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Jim Barnett doesn't like the "negative" tone the Huelskamp campaign has "taken on." It's the wimper of the exposed politician, angry and confused over a campaign willing to tell the voters the truth about his flip-flop ways.
Today in a press release the Huelskamp campaign announced their "Jim Barnett vs. Jim Barnett" campaign. First up is his support of Kathleen Sebelius before he was against her.
From the press release:
While Jim Barnett brags in his mail flyers that he opposed Kathleen Sebelius, he actually endorsed her as Secretary of Health and Human Services a little over a week before she accepted President Barack Obama’s nomination. Barnett told Congressional Quarterly’s Drew Armstrong on February 19 of last year that “I view the potential of her being secretary of Health and Human Services as a positive for Kansas and the nation.”
In a move reminiscent of Senator John Kerry’s famous flip-flop in 2004, Senator Jim Barnett flip-flopped his position on Sebelius’ nomination during an interview on June 25th of this year with the Kiowa County Signal, telling editor Mark Anderson “I would not vote for that nomination.”
I also detailed Jim Barnett's problem with his record earlier today.
Jim Barnett is ducking right this week in an attempt to convince First District voters that he's really against Obamacare and had nothing to do with that oh so similar plan he proposed in 2007.
As a gubernatorial candidate, Barnett advocated for "healthcare exchanges" which are eerily familiar to the Democrats plan to remake the American healthcare system. But after the election, Barnett went further, introducing a bill that would have mandated coverage for all Kansas citizens, regardless of their choice not to have coverage. Similar to the fines imposed by Washington Democrats, Barnett's plan would have authorized the state to garnish wages and tax refunds of those that refused to comply with the mandate. All of this coincided with a new, close friendship with his former opponent, Kathleen Sebelius. Barnett promoted and supported a plan with Sebelius that also would have also expanded state entitlement programs and imposed new mandates.
Surprisingly, Barnett denied he had anything to do with the 2007 bill, saying instead that the bill was introduced for "discussion" by the committee. Unfortunately for him, former State Senator Peggy Palmer, a member of the committee with Barnett and Huelskamp, recalls a different story. In a press release from the Huelskamp campaign today, Palmer stated, "I was there when Jim Barnett introduced SB 309 to mandate government approved health insurance on Kansans. His proposal would have created a quasi-state entity and added layer upon layer of massive new government mandates and bureaucracy."
During the state's last fiscal crisis, Jim Barnett voted in favor of the largest tax increase in the state's history. That was shortly after serving as President of the Emporia school board and not only voting in favor of, but crafting the strategy to sue the state of Kansas for more school funding. That was in the 1990's and the case would eventually become known as the Montoy case, resulting in over a billion dollars in court mandated state spending. And after having a conversion in 2006 to run for governor, Barnett quickly switched back to his liberal ways, patched things up with former opponent Kathleen Sebelius to advocate for his own little form of state run healthcare, and then stab his former running mate in the back to hand liberal leadership another four years in the state Senate.
Jim Barnett advocating for Obama style healthcare in Kansas is just the tip of the iceberg.
Hutch News - '07 health bill is campaign fodderKansas Liberty - First District candidate accuses fellow GOP candidate of aligning with ObamaCare
This is one of those videos I wish I could take credit for creating, but alas all I can do is pass it along after finding it in my google search.
Jim Barnett's "prescription for prosperity" and his prescribing past in the Kansas Senate seem to be two different things, and I don't think the first district is interested in voting for either one of them. That of course, assumes he'll eventually discover where the district is to try and sell it.
Jim Barnett continues to travel across the state promoting his "health care coalition" which so far seems to have produced very few "health care solutions."
Barnett held a press conference in Wichita with a group of health care professionals saying they would produce ideas for his campaign to promote. I was certainly confused by the whole situation since Barnett has worked in health care all his life and has failed many times in the past to "fix" it. Perhaps that the reasoning behind his "coalition." Maybe he really needs the ideas.
When his campaign consultant spoke to Kansas Liberty, he seemed to have a healthy helping of criticism for Huelskamp and little to no plan for Barnett.
