Kobach is the new state GOP chairman!

Kris Kobach has just been elected chairman of the GOP. On the first round of balloting, the vote was 65--Kobach, 56--Huelskamp, and 55--Pompeo, so Pompeo was knocked off, and Kobach ended up winning over most of Pompeo's delegates on the second round with a landslide victory of 109-65 victory over Huelskamp.

Kobach's speech clinced the victory as he spoke about his aggressive strategy to regain lost seats and transform the GOP into a "lean, mean vote-getting machine." He blasted the state party's lack of help on his campaign and pledged much-needed reform lest "we get killed again in '08."

Kobach immediately asked Huelskamp and Pompeo to join his executive committee team, which they graciously did. That was one of the best moves (Pompeo is a proven fundraiser, so hopfully he'll be in charge of fundraising to help erase the state party's debt)--no hard feelings, no regrets, grudges, or tension, and the beginning of a unified party. Kline's election as DA was a minor setback, but the strides made on the JoCo committee, 3rd District committee, and now at the state level are all steps in the right direction. We have moderates and conservatives working together, and EVERY delegate from all corners of KS showed up today--there is drive and passion to regain control and come back strong in '08 (too bad it took the losses of 2006 to get here).

Kobach's thick "blueprint" for success includes a specific strategy that flows all the way from the state party and national RNC to the precinct level (incl. involving us precinct committee members).

Sen. Pat Roberts gave a fantastic "motivational" speech, and signed up volunteers and passed out bumper stickers for his re-election effort in '08 (already underway).

And it looks like the 2nd district race is shaping up to be a showdown in the primary between state treasurer Lynn Jenkins and former congressman Jim Ryun (who's announced he may run again). Jenkins is "seriously considering" (to quote her directly). Either of them have the ability to beat Boyda (Ryun just happened to lose in a bad year with a strong national tide and he was a little too complacent). Jenkins was re-elected statewide with 64% in 2006, so she would be extremely formidable.

I was mingling with Thornburgh's people who say he's considering a run for governor in 2010 and will make the decision soon.

Kansas Days approaching... Who will be the next KS GOP chairman?

TIM HUELSKAMP************KRIS KOBACH**************MIKE POMPEO

Next weekend is Kansas Days, the annual Republican weekend of fun, policy, and serious soul-searching. Sen. Pat Roberts is the keynote speaker this year, and Sen. Brownback, Reps. Tiahrt and Moran, Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, Sec. of State. Ron Thornburgh, and a slew of other elected officials will be here.

I'm a 3rd District delegate, and so I will have a few 3rd district committee meetings to attend. I'm also an alternate state delegate, which means I may have the opportunity (if there is a no-show) to serve on the state committee and vote in the new GOP state party chairman, the most important function from this 3-day event.

Tim Huelskamp (KS state senator backed by KFL), Mike Pompeo (businessman and longtime party insider) and Kris Kobach (law professor and 3rd district congressional nominee) are all in the running. I propose that the state committee actually consider ramifications for the future of the party and our likelihood of success in upcoming elections when they make their choice (such a novel idea, I know, but it hasn't been considered for the past few years). Huelskamp--nice guy, good, sound credentials, but probably won't bring the party together or energize it. For me, that leaves the choice at Mike Pompeo or Kris Kobach, both of whom have the connections (Mike--KS, Kris--DC) and the drive and energy to take a new route and rebuild the party from the bottom up. Kris has been especially agressive in recent weeks in emailing and lobbying committee members, and his plans for establishing statwide GOTV strategies and a statwide voter database are just small portions of his grand design at revamping the state party. To those who discount Kris because of his failure in the 2004 election against Moore, I say that this may just be the best position for him, and a podium where he can constantly put the Dems on the offensive and make sure we're successful recruiting candidates and serving successfully as a state party.

So I have I decided yet? No, but my choice is definitely between Pompeo (who can unite all factions of the party) and Kobach (who has an ingenius and aggressive plan of action).

