Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Building the Biggest Little Pup Tent on the Plains
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat, just picked Mark Parkinson, a former legislator and chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, to run with her on the Democratic ticket for lieutenant governor.
Parkinson is the second prominent Kansas Republican to make the switch in recent years. In 2002, Sebelius chose John Moore, a Cessna executive from Wichita as her running mate
Many moderate Republicans point to the rightward drift of the party as a reason for the defections. Most notable is the ultra-right Republican majority on the Kansas State Board of Education, which last year adopted science standards that criticize evolution and hired Bob Corkins, a man with no education experience as the state's education commissioner.
While Sebelius was reaching out across party lines, State Republican Party Chairman Tim Shallenburger reacted by inviting other Republicans to leave the party too, according to Scott Rothschild of the Lawrence Journal-World.
“If you think taxes should be higher and schools should be run by the government, then become Democrats. Make my life simpler,” Shallenburger said.
This may come as news to Shallenburger, but most Kansans Republicans and Democrats believe the schools should be run by the government.
Parkinson is the second prominent Kansas Republican to make the switch in recent years. In 2002, Sebelius chose John Moore, a Cessna executive from Wichita as her running mate
Many moderate Republicans point to the rightward drift of the party as a reason for the defections. Most notable is the ultra-right Republican majority on the Kansas State Board of Education, which last year adopted science standards that criticize evolution and hired Bob Corkins, a man with no education experience as the state's education commissioner.
While Sebelius was reaching out across party lines, State Republican Party Chairman Tim Shallenburger reacted by inviting other Republicans to leave the party too, according to Scott Rothschild of the Lawrence Journal-World.
“If you think taxes should be higher and schools should be run by the government, then become Democrats. Make my life simpler,” Shallenburger said.
This may come as news to Shallenburger, but most Kansans Republicans and Democrats believe the schools should be run by the government.
