The Kansas Republican State Committee meeting is this weekend. Here is the Insider view of what's on tap:
Friday will be mostly committe meetings and training sessions. The Executive Committee will meet and are expected to focus on the financial health of the Party, an update on the Ron Freeman case including information regarding the representation of the Party by Topeka attorney J. Phillip Gragson, and an overview of the other committee activities.
The Resolutions Committee has approved resolutions endorsing the Public Expression of Religion Act and a resolution condemming Rep. Nancy Boyda's $244 million in earmarks and the tax increases she supported to pay for her irresponsible spending. The Resolutions committee will have their final meeting on Friday to deliberate and recommend the last of the resolutions.
The Rules Committee is also meeting on Friday. Their work is close to complete with a plan for changing the Constitution and Bylaws. Mostly housecleaning here, but the addition of 13 State Committee Members continues to face opposition from some quarters.
Now one fourth of the way through Chairman Kobach's term, this summer meeting will provide an opportunity to see how far the Party has come on the Roadmap to Republican Resurgence. Especially interesting will be the unveiling of the plans for development of a new Party Platform. State Committee members have received a sneak peek at the plan, but members are eagerly awaiting the unveiling of details about the plan.
The issue of how Kansas' 39 delegates to the RNC will be selected will also be decided. The rules committee and State Party staff will present the proposed plan which has undergone review from the RNC legal department.
Without a doubt, this looks like the most exciting summer meeting in years. Be sure to visit again throughout the weekend for updates as they happen.
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58 comments:
What about the Cloud resolution?
The state committee should adopt a strategy to keep moderates from voting for Democrats.
If Republicans would just vote for Republicans, we'd win every race.
How about a resolution forbidding moderates from voting for Democrats? That would be the conservative's approach. The alternative would be for us to nominate rational, articulate candidates on a platform that addresses the lives of most Kansans'. Nah, too logical.
Let's pass a resolution forbidding conservatives from nominating fools that aren't worth voting for.
Let's also pass a resolution saying that Phill Kline can never ever under any circumstance seek office again.
Phill might run, but he'll never get elected to office. He's done. Even his old staff don't support him any longer. Phill has stepped on too many toes over the years. Brownback, Tiahrt and Kobach wish that Kline would just go away. He's bad for the party.
this summer meeting was chaos and proved the incompetence of Chairman Kobach and his moron crew. Who's stupid idea was it to put Korri Cangas in charge of anything? maybe the menu...
Hawver's Capitol Flash says:
Kansas Republicans this afternoon, at the party’s summer meeting, adopted a new constitution creating a “Loyalty Committee,” outlined the party’s procedures for selecting delegates to the 2008 Republican National Convention and took a slap at its moderate-to-liberal Republican National Committeeman, Steve Cloud, of Lenexa.
The convention, in Topeka, drew about 150 Republicans.
The constitution changes get at a long-sought power, blackballing Republicans who support Democrats. After a series of votes, the committee created a five-member “Loyalty Committee” that would investigate complaints of any Republican party officeholder who “by any documented public action donates, contributes, endorses a candidate other than the Republican nominee in a contested partisan campaign for public office in Kansas.”
Basically, the Loyalty Committee would hear complaints that a precinct, county, district or state officer publicly assisted a Democrat, and could strip the Republican of any party titles or jobs. (It’s trickier with precinct committee people, because they are actually elected. They’d just lose their vote at any district conventions, say, to name a successor to a legislator who resigns in mid-term.)
Republicans voted to hold congressional district caucuses starting at 10 a.m. Feb. 9, 2008, tally the votes of Republicans who participate, and announce their favorite GOP presidential contenders later in the day.
GOP presidential wannabes can either pay the party $5,000 to be in the race or generate 5,000 signatures for their candidacies (minimum 1,000 in each of the state’s four congressional districts) and pay $1,200 to be considered at the district conventions.
A key to the caucuses is that to win the state and commitments of delegates, a candidate has to win the caucus vote in at least two congressional districts, plus have a majority of all votes cast. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the state’s delegation will be largely uncommitted when it treks to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis next September.
The most striking of the resolutions adopted by the convention today expresses a vote of “no confidence” in Cloud, and asks the Republican National Committee to sanction and discipline Cloud and alter national party rules so that Cloud can be removed from the Republican National Committee.
