Most Americans think U.S. will succeed in Iraq

A new Pew poll shows 53 percent of Americans think we will succeed in Iraq, up 6 points from a year ago. 48 percent believe things are going well, a 12 point increase since Feb. 2007. The surge is definitely working and the American people are recognizing that--there have only been 25 combat-related deaths in Iraq this past month, a 64 percent drop from this time last year.

Thornburgh building support for gubernatorial run

Two weeks ago, KS Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh mailed out brief letters to Republican committeemen and women who attended Kansas Days. In the letter, Thornburgh thanked them for attending the annual GOP event and chastised Gov. Sebelius for the growth in state spending and Kansas' dubious distinction of being 1st in the nation for government job growth and dead-last for private sector job growth. Thornburgh reitereated the need to elect Republicans to all offices in 2008 and "working together to defeat the governor," ending his brief and general letter by saying he hopes to return Republican leadership to Kansas.

Any doubts now that Thornburgh has entered the Governor's race for 2010? He's building support early, beginning with his fiery motivation speech at Kansas Days that sounded more like a campaign speech than the traditional policy speeches from elected officials.

One thing's for sure: Kansas will have many good Republican candidates to choose from in 2010--including Thornburgh, one of Kansas' most popular and well-liked Republicans. Rumors are also swirling that Sen. Sam Brownback will run for governor too--fueled by refusals from his D.C. office to deny or confirm the possibility. Brownback was re-elected to the Senate in 2004 with 69 percent of the vote and has a solid voting record in the Senate. The Democrats, however, have a very short list of viable candidates: Paul Morrion's scandal ends his political career and a "golden-boy image" that was developed for a potential gubernatorial run. Mark Parkinson faces hostility in his own party, which leaves only Dennis Moore--who may lose to Nick Jordan in 2008 and who will face Kansans west of Douglas County who look skeptically upon Johnson Countians who run statewide and claim to have a platform that represents all Kansans.

With a full slate of potential candidates, Kansas will finally be able to return responsible leadership to Topeka and install a Republican in Cedar Crest.

The Real Barack Obama

Why Barack Obama should NOT be elected President:

1. Obama is the MOST LIBERAL U.S. SENATOR. According to National Journal's 2007 vote analysis, Obama's voting record is more liberal than Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and every other Dem. He may talk a good talk, but Obama's record shows that he rarely if ever deviates from the party line.

2. Obama's lack of substance and emphasis on his cult of personality distracts voters from the vast expansion of government he champions. None of this is "change": increased taxes and increased funding from everything to welfare to education with no accountability mechanisms--it has all been tried before and failed. Outside estimates of the cost of all of Obama's "changes" range from tens of billions of dollars to hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending.

3. Sen. Obama has been endorsed by: Ted Kennedy, MoveOn.org, and all-time famous racist and anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan ("Farrakhan praises Obama as hope of the entire world"). With friends like these, does he really appeal to Republicans and Independents?

4. Sen. Obama attends the United Church of Christ in Chicago, whose pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright espouses rhetoric dangerously close to black separatism while meeting with people like Louis Farrahkhan and Moammar Gadhafi. The church requires members to commit to upholding the "Black Value System" and pledging loyalty to the black community, black family, and black work ethic. Obama himself has said he has questioned the "idolatry of the free market" because of his faith. Pastor Wright has also preached that 9-11 was a "wake-up call" to "white America" for "ignoring the concerns of people of color." As Wright says, "we are an African people, and remain true to our native land, the mother continent."

Since a person's religious background and faith community affects their outlook on life and personal value system, Obama's choice of a radical church outside mainstream Christianity is alarming to say the least.

5. Obama has no reservations about speaking to leaders of Iran, North Korea, and other leaders that do us harm. His policy of "talk first, worry about human rights later" would undermine U.S. foreign policy hamper anti-terrorism efforts and support of reformist groups around the world.

6. British-Iraqi millionaire Nadhmi Auchi donated millions to Obama's former campaign manager and Chicago slumlord Tony Rezko, who then negotiated a land deal with Obama two weeks later, in which Obama purchased a house. This is relevant because investigators believe Auchi's loan was part of a kickback scheme that enabled Obama to buy the house at a greatly-discounted price. In return, Rezko and Auchi are alleged to have solicited favors from state government, and both men have criminal records and are facing investigations. The Syrian-born Rezko attempted to obtain political favors from state government officials in Illinois and served time in jail on corruption charges. Auchi (a personal friend of Rezco's and business associate) was responsible for the largest corruption scandal in post-war Europe and was convicted in France. Auchi attempted to gain visa entry to the U.S. and approached certain unnamed Illinois officials for help in obtaining the visa. Obama has also admitted to writing letters on Rezko's behalf to help the landlord obtain state funding for developing a senior living community. For more on this sordid and complicated story, read this Chicago Tribune article.