Barnett’s campaign consultant, Jeff Roe, didn't comment on Weber's statement other than to say the Barnett campaign was “anxiously awaiting” Huelskamp’s own plan to provide health-care solutions.
Roe said there was no current timeline of when Barnett’s reform plan would surface.
Even though Barnett isn't able to annouce a plan just yet, it's certainly interesting to examine his previous plans. The Kansas Liberty article focused on many different plans of Barnett's over the years, but the one that caught my eye was the 21 point plan produced by the Kansas Health Policy Authority and marketed by both Barnett and current HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
The report really speaks for itself:
Aggressive targeting and enrollment of children eligible for Medicaid and HealthWave. Include specific targets and timelines for improved enrollment. Inability to meet targets will “trigger” additional action by the KHPA, to include the consideration of mandating that all children in Kansas have health insurance.
Barnett says he doesn't agree with Obama's health plan, and yet just over a year ago he supported government action that is nearly identical to Obama's plan; government mandated care for every child.
Barnett says he favors market solutions for our health problems, but just like any other issue Barnett discusses, his current opinion certainly doesn't match with his previous actions.
Jim Barnett hit the campaign trail today to unveil his new health plan. Unfortunately he didn't get the memo that Wichita is in the fourth district, not the first which he says he wants to represent. Maybe he should have called campaign headquarters in Missouri for directions.
A press release today from the Huelskamp campaign beautifully highlights the misplaced priorities of Jim Barnett. "We are disappointed to see the Wichita Eagle reporting that Senator Barnett has chosen to unveil his first major issue coalition outside The Big First District. We hope this story is not accurate."
"Fundraising outside the district is one thing -- but I've never seen a candidate campaign outside the district before. Ultimately, citizens of The Big First deserve a Congressman who will think of them first, not merely as an afterthought. We are curious to see if this decision means he may be considering another run for governor instead of Congress."
Maybe he should have checked in with his old rival/buddy Sebelius for some instructions on where he should go and what he should say.
Nothing yet on what exactly was in the plan announced at 1pm today in Wichita other than other "health care professionals to help advise his campaign" on what to say and do. I have a feeling there's going to be an awful lot of Sebelius-care redux in his plan, along with a healthy helping of government intervention and funding.
Health plan aside, somebody needs to send Barnett a memo that 1) Wichita isn't in his district and 2) Area code 816 is Kansas City, Missouri, not Kansas. It's usually not such a brilliant idea to have your campaign headquarters in Missouri when you're running for a western Kansas district.
However I would have expected nothing less from the Barnett campaign. It's about the power, not the people, when Jim Barnett is running.
Hey, when the Wichita Eagle and KC Star both say the Democrats bench is empty, it's gotta be so, right?
The Eagle's editorial board notes that Sebelius' party building was exaggerated if one looks at registration numbers where Republicans still dominate Democrat's numbers. Of course, this is absolutely no surprise to any conservative Republican. Not the numbers but the fact that Democrats and liberals in general are just now starting to realize Sebelius could have cared less about Kansas or her party. Kathleen was in it for Kathleen and she was willing to throw anyone else around her under the bus to get what she wanted.
House Minority Leader Paul Davis still hasn't come to this realization yet. He still thinks the party's limited success in '06 wasn't because of Sebelius.
"I don’t think the success of the party is just about her.”
Well if it isn't about her then who was it about? And why do things look so bleak for you guys now that she's gone? Kathleen had her own people so scared even now that she's in Washington they still won't fess up to reality.
The compromise struck yesterday between Gov. Mark Parkinson and Sunflower Electric was a beautiful compromise to bring jobs and economic development to western Kansas. For once Topeka put the interests of working Kansans first rather than their political point.
But like everything today the Holcomb Power Plants were a political decision. Of course they never should have been a political decision, but former Gov. Sebelius and KDHE Sec. Bremby made sure it was a political issue. Next time you get tired of non-political things being made political, you can thank Queen Kathleen.
Republicans cleaned up in this battle for the ages, lets face it. Yes, only one plant will be built and yes, green provisions will have to be complied with that will significantly raise electric rates for all Kansans. But let's look at what the other side had to give up to get a little green. The plant that is going to be build is much larger than the original 700MW proposal from Sebelius. Plus it includes the latest technology which Sunflower would have included anyway.