Cloud, who was at the meeting today and urged rejection of the resolution, got in trouble, lately, over using a Kansas GOP database to send a fund-raising letter on behalf of the Kansas Traditional Republican Majority, a moderate Republican group trying to seize the party from social conservatives. Cloud’s term as national committeeman ends the day after the next Republican National Convention, but the Kansas GOP, by a vote of 82-60, would like to see him gone sooner.
The "Loyalty Committee" sounds a little Orwellian. Who gets to serve on the "Loyalty Committee"? My guess is that all five members will be KRA board members.
Do they have a legit complaint about Cloud? Or, are they just trying to dump him because he's prochoice?
Instead of "loyalty" tests, why doesn't the party pledge to nominate people worthy of support?
The only reason why Republicans vote for Democrats is because the GOP candidates suck. Stop nominating lunatics, and maybe will stick with the Republican candidate.
You all have covered it.
Instead of looking at the mirror and reexamining themselves, they create a Kool-aid Council.
Yeah - because if we don't want to march in step with your lunacy there *must* be something wrong with us. I guess we're just not real Republicans.
Mr Kobach and the lot: Take your grandstanding elsewhere. We don't need you to dictate to us how to live and how to vote. That's our business, not yours.
Well said.
I resent the partisan enforcers.
I will always be a Republican, but I retain the right to reject GOP stupidity (like when they nominate people like Kline and Barnett).
I want a GOP leadership that earns my vote, not a GOP leadership that punishes me for being independent.
The state committee is composed primarily of small, scared, angry, mostly undereducated people who can't stand up to a real debate or actual examination of issues so they retreat to where weak people everywhere do. Loyalty oaths, loyalty committees and ways to keep anyone who isn't like them out of the club. Then there are rank opportunists like Kobach, etc. who know better but play these pathetic people like fools. Fortunately, the party today is largely irrelevant but doing things like loyalty committees still has the ability to bring us more bad press. Does harken back to some bad historical moments doesn't it?
The Republican Party in this state is literally falling apart.
Cloud and moderates controlled the state party for years. When the conservatives finally gained control, all the moderates quit. They quit contributing and many of them quit supporting conservative candidates. Some of them flat out became Democrats.
Now, the conservatives want to punish the moderates. They think that the moderates are being poor sports about the deal. But, in reality, the conservatives are acting foolish. When you have mass defections, cracking the whip won't work.
What Kobach and the conservatives really need to do is beg - literally beg - the moderates to come back into the fold. They need to do everything in their power to keep the mods happy. That will mean serious compromise in both power and policy.
This is the only way the GOP will remain a majority party. They way things are going, these idiots will drive every last moderate right into the arms of the Democrats.
Angry and under-educated is a good way to describe state committee. (Of course, Kobach with Harvard Yale and Oxford doesn't fit the profile.)
The GOP has moved away from the "County Club" stereotype. Now, they're polar opposite. We have a trailer park GOP. These people aren't smart enough to build a winning coalition. They come from the fringes of society and they do not understand the mainstream. The Grand Old Party has become the White Trash Party.
An oath of loyalty is assumed when you hold party office. I can recall cases when a party county chair would support a Democrat. The chair would always resign first.
The problem is not oath itself, it's a media attention that these proceedings bring to the GOP. All this does is that it brings unnecessary attention to the split in the Republican Party.
The Republican has some serious problems. Leadership needs to focus on healing wounds, rather than punishing people.
Nobody is going to understand what this loyalty committee is really all about. Nobody will understand that the loyalty committee only relates to party officers.
At least 1/3 of registered Republicans votes for Democrats (1/3 is actually low. the real number is probably around 40%). These are moderates who vote for Sebelis, Moore and Morrison. Now, these voters are going to think that the conservative GOP leadership wants to punish them for their votes. These voters are already on the edge, and the conservative GOP is taking another action to push them over.
The loyalty committee is not unique to Kansas Republicans. Other states do this and its not controversial.
In Kansas we have a split in the Party. That's true. But we also have KTRM, Cloud and others who do everything they can to make the split worse. They overreact to everything because their real goal is to elect Democrats.
I would be happy if Kobach could focus on the party long enogh to stay at the Executive committee meeting for at least 15 minutes. The guy got to pick the time place and location of the meeting he should be able to perform his duties as chair.
What? Did Kobach leave before the end of the meeting?