It should be noted that a recent Washington Post article compared state GOP parties and Kansas fell behind the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Republican parties as one of the most inefficient, least active, and least organized at recruiting candidates and helping their campaigns. Oh, and our state party has less money than the Rhode Island GOP. Massachusetts is the most liberal state in the nation, Rhode Island is 2nd, yet their state GOPs have more money than the Kansas GOP, in such a conservative state like ours? Our party is seriously dysfunctional, and the new chairman will have a lot of work to do. Most important tasks on the agenda for the new chairman:

1. Recruit promising Republican Candidates
2. Defeat Democrats at all levels
3. Raise $$$
Also, at Kansas Days we should get an idea on who's planning to take back the 2nd District seat in '08 from soon-to-be one-termer Nancy Boyda. Possible mentions: Alan Cobb, Ron Thornburgh, Lynn Jenkins, Lee Tafanelli, and (really?) Phill Kline.

I'll have an update after the convention. And then, for the time being, we can get back to national political, cultural, and foreign events (there's a lot happenin' outside Kansas).

In Memoriam of President Gerald Rudolph Ford

This is an unusual second posting in 2 days, but it would be irreverent of me to not mention the death of our 38th President, Gerald Rudolph Ford. As the only president not elected by the American people, he served a brief 2 and half years, the rest of Nixon's term, before losing his own re-election to Jimmy Carter. Ford had the unfortunate task of serving during the most tumultous time in history--Vietnam, Watergate, hyperinflation, distrust in government, race riots, etc., which accounts for much of his ineffectiveness. His greatest accomplishment was probably his collegial nature and knack for compromise, which enabled his presidency to be a more smooth transition, which eventually paved the way for Reagan. This is best captured by his memoirs A Time to Heal.

Just 2.5 years ago, we had 6 surviving presidents (Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush) and now we're down to four. President Ford will be remembered for filling the leadership void during America's most difficult times.

Metsker will replace O'Malley; Jim Ryun sets the record straight...

With the holidays in full gear, apparently the press including the KC Star, has practically ignored the convention to replace Rep. Ed O'Malley (R-Roeland Park). There was just a brief mention of it in last saturday's paper. The GOP precinct committee members from Mission and Roeland Park met and narrowly voted in Ronnie Metsker over Mission Mayor Laura McConwell by a vote of 16-15. Metsker is the former chairman of YouthFront, a Christian Youth organization, and currently runs his father's ministry. The vote was somewhat suprising since many bloggers and area politicos said that moderates had complete control over the committee in the 24th District and McConwell was seen as the only viable candidate. Depending on how well he fulfills the rest of O'Malley's term in the legislature, Metsker could be become a new, powerful face for the GOP or another defeated Republican (either in the primary or in the general--esp. since Dem. Andy Sandler--with too much time on his hands--is already giving hints that he will run again in this strongly Democratic District.

Congressman Jim Ryun sent out an email to supporters today denouncing Nancy Boyda's attacks against his record on constituent service, touting the resolution of 10,000 constituent cases by his office staff. Ryun is able to do this brilliantly, without coming off as too defensive or attacking Boyda. Go Ryun! Ryun has been very gracious in his defeat, and for Boyda to continue taking these cheap shots after the campaign is over is really distasteful and over the line. Is this the end of Ryun's political career, or will he try to challenge Nancy again in 2 years? This email to supporters seems to show that he's at least not going out without a fight...

What is the future of the Kansas GOP?

Mixed news to report. As a delegate to to the 3rd District Republican Committee Convention the day after precinct leaders selected Phill Kline to be the next JoCo DA, the mood was very subdued and somber. Charlotte O'Hara quietly exited out of the running (her vocal support against Phill Kline secured her demotion from leadership) and the new leadership slate, which included one moderate--Sally Bibb (which is interesting since the 3rd District has an overwhelming conservative advantage--much more so than the county committee).

