign along I-70 and replace it with pictures of his re-election challengers

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under Kansas delegation, Kansas government | Comments (6)