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Analysis: Kansas governor owns aggressive tax cutsBy JOHN HANNA | Associated Press – Thu, May 24, 2012 TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Plenty of Kansas legislators' fingerprints are on the aggressive income tax cuts signed into law this week by conservative Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, including those of some GOP moderates now describing it as a budget crisis in the making. But Brownback now owns the legislation, even though it strayed significantly from the tax plan he outlined in January and he and his allies sought less aggressive alternatives in the legislative session's final days. He not only signed the bill,...

Topeka — Gov. Sam Brownback on Wednesday called for a cut in the state personal income tax and minimal budget increases, saying that will put Kansas in the fast lane on the road to economic growth. "Let's put our 'lost decade' … in the rear view mirror and speed ahead — at 75 miles per hour — to make this decade the decade of growth and job creation," Brownback, a Republican, said in the State of the State address. But his plan hit immediate bumps from legislators. Brownback's proposal would cancel a scheduled decrease in the state sales tax rate,...

A Kansas teen who refused to apologize to Gov. Sam Brownback for an insulting tweet got an apology today from the governor himself for his staff’s “over-reaction.” An unpleasant tweet by Emma Sullivan, 18, was flagged by Brownback’s staff last week. The teen was told by her principal at Shawnee Mission East High School to apologize, but she refused, and the national brouhaha has led to her Twitter following soar from 60 to more than 6,000. “My staff over-reacted to this tweet, and for that I apologize. Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms,” Brownback said in a...

Brownback, who also ran for president in 2008 and served in the U.S. senate, now becomes the third governor to endorse Perry — joining Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval. In the U.S. senate, Brownback, who is a Catholic convert, championed social conservative causes, including working to end human trafficking and defending the right to life. He is considered a hero of the social conservative movement.

Good for Governor Sam Brownback for standing up to the monstrosity known as Obama"care" and SENDING THE MONEY BACK! And if any of my dear readers entertain the slightest doubt about just how bad Obama"care" will be, you can begin your journey towards enlightenment by giving the following a read...

WASHINGTON - Kansas became on Tuesday the second U.S. state to return a large federal grant meant to help it create a prototype health insurance exchange as part of the Obama administration's healthcare overhaul. Republican Governor Sam Brownback said the state would give back the $31.5 million it received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to become an early leader, along with six other states, in establishing health insurance exchanges that other local government could use as a model.

Gov. Sam Brownback made a fixture of Kansas politics Monday requirements voters present proof of citizenship and photograph affirmation of their identity as the price of participating in elections. The measures were long championed by conservatives who expressed apprehension that unauthorized voters were distorting elections through fraudulent means. The rules could spark a legal challenge from voters who feel disenfranchised by the new hurdles to electoral participation. "I think these are reasonable steps to protect the rights of our citizens," Brownback said at the Statehouse. Brownback long ago endorsed the voter ID and citizenship provisions incorporated into House Bill 2067....

It used to be easy for the Kansas Legislature to pass new abortion laws. Getting them signed into law was another matter. But freshman Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican and longstanding abortion opponent, is expected to sign two bills that passed the Legislature with overwhelming support Tuesday. One of the bills deals with late-term abortions, the other with parental consent.

Topeka — Kansas Gov.-elect Sam Brownback wants to change rules for state social service programs that he says discourage marriage. At a news conference Monday, the Republican governor-elect promised to push for policies allowing people who participate in social service programs to keep their benefits if they get married. Brownback says that under current rules, people lose their benefits because getting married increases their household income just enough to disqualify them.

President Obama and Vice President Biden ask newly elected Governors to call the White House before they "are really mad about something" and go to the media. "We prefer not to read about it in the press," Obama said. Video at link.

TOPEKA (AP) — After 16 years in Washington, Republican Sam Brownback is coming home to be governor of Kansas. Brownback on Tuesday defeated Democratic state Sen. Tom Holland to reclaim the office held by Democrats for the past eight years.

Brownback’s MountainThe senator has a very, very bad idea on energy.  It looked like we had dodged a bullet. With an election looming, Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) decided that a provision requiring a minimum of 15 percent renewable-energy generation nationwide by 2020 was too controversial to include in the so-called energy bill he introduced this week. Sen. Sam Brownback (R., Kans.), in an effort to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, announced that he would introduce such a measure, known as a renewable-electricity standard (RES), as an amendment to Reid’s bill. A top-down renewable-energy mandate might...