7. Obama not only supports partial-birth abortion, as an Illinois state legislator he opposed the Induced Infants Liability Act in 2002, which mandated life-saving medical treatment for babies born accidentally as the result of failed late-term abortions. Even NARAL, NOW, and the most strident pro-abortion groups supported this measure, which clearly had nothing to do with abortion and had everything to do with killing a living, breathing human being. This puts Obama to the left of 99 percent of his Democratic colleagues on the issue.

8. Obama supports drivers licenses for illegals, dispite the fact that nearly 75 percent of the American people oppose such a disasterous and dangerous policy.

9. Obama served as director to a charity organization when it donated thousands of dollars to the Arab American Action Network (AAAN), an anti-Israeli group supportive of Palestinian terrorist organizations. AAAN Co-founder Rashid Khalidi, an anti-Isreali, pro-PLO activist who has indicated support for suicide bombings and labeled Israel a "racist" state, serves as a fundraiser and personal friend of Obama. Khalidi said he supports Obama for president "because he is the only candidate who has expressed sympathy for the Palestinian cause" and because Obama "supports talks with Iran. If the U.S. can talk with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, there is no reason it can't talk with the Iranians."

10. As mentioned above, Obama's supporters gleefully allude to the fact he would be the first president to deviate from America's long-held commitment to Israel. Despite his attempts to downplay the pro-Palestinian sympathies he expressed as a Illinois state legislator (recently reiterated by Green Party candidate Ralph Nader), the Obama phenomenon seems to be causing unease in Jerusalem and among American Jewish and Israeli groups.

11. Contributers and supporters Bernadette Dohrn and William Ayers aided Sen. Obama's Illinois campaigns by providing strategy, money, and influential liberal backing for his candidacy. Both individuals were part of a radical anti-war, 1960s domestic terrorist group known as the "Weather Underground" which carried out several bombings of federal buildings and corporations that resulted in dozens of deaths. Dohrn served a year in jail, and an unrepetent Ayers told the New York Times in 2001 that not only did he not regret setting off bombs, he feels that they didn't do enough.

12. Obama has broken several campaign promises already: Obama told Tim Russert on on "Meet the Press," Jan. 22, 2006 that he would serve out his full Senate term and not run for the presidency in 2008. Also, Obama pledged to use public financing for his campaign and now seems to be backing down

13. Michelle Obama twice said that "for the first time in my adult life I'm proud of my country." America bashing is always in vogue with the far-left--it's a shame a potential first lady can not see the incredible opportunity her country has provided her.

14. Michelle Obama recently gave her husband advice on the campaign trail "Barack. Feel--don't think!" Wow...how scary and dangerous for our democracy, but it accurately describes the Obama phenomenon as women faint and men cheer as Obama blows his nose (Der Spiegel, a German publican, calls Obama the "Messiah"). Every disasterous and destructive populist movement--from failed American presidencies to Communist revolutions--relied on emotion, perception and the cult of personality over substance of ideas and policy. "Feel--don't think" has always been the mantra of those who peddle their own opium in the attempt to control and manipulate the masses.

McCain's declares war against the NYT, Obama's wife compounds misstatement

The New York Times prints a scathing, sordid, and unverifiable story seeking to link Sen. McCain romantically to telecom lobbyist Vicki Iseman and McCain fires back as his campaign declares war on the Times. This is just the catalyst McCain needs to rally and gain support of the conservative grassroots--there's no medium they loathe more than the Times and many conservative leaders have already come to McCain's defense and are ready to cheer him on in his crusade against one of the most ideological and agenda-driven papers in the country.

Obama's wife says "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country, because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback." She said this twice, and while the Obama campaign is trying to spin it to sound like she was talking about politics, she clearly said what she said. She only compounded her problems today in her attempt at clarification, saying she is proud of her country and the phenomenon that is occuring (a.k.a her husband). Her pride in America via her husband wasn't disputed--what was shocking was that a 40-something year old woman was proud of her country for the first time in her life--despite the the progress of equal rights during the Civil Rights movement, the defeat of the Soviet Union, the push for freedom in the former Soviet satellite states of Eastern Europe, responding to the plight of Albanians in Serbia, freeing millions of Iraqis from Saddam's reign of terror, the space missions undertaken by NASA astronauts, and the ingenuity and innovative spirit of Americans which gave birth to pharmaceutical drug breakthroughs, the internet, and hybrid cars. Michelle Obama's vain, self-absorbed, and egocentric line of thinking will not help her husband's campaign as the focus eventually turns to ideas and the cult of celebrity begins to wear off.

