TexasTiger 12,992 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Sebelius officially chooses running mate By DAVID KLEPPER The Star’s Topeka Correspondent Former state GOP chief Mark Parkinson officially joined the ticket of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius this morning. Parkinson is Sebelius’ pick to be lieutenant governor should she be re-elected in November. Current Lt. Gov. John Moore will retire at the end of his term. Before heading out on a two-day tour of the state, Sebelius announced the selection at the University of Kansas Edwards Campus in Johnson County. “What we’re trying to do is bring Kansas together,†she said. Parkinson, a former state House and Senate member from Olathe, has served as chairman of the state Republican Party. A political moderate, he said he was increasingly alienated from his own party after conservatives increasingly focused on “wedge issues†rather than solutions to the state’s problems. He said Sebelius has proven that she can lead the state, and not just a partisan faction within it. “Great ideas don’t come with a party label,†he said. Sebelius faces no primary opponent. The three leading Republican challengers are state Sen. Jim Barnett, of Emporia; fatherhood advocate Ken Canfield of Johnson County; and former House Speaker Robin Jennison, of Healy. http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/14707891.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger12 46 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Wow, by the way your topic header sounds, one would think that there has been apparently alot of republicans turning democrat. I can't recall of hearing much of that happening, but I guess I have been under a rock. I am glad to see that democrats think getting a candidate for Lt. Governor in Kansas to turn democrat is something to celebrate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger in Spain 0 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 The scuttlebutt back home is that democrats are going to pick up a key local office in the upcoming elections. It seems that the office of St Clair County Dog Catcher is pretty much a lock for this democrat candidate. He's successfully placed the blame of the stray dog population on the Bush administration. Rumor has it that Howard Dean is already planning a trip to Ashville after the election, and my sources say he will make a bold pledge during a planned speech at courthouse square to take back the towns of Argo and Ragland from the "Evil, corrupt Republicans" in the next election. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasTiger 12,992 Posted June 1, 2006 Author Share Posted June 1, 2006 Wow, by the way your topic header sounds, one would think that there has been apparently alot of republicans turning democrat. I can't recall of hearing much of that happening, but I guess I have been under a rock. I am glad to see that democrats think getting a candidate for Lt. Governor in Kansas to turn democrat is something to celebrate. 237854[/snapback] Having a former Republican party chair in a solidly red state change parties is pretty significant and telling and is a trend there. After what remains of the moderate Republicans in the Northeast switches this November, it will be come more apparent. There is a point at which a party is percieved to be too far to one side. That happened with the Democrats in 1994. It has happening now with Republicans. This is one of the great master strokes in recent Kansas political history. Repub-lican Mark Parkinson has been selected to run as the candidate for lieutenant governor with Democrat Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. But first, Parkinson, a moderate, will switch to the Democratic Party, apparently out of despair that the Republican Party of Kansas has been taken over by the right wing. To the Republican candidates for governor, this move has one word written all over it. Checkmate. Mark Parkinson, who is a deeply rooted Johnson Countian, until 2003 served as chairman of the Kansas Republican Party. Before that he was a state senator and before that a state representative. Among Republican leaders, Mark Parkinson has always been considered for statewide office and ultimately the governor's seat. He is considered to be one of the brightest and most capable individuals to have held public office in Kansas in recent years. Until now, the timing was not right. Parkinson had pulled back from elected politics to develop and run very successful assisted living facilities in Johnson County. He sold his enterprise in April. He also accomplished another important goal. Parkinson was determined to spend more time with his family until his three kids were older. Now is the time. What a coup this is for Kathleen Sebelius. She needs strong moderate Republican support for her bid for re-election in November. There are too few Democrats and independents in Kansas for a Democratic candidate - even an incumbent - to count on. She needs "crossover" votes from moderate Republicans. By this move, Sebelius not only attracts moderate Republicans, she also gets a nice foothold into Johnson County. If history is any guide, Parkinson will want to play a vital role in both K-12 and higher education in Kansas. That certainly plays well in this community. There also is another wrinkle in this selection. This not only sets up an extraordinary ticket, it also sets up Mark Parkinson to be in the driver's seat to run for governor in 2010, when Sebelius has completed her two terms in office. Before this move with Parkinson, the Republican conservatives had the edge to replace Sebelius. The Republican nominee in today's world needs to be acceptable to the far right. Meanwhile, there was no heir apparent in the Kansas Democratic Party to pick up the Sebelius mantel. By switching parties, Parkinson fits the bill. The governor would do whatever it takes to keep the governor's seat in the hands of a moderate, either a Democrat or a moderate Republican. That is the check-and-balance to a Legislature that is now dominated by right-wing Republicans. The strong right-wing movement in Kansas has pushed more and more moderate Republicans into either supporting Democratic candidates, or in some instances, changing parties from Republican to Democrat. A perfect example of that is Paul Morrison, a previously Republican district attorney in Johnson County. He recently changed parties to run as a Democrat against incumbent Attorney General Phill Kline in the November election. And guess who is co-chairing the bipartisan effort for Morrison. You got it. Republican Mark Parkinson, along with Democrat Jill Docking - although we assume Parkinson now will be a bit too busy to co-chair another candidate's campaign. It's been heading this way for a long time. But with this move, it's now official. Kansas has two distinct parties: The right-wing Republicans and the Democrat/moderate Republicans. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=...id=155743&rfi=6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tigrinum Major Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 So, a "key red state" is one that has a Democratic gov? Paradox. As far as why he left, I can't say that I blame him. Democrats have never been known to use wedge issues to further their influence. <insert emoticon of choice here> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger12 46 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 So what, a red state has a dem governor? That is not like that is the only first or only state like that. I do believe the state of Alabama has had a dem governor but carried a republican president before also. Heck, I think it has even happened the opposite way also. Measuring the party of a state's governor is not a good measuring stick on how a state will go with federal elections because there are quite a few times that state level politicians don't always tow the party line as strong as their federal level counterparts do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tigrinum Major Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Damn it, ranger, you are supposed to be on my side in this argument. But you are correct, ex. Southern Democrats tend to side more with Republicans on the national level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger12 46 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Damn it, ranger, you are supposed to be on my side in this argument. But you are correct, ex. Southern Democrats tend to side more with Republicans on the national level. 237992[/snapback] I am on your side. TT is trying to make it sound like the dems have some kind of coup on their hands when I am just trying to point out the fallacy in the assumption he is trying to make. Dems are going to try to take situations like this and try to exaggerate them to make the public think that the republicans are losing their influence on their party members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tigrinum Major Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Gotcha. I thought you were making a comment on my example of a paradox with the red state with a Democratic gov comment. I remember now why I don't hang out in the Political Forum. I am too easily confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger12 46 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Gotcha. I thought you were making a comment on my example of a paradox with the red state with a Democratic gov comment. I remember now why I don't hang out in the Political Forum. I am too easily confused. 238015[/snapback] Don't worry, come the next presidential election, you'll get broken in real good. The debates we have with TT and other liberals on the board get really interesting during that time. Heck, we even had to go over to TTs house and give him a wedgie because he was getting on our nerves so bad. TT. Love ya brother! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,438 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 19 Dems have switched. 11 Dems have switched. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_switchi...e_United_States Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.