Washington (CNSNews.com) – At a press conference on Wednesday, Senators Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) indicated they were open to filibustering any and all legislation by Republicans in the Senate until a confirmation hearing is held for Dr. Donald Berwick, who was recently recess-appointed by President Obama to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick is controversial because he supports rationing health care services, has said a “just” health care funding plan “must redistribute wealth,” and has praised Britain’s government-run National Health Service. President Obama nominated Berwick back in April and then recess-appointed him on...

"Rove is the second leading Republican leader to criticize Moran. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert has repeatedly knocked Moran, saying "he was never there." "I mean, he’d always be out there grabbing a headline," Hastert said, "but he was never there in my experience of doing the hard work to make things happen.” In the interview, Rove wa particulary harsh on Moran for how the congressman approached a 2001 bill on trade promotion authority that Rove said was aimed at knocking down trade barriers and would have helped Moran's rural western Kansas district. Rove said Moran tried to cut a...

Congressional candidate Rob Wasinger, R-Cottonwood Falls, gained the endorsement of U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the GOP's presidential nominee in 2008. "Rob Wasinger has the right experience, vision, and values to lead Kansas into an era of economic growth and prosperity. He is an exemplary public servant we can trust," McCain was quoted saying in a news release from the Wasinger campaign. "I am humbled to be supported by Sen. John McCain, an American hero who has served our country with honor and integrity both in uniform and in Congress," Wasinger said in the same release. Wasinger is the former...

In a committee markup last week, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said that residents of the District of Columbia have a disproportionately large number of abortions because D.C. is disproportionately African-American. In our nation's capital, 41 percent of all pregnancies end in abortion...

Kobach told the group he would fight for the requirement of providing proof of citizenship at election booths. He said photo identification is required when boarding a plane or buying certain spray paints and medication. He wants the same when trying to combat voter fraud. A professor of law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kobach kept the mood light with a political joke. He asked what President Obama and God had in common, with the punchline being neither has a birth certificate. The difference between the two? God only takes 10 percent of a person’s income, Kobach joked. Tiahrt...

The U.S. Senate, by unanimous consent, passed a resolution apologizing for slavery and racial segregation, according to reports. Republican Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, one of the sponsors, said the measure was no “panacea,” but could help trigger “reconciliation.”

I would like to personally welcome Kansas Senator Sam Brownback as the latest inductee to the GOP Enema Hall of Shame. www.GOPenema.com is a grassroots movement to cleanse the bowels of the GOP and once again make it the party of conservative principles it once was.... Senator Brownback (R-Kansas) joined home-state colleague Pat Roberts and seven other Republicans Tuesday to help Kathleen Sebelius win approval (65-31) to serve as HHS secretary...

A Kansas pastor says by endorsing Kathleen Sebelius for Health and Human Services secretary, Senator Sam Brownback "violated the scriptures and his own church's teaching" and "betrayed" many conservative Christians who had been his largest base of support. Senator Brownback (R-Kansas) joined home-state colleague Pat Roberts and seven other Republicans Tuesday to help Kathleen Sebelius win approval (65-31) to serve as HHS secretary. The nomination of the Kansas governor -- which Brownback has supported since it was announced almost two months ago -- was controversial because of her failure to pay taxes and her lack of honesty regarding the large...

From the email I received today... "Just a quick note to remind everyone to get your taxes postmarked by Wednesday. April 15th has the dubious distinction of being the day that reminds everyone why small, limited government is the best way to go. I'm going to be spending Tax Day traveling across Kansas to attend Tea Parties in Junction City, Wichita and Topeka. These meetings will help draw attention to the irresponsible tax-and-spend policies contained in the stimulus package and the budget packages passed by the House and Senate. A bad precedent was set with the astronomical bailouts, and the...

2009/04/07 06:56 KST Sen. Brownback to introduce legislation to put N. Korea in terrorism blacklist By Hwang Doo-hyong WASHINGTON, April 6 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) Monday announced that he will introduce legislation later this month to list North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism in retaliation of the North's rocket launch Sunday in what he called violation of a U.N. resolution. The previous George W. Bush administration delisted the North in October to persuade the reclusive communist state to return to six-party talks on ending its nuclear weapons programs. "Senator Sam Brownback today announced that when...

“Mark Crutcher, president of Life Dynamics, Incorporated, says Brownback -- a self-professed pro-life Catholic -- "abandoned" the unborn by backing Sebelius... Crutcher says Brownback's desire to become the next governor of Kansas may be driving his support of Sebelius. "All of Brownback's flowery words in the past don't really mean much," he says. "When push comes to shove, he'll throw the unborn under the bus for some political advantage -- and that's what's happened here." http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=437992 I must say that this doesn't surprise me in the least. Throughout the primary debates I remember saying to my wife that this guy...

