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!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
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 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.
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.
Friday, February 08, 2008
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
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.
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.
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