Interesting election antics in Kansas

[Ernie S.]

I don't really care if Republicans are banging women or men who aren't their spouses. But their hypocrisy about being for family values is what I take aim at.

And that was point point of my long, long, long list.

The point is everyone we elect is human with human frailties. We humans seldom live up to the goals we set for ourselves.
The difference I see is when a Republican misses the mark, he is excoriated by the press, the Democrats AND his own party. When a Democrat gets caught with his pants down, it's a resume enhancement.

 

[Statistikhengst]

I don't really care if Republicans are banging women or men who aren't their spouses. But their hypocrisy about being for family values is what I take aim at.

And that was point point of my long, long, long list.

The point is everyone we elect is human with human frailties. We humans seldom live up to the goals we set for ourselves.
The difference I see is when a Republican misses the mark, he is excoriated by the press, the Democrats AND his own party. When a Democrat gets caught with his pants down, it's a resume enhancement.

Oh, really?

The facts do not support your feeling.

Elliot Spitzer (D) got caught fucking the DC madam. He was forced to resign and has not held public office since.

David Vitter (R) got caught fucking the very same DC madam. He got re-elected.

So, where was Spitzer's resume enhancement?

Mark Sanford, cheats on his wife, is fucking a South American hottie, lies to his own team and the public about his whereabouts, goes AWOL, claims he was hiking the appalachian trail when in reality he was gettin some fine pussy down under, gets caught, resigns, and two years later, is elected to the HOR. So much for Mark Sanford's excoriation.

And the list goes on and on and on.

All those supposed Christians who do this shit and then use Jesus as their pillow to protect themselves from reproach, they just keep coming back.

Scott DeJarlais (R) a RWNJ and also a physician, claims to be totally against women's choice. Then he FORCES his secret girlfriend to get an abortion. The result: Scott DeJarlais gets re-elected.

The hypocrisy of RWNJs over this issue is simply stunning. And they all use Bill Clinton's penis adventures as a back-up defense when all else fails. Where in the fuck is the morallity in that?

Yes, we are all humans. I agree with you on that point. But the fact is that virtually all Righties claim the high road and then, they don't take it. And THERE lies the hypocrisy in all of this.

Had Rightie Christians really meant what they claim to believe, they would have thrown David Vitter's ass out on the street, but instead, like faithful sheeples, they re-elected the dude.

Case closed.

 

[Ernie S.]

It would seem that a few in the GOP are willing to overlook the kind of behaviour that the Dems have been congratulating for years.

How about running a gay whore house in a DC apartment. Would you think that man would have a chance to be reelected?

 

[Shanty]

I don't really care if Republicans are banging women or men who aren't their spouses. But their hypocrisy about being for family values is what I take aim at.

And that was point point of my long, long, long list.

The point is everyone we elect is human with human frailties. We humans seldom live up to the goals we set for ourselves.
The difference I see is when a Republican misses the mark, he is excoriated by the press, the Democrats AND his own party. When a Democrat gets caught with his pants down, it's a resume enhancement.

Only if you don't pay attention at all to politics, could you say that. Senator Vitter is doing pretty well after his scandal involving prostitutes. I don't even care that he was banging prostitutes. But he and his wife made a spectacle of themselves naysaying Hillary Clinton for standing by Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky coverage, and how he'd never do that. Then, she didn't divorce him after Vitter was found to be visiting hookers.

 

[Shanty]

It would seem that a few in the GOP are willing to overlook the kind of behaviour that the Dems have been congratulating for years.

How about running a gay whore house in a DC apartment. Would you think that man would have a chance to be reelected?

They could call it the Big Boehner Loving House.

 

[Shanty]

It would seem that a few in the GOP are willing to overlook the kind of behaviour that the Dems have been congratulating for years.

How about running a gay whore house in a DC apartment. Would you think that man would have a chance to be reelected?

They could call it the Big Boehner Loving House.

There's be lots of booze, tanning beds and Republican pages to rub the lotion in.

 

[Ernie S.]

If you want to keep making juvenile remarks, please don't quote me. I really have no need to be drawn back here.