I predict that the conservative base will now coalesce and rally behind McCain's candidacy, especially after Michelle Obama's offensive remarks and she and her husband's inadequate defense and clarification of them and now the NYT assault on McCain. This is only the beginning...8 months to go!

Jill Quigley Vote on Coal-Plant Could Signal GOP Challenger

The trickle-down effect of legislation that was voted on today by the Kansas House (passed 73-45, not veto proof) will not fully be known until much later, but there is word that this issue could signal a GOP Challenger or two that would take on Jill Quigley in November.

Kenig Konnection sources are being told that given the strong business interest across the state in getting the coal-plant back on track (some are saying this is even more important than stem-cell research to large JOCO business interests), Quigley’s vote will likely be the most important and watched vote of the entire Johnson County delegation, especially as the newest member of the House from JoCo who has yet to be tested on a vote of significant consequence. Her possible vote against the state chamber of commerce and Johnson County business interests wishes will most likely earn her a competitive primary challenger.

Stay tuned to the Kenig Konnection for more information.

Contact your state senators and representatives!

The KS legislature will be addressing legislation to rectify the KDHE decision to deny a permit for the construction of a coal plant in Holcomb. The state senate votes to advance the bill to allow for the construction of the Holcomb plant today--Thursday--debate begins at 2:30 pm. There is a groundswell of support for this legislation. Sen. John Vratil (R-Leawood) has said that he polled his district and 60 percent support the legislation to override KDHE's decision to deny the permit to the Holcomb plant.

Contact Information for JoCo legislators

Grassroots Letter 1

Grassroots Letter 2

Call or email your senator tomorrow using the contact info and sample letters above and urge them to vote "YES" on the Senate Substitute for House bill 2066. Voters from western to eastern Kansas have called and emailed their state senators and representatives to support the legislation. The House will most likely vote on the bill next week, then it will be sent to the governor will who veto it. It remains to be seen if the senate has enough votes to override Sebelius' veto, which is why input from Kansas constituents is so critical. Below is a form letter you can copy, paste, and email to your senator or representative:

Representative,
I know the Holcomb power plant issue has consumed much of the chambers time in the last few weeks and that a bill is likely to be debated on the floor soon. I am asking that you support a bill that does not increase any taxes or regulations. In addition, businesses need to know that laws and regulations will be applied fairly and as written, not decided arbitrarily, so any clarification on that in regards to the appointee who single-handily stopped approval of this plant would be good. We need new jobs in Kansas and passing this bill will help in that regard.

Sincerely,

The Kenig Konnection

2nd and 3rd District Update

2nd District Update:
Jim Ryun's year-end campaign finance disclosures indicate he raised over $200,000 but his campaign spent a staggering $170,000. With $961,000 total raised, he leads Boyda in fundraising, but he has used a lot to pay off past debts and has spent a lot. His impressive fundraising totals and large number of willing donors bodes well, but the campaign will run out of steam if they continue to spend wildly before the start of the election season.

Lynn Jenkins raised $90,000 last quarter--considerably less than Ryun, but Jenkins has proven she has fiscal restraint--she only spent $38,000 in the previous quarter. Ryun's fundraising advantage may not matter much at all if he keeps spending as he does--Lynn will have enough money saved up for the primary and the general. Sources from both camps indicate that Ryun and Jenkins are traveling throughout the district, energizing supporters. Ryun has logged in hours at parades and neighborhood events in cities and towns throughout the district, while Lynn has held town hall forums and spoken to residents in many of the smaller and more rural towns throughout the 2nd District.

Jenkins' platform is an indication that she intends to clearly compete with Ryun among conservative voters. Her platform emphasizes the need to extend the Bush tax cuts, cutting out-of-control congressional spending, and ending illegal immigration by sealing the border and cracking down on employers. Sources say she will not concede any Republican voter to Ryun, and by emphasizing these bread-and-butter issues, Jenkins has the opportunity to credibly appeal and gain the the votes of many conservatives, since dissatisfaction with congressional progress on spending and immigration led to many GOP voters staying home in 2006, enabling Boyda and the Democrats to gain control of congress. Jenkins reminds voters that she is running against the current Democratic congress and the broken promises of Republicans, making an effective case that she can be the conservative agent of reform.