He left early from the exec meeting not the full state party meeting. either way he should have been faithfull to his duties
What about the party's financial situation?
Don't bother asking the Treaurer he didn't even know if there were any outstanding bills.
The state party is always broke. Always has been. Always will be. It's the nature of the beast. I don't think it's fair to be critical of Kobach. Raising money in an off-year with an unpopular President is next to impossible. Kobach does as well as any chairman.
I don't recall the phone or other utilities being shut off for non payment during the previous administration.
Those who are pulling the strings in the Kobach admin are not just trying to kick out moderates. They want to remove anyone who does not agree with them and their tactics, including fellow conservatives. Makes you wonder if they really care about electing Republicans at all.
"In Kansas we have a split in the Party. That's true. But we also have KTRM, Cloud and others who do everything they can to make the split worse. They overreact to everything because their real goal is to elect Democrats."
Umm ... I seem to remember the KRA claiming to be the "real Republican Party" long before KTRM existed. Unfortunately, KRA only seems to attack Republicans.
I wonder if the Loyalty Committee will be used to enforce against Republican officials that support KRA or KFL when there is a mod representing the party.
North Korean Communist Party Loyalty Oath:
All North Korean Communist Party Members are required to:
1. Dedicate ourselves to struggle to arouse the whole society in pursuing the revolutionary thought of the great Chairman, Comrade Kim Il Sung.
2. To offer our highest loyalty to the great Chairman, Comrade Kim Il Sung.
3. To make absolute the authority of the great Chairman, Comrade Kim Il Sung.
4. To believe in the revolutionary thought of the great Chairman, Comrade Kim Il Sung and to maintain the uniformity of the teachings of the Chairman.
And so forth. Each [North Korean Communist] member must also observe the following principles:
5. A Party member only recognizes the authority of Comrade Kim Il Sung.
6. A Party member accepts unconditionally the teachings of the Chairman and regards them as a yardstick for making all decisions.
7. When making reports, discussing a topic, giving a lecture, or quoting from documents, one has to refer to the Chairman's teachings and never speak or write about something inconsistent with the Chairman's views.
Kansas GOP just like Mississippi Democrats?
Here is a recent article that fully explains the problem with this misguided "loyalty oath" from the other side of the fence. Reality is, we can't win the votes of independents if we're focused on political inside baseball. We need to talk about real issues.
Presley Reacts to ‘Loyalty Oath’
March 13th, 2007
One of the Democrats who faced a challenge by the Party’s Executive Committee issued a press release on the “pledge” that candidates are required to sign who want to run under the Party’s banner. Brandon Presley is currently the mayor of Nettleton and is running for the open Public Service Commissioner seat in the North district. The Magnolia Report has reported that the Committee did not certify him Saturday.
Presley released this statement:
One of our great strengths as a party is the long-held and firm belief in equal opportunity for everyone. Our party has always been the party of the “big tent” - all-inclusive and respecting a wide range of views and valuing a broad, diverse range of leaders. In the intra-party fighting of the last few days I fear some of our leaders have forgotten this fact.
This recent attempt by our state party to threaten non-certification and to require a “loyalty oath” in a misguided attempt to enforce loyalty, strikes at the very heart and soul of our Democratic values, our civil rights and our democracy, as a whole. I am sad to see fellow Democrats, within our own party, putting these political games ahead of the needs and interests of the people we represent.
Like a lot of Mississippi Democrats, my own personal views and convictions have put me at odds with the national Democratic Party from time to time.
However, the strong thread that runs through our party’s fabric says that no one in our society should be chastised or threatened for having differing views or convictions of heart.
In my particular campaign for Public Service Commissioner of the Northern District, I will be consistent with Mississippi values, as well as, the Democratic Party principles of standing with small business people, farmers, teachers, senior citizens, and any Mississippian, regardless of their party affiliation, struggling to make ends meet every month. My record as mayor is one of cutting property taxes, supporting a cut in sales tax on groceries and working for limited government spending. That’s the kind of mayor I have been. That’s the kind of Public Service Commissioner I will be.
I implore our party leaders today to move away from debates about party politics that only a select few are concerned about and move toward debating the issues that impact all Mississippians. Let the Democratic Party be about the business we’re known for; working for the people’s interests.
This pledge that was supposed to bring loyalty by Democrats has done nothing for the Party but draw negative attention by the press and shown divides in members who represent different districts and ideologies. If the Democrats continue to keep up this exclusive, rather than inclusive, attitude they will continue to see defections to the Republican Party.