 

[Statistikhengst]

If you want to keep making juvenile remarks, please don't quote me. I really have no need to be drawn back here.

After all the tripe you write, deal with it. USMB = freedom of speech, something you vigorously defend when me means you get to shit on someone else. So, tough fuck for you.

 

[Shanty]

If you want to keep making juvenile remarks, please don't quote me. I really have no need to be drawn back here.

Look, there's nothing wrong with Republicans who are gay, or bang women other than their wives. It's between them and their wives/SOs. But when the GOP want to act like their family values are good for anything, except to maybe break up families through increased poverty, increased unemployment, then act holier than thou, while banging away at men and women who aren't their spouses, while condemning others for it... It's bullshit.

 

[BreezeWood]

Kansas Supreme Court will hear Senate ballot case Tuesday TheHill

The Kansas Supreme Court has decided to hear Democratic Senate candidate Chad Taylor’s lawsuit against Secretary of State Kris Kobach over Taylor's request to be removed from the ballot.

Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for Tuesday morning. The Supreme Court’s decision comes in response to arguments from Kobach's legal team that the case should be heard in a lower court. Because of the time-sensitive nature of the decision — ballots must be mailed before the end of the month to ensure they reach overseas military voters — the Supreme Court said it was an appropriate venue for the case.

the republicans are in no hurry to resolve the issue - something the court seems to have noticed.

.

 

[Statistikhengst]

So, an update:

Justices question why Democrat Chad Taylor can t withdraw from Senate race The Wichita Eagle

The KS Supreme Court heard the oral arguments over this case yesterday. I thnk this would be interesting for all members of USMB to read, because it is pretty historic. And it could set precendent for the future, and I don't necessarily mean that in a good way.

Kansas Supreme Court justices grilled Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s attorney at a special court hearing Tuesday about whether Democrat Chad Taylor should remain on the ballot as a candidate for U.S. Senate.

Taylor’s suit to remove his name from the ballot is unprecedented in the state.

Republicans see Taylor’s attempt to withdraw as a not-so-covert plan by national Democrats to boost Greg Orman’s independent candidacy against Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts in November. Democrats say that Kobach, a supporter of Roberts, has overstepped his bounds as secretary of state to keep Taylor on the ballot against his will.

The suit hinges on whether Taylor adhered to a statute that requires candidates to declare that they are incapable of serving in order to withdraw.

Earlier this month, Kobach determined that Taylor, the district attorney of Shawnee County, failed to do that in a letter he submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office on Sept. 3, the deadline to withdraw.

Pedro Irigonegaray, Taylor’s attorney, argued that Kobach lacked the legal authority to make that determination because the statute does not specifically say that it’s up to the secretary of state to decide whether candidates have met the standard.

He also contended that the statute does not specifically say the declaration has to be in writing.

Edward Greim, who represented Kobach, argued that as the top election officer, Kobach has the power and duty to enforce the statute.

“If it (the declaration) could be made at home to someone’s goldfish, then the statute is meaningless,” Greim said....


...Justice Carol Beier cut in with a question about another letter submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office by Miranda Rickel, a House candidate who withdrew from a race in District 5 this year.

Rickel described in her letter how juggling jobs and college classes made it “nearly impossible” to mount a campaign.

“Her letter says it will be ‘nearly impossible’…she does not say ‘incapable,’ ” Beier said.

Greim said the letter contained facts that were tantamount to a declaration of incapability, but Irigonegaray said Rickel’s letter showed that she was incapable of running, not of serving.

Justice Dan Biles also questioned whether Rickel’s letter had been properly notarized, another requirement of the statute. Her letter was stamped by a notary, but unlike Taylor’s letter, the notary did not note whether the letter was signed in front of her

Biles said enforcement of this requirement appeared “loosey goosey.”

...Kobach said all Taylor had to do to withdraw was say “the magical words” or give a reason for his incapability.

“For whatever reason, Mr. Taylor has not made that declaration,” Kobach said. “I don’t know what his reason is. I’ve never heard him answer any questions to a reporter to what the reason is…I’m waiting with bated breath to see it in print.”