After a day of uncertainty, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas said Tuesday he would vote to confirm Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for secretary of health and human services. “The president won the election and has nominated a Kansan to the Cabinet,” Brownback said in a statement. “Despite our profound policy differences, I will support my fellow Kansan.” Brownback joined Sen. Pat Roberts, who also made his intentions known Tuesday. Earlier Tuesday, Brownback had deferred. “He doesn’t plan to say anything either way at this point,” said a spokesman. Some questioned how Brownback would decide, considering how abortion opponents — who have...

Tuesday March 3, 2009 ALL's Judie Brown on Sen. Brownback: "I'll never use 'pro-life' to describe him again" Sen. Brownback congratulates Sebelius, pro-Lifers stunned By Kathleen Gilbert and Steve JalsevacWASHINGTON, D.C., March 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Kansas' U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, who has long identified with the pro-life movement, has shocked pro-life leaders by supporting the nomination of extreme pro-abortion Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).Brownback issued a joint statement with fellow senator from Kansas, Pat Roberts, congratulating the Governor."It's an honor for the State of Kansas to have an elected...

Legislation will protect families, charities and small businesses from regulations and lawsuits that could kill thousands of jobs. Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) announced the introduction of a bill protect small businesses, charities and families by reforming the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). Senator DeMint’s legislation would stop the most overreaching and burdensome aspects of CPSIA, slated to take effect February 10. Unless reformed, the new law will demand onerous testing for anything geared towards children age 12 and under. This mandate would fall on books, toys, clothing, hair bands, board games, sporting equipment, backpacks,...

Fairtax Supporter corner U.S. Senator Sam Brownback January 30, 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPqGim1dxoY

Evolving conventional wisdom holds that the growing string of senior Republican senators packing it in for retirement or a governor's office means gloom for the party in next year's midterm congressional elections, which are usually a time for an incumbent president's party to suffer. But, counterintuitively, that may not be the case. Bill Clinton remembers the Republican revolution of 1994 only too well -- and so does one of his top aides then, Rahm Emanuel, Barack Obama's incoming White House chief of staff. Indeed, Emanuel, who took over the House seat of someone named Rod Blagojevich in 2002, was one...

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Both of Kansas' Republican senators say they'll oppose a revised plan to rescue the nation's financial industry. Sen. Pat Roberts said his decision reflects the will of thousands of Kansas voters who have contacted his office to say the $700 billion measure is unacceptable. "It’s important Congress act responsibly to shore up America’s confidence in the financial system. Unfortunately, this proposal is still flawed. It does not protect taxpayers, contains no meaningful oversight, may not solve the crisis and is seen by most Americans as rewarding greed," Roberts said. Roberts' challenger on the November ballot, Democrat Jim...

I hope this doesn't turn into Bush redux, where the obvious and decisive responses to liberal attacks are not utilized. Case in point: Earmarks. Today I saw Palin questioned in a confronational manner by "Charlie" and Senator Brownback on Fox by Colmes. Both were challenged on Palin's earmark record. Seems to me that ANY time a republican is challenged regarding Palin's earmark history the following the points should be made (at a minium): 1) Palin does have a record of dramatically reducing earmark requests since she bacame governor. Whoever is being interviewed needs to lay out the numbers. What were...

(WASHINGTON) — A top Republican US senator on Tuesday said China is planning to spy on guests who stay at foreign-owned hotels during the Olympic Games, which begin next month. "The Chinese government has put in place a system to spy on and gather information about every guest at hotels where Olympic visitors are staying," Kansas Senator Sam Brownback told reporters. "This means journalists, athletes' families, human rights advocates and other visitors will be subjected to invasive intelligence gathering by the Chinese Public Security Bureau." The State Department issued a warning in March that Americans traveling to China for the...

Quietly for now, perhaps more visibly later, Sen. Sam Brownback has set himself a missionary task. That task involves persuading the so-called "religious right," his core constituency, to get behind the John McCain presidential candidacy. .... "You get down to the raw points of it, and that's the (Supreme Court)," he said. He tells conservatives that McCain's "very reliable on that... and so (in a different way) is Barack Obama." "Barack's a good guy - I like him - but he's a very liberal Democrat," Brownback said. "If you have a liberal Democrat plus a Democratic House and Senate, that's...

