Blunt the conservative movement in Kansas
For nearly two decades, the Mainstream Coalition’s political action committee (MainPAC) has proudly backed a bipartisan slate of candidates in every Kansas primary and general election. Whether a candidate is a Republican or a Democrat has never mattered to us. What has mattered, and will always matter, is whether candidates embrace Mainstream’s moderate principles - whether they’re committed to keeping religion out of government and government out of religion; whether they support a strong and well-financed public education system; and whether they make decisions independent of extreme ideologies.
This year’s election is no exception. MainPAC’s endorsements for the Nov. 6 elections include both Republicans and Democrats. Unfortunately, this year we are finding fewer candidates to endorse. The reason for this is simple: the conservative wing of the Republican Party in Kansas has turned its back on the moderate values we promote.
The Aug. 7 Republican primary elections, decided by a paltry 17 percent of the electorate in Johnson County and 11 percent in Wyandotte County, claimed many of the moderates we endorsed. With backing from corporate funders such as the Koch brothers, Gov. Sam Brownback targeted the moderate senators who opposed his conservative agenda, and won. The party’s conservative wing, which already had a firm hold on the House and the Governor’s office, is now poised to take over the Senate if it can repeat its success in the general election. The majority coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats that had served as a shield from Gov. Brownback’s conservative agenda — a coalition that supported merit selection of judges, an equitable tax system, strong public school funding, and a thoughtful discourse of women’s issues — is now endangered.
The party that gave us such respectable and moderate voices as senators Nancy Kassebaum and Bob Dole is today a party controlled by conservative religious interests and corporate funders who want to shrink government to the point of irrelevance. They believe voucher-funded private schools are a perfectly acceptable alternative to a strong public education system. And they find favor with a narrow coalition of religious conservatives who deny evolution and demonize candidates who do not support an outright ban on abortion.
In this new political reality, the stakes are high. Should the conservatives emerge from the Nov. 6 elections with 27 of the Senate’s 40 seats, they will have what is called a “constitutional majority.” That is, they would have the power to amend the constitution to weaken public funding for our schools and give the governor more control over the selection of judges, based on politics rather than legal merit. Moderates need 14 votes in the Senate to thwart the conservatives from attaining this constitutional majority. The November election is our last chance to keep this from occurring.
In past general elections, enough moderate candidates had survived their primaries to give MainPAC a healthy number of viable candidates from both parties to endorse. This year, few moderate Republicans survived the primary. Be assured, however, that we will, as we always have, keep our eyes out for the extremists in both parties. We will call out those candidates who, regardless of their party, put ideology before facts, whose fiscal policies jeopardize our public schools, and whose religious beliefs lead them to impose their personal theology on the entire state. Mainstream has never strayed from this responsibility, and it never will.
As the November 6 election approaches, we want all disaffected moderate Republicans to know that they can count on Mainstream to be their political home. At the same time, we urge these Republicans to put their principles ahead of their party. If they hope to preserve any tradition of moderate politics in Kansas, they must identify and support those candidates who embrace the principles that have long made this a great state to live in.
Moderate Republican leaders must also go one step further and make their support public. It is time for those leaders, past and present, to stand up, speak out, and tell the state that the party they’ve called home for all these years has moved sharply to the right. It is time for them to follow the lead of many Republicans who have openly challenged the rising tide of extremism in the Republican Party. It is time for them to stand up with MainPAC and publicly support the candidates who best represent their values.
Brandi Fisher is the MainPAC executive director and Mark Dugan is the MainPAC board chair.
George Hunsucker
Northland
8 months, 2 weeks agoYou mean people would have CHOICE in where to send their children? Why that is absolutely horrible. People should ONLY have the option of sending their children to government schools so their education can only be marginal. This is the government way, everybody is equal. Not equally good, just equal.
And you mean government with its cadre of overpaid bureaucrats would actually only do the things governments should constitutionally be doing and do these things in a much more efficient way? Why that’s blasphemy! Government should always get bigger. Why that’s the only “reasonable” way for people to live according to the “progressive” view of the world.
Yep, I would certainly fear the conservatives taking back their government and the PEOPLE telling government what to do vs. the government telling the people what to do. NOT
George Hunsucker
Northland
8 months, 2 weeks agono, no, no Pappy…
These liberals are merely making OTHER people send their children to government schools, so the teachers unions can stay in business…..
The biggest hypocrite in this regard is our present commander in chief, who of course sends his chldren to private schools, vs. the DC government schools. And the despicable aspect of this is, as you say, these very people will preach the need for government schools. Maybe they don’t want their children soiled by the unclean…..
Bill Mason
8 months, 2 weeks agoI challange any of the nay sayers, i.e, George Hunsucker and Pappy Jeanneret, to publicly identify (name) their local public school/school district—especially in NE Kansas, as a failure(s). Just not so—perhaphs so on a limited basis. Additionally, in all probably most cases it is not the school it is society that is a failure. Parents that don’t give a sh-t, arn’t involved in their childs education, students who don’t give a sh-t. The condition of inner city schools was caused by “white flight” (which came first: poor performing schools or “white flight”—”:white flight is racism without the white sheet).
No way should Government vouchers be used for private or parochial schools—that would only make the sytem worse—P and Ps would not/will not accept everyone with a voucher—nuff said.
