Posted on 08/01/2007 11:24:10 AM PDT by Non-Sequitur
Over the weekend, Kansas Republican leaders formed what they’re calling a “loyalty committee,” a move that’s ticking off moderates and conservatives alike.
It is never a sign of strength when your group, country or otherwise starts imposing loyalty oaths, or so I told Kansas Republican Party Chairman Kris Kobach over the phone on Tuesday.
“That’s probably a fair criticism,” he said.
Yet, beginning next January, the state GOP will begin purging its leadership — all the way down to the precinct level — of any party official who actively supports non-Republicans for office.
“One weakness we’ve had is that on game day, a few of our leaders have gone out and supported the other team,” Kobach said. “I’m trying to basically take in two years a team that got skunked in 2006 to a winning team in 2008.”
You can see why the Kansas GOP is heading this way.
Republican moderates and conservatives have been at each other for decades. But it’s getting worse, from Kobach’s point of view. Ronald Reagan’s commandment, “Thou Shall Not Speak Ill of a Fellow Republican,” gets no respect.
Every couple of years, for instance, a group calling itself Republicans for Moore buys ads in support of 3rd District Congressman Dennis Moore, a Democrat. Then Moore goes on to beat the Republican.
In 2004, the loser was Kobach, who couldn’t even win in heavily Republican Johnson County. But this sort of thing isn’t confined to JoCo. Cross-party endorsements have been flying in other parts of the state.
More worrisome for the GOP have been the high-profile defections we saw in 2006. First, the former head of the Kansas Republican Party, Mark Parkinson, left the party to become the running mate of Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. The pair won easily.
Then former Johnson County District Attorney Paul Morrison left the GOP to run for state attorney general, trouncing the Republican incumbent, Phill Kline.
There were others, and there are bound to be more now that moderate Republicans have learned the secret to beating their conservative adversaries: Avoid a losing battle in the primary, where the most-conservative voters hold sway. Switch parties and eke it out in the general, winning the support of Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans.
As the trend accelerates, so will the number of “loyal” Republicans eager to support their party-switching friends — or so goes the logic.
Hence, the new rule (to be enforced by a new committee) aimed at dissuading public displays of affection across party lines.
“We’re not compelling anyone to make a pledge to the GOP,” said Christian Morgan, executive director of the state party. “You’ve just got to not endorse a Democrat.”
Not everyone is happy about this. Some mods are squawking. The chairman of the Kansas Democrats smugly said his party had no plans to form its own loyalty committee.
But frankly, I don’t see anything wrong with the Republicans or any other group purging themselves of turncoats. As long as it doesn’t apply to the average party member, who can switch parties at will, I say let the cleansing begin.
Only here’s the most interesting wrinkle of all. Most upset by the new rule weren’t the Republican moderates. (Hey, they’re used to being pushed around, right?).
More angry were the pro-life conservatives, the very folks who turned the Republican Party into the lovefest it is today.
Among the loudest objections, Kobach said, was that from former Kansans for Life president Tim Golba.
Golba has proudly supported pro-life Democrats for office while continuing to vote on internal GOP matters, and he thinks he ought to be able to continue doing so.
“I helped lead tons of Bible-believing Christians into the Republican Party,” Golba told me. “And what they’re saying is they don’t want us in the party anymore.”
That’s not at all what they’re saying. But party loyalty comes first, Kobach said, adding, “I think it’s a long time coming,”
We had to do this in my county. A certain set of Republican precinct committeemen and district captains thought it was OK to endorse dems in the election. If they want to do that as private citizens, OK. But as party officials, they are obligated under our bylaws to actively support republican candidates. If they don't they shouldn't be party officials.
When they go to the dark side, the press, of course, makes a huge deal out of it.
I love Kobach but party loyalty should never come first. The problem is party ideology. We have to have unity in fundamental principles. We don’t. So the Kansas Republicans should recognize reality and split. We have handed power to people who do not represent the state or national party platform. That needs to stop. I would rather see people sign a commitment to conservative principles rather than a commitment to party power. If you are a liberal there is a party for you; it’s called the Democrat party.
