This week, newly elected Republicans took office in several states, many of whom have big plans for the future of voting rights. Unfortunately, as we blogged and reported last month, these changes have little to do with actually assessing and improving state of elections. In fact, many of these officials used anti-immigration and voter fraud fear tactics to win their seats, and now are threatening to restrict access to the ballot via legislation or state ballot before 2012 elections.
A seemingly harmless trend in voter list maintenance is to compare voter lists between states and cancel apparent matches. However, this method not only violates federal law, but has the potential to put thousands of voters at risk of wrongful purging. As a result, one of the first states to launch this trend has taken steps to ensure that voters are not improperly removed from the rolls and perhaps will serve as an example to states that may be putting voters at risk through these interstate compacts.
While there is nothing wrong with states sharing information in an attempt to keep their voter lists up-to-date, some state election officials think that they are justified in immediately removing a voter from their rolls if the computerized interstate database comparison reveals an apparent match with the name and birth date of a voter who has more recently registered out of state. Removal based on such a match without adequate notice to the voter is not only unreliable, it's also illegal under the National Voter Registration Act.
Moments ago on the Senate floor, Kansas Senator Pat Roberts compared health care reform to a pivotal moment in American history. Of the following five options, can you tell us which it was...
A) The passage of the Social Security Act
B) Pearl Harbor
C) Man walking on Moon
D) Balloon Boy
E) None of the above
After a 25 year career in Washington, Sam Brownback has suddenly become aware of the staggering size of the U.S. debt -- and not a moment too soon, as he's ambitiously seeking the Governor's mansion in Kansas this cycle. The Kansas City Star explains:
...Sam Brownback of Kansas [snip] along with 23 colleagues from both sides of the aisle, believe that the imbalance between spending and revenue is too worrisome to ignore.
But as usual with Brownback it's just another move of political expediciency. Just as Brownback is leaving the Senate he's suddenly rediscovered his inner "fiscal responsibility" just in time for election.
During his time in Congress, a staggering $7 trillion has been added to the U.S. debt -- with hardly a peep in opposition from Kansas' junior Senator. In fact, as I'll detail below, Sam Brownback has been a leading contributor to the problem over the last two decades.
Kansas Democrats are on their way to presenting the strongest slate of candidates in years with respected businessman Tom Wiggans' announcement that he will run for Governor. Wiggans, a native Kansan, will run against career politician, and well known right-wing Republican, Sam Brownback.
From his bio:
Tom is committed to applying his vast business experience to Kansas state government as our next Governor. By utilizing his common sense business practices to bring people together and solve problems, Tom will work with both Democrats and Republicans to pull our state out of the economic recession, ensure we have a stable state budget, and create 21st century jobs for our future.
Last week, Rep. Dennis Moore published an editorial in newspapers across the third Congressional district announcing his support for the House health insurance reform bill. As he explained last week:
I will be voting for this bill because it addresses the issues of affordability, fiscal responsibility, quality and choice. We can no longer afford to do nothing. We must meet this challenge head-on.
This bill will not only dramatically improve the health care system for those who already have insurance they like and want to keep, it benefits those who don't have insurance...
Congressman Moore delivered on that pledge by voting for the bill Saturday.
Today's focus is on the important elections happening all across the country but we wanted to take a few moments to update you on our campaign at KansasDeservesReform.com.
Last week, extremist Republicans in the Kansas legislature were quick to propose a bill opting our state out of benefits of health insurance reform, and we wasted no time responding. Over the last week we've been collecting the names of thousands of Kansans all across the state who deserve to participate in the same reforms as every other state.
I'm happy to report that in just six days nearly 8,000 Kansans signed the petition -- and that number continues to grow by the day! We just delivered the initial names to legislative leaders in the state legislature. Because of the hard working efforts of thousands, there is now no denying that here is a strong pro-reform movement in our state -- and our leaders know it.
Last week, SurveyUSA released the results of their monthly approval rating poll in Kansas showing a staggering six percent drop in approval for Senator Sam Brownback. Brownback, who is running for Governor of Kansas, now finds himself under the so-called "safe" 50% threshold for election.
Brownback's 48% approval is nearing his all time low achieved when he left Kansas to pursue his ambition of becoming President. Worst yet for him, he's bleeding moderates. One in ten abandoned Brownback in September. Many have said this race is already over, but this is clear evidence it is only the beginning.
Kansas Democrats have an incredible opportunity to both retain the Governor's office and provide a clear, stable alternative to Senator Brownback's brand of extremism. But we can't get our message out or build the infrastructure necessary to take on Brownback next fall without your continued support.
The Netroots have been very good to Kansas Democrats recently because you recognize the opportunity in front of us. Kansas Republicans are getting ready to nominate the most conservative slate of candidates in a generation -- we can't let them win. That's why we're extending our efforts on all major fronts, both online and offline. But we need your support and donations to make it happen.
When an appellate court shut down