Given that this is a Republican blog and presumably most of us are either somewhat conservative or a bit more moderate (either of which is where Kansas voters are), the comments here, I believe, accurately reflect the views of the majority of us. The people in charge of the state party have gone from being a bit over the top to completely wierd and dangerous to the party. Normal Republicans need to get behind KTRM, take back the party and then debate some good conservative-moderate issues rationally, openly and respectfully.
Has anyone else noticed that Stay Red Kansas (SRK) isn't even reporting the Loyalty Committee yet? Rumor is that Ben Hodge, Christian Morgan and now Titus Bond are all involve with SRK. SRK would never admit their involvement in the Bond residency scam.
Kris Van Meteren was David Miller's Executive Director and he recruited Shallenburger and Kobach. Miller was a disaster, Shallenburger was failure, and Kobach is doing as well as those two.
this does seem to be a return to miller-ite tactics. just when you think it can't possibly get any worse...
Bond, Hodge and Morgan? That would be a very interesting coalition, indeed. Sounds like any Republican that's discussed is rumored to be involved. Interesting indeed...
Doesn't anyone realize that none of this inside baseball stuff matters. The only thing that matters is that we nominate decent and rational candidates and everything else will take care of itself. There's no better example than the Jenkins Ryun primary. Boyda is ridiculous, but she is going to be a ridiculous second term Congresswoman if we nominate Ryun. It's really that simple.
What is needed in a party chairman at this point is (I hesitate to say it..) a uniter.
Above all it should be noted that there is a significant difference between conservatives and outright nutcases (folks who run for office to advance a personal agenda, be it abortion, or whatever else).
It IS possible to bring conservatives and moderates together, as long as they share a passion and optimism for government rather than the distrust and contempt that current conservative leaders (like Kobach, Kline, and Neufeld) show.
KTRM will end up having the un-success of the Mainstreet Partnership, which lost several members in 2006.
You talk about nominating people "worthy of support" -- what type of candidate is this, really? You have no credibility, calling Kline and Kobach nutcases, when their voting records are very little different from how we all viewed President Bush in 2000 and 2004. Bush got more votes than Bill Clinton ever did.
Every KTRM person supports higher and higher spending, and they have a Democratic view of the courts. Those two things are wholly inconsistent with Republican principles.
I really don't know if the KTRMs (remember, their group is made up of a total of about 50 grey-haired people in Johnson County) just are clueless, or don't care, but it's not just about social issues. The GOP conservative base will work with candidates who are socially liberal but fiscally conservative candidates. That's how Adam Taff ran, and that's why Taff was almost elected. But that's not Steve Cloud, Dick Bond, or their rubber stamp legislators Stephanie Sharp or David Wysong. KTRMs want to spend more and more at every level of government.
You can call Huelskamp, Bond, Kobach, whoever, all the names you want to, but you have zero credibility in saying that your views are more consistent with the Republican party (or are somehow more "electable" among independents) when you basically are repeating the Democratic party talking points.
I'll quote the post before mine: "It IS possible to bring conservatives and moderates together, as long as they share a passion and optimism for government rather than the distrust and contempt that current conservative leaders (like Kobach, Kline, and Neufeld) show."
Does this person have ANY idea who Ronald Reagan was, and his view on government?
Yes, I absolutely remember who Reagan was. He was a Democrat who switched parties because "his party left him." One of those contemptable party-switchers. He was also a very smart politician who talked conservative and governed from slightly right of center. Previous poster has no idea of who KTRM is because he/she has never read their material. Reagan would have had no problem with the KTRM statement of priniples because they articulate very traditional and somewhat conservative values. And by the way, it is the conservatives in Kansas who keep giving away large tax breaks to businesses with no evidence that they help.
To say KTRM and Andy Wollen are representative of Moderates as a whole is ridiculous. KTRM is just money from Steve Cloud and the NEA, not a real grassroots movement.
Limited government Moderates and rational Conservatives can work together during, but it won't be through KTRM.
Okay, Kline and Kobach have views similar to Bush. Bush is the most unpopular President in modern history. He's been an absolute failure ... just like Kline and Kobach.