Johnson County is still a Republican stronghold, yet the 3rd Congressional District includes Wyandotte County which is a “perpetual” RAT infested chunk of real estate. Not all of us are monolithic voters. There was an effort in redistricting the 3rd. It never happened. As the addage goes “Born Democrat in Wyandotte County, vote Democrat in Wyandotte County.” Come early and vote often. Not to mention, if your name ends in “ski” etc. you’ve got a better chance of getting a city or county job. I had to keep my Republican affilation hushed to get a summer job in the early 70’s on the Kansas Highway Dept while attending college. Just tellin’ it like it is folks. The Great Oz Has Spoken
Kobach is a good guy and what the heck, why not try this? Since I hail from the area, I know how bad the interparty backstabbing can be. While I find that Republican liberals/country clubbers from KS (Johnson County) to be the biggest backstabbers, both sides have been guilty.
I am in the Kansas GOP. And I can understand the need for loyalty among those recognized as leaders of the party, though that should not require an oath for them to do the right thing. I find it mildly surprising that the most opposition seems to be coming from the wing of the party you would least expect defections from.
ok if we call it something other than “loyalty oath” it would be palatable.
You can’t have ANYONE leading the party who is fighting for an opposing candidate.
the HONEST thing to do is to resign and campaign for the other person.
I think that they gave up redistricting the 3rd to keep a GOP majority in the 2nd. Thanks to Foley, that didn't make enough of a difference.
Democrats win because they figured out how to beat the Republicans. Avoid a primary fight. Sew up the independents. Carve off the GOP moderates. And if you're Nancy Boyda have your opponent get caught in a lie about Mark Foley.
One of the funnier vignettes in Catch-22... The Loyalty Oath.
Haven’t heard the term “loyalty oath” in quite a while. I usually associate it with one of my favorite M.A.S.H. scenes:
Col Flagg, investigating Sidney Friedman, discovers that the Army psychiatrist hasn’t signed his loyalty oath. Pierce and Hunnicutt congratulate Friedman as possibly having found a way to be sent home and get out of the Army. Flagg interjects “You think you’re smart, Friedman. Well, you’re dumb, very dumb...and you’ve met your match!”
I agree completely. Regardless of your personal opinions, if you've accepted a position of leadership in the party then you are duty bound to support the party's candidates. Period. If you can't then you shouldn't be in that position of leadership to begin with. Still, I think that there were better ways to go about doing it than this. Regardless, the people Kris seems to be alienating the most are the ones he will need the most come 2010.
What do you expect when you have stunts that are pulled by the likes of Paul Morrison and the traitor Mark Parkinson, the former Chairman of the state party who sold his soul to Kathleen Gilligan-Sebelius ?
However, saying that, I can see the downside of compelling Conservatives to have to support liberal RINOs that do nothing to further the Conservative agenda, the only reason for the GOP to exist.
I think the real estate problem caused Ryun more problems than the Foley issue. What is clear is that Boyda is incompetent since taking office and is a bonafide moonbat.
Hell yeah. Let's have a coup.
However, saying that, I can see the downside of compelling Conservatives to have to support liberal RINOs that do nothing to further the Conservative agenda, the only reason for the GOP to exist.
So you're all for dumping party loyalty at one end of the political spectrum but damn those souls to hell who dare do it at the other end? Why am I not surprised?
The question is...will we stop this for 2008.
Kansans do not support Boyda and Moore’s liberalism, but they keep squeaking by due to this strategy.
It has to end.
This loyalty thing may help, but it can only go so far.
"So you're all for dumping party loyalty at one end of the political spectrum but damn those souls to hell who dare do it at the other end?"
Easy, because I just said there is no reason for the Republican party to exist if it supports liberal candidates and causes. There's already a Democrat party for that.
That townhouse was bought in 2000. It hadn't made a difference in 2002 or 2004. On the other hand, last year Ryun was stupid enough to tell his district that he barely knew Foley and didn't even know he lived across the street from him. Then it turns out that he was hosting fund raisers with him in that very townhouse neighborhood. People out here take a dim view towards being lied to.
What is clear is that Boyda is incompetent since taking office and is a bonafide moonbat.
If incompetence was a bar to re-election we'd depopulate the House and the Senate ever couple of years. But a moonbat she may be, she'll still probably beat Ryun like a drum again if he's the GOP nominee after the bitter primary that's shaping up. Kobach needs to take matters in hand and unite everyone around a third candidate.
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