Taylor left the courtroom quickly after the hearing and did not answer questions from reporters.

Irigonegaray contended that Taylor’s letter, which requests his name be withdrawn from the ballot “pursuant to” the statute, does constitute a declaration.

“What else would the words ‘pursuant to’ mean?” Irigonegaray asked the court. He said the letter “clearly indicated an inability to fulfill the duties of office.”

Justice Eric Rosen was skeptical of this argument.

“Isn’t this statute here to prevent what we’re arguing?” Rosen said, pointing out that the statute requires a candidate to be dead or incapable of serving to come off the ballot....

...Rick Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California at Irvine, who watched the proceedings via webstream, said he thinks that despite Rosen’s skepticism the justices probably will side with Taylor’s attorney and say that citing the statute satisfied the base requirements.--


...Chief Justice Lawton Nuss suggested that it would disenfranchise voters to keep on the ballot a candidate who has stated in an affidavit that he will not serve if elected. Republicans have contended that allowing Taylor to withdraw would disenfranchise the Democrats who voted in the primary.

This point seemed particularly important to Keen Umbehr, an Alma attorney and the Libertarian candidate for governor, who attended the proceedings as an observer.

“For a lawyer, this is like going to a Super Bowl,” said Umbehr, who thought it was pretty clear that Taylor’s side had gotten the better of Kobach’s in the courtroom.

Ballot timeline

The court is expected to issue a decision quickly; ballots must be printed this week in order to be mailed to absentee voters by Saturday. But a ruling might not end the drama.

A separate statute says that when a vacancy occurs after the primary, it “shall be filled by the party committee of the congressional district, county or state, as the case may be.”

Kobach said that his office would insist that Democrats appoint a replacement candidate. ...

Now, aside from the politics of this, I think the court case is indeed fascinating to watch.

Probably the key part of the quote in this article is from the Chief Justice of the KSSC. I think that pretty much gives an indication of where this is going.

I think the Right has some strong arguments in this and also consider that all the time, energy and money spent into getting a nomination and securing the support of voters is something that people should not take lightly.

But on the other side, the statute does not specific exactly what constitutes being incapable of performing the duties of an office.

I bet that after the election, we will be seeing KS lawmakers addending or re-writing this statute.

Probably the most damning part is that Kobach accepted that other letter from Miranda Rickel, who withdrew from the race in KS-House-05, and it appears that her letter also did not have the word "incapable" and was also not properly notarized. Rickel, btw, is a Democrat, which means that her withdrawal guarantees the GOP that incumbent Republican Kevin Jones, who won this seat by only 5 points in 2012, will automatically be re-elected. So, for better or worse, by not being so picky about Rickel's withdrawal letter, KS SOS Kris Kobach looks extremely partisan, for by accepting her letter in spite of two "flaws", the outcome benefits the GOP.

But on a more practical level, EXACTLY AS I PREDICTED, the press around Kobach's actions actually RAISES the awareness among Democratic voters to not vote for Taylor and they are, if the newest PPP (D) poll is to be believed, moving to Independent Orman very fast. So, even if Taylor's name does stay on the ballot, he will probably only get 5% at most and Orman is very, very likely to unseat Republican Incumbent Roberts, either way.


Gee, I hate to sound like a broken record, but the reason why we sometimes see antics like this is because of the reasons I listed in this long thread called:

Electioneering US Message Board - Political Discussion Forum

Once again, because of Federalism, since the actual nuts-and-bolts of electioneering (how to conduct elections uniformly thoughout our Union) are not expressly written into the US-Constitution, each state gets to decide how to do things. Talk about worthless redundancy. Wow.

My PERSONAL feeling on this is that Democrat Taylor should not have withdrawn from the race. But the LAW in KS allows him to.

This reminds me alot of the famous 1991 Lousiana gubernatorial, where in the first election in October (Louisiana has a runoff system if a candidate does not get over 50%), it was essentially a three-way tie between Democratic challenger Edwin Edwards, Republican mega-racist David Duke and the actual incumbent Republican in the race but one who had just switched parties from D to R in the spring, Buddy Roemer.