The Ryun campaign would be wise to note this and note the concerns and angst of Republican voters and their frustration in 2006. A conventional, pre-2006 campaign will clearly not work in the current environment; only by addressing the previous failures of the Republican congress and the currently widely-unpopular Democratic congress with a record 14 percent approval will a 2008 Republican win elections. It can be done, but only if Republicans embrace the basic principles of their party and ackowledge the work that needs to be done. This is something not only for the 2nd district candidates to realize, but for all GOP candidates running from congress down to city council.

3rd District

Nick Jordan's campaign continues to show strength, and judging by the his fundraising last quarter (he raised over $100,000 again) Jordan is earning the support of well-known Republicans from both moderate and conservative circles. Jordan's donors last quarter include Bob Boyer, Ben Craig, the Hon. Robert Dole, Eric Jager, Marvin Kleeb, Karin Brownlee, Mary Kay Culp, Jon Stewart, Ernie Straub, and Tom Zarda.

CPAC, part II

Bush addressed CPAC at 7am this morning with a speech that mostly focused on unifying the conservative movement and the Republican party, asking everyone to support and fight hard for the party'snominee in 2008. This is the first time the president has publicly spoken out on the election, yet his comments were very non-specific, not naming names or indicating support for one candidate or another, but his message was straightforward: we need to come together to fight the impending Democratic tidal wave that seeks to maintaincontrol of congress, a majority of the governorships in the U.S. andwin the presidency.

Dr. Tiller and Planned Parenthood of Overland Park are getting a lot of play here at the convention, especially among pro-family groups who reapeatedly argue that the epicenter of the pro-life cause and fight against pro-abortion forces is happening right in America's heartland--Kansas--and that the outcome will have profound consequences for the country at large.

BTW, there is a straw poll again this year for president, but of course there are only 2 choices: Huckabee and McCain. Last year, 8,000 conservatives voted in the straw poll and Romney won, Giuliani came in 2nd place, and Brownback came in 3rd. In 2006, before most of the nominees had declared, the ballot only contained potential nominees. That year, Sen. George Allen of Virginia won, followed by Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice in second place.

McCain appeals to conservatives, seeks to unify the GOP

I'm at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) here in Washington, D.C. I met Sen. McCain but I only had a chance to ask him one question (I literally had about 15 seconds). I asked him about taxes. McCain said he would fight to ensure that Bush's tax cuts remained permanent. He said he wanted spending cuts to go along with the tax cuts originally which is why he voted against them, but he recognizes and had recognized for the past 7 years that any attempt to repeal the tax cuts would amount to a tax increase now and he would fight and veto any attempt by the Democratic congress to repeal the cuts.

I didn't get to ask about guns and immigration, but he addressed those in his speech. He says that know understands the will of the American people--he was asked flat out whether he would still supports amnesty and he said "absolutely not" because the American people have spoken and they want us to secure the border first. He promised to secure the border and said no discussion of amnesty or a proposed guest worker program would take place until the border is secured andthe homeland is protected (he neglected to say what would happen with the millions of illegals still here). McCain also pledged to repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and fight the Dems attempts to stop terrorist surveillance. Also, the rumors flying around here at CPAC are that McCain might pick Romney now to be VP--esp. since Romney put the interests of the party ahead of his ambition and is trying to unify before the election. That would be a much stronger ticket in my opinion.

KS GOP Caucus this Saturday

The caucus begins at 10 am--show up at least by 9:45 to check in and show ID. Representatives of the candidates will speak on each candidate's behalf and voting by secret ballot will then take place. The entire process should be over before 1 pm.

KS will have 66 caucus sites set up for voting. The sites for the 3rd District are listed below:

DOUGLAS
Lawrence
South Junior High School
2734 Lousiana

JOHNSON - N
Overland Park
Matt Ross Community Center
8101 Marty

JOHNSON - W
Shawnee
West Glenn Theatre
16301 Midland Dr

JOHNSON - E
Overland Park
Blue Valley NW High School
13260 Switzer

JOHNSON - S
Gardner
Gardner Edgerton High School
425 N Waverly

WYANDOTTE
Kansas City
Open Door Christian School
3033 N 103rd Terr

The eyes of the nation will be on Kansas.