Face the facts, the era of conservativism is over. I love it when conservatives go back to the talk about spending and fiscal responsibility. Conservatives have zero credibility. When they controlled Congress, they had record deficits and pork. There was actually a higher degree of fiscal responsibility when the liberal Democrats controlled things. And, the "limited government" crap is even more nonsense. With conservatives in charge, the federal government and bureaucracy grew faster than during New Deal.
Conservatism is not a coherent formula for governing. Rather, it's a hodge podge of special interests and wedge issues. Every election cycle, the movement moves further away from popular opinion.
The GOP needs to abandon the conservative movement altogether is it wants to be a majority party once again. The conservative freak show simply has no future.
The conservatives picked Shallenberge and Kobach to lead the party.
These are two people who simply cannot unite mods and cons. When Shallenberger ran for Gov, at least 30% of Republicans crossed over to vote for Sebelius. When Kobach ran, at least 40% of Republican crossed over to vote for Moore.
When picking a state party leader, you need to find a person that mods like. Shallenberger and Kobach are both proven losers who cannot get moderate support. The state party needs a leader who is liked by both sides. You at least need a chairman who moderates haven't already voted against.
The only person who would do a worse job of leading the party than Shallenberger or Kobach is Kline.
I think that both Shallenberger and Kobach blame moderate Republicans for their losses. So, they go into the state party to get even. They want to punish the moderates.
This won't work. It's like a salesman punishing the customer for not buying his goods. The moderates hold the "swing" vote in any election. The moderates have all the power. The conservatives need to figure this out.
"the conserative freakshow has no future"
Gosh, with that kind of welcoming attitude I can't believe Conservatives aren't joing KTRM in droves.
Christian Morgan told the Topeka paper that the loyalty committee thing passed unanimously. It barely had the votes necessary to pass.
Incompetence or intentional deception?
Loyalty Committee procedure:
1) The accused will be thrown into an icy lake.
2) If they sink and drown, they are innocent.
3) If they float, they're guilty.
4) The guilty are pulled to the shore to be stoned.
Kobach learned these procedures when he worked for Ashcroft's justice department.
Not true. The sophisticates working for Kobach will use the duck balancing method.
and the democrats laugh all the way to the voting booth.
Since Corrie Kangas is part of the GOP staff I suspect that a pie eating contest will somehow be involved.
No need for personal attacks. Public incompetence from those who think they are running things at the Party should provide plenty of material for discussion.
The freaking committee was already created. It's done, folks.
We can either move on and try and take back leadership or continue whining like a group of spoiled children. Notice no reponses are coming from the Right of the Party? Let's not take the low road.
OK...I'm on the right of the party and I think this is getting nuts. I am tired of the GOP eating our own. We keep losing elections because of single issues (that are equally important to me) and end up getting screwed on every other issue. (Not only do we not have a pro-life governor, she is also a big tax, anti-second ammendment, anti-business governor who has done NOTHING for the Kansas economy.) And Kobach and Morgan are doing nothing to make things any better. The KS GOP gets more bad press than Phill Kline. And that is saying something. This is getting old.
What makes you think these comments aren't coming from those on the right? There are rational minded conservatives, you know... They just don't happen to be in charge right now.
Exactly. What unites people are qualities, not party affiliation (or factions).
Intellect, objectivity, rationality, dedication to public service. Take your pick, these are all things that an elected official should exhibit. Beyond that, whatever views they have on specific issues is another matter.
At this point we need to establish what we're looking for in our representatives and leaders, and stop electing buffoons who don't care about people or government.
Buffoons who don't care about the people or the government are fine ... so long as they are loyal.
I propose that the state committee create a "Stupidity Committee."
This committee will investigate complaints of any Republican officeholder who by any documented public action does something idiotic, moronic, imbecilic, dim-witted, brainless or stupid.
If the committee finds that the Republican officeholder is stupid, he or she will be stripped of party position.
there is a stupidity committee. its the state party and staffers. both fulltime paid staff and 'consultants'
The State Party must be pretty incompetent. In fact, they're so incompetent that they don't seem to have as much time as KTRM to fill blog comment sections. Seriously, become relevant or die off.
To watch this party implode in on itself is just too rich. All the pomposity and self-righteousness of Kline et al and their abortion witch hunt (aka KRA) makes for the most wonderful reading. You can't continue to shove crap down people's throats without eventually the people spewing it back. The chickens are coming home to roost.
hmmmmmm ... comment moderation ... first "loyalty committees" now censorship ...
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