Roemer came in third in the October jungle-primary and, sensing that Duke could actually win the election in the runoff, Roemer threw his support to his erstwhile opponent Edwards, who had indeed been convicted of some crimes, with ads and billboards that said "vote for the crook, it's important". Edwards then went on to win with over 60% of the vote.

No, I am not saying that Roberts in Kansas is a crook. But there are some similar dynamics here.

 

[BreezeWood]

Democrats may face 2nd fight in Kansas Senate race - Yahoo News

Kobach told reporters afterward that another state law requires parties to fill candidate vacancies, and if he's ordered to remove Taylor from the ballot, he'll direct the Democratic Party to pick a replacement. If the party won't, he's ready to file a petition with the Supreme Court to force the issue.

"I'm trying to enforce the terms of the law, and the terms of the law say, 'shall,'" Kobach said. "They don't say may nominate or put a replacement on, they say shall."

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to satisfy the republican desire to have a democrat candidate for the US Senate from Kansas, the demo's might just chose the Easter Bunny as their commitment to State law and their desire to help Pat Roberts.

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[Statistikhengst]

Democrats may face 2nd fight in Kansas Senate race - Yahoo News

Kobach told reporters afterward that another state law requires parties to fill candidate vacancies, and if he's ordered to remove Taylor from the ballot, he'll direct the Democratic Party to pick a replacement. If the party won't, he's ready to file a petition with the Supreme Court to force the issue.

"I'm trying to enforce the terms of the law, and the terms of the law say, 'shall,'" Kobach said. "They don't say may nominate or put a replacement on, they say shall."

.
to satisfy the republican desire to have a democrat candidate for the US Senate from Kansas, the demo's might just chose the Easter Bunny as their commitment to State law and their desire to help Pat Roberts.

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They can select Orman and he can run on both tickets.

 

[BreezeWood]

Democrats may face 2nd fight in Kansas Senate race - Yahoo News

Kobach told reporters afterward that another state law requires parties to fill candidate vacancies, and if he's ordered to remove Taylor from the ballot, he'll direct the Democratic Party to pick a replacement. If the party won't, he's ready to file a petition with the Supreme Court to force the issue.

"I'm trying to enforce the terms of the law, and the terms of the law say, 'shall,'" Kobach said. "They don't say may nominate or put a replacement on, they say shall."

.
to satisfy the republican desire to have a democrat candidate for the US Senate from Kansas, the demo's might just chose the Easter Bunny as their commitment to State law and their desire to help Pat Roberts.

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They can select Orman and he can run on both tickets.

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I thought that also but it would play into the republican strategy to beat Orman by depicting him as a democrat ... pick someone named Pat Roberts.

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[EriktheRed]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/19/u...thdrawal-from-senate-race-is-upheld.html?_r=0

 

[Statistikhengst]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/19/u...thdrawal-from-senate-race-is-upheld.html?_r=0

The race is one of at least three that Republican incumbents could lose this year in Kansas, where conservatives often win by wide margins. The governor, Sam Brownback, is considered vulnerable after many criticized his tax-cutting regimen. Mr. Kobach himself, who has become a national figure in efforts to require voter identification and to identify unauthorized immigrants, is in a close race with Ms. Schodorf.

Tis quite interesting to watch.

 

[Derideo_Te]

Kansas must remove Dem candidate from Senate ballot state court rules Fox News

Fascinating that the court complied with the deadline set by Kobach for printing the ballots.

So suddenly Kobach changes the deadline to suit himself and pushes it back a week because the UNANIMOUS decision slapped him down.

Now he is trying to "force" the Dems to give him a substitute name to put on the ballot. They can just wait out his new deadline and he is stymied. What is he going to do, pick a name out of a hat and put that on the ballot? Right now he has no good options left. Whatever he does looks like desperation on his part and by the looks of it he will lose his own race too.

The red state of Kansas is about to find itself without one of it's Republican senators for the 1st time in decades. And they only have themselves to thank for this outcome. Self inflicted wounds are becoming all too frequent when it comes to GOP Senate candidates.

