Mitt Romney’s overseas trip didn’t go that well. His comments questioning whether England was prepared for the Olympics prompted the British newspaper headline “Mitt the Twit.” He also took heat for attributing Gaza’s economic struggles to “culture.” Then his spokesman berated reporters who complained that Romney wouldn’t answer questions. On the other hand, it likely won’t matter. The economy is the biggest issue in the 2012 election. In a Washington Post-ABC News poll in May, only 1 percent of people said that foreign policy was the most important issue.
Unlike in some past elections, evolution doesn’t appear to be a big issue in Kansas State Board of Education races, at least not in the two races with primaries on Tuesday. In District 8, which includes much of Wichita, incumbent Walt Chappell and GOP challenger Kathy Busch both support the teaching of evolution. So do both Democratic candidates for District 6 in northeast and north-central Kansas. Jim McNiece, the only candidate in District 10, which includes west Wichita, also supports teaching evolution.
In his defense, Wichita City Council member Michael O’Donnell was only 12 years old when Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker (in photo) retired in 1996 after 18 years in the U.S. Senate. Still, somebody should have told him that it’s not the best idea to criticize Kassebaum Baker, who was more popular than Bob Dole among Kansans while she was in the Senate and remains a revered and influential figure in the state and party. Yet O’Donnell reacted to the former senator’s endorsement this week of his GOP primary opponent, incumbent state Sen. Jean Schodorf, R-Wichita, with what sure sounded like an attack not only on Schodorf but also on Kassebaum Baker: “It doesn’t surprise me that Sen. Kassebaum would endorse a candidate that has voted to raise taxes numerous times and supports President Obama’s health care plan.” Tsk, tsk.
Mitt Romney’s overseas trip didn’t go that well. His comments questioning whether England was prepared for the Olympics prompted the British newspaper headline “Mitt the Twit.” He also took heat for attributing Gaza’s economic struggles to “culture.” Then his spokesman berated reporters who complained that Romney wouldn’t answer questions. On the other hand, it likely won’t matter. The economy is the biggest issue in the 2012 election. In a Washington Post-ABC News poll in May, only 1 percent of people said that foreign policy was the most important issue.
