Tuesday, August 07, 2007

"I Pledge Allegiance To The Kansas GOP"

Things are getting worse by the day for the Kansas Republican party. Thanks to Governor Sebelius, many moderate Republicans have bolted their party and switched over to the blue side. We aren't talking precinct captains here, this goes all the way up to the State Attorney General. The GOP also lost a Congressional House seat and in a state where there are only three districts, thats a huge loss. So if you were the chairman of all Kansas Republicans, what would you do? Make people sign a loyalty oath? Nah.....or would you?

From The Wichita Eagle:

Before taking office in January, chairman Kris Kobach promised to reorganize and reinvigorate the Kansas GOP. He and other Republicans have said GOP activists need to show unity in elections so that Democrats don't take advantage of their disagreements.

"The motive behind this is, 'Let's make sure Republicans are supporting Republicans,' " said Christian Morgan, the state GOP's executive director. "If you want to hold a party post, you should at least be supporting Republican candidates."

The state committee's actions struck a sour note for some Republicans, particularly moderates on issues such as abortion. Bob Beatty, a Washburn University political scientist, suggested the loyalty committee could prove a "public relations disaster."


The PR disaster is just the beginning. This spectacle stinks of anti-democratic behavior. Beatty went as far as calling it communist (a big red herring for Republicans). Why is it so hard for these people to understand that in this country, citizens are allowed to vote and endorse anyone they want to. Sure, suffer political consequences for your actions, but demanding loyalty is crossing a huge line.

Of course, it isn't democracy that people like Kris Kobach care about, their only concern is power. Now that they are losing their might, they'll do whatever they think it takes to hold on to it.