Now do we wait for the other shoe to drop or will this be the end of the damage?

 

[EriktheRed]

Apparently Repubs are having quite a cow over this, too:

"It is a sad day for Kansans when the state Supreme Court uses tortured reasoning to conclude that Chad Taylor, the candidate elected by a majority of the Kansas democrats, could come off the ballot - with no explanation whatsoever."

"It is depressing to see the state Supreme Court condone political gamesmanship and a national power play to deceive and disenfranchise Kansas voters."


"The people of Kansas deserve to know the corrupt bargain behind this deal. Discussions with Missouri Democrat Clair McCaskill followed by Harry Reid and Barrack Obama's personal political attorney representing Taylor are enough to prove the corrupt Democrat bosses controlled this decision and the local Democrats lacked the courage to fight back."


"It is pathetic that the Kansas Democrats are celebrating that their own candidate, elected by their own voters, quit. If Taylor had worked half as hard as a candidate as he did to get off the ballot, he might have had a chance."


"Taylor has now admitted he is unfit to serve in any elected capacity and we await his prompt resignation as Shawnee County District Attorney. That is quite a sacrifice to carry the rest of his life. We hope the liberal political bosses are satisfied and wonder what they promised Taylor as a reward for being a good little Kansas democrat and quitting."


"We salute Secretary of State Kris Koabach's courageous stand for the rule of law and look forward to learning who the Kansas Democrats pick to be their new US Senate candidate."

KS Supreme Court orders state to remove Democrat s name from bal - KCTV5

 

[BreezeWood]

Kansas father of Brownback staffer files suit to force new Democrat on ballot LJWorld.com

A registered Democratic voter has filed a new petition with the Kansas Supreme Court asking it to force the party to name a new nominee for the U.S. Senate.

David Orel of Kansas City filed the petition Thursday after the court ruled that Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach had to honor Democrat Chad Taylor’s wishes to remove his name from the Nov. 4 ballot.

Orel's son, Alexander Orel, is regional field director in the Kansas City area for Gov. Sam Brownback's re-election campaign.

Orel's son, Alexander Orel, is regional field director in the Kansas City area for Gov. Sam Brownback's re-election campaign.

Orel's son, Alexander Orel, is regional field director in the Kansas City area for Gov. Sam Brownback's re-election campaign.


^ no behind the scene political activity by the republicans for Pat Roberts or for the republican ticket in general ... as they complain about Senator Claire McCaskill -

National news from McClatchy DC News Washington DC

McCaskill urged Democrat to withdraw from Kansas Senate race

WASHINGTON — The sudden withdrawal of Democratic candidate Chad Taylor from the Kansas senate race on Wednesday came after Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill personally urged him to step aside.

fair play in Kansas ... whatever works, politics.

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[EriktheRed]

Kansas father of Brownback staffer files suit to force new Democrat on ballot LJWorld.com

A registered Democratic voter has filed a new petition with the Kansas Supreme Court asking it to force the party to name a new nominee for the U.S. Senate.

David Orel of Kansas City filed the petition Thursday after the court ruled that Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach had to honor Democrat Chad Taylor’s wishes to remove his name from the Nov. 4 ballot.

Orel's son, Alexander Orel, is regional field director in the Kansas City area for Gov. Sam Brownback's re-election campaign.

Orel's son, Alexander Orel, is regional field director in the Kansas City area for Gov. Sam Brownback's re-election campaign.

Orel's son, Alexander Orel, is regional field director in the Kansas City area for Gov. Sam Brownback's re-election campaign.


^ no behind the scene political activity by the republicans for Pat Roberts or for the republican ticket in general ... as they complain about Senator Claire McCaskill -

National news from McClatchy DC News Washington DC

McCaskill urged Democrat to withdraw from Kansas Senate race

WASHINGTON — The sudden withdrawal of Democratic candidate Chad Taylor from the Kansas senate race on Wednesday came after Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill personally urged him to step aside.

fair play in Kansas ... whatever works, politics.

.

Now THAT is some serious desperation.