The New 3rd District Unity Slate:
Chairman: Ernie Straub
Vice Chair: Cory Kangas
Secretary: Sally Bibb
Treasurer: Domingo Soto

Bibb has been involved in county politics for a long time, and Straub is well-known by many. Cory is fresh, young and has extensive campaign experience, which is crucial--especially since the county and district parties have been lacking on leaders who know the ins and outs of campaigns. With her as vice-chair, hopefully the third district can step up and play more of a role in supporting candidates and campaigns in '08--something that has traditionally been left to the county parties. The 3rd District GOP could step up and be instrumental in funding, supporting, and mapping out a strategy for the 3rd District nominee congress against Dennis Moore--really that's what they should have been doing the last three cycles--especially since Kline and Taff came extremely close to knocking Moore out.

Wyandotte and Douglas Co's 6 combined delegates voted for state delegates and left after 20 min, while us 60 JoCo delegates survived through error-filled ballots, faulty printers, and confusion over candidates to finally vote for a slate of State delegates and alternates for the state convention--Kansas Days--in Topeka the weekend of Jan. 26-28. I have been elected to serve as an alternate State delegate, so I will attend Kansas Days, and attend my district committee meetings and serve if needed as state delegate--it will be interesting to see who gets the pic.

These last few weeks have been full of mixed news for the party. The unity slates at the county and 3rd District conventions are completely new and different from the way things are usually done and could be a harbinger of cooperation between both factions of the party, although Kline's appointment will obviously set that back some.

The fallout from the Kline episode cannot be understated. Most people don't know who their precinct committeemen and women are, or what they do, but I have received 3 calls in the last week from Republican constituents in my precinct asking about my vote and upset at the result. All current precinct committee members may see intense competition for their seats in '08, and those who supported Phill will be especially targeted.

Kline has made it known that he will not run for election in '08, so the question is will he step out and let an open primary occur, or will he try to push his own annointed successor into the spot? If so, and that person wins the primary, having Kline's endorsement may be the kiss of death and be the the redeeming issue of the democrat running for that office. Or Phill Kline can work behind the scenes to help a current attorney in the office seek the spot--like Steve Howe.

Either way, I hope Howe decides to run--I'll be one of the first to help him in the primary and general. Exciting times lay ahead. As fractured as the party has been over the years, it can't be much more divided than it is now, so the good news is we have two years for people like me and others to step up, bridge the divide and work on establishing the brand name of what it means to be a Republican. To quote the great Republican icon Ronald Reagan: "Someone who agrees with you 80% of the time is your friend." Conservatives who try to shut moderates out of the party should try to remember that, and moderates who use every opportuntity to tear down a conservative publicly should also remember that ("moderate" Republicans who support Democrats on a regular basis are not even Republicans--at best they're independents or liberals,, so the above advice does not even apply to them).

BREAKING NEWS: Kline is JoCo's New DA

I just returned from the convention of the Johnson County GOP Committee. Former AG Phil Kline won. Candidates Rick Guinn and Scott Hattrup dropped out early and the race came down to Phil Kline vs. current assistant DA Steve Howe, a steadfast and committed Republican. The vote was close: 311-291, for Kline.

For those of you who know (and don't know), early on I struggled with this decision, but I increasingly became convinced that Howe had the right experience for the job and the record as a sitting DA. I believed that Kline, having lost JoCo with only 35% of the vote in his AG race, would be a constant scourge of the media and bring division. I still believe it will be increasingly tough for Kline, and it is very likely we'll lose the office to the Dems in 2006 (another casualty of the divisions within the KS Republican Party and the inability of some conservatives to look at the long-term picture), but the Party has made it's decision and we need to move on. We need to unify and support Kline as best as we can and work to strengthen our party even more. We are ONE party and I will definitely work in the upcoming years to make sure we grow and make gains in the next few years.

In other news...I won my race to be a delegate to the 3rd District Republican convention. I received 272 votes out of 485, so I will be at the convention tomorrow to select the new leadership of the 3rd District GOP and state delegates. More to come.
I would like to hear your comments, and what the party needs to do now in the upcoming years.

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