Daily Archives: July 15, 2009

Kobach’s joke stoked a phony conspiracy

July 15, 200911:53 a.m.

kobachAs the front-runner to succeed Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh next year, former Kansas Republican Party leader Kris Kobach should know that his words matter, even those spoken in fun among GOP friends. Yet he seemed surprised that Democrats went after him for joking Saturday at a Leavenworth County Republican Party barbecue that President Obama and God had something in common — the lack of a birth certificate. (He added that the difference between the two was that God only takes 10 percent of a person’s income.)
“Kansans want elected officials who stand above the peddling of partisan lies and conspiracy theory. This is yet another example of why Kris Kobach is unfit for elected office,” declared Kansas Democratic Party executive director Kenny Johnston.
“Lighten up. It’s just a joke,” Kobach told the Lawrence Journal-World, adding, “Are they really suggesting it is forbidden to tell jokes about Barack Obama?”
For the record: The director of Hawaii’s Department of Health has confirmed that Obama was born in Honolulu, and nonpartisan observers have examined the birth certificate and verified its authenticity.
Even Kobach said this week: “Until a court says otherwise, I believe Barack Obama is a natural-born citizen.”

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under Kansas government, President Obama | Comments (26)

Brownback wants creatures to remain mythical

July 15, 20096:04 a.m.

centaurThe long-running crusade by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., against chimera research has some people tittering. Brownback attracted 20 co-sponsors (including one Democrat) for the Human-Animal Hybrid Prohibition Act, introduced Friday, which would ban the laboratory creation of “part-human, part-animal creatures” that “blur the line between species,” according to his Web site. “This legislation works to ensure that our society recognizes the dignity and sacredness of human life,” he said.
But among the reactions:
“As our nation suffers through the greatest economic decline in a generation and our country’s brightest minds are working tirelessly to reverse course, what does Sen. Brownback propose? Banning mermaids,” wrote Chris Harris of Media Matters.
And a Daily Kos posting is headlined “Mermaids, Centaurs, Minotaurs and Satyrs Against Brownback.”

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under Kansas delegation, Science | Comments (50)

Open thread 7/15

July 15, 20096:03 a.m.

thread3115

By The Editors | Filed under Open thread | Comments (305)

Palin surging in fundraising but not polls

July 15, 20096:02 a.m.

Republican FundraiserOnly 22 percent of Americans — and only 33 percent of Republicans — think that Sarah Palin has the ability to be an effective president, according to a new CBS News survey. But since she announced her plans to resign as Alaska governor, contributions to Sarah PAC, her political action committee, reportedly have surged. Meanwhile, perhaps in an effort to be taken more seriously on policy issues, Palin had a commentary in Tuesday’s Washington Post arguing that the cap-and-trade bill before Congress is “an enormous threat to our economy” that “would undermine our recovery over the short term and would inflict permanent damage.”

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under U.S. politics | Comments (163)

Deficit reflects difficult challenge

July 15, 20096:01 a.m.

The Treasury Department’s announcement Monday that the government deficit this year topped $1 trillion was not a surprise; the Obama administration estimated in May that the annual deficit would reach about $1.84 trillion by the end of the fiscal year. Still, breaking the trillion-dollar barrier is a serious concern and reflects the difficult challenge of trying to prime the economy without crippling it in the longer term. One big worry about a large deficit is that it could increase interest rates, but so far that hasn’t been a problem. Also, demand for buying Treasury debt has remained strong, which is fortunate. But the high deficit could pose political problems for President Obama, as lawmakers may be more leery of health care reform or other costly legislation.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Economy, President Obama | Comments (39)

Top 10 joys of state fairs

July 15, 20096:00 a.m.

statefair_sartoreNational Geographic’s July issue has an article on state fairs by Garrison Keillor. It includes photos from state fairs in six states, including Kansas, by former Eagle photographer Joel Sartore. Among Keillor’s “Ten Chief Joys of the State Fair” are:
— “To eat food with your two hands.”
— “To see the art of salesmanship, of barking, hustling, touting, and see how effectively it works on others and not on cool you.”
— “To watch the judging of livestock.”
— “To sit down and rest amid the turmoil and reconsider the meaning of life.”

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under American life | Comments (4)