Most importantly, KDHE Sec. Bremby has been stripped of his "authority" to stop any future permits based solely on CO2. In other words, should Sunflower decide another plant is necessary in the future and meets all federal and state requirements (as it did before!) then KDHE will have to issue the permit. And remember this will most likely be done under a Governor Brownback. Perhaps this wasn't what was in mind when the deal was struck, but it's certainly a possibility that's crossed my mind.
Further, one has to ask why Parkinson was so eager to strike a compromise. Was his control of Democrats at risk? Did he see the writing on the wall and decided one plant was better than two? I don't think that will ever come out, but clearly Kansas Democrats and environmental wackos lost yesterday and Kansas Republicans cleaned up.
Okay, so the headline is a little misleading. But not by much.
Steve Rose, publisher of the JoCo Sun, wrote an editorial that gives his take on how the state will look when Sam Brownback is elected Governor. First, there's this little tidbit.
Under Sam Brownback, there will be no checks and balances with the conservative Legislature.
Well, shucks Steve, I guess I must have missed the editorial you ran blasting Obama and Democrats because of the lack of checks and balances between Congress and the President. Perhaps you were waiting for a filibuster proof majority in the Senate before running that piece, huh? I'd say now would be the time to run it. Or is it only unbalanced when conservatives are in control? You might want to clarify that one.
To me what is most freighting is that his hypothetical isn't even true. Perhaps the 2010 elections will shift the House to be more conservative, but the Senate will remain in the hand of Morris and Vratil, hardly my definition of conservative. And I wouldn't exactly call the House conservative either, having just reject a completely reasonable 2010 budget. So while I appreciate the cred Rose is handing out, it seems to be mostly self serving so he can frighten people into not voting for Brownback.
As entertaining as that was, this is my favorite part.
Every conceivable anti-abortion piece of legislation that is constitutional will be approved by Sam Brownback.
Isn't that interesting? Every piece that is constitutional will be approved. So, what's he saying about the past? That every piece of legislation that was constitutional was rejected by Sebelius? I thought the party line was that anything the Legislature passed was unconstitutional? That's the last reason she gave before jetting off to D.C. Does Rose disagree with Queen Kathleen? It seems like it.
So there you have it. Even the liberals think past abortion policy changes in Kansas were constitutional. Hats off to Rose for finally having the guts to admit it, even if it was just in a passive absent-minded editorial.
As I've stated before, I try my best to not worship at the alter of the great pollster. I would say more times than not, liberals and socialist Democrats look to polls to decide which side of an issue they should be on or which way to vote on a bill. Now, Republicans do their fair share too, but overall it seems to be the left who push polls as a reason for politicians to take action.
What scares me the most is how polls are now being used to convince the public which side of an issue they should take. It's the tell a lie long enough people begin to believe it problem.
With that said, it seems Kansans aren't so hot on the new administration anymore, and that includes our illustrious former governor. An April 28 poll shows Obama's approval rating at 44%, an 18 point drop since he took office. Interestingly, the largest gap of approval/disapproval was in 18 to 34 years of age with 39% approving and a whopping 55% disapproving. Sebelius is also below 50% checking in at 46%. That's 9 points lower than a March poll.
Does that mean it'll be easy for Republicans to clean up in 2010? I doubt it. I think Kansans are getting sick and tired of politicians who say one thing and do another. Republicans should be held just as accountable as Democrats in that regard.
Mostly I enjoy pointing these polls out because a few months ago the left would have everyone believe that a favorable approval rating for the President meant that Kansas was now a Democratic state and everyone elected in 2010 would be liberal. Polls are just that, a small sampling of what may be going on in the general public. The only polls that really matter happen in August and November of 2010.
It's sad to say but the mess Sen. Browback finds himself in is mostly of his own making.
When Kathleen Sebelius was announced as a candidate for HHS, all Sen. Brownback had to do was stay quiet. Either that or talk up what an honor it was to have someone from Kansas considered for the post and stay quiet on his opinion of Sebelius. After all, isn't that what Senate hearings and floor debate is for? Why go through the motions if everyone has already made up their minds about who should and shouldn't be confirmed into the Presidents cabinet? Who could have predicted the tax problems that arose? Or the lies about donations from Tiller? Had Brownback just kept quiet, he would have been handed the right ammo to justify a no vote. Coming out so quickly with a statement of support was just plain stupid.