I think Kansas already has a voucher system. If a student/parent wants to attend an out of district school, Kansas will give the out of district school the state education allocation—but the out of district school can establish the criteria for accepting the out of distric applicant, i.e. academic standing, history of the students shool discipline, avability of school space and staff. In fact, many Kansas school districts are basing their budgets on the acceptance of out of district students and the state allocation that comes with them.
Bill Mason
8 months, 2 weeks agoWe have some choices at election time.
If you are a Moderate Republican and there is no Moderate Republican candidate–vote for a Democrat!
If you are a Democrat and there is no Democrat candidate, vote for a moderate Republican–or don’t vote foe that office
If you are a democrat and there is no viable Democrat or Moderate Republican candidates, write in a candidate. Builds the vote count against the conservative candidate.
Bill Mason
8 months, 2 weeks agoI am sure Pres Obama can afford to send his girls to a private school–does not need a government voucher
George, I bet you have sent your kids to private/parochail schools. You do not like paying public taxes for public schools (your kids did not attend(plus you think the public should pay your kids private school tuition). I have worked with numerous private/parochail school parents for years and I hear them bitch about this issue every day, all day
George Hunsucker
Northland
8 months, 2 weeks agoFirst, my closest school system is none of your business.
Secondly, the FACT that our test scores as a nation have not improved while parts of the rest of the world have tells me that “the system” i.e. government schools, is not working. Do you refute that Bill?
Giving parents the CHOICE to find a better educational provider is truly the American thing to do. To tell them their only choice is a government school, run by labor unions, is to me unAmerican.
We have to realize as a nation IMO that not every child is bright and give those that are, who have the parental involvement the CHOICE to improve. Keeping everyone in government schools merely dumbs down the nation….
George Hunsucker
Northland
8 months, 2 weeks agoWrong Bill.. Both our children went to government schools. Of course the schools listened to the parents and the teachers were held accountable and we were involved, but in today’s environment that would be “unfair” to the union bosses, wouldn’t it?
And, youi can be certain that if our kids screwed-up, our first reaction was not, “it’s not their fault”. Called PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.
Bill Mason
8 months, 2 weeks agoGeorge, you make some good points. But unlimited school vouchers are not the answer.
I come back to my points that don’t blame the schools—the blame starts in the home.
My wife is a guidance counselor at an inner city, public 8-12 grades school. This school has been ID for the last 7 or 8 years as one of the best schools in Kansas and The US. Last year they were #1 in Kansas and I think #13 Nationally. This school is about 40% Black, 30% Hispanic, 30% white, Asian, Middle East. Graduates of this school go on to attend some of our most prestigous colleges and universities. My wife has worked in several high schools. The difference between other schools and her present school—parent involvement!!!! and a tough, tough IN and Advanced Placemnent curricula. Also, a very strict academic and disciplinary policy. You don’t make your grades or you are a disciplinary problem, you are out and sent to your neighborhood MS or HS. If you have had problems with your kids public shool, perhaps you should get involved—with your kids and their schools!
Last statement, the teachers and staff in my wifes school are mostly members of NEA. But, neither the teachers or NEA run the school. The school is run by the board of education, the district staff, and the building administrators.
Bill Mason
8 months, 2 weeks agoGeorge. Publicly name you neighborhood school as a failure. If you don’t you are blowing smoke.
Why the rise in educational achievement in other countries. One is the development of modern school systems in a whole bunch of 2nd and third world countries. Second, the realization of the importance of education in these developing countries. Third, US students to involved in non education activities: sports, clubs, game boys, Ipods, computers, cars, girls or boys or both, drugs, etc, etc,etc. Does your student drive a car to school, does he have a job to pay for his gas, does he have a cell phone, who pays the cell phone bill, how many hours at night does he/she and their buds study (an hour or half hour for every inclass hour)???????
Mark Hastert
8 months, 2 weeks ago“You mean people would have CHOICE in where to send their children?”
….but not in deciding when, where, how, and by whom to have them….
Mark Dugan
8 months, 2 weeks agoAlthough we didn’t focus much on school choice in this piece, I want to respond briefly to some of these comments. MainPAC supports candidates who support public education because there is democratic (small d) value, and a public interest, in a well educated populace. And the best way to promote that is with a strong public education system that benefits as many students as possible.
Efforts to divert public funds to private schools weaken public education. And public schools benefit when engaged parents keep their kids in them. My sons attend Shawnee Mission schools. I’m happy with them, but I’m also concerned about what will happen to them as funds dry up, class sizes increase, and Kansas legislators hostile to “government schools” refuse to take corrective action.
It’s not an issue of “choice.” I don’t think anyone — certainly not MainPAC — is suggesting that those with the means should not have the choice to send their children to private schools. But those who make that choice for themselves should not be demanding government subsidies that would weaken the public interest in an educated populace.
Bill Mason
8 months, 2 weeks agoMy last comments. Saw in the STAR that the KC District pulled 50 student trouble makers out of the African Center HS after a big fight in the building. Security and police stoppped the fight and cleared the building with tear gas. Hell of a situation. Bet there were some parents there who encouraged the kids to fight. The fight was not caused by the teachers or the NEA–it was a societal issue. Transfer of the 50 trouble makers toi other schools or programs just transfers the problems to other buildings, other locations.
Had a teen ager problem at Westport a couple of times. Interesting that many sub teens and teeens (elementary through high school)from across the metro were hauled to Westport and dropped off by their parents. A gang of kids, when no parental supervision is present, will not have to search long to find, get into, or make trouble.