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Two years ago, the Democratic Party in Kansas looked to be on the rebound. Kansas elected a second Democratic U.S. representative, Nancy Boyda, and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius had just won reelection with a convincing majority of voters.
With the departure of Sebelius to Obama's cabinet, the future of the Kansas Democratic Party seems much more questionable. The party has lost its leader and voice of Republican dissent in Sebelius, and there is no immediate replacement waiting in the wings.
For six years, Sebelius was a very popular governor and the symbol of a growing Democratic Party in the state. As de-facto leader, though, she failed to really build a strong group of Democratic leaders.
Joe Aistrup, associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences and an expert on Kansas politics, said Sebelius' placement of Paul Morrison as Kansas attorney general and recruitment of Mark Parkinson as lieutenant governor in her second term as governor failed to solidify state Democratic leadership.
Morrison stepped down after he was accused of sexual harassment of a female office administrator, and Parkinson announced he would not plan to run for governor in 2010 even though many Democrats believe he would be able to compete against Republican candidates Sen. Sam Brownback or Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh. Both Morrison and Parkinson switched their political affiliations from Republican to Democrat during Sebelius' term as governor.
"Right now the future of the Democratic Party is not looking as bright as it should after six years of a very successful governor," Aistrup said. "There are no obvious choices for the Democrats to replace her."
2010 does not look bright for Kansas Democrats. They have no clear candidates for the gubernatorial race or Sen. Brownback's open Senate seat, while the Republicans have two very strong candidates already in each race.
Rep. Dennis Moore might be the only big-name Democrat to win a state race in 2010, unless Boyda continues to play musical chairs with the Republicans. Aistrup said there are potential candidates who could rise to the occasion to replace Sebelius, but they would need to be highly motivated and do a good job of raising money, which could be harder without Sebelius.
Sebelius' nomination as HHS secretary is great publicity for the state of Kansas, but it puts the future of Kansas Democrats in question. If Democratic donors in the state want to continue making inroads in the Kansas House and Senate, they will need to open their wallets and get on the telephone to find the next voice of the Democratic Party.
Scott Girard is a senior in print journalism. Please send comments to opinion@spub.ksu.edu.
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7 comments
Republicans need tax breaks for their rich friends. So they won’t go green even though it would bring jobs and help pay the debt, Clinton was on letterman saying that it would be 8 to 1 green jobs over coal jobs. But the coal keeps burning and they don’t want to care about the 1 of 2 guys getting cancer or the 1 in 3 gals getting cancer it just about profit over people. They Move to other countries and poison there people and land, genocide for profit, the wolf in sheep’s clothing will say how they believe in god and profess there much better than the others! But do not live the way of the bible teachings nor do they care for their fellow man! Drunk with power and greed they let us fall. It’s because they have it all, except love for their fellow man and the earth that keeps us all alive. None of it makes any since; more than % 75 of the U.S. population are poor and middle class. But many are tricked to vote for a party that are slaves to the wealthy and vote against themselves or what’s good for them. By voting republican if you’re poor or middle class, is saying you think the rich need tax breaks and those programs that help the poor and middle class are not important and that you think their right, not to care about the people that made them rich! And that they are somehow superior! They call them conservatives but the only thing I see them conserve is their self important holier than thou B.S. and a way of life that’s protecting the coal and oil industry and the wealthy they have. They are not looking out for the average guy. But they pretend to by getting these so called average people that will help us like George w and sari Palin. And we don’t need average we need supper intelligent that cares for the majority of us! Not just the 1% that does not put the money into technologies that will help clean the air water and land. You know those that think its ok if the cancer rate is high or if millions die! It’s not ok that they can buy elections now with the new Supreme Court ruling allowing millions to go to brainwash people and change the face of fair elections.
Just because they can do what they wish does not mean they should. For every action there is a reaction! Greed has no place in this place of so much life. Life and the chain reaction of events must be looked at, for it can change life or kill it! We must be responsible! The ways we are living poisoning are self’s and others and 5000 spices are gone forever every year. Thousands die every week from cancer.
You cannot say your conservative and prolife and then poison the environment that kills people! Or that you are religious and then not be a kind loving person that cares about life and living things. We are many and things we do add up quickly we must take care and think! There are reactions especially when millions are doing the same things that can be deadly we should try to have less deadly impacts on the earth and its life and are self’s.
By: Roger Schmidt