And the icing on the cake was the explanation of vote. A yet to be seen pandemic flu is not a reason to vote to confirm. Conservatives aren't about to buy that.
In short, Sen. Brownback decided to play politics. I'm not going to say that he played politics rather than stand by his principles, because I don't believe that's true. I do however think his political strategy was misguided. Sebelius was out of the US Senate race before she ever got in. While everyone talked up the DailyKos poll that showed her way ahead of Tiahrt or Moran, she was also at 48%, against two Republicans with worse name recognition statewide than her. After over six years in office she should have been well over 50%.
No one in the media or the party wanted to say it, but 48% isn't exactly a glowing endorsement. I think Sebelius saw the writing on the wall. She knew with a properly funded Republican on the other side that her record would be drug out into the open and getting above 50% would be difficult. After all, she's a calculating politician, one that is certainly not going to take a chance on a Senate seat when she can get a confirmed reservation to Washington two years early.
I voted for Brownback each time he ran for US Senate. I still support the good Senator and I will not only vote for him, but work on his gubernatorial campaign. There are elements of the pro-life movement that now say he can't be trusted and is as worthless as Sebelius herself. It's a lie that couldn't be further from the truth.
Sam Brownback has done more for the pro-life movement during his time in the Senate than nearly all other politicians combined. Anyone who says they will not support Sen. Brownback for Governor over this one vote is completely misguided and has become so enthralled with themselves and their holier than thou I'm pro-life ego that they have lost sight of viable, reasonable steps that can be taken during this next election to shut down Tiller and Planned Parenthood. Anyone breaking from Sen. Brownback because he's not "pro-life enough" has broken from reality itself.
Thank you Sen. Brownback for all you have done. Please though, rethink the counsel that you've been receiving. I think you could genuinely benefit from some new ideas in your office.
The queen is gone! What a great day for Kansas and a dark future for America.
Now the question becomes just how left has Mark Parkinson gone since he switched parties in '06. I don't think his stance on any issue of importance has changed at all. I think he's the same liberal he was before and will continue to be til 2010 rolls around. He'll just be a little more cushy with Steve Morris and John Vratil. But then again, the only difference Morris had with Sebelius was the coal plants, so what's changed? Nothing!
The positions haven't changed, just the strength of the person behind them. Parkinson isn't seen as strong as Sebelius, so basically Republicans are happy about him being in charge because they think they can peel off enough Democrats to override any veto he might hand down. Certainly possible when it comes to pro-life legislation, but I doubt any coal plants will be built anytime soon.
How much damage did Brownback cause to himself? That may not be known until November next year, but I still believe his chances of winning are pretty good. Kaw and Border has posted a defense of Brownback. It's worth a read.
All in all things are looking quite bleak for Democrats in Kansas. Their savior has bolted for their other savior and now there's no one to save them from the mean, nasty Republicans. Either Tiahrt or Moran are a shoo in for Senate, their best candidate for governor they've decided to attack themselves (Steineger) and they only have appointed officials as Treasurer and AG who now have to fund raise on their own with out the help of Queen Kathleen.
Such a refreshing morning!
I like to give a pat on the back to a Democrat every once in a while, especially one that I wouldn't have supported.
Shawnee County DA Chad Taylor asked the Shawnee County Commission to delay a motion that would have prohibited assistant DAs to carry concealed weapons. Taylor said that while the courthouse was staffed with officers during regular business hours, he was worried about his staff's protection during other hours when they may have to attend to business in the courthouse.
Good for Taylor. While I don't own a gun and probably never will, I support the right of others to arm themselves if they so choose. It was three years ago that people like Sebelius, Anthony Hensley and a whole host of other people said Kansas would return to the days of the wild west if law abiding citizens were allowed to arm themselves. Yea, sure, that happened...
The whole point of carrying a concealed weapon is for self-protection. Anyone working in law enforcement is inherently at more risk and it just makes sense that they should be allowed to protect themselves.