The rumor is a big possibility she's being looked at.A tipster sent us word that John McCain’s VP advance man Arthur Culvahouse has been spotted in Juneau, Alaska. There’s only one reason he would be there - to meet with Alaska Governor Sarah Palin about the Vice President position. This comes on the heels of McCain’s Memorial Day weekend barbecue attended by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former White House budget director Rob Portman, and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman. Supposedly that was in informal...

On April 24, Kansas pro-life U.S. Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts issued a press release endorsing Steve Howe for Johnson County district attorney.... Phill Kline is currently the appointed district attorney and has been urged to reconsider his decision not to run to retain his seat in November. Why? Kline is the only DA in the country with a pending criminal case against a Planned Parenthood and is likely the only DA in the country with the intestinal fortitude to stick with such an investigation.... Brownback knows pro-lifers are encouraging Kline to stay. He knows because many influential pro-lifers...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A leading pro-abortion group has said it will not oppose a bill that will help reduce the number of abortions on babies who are potentially afflicted with Down Syndrome. The measure has already received approval from a Senate committee and is headed to the full chamber for a debate and vote. Last month, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved the Pre-natally and Post-natally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act on a unanimous vote.The bill is designed to help reduce the number of abortions of babies with Down syndrome and other conditions.Sen Sam Brownback,...

After quietly bowing out of the presidential race last fall, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) launched an aggressive effort to court socially conservative leaders who have expressed skepticism about the candidacy of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Brownback is heading McCain’s outreach to Catholic voters and is also one of McCain’s chief advisers on judicial nominations, helping to organize meetings between the candidate and national social conservative leaders. Brownback has met with Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, and Father Frank Pavone, a leader in the anti-abortion rights movement, to enlist their support. On Thursday, Brownback will attend Conservative Political...

Pyongyang, December 19 (KCNA) -- U.S. Senator Brownback was recently reported to have presented to the Administration a bill urging it to put a brake on the process to implement the DPRK-U.S. agreement. In the bill he was adamant in insisting that the U.S. should not delist the DPRK as a "sponsor of terrorism" and lift the application of the "Trading with the Enemy Act," the commitments to be fulfilled by the U.S. under the agreement between the DPRK and the U.S. This is ridiculous, indeed. Brownback is a diehard anti-communist element as he took the lead in fabricating the...

Translation:"The resolution officially calling on President Bush and the State Department NOT to remove North Korea from the US List of State Sponsors of Terrorism (the so called "Terrorist Country List") has been introduced into the US Senate. It was introduced by Brownback and has three co-sponsors so far.It says that as long as North Korea holds international kidnap victims and does not release them, the US State Department should not remove North Korea from the terror list.It is a resolution, and is not binding on the President or US State Department. --Reporter Sakai"

Brownback to Endorse McCain By LIZ SIDOTI Associated Press Writer MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - Sam Brownback, a Kansas conservative and favorite of evangelical Christians, will endorse his former Republican presidential rival John McCain, GOP officials said Wednesday. The nod could provide a much-needed boost, particularly in Iowa, for the Arizona senator and one-time presumed GOP front-runner whose bid faltered and is now looking for a comeback. Republican officials said Brownback will announce his support for McCain later Wednesday in Dubuque, Iowa, and then travel with the candidate to campaign in two other cities in the state. The officials spoke on...

One favorite Capitol Hill worker of Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) is an elevator operator named Jimmy. The young man with Down syndrome wears ties given to him by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and often greets legislators with high-fives or hugs. "He's a wonderful young man," Brownback recently told a pro-life audience in Washington, D.C. "And if you see a Down syndrome child or person in this country today, I hope you give them a hug, because 90 percent are killed in the womb." Brownback referred to studies that estimate 80 to 90 percent of parents who learn their unborn children...

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) has joined the growing chorus of conservatives who say they would be surprised and disappointed if Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) were to endorse ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s (R) bid for the White House. During a lunch with reporters on Tuesday in which a confident Huckabee insisted he can win the GOP nomination and general election, the former governor said that he reached out to Brownback the day the senator withdrew from the race and that he wants Brownback’s support. “It makes perfect sense. It’s a good fit for a lot of Sen....

Washington DC, Oct 26, 2007 / 09:00 am (CNA).- Senator Sam Brownback, the Kansas Republican who sought the Republican presidential nomination on a socially conservative platform, is considering supporting former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's candidacy. He met with the former mayor on Thursday to discuss his position on abortion. “I’m going to meet with him and I’m going to talk to him and hear what he is specifically saying now because he’s changed on a number of the abortion issues,” Brownback said in an interview with The Hill. “He’s changed on partial-birth [abortion] and he … has said...

Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani plans to meet Thursday with conservative Republican Sen. Sam Brownback, who is weighing whether to endorse a candidate after dropping out of the race last week, the senator's spokesman said Thursday. Giuliani supports abortion rights; Brownback is an ardent abortion foe. "Mayor Giuliani asked to meet with Senator Brownback, and Senator Brownback is happy to sit down with him," said Brian Hart, the senator's spokesman. "Senator Brownback is talking to a few people but doesn't intend to endorse anyone right away." Giuliani, the former New York mayor, leads national polls in the race for the...

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) is considering endorsing Rudy Giuliani for the GOP presidential nomination and will meet with him Thursday in Washington to hear his views on abortion. Brownback, who ended his White House run last week and is a champion of social conservative issues, said he would consider Giuliani because he had heard that the former New York City mayor had changed his position on partial-birth abortion and has pledged to appoint to the courts strict constructionists who would not overturn anti-abortion laws. If Brownback pledged his support, it would be a big boost for Giuliani. It might help...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Legislation to give children of illegal immigrants a path toward legality failed a crucial test vote in the Senate Wednesday, likely putting a final stamp on major immigration measures for the year. Supporters needed to get 60 votes to advance the DREAM Act, which would have allowed illegal immigrants who plan to attend college or join the military, and who came to the United States with their families before they turned 16, to move toward legality. The final vote was 52-44.

WASHINGTON, DC -- After his Values Voters speech here, in which he called for all Americans to defend life at every stage, Brownback refused to confirm the news that he is dropping out of the presidential race this afternoon. “I’m headed back to Kansas and I’ll be making an announcement there,” he said. The Kansas senator did acknowledge, however, that he is convinced the Republican Party will nominate a “pro-life candidate,” and he feels that Giuliani does not fit the bill. “Governor Romney’s certainly taken a pro-life position now,” Brownback said to reporters after his speech. “We’ll see if that’s...

Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Wednesday the Senate should apologize for slavery and segregation, calling them “dark chapters in our history.” McCain said he would support a planned resolution by fellow Republican Sen. Sam Brownback, who is also seeking the presidency, to apologize for racist laws, some of which ended more than a century ago. “They were federal policies,” Brownback told the Boston Globe on Monday. “They were wrong. The only way for us to move forward . . . is at the end of the day acknowledging those, taking ownership for it, and asking for forgiveness.” McCain agreed...

WASHINGTON - Republican Sam Brownback will drop out of the 2008 presidential campaign on Friday, people close to the Kansas senator said Thursday. Brownback, a longshot conservative contender, had trouble raising money to compete in the race. He is expected announce his withdrawal in Topeka, Kan. He raised a little more than $800,000 in the third quarter of this year, his lowest quarterly amount since entering race. He has brought in more than $4 million overall and is eligible for $2 million in federal matching funds.

Senator Sam Brownback, a Republican trying to inject new life into his beleaguered presidential campaign, plans to offer a resolution this week for Congress to apologize for slavery and segregation. Brownback, of Kansas, told The Boston Globe's editorial board yesterday he will join an unnamed Democrat in sponsoring the proposal. He said he expects a tough fight on the resolution, even though it will not include any call for reparations. "They were federal policies," he said. "They were wrong. The only way for us to move forward . . . is at the end of day acknowledging those, taking ownership...

Summary of GOP candidate fundraising reports. All dollar figures are rounded to the nearest $0.1 million. Candidate Q3 receipts (minus loans) To-Date receipts (minus loans) Q3 Loans To-Date Loans Cash On Hand Cash On Hand minus Debts Brownback $0.9M $4.2M $0 $0 $0.1M $0.1M Giuliani $11.6M $47.3M $0 $0 $16.6M* $16.5M* Huckabee $1.0M $2.3M $0 $0 $0.7M $0.6M Hunter $0.5M $1.9M $0 $0 $0.1M $0.1M McCain $5.7M $32.1M $0 $0 $2.8M $2.8M Paul $5.6M $8.3M $0 $0 $5.4M $5.4M Romney $9.9M $45.4M $8.5M** $17.3M** $9.2M -$8.2M Tancredo $0.8M $3.5M $0 $0 $0.1M -$0.2M Thompson $12.7M $12.7M $0 $0 $7.1M $6.4M...