This is in contrast to Sedgwick County DA Nola Foulston. That's the gal who rode shot gun for Tiller during grand jury investigations. She's decided that her hard left beliefs trump the safety of those working for her. That's certainly bad news for employees of the Sedgwick County DA's office.
More scary than political, the swine flu has apparently arrived in Kansas. KAKE 10 in Wichita is reporting that KDHE will announce this afternoon that two cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Kansas. The specific locations haven't been disclosed yet.
The flu is fast becoming a pandemic. Mexico has canceled all public events for ten days due to the spread. Just a few minutes ago, Fox News was reporting that the only confirmed cases were in California and Texas, but is now reporting that the virus has spread to New York and here in Kansas.
The origins of the Spanish flu of 1918 have been debated back and forth. Some believe the flu originated in Haskell County, Kansas. The first reported cases were in soldiers at Fort Riley. Not exactly something to be proud of.
So far it looks as though this isn't a bird flu type situation. Let's all pray the situation doesn't get worse.
A vote on Sebelius has been set for Tuesday, one day before the full Legislature returns to attempt an override of her veto of better abortion regulations. I doubt that date was chosen at random. Waiting any longer will only put her nomination in further trouble. If the Legislature would happen to override her veto (which I don't think will happen), she'd be in more trouble. Right now, Sebelius says she has the votes to win confirmation. I doubt that will change by Tuesday.
Sen. Pat Roberts looks like he will still vote for confirmation. Sen. Sam Brownback looks as though he's still going to vote to confirm as well, although it certainly isn't going over well with the pro-life community.
I certainly don't want to see Sebelius confirmed to the HHS post. She's proven herself over and over again to be nothing more than a pro-abortion radical beholden to George Tiller even when she's getting ready to leave the state. I can only imagine the paybacks she'll have to hand out as HHS Secretary.
Gov. Sebelius' veto of reasonable abortion regulations today brought out more opposition from Republicans. GOP Chairman Michael Steele voiced his opposition to a vote on Sebelius until she answers more questions regarding her relationship with abortionist George Tiller.
Democrats were quick to say the opposition was just a move by Steele to shore up his pro-life creds. That may certainly be a possibility. Steele wasn't my first pick for GOP chair and he's certainly made some bonehead moves since his election. However, I think the more likely reason Steele is voicing opposition is because he's learning more and more about Sebelius' radical pro-abortion record and realizing that more and more GOP Senators aren't going to roll over.
What exactly has Tiller done for Sebelius that she feels so in debt to him? It's almost scary to think about what the guy has done that she'd be willing to put her nomination in even the slightest risk to protect him from prosecution.
The veto also brought a response from Sen. Tim Huelskamp. In the blast email sent shortly after the veto Huelskamp said:"The pro-abortion veto by Governor Sebelius in the last hour of the last day of her 10-day period demonstrates her radical commitment to George Tiller and late-term abortion. It is simply shocking that someone so indebted to the late-term abortion industry is still being considered for Secretary of HHS.”
A quick check of Wasinger site shows no statement regarding the veto. It's become clear Rob is in favor of Sebelius being HHS Secretary, but it would seem an acknowledgment of her veto would at least be in order, even if it didn't address his upcoming Senate confirmation.
I doubt the new opposition will block her confirmation. But then again I didn't think there would be this much opposition at all, so a lot is possible over the next week.
After "reviewing" an abortion bill for several weeks, Gov. Sebelius finally did today what she wanted to do the moment the bill hit her desk -- veto it.
Sebelius said she vetoed the bill because it allowed patients to later sue a doctor over a botched abortion or because of a coerced abortion. Isn't it nice to know Sebelius is for tort reform when it comes to killing live babies? I wonder how her trial lawyer financiers will react to her taking business away from them?
Even though a vote on Sebelius as HHS Secretary has been delayed until next week, it seems she's confident enough in her chances to go ahead and veto the bill. It seems she's also confident in her ability to choral Democrats in the House to sustain her veto.
In nearly seven years in office, Sebelius has only signed one pro-life bill into law, which was just recently during her Senate confirmation hearings.
The idea that a patient shouldn't be able to hold their physician accountable simply because of which procedure is being performed is quite the double standard. With a veto session coming up next week, we'll see if that veto stands. It's possible a veto override attempt could come within days of her Senate vote next week, making for some interesting news.
Today is the last day for Gov. Sebelius to take action on a bill that would firm up the state's regulation of abortions. The timing sure doesn't seem to be working in her favor as she waits for a Senate vote on his nomination to be HHS Secretary.
After lying in written questions to Senators about her connections to George Tiller, she token signed an abortion bill into law. Will she repeat in her quest for a Washington office?
Time will tell.
Democrats and Republicans alike were just falling all over themselves two years ago to get a gambling bill passed. So desperate were they to make the state of Kansas the proud new owner of four destination casinos that suddenly the word "lottery" morphed into "casino."
Now two years later the state's unable to pay its bills and is looking at tax increases to make ends meet. So, how's that gambling revenue working out for ya?
Not so well. When the bill was passed, revenue estimates were around $200 million a year. But that assumed casinos would be, you know, built. That part of the plan hasn't worked out so well.
The only casino under construction is in Dodge City, the smallest of the four projects. The southeast Kansas casino got one company on the hook who promptly withdrew. A recent second application opening didn't get any applicants.
Same for the Kansas City and Sumner County casinos. Nobody felt like hopping on that train the first time around. Now they have some applicants, but will they stick around? The state hasn't had much luck in that department.
It seems when the Governor and Legislators decided Kansas should be in the casino business they forgot one important part of the plan, that you need casinos to make money. Now lawmakers are once again proposing using gambling revenue to fix the budget shortfall.
Sounds like a great plan, but I wonder if they've worked out the kinks from last time. Like actually getting a casino built. Maybe Democrats and Republicans alike would be better off to spend their time focusing on cutting the budget than trying to find funny money to plug the hole.
Gov. Sebelius is one step closer to becoming HHS Secretary. Sebelius passed committee approval with complete Democrat approval as well as yea votes from Olympia Snowe of Maine and our own Pat Roberts.Eight Republican's voted against her confirmation. Sen Jon Kyl of Arizona voted against because he wasn't convinced she would do enough to keep the government out of the doctor/patient relationship. Her ties to Tiller were also noted. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah voted against Sebelius because of her inability to tell the truth regarding her relationship to Tiller.Sebelius will most assuredly be confirmed by the Senate as a whole, probably quite soon. It's too bad she'll now be able to influence our entire nations health care system, but on the other hand, I'm not sad to see her leaving the land of Oz.
So of course the question now becomes whether or not she'll still be around for the veto session. I think now that the committee vote is over and pro-lifers don't seem to have anyone on point to block a full vote, she'll be confirmed quickly, maybe even by the end of the week. It's quite possible she'll be gone before the end of the veto session.
I doubt that will have any bearing on whether or not additional taxes and fees are passed to balance the budget.
As I noted before, the real work of preventing a state tax increase is looming. Revenue estimates are in and they're the worst ever since the revenue estimating group was formed in 1975.
Gov. Sebelius and the Legislature will have to close a minimum $328 million gap. That's almost guaranteed to increase in the months to come as there's no sign that revenues are going to reverse their downward trend.
As any good Democrat, Gov. Sebelius and her cronies in the Legislature have no intention of letting this crisis simply go by. House Minority Leader Paul Davis has already made his love of a tax increase clear. And following the release of the new revenue numbers, Gov. Sebelius indicated she wanted to enact her previous recommendations to avoid cuts to, "essential services for vulnerable citizens or further cuts in education."
In other words, there's nothing left to cut but education, therefore we need to increase taxes so we can put more of Kansans money down a black hole.
The main variable to the bitter end will be Republican moderates. To his credit, Senate President Steve Morris seems to be holding strong.
“We will make the necessary adjustments within our existing revenues to make sure we end up with a balanced budget."
Pressure will be applied to Morris and other moderate Republicans, just like it was when Sebelius decided to not pay state employees to take advantage of the "crisis." Morris nearly caved then, will he be able to hold out now?
The unknown variable here is the tea parties. Will the thousands who turned out April 15 stay involved and apply their own pressure to legislators and Sebelius to not increase taxes to fix their own problems?
You won't see any betting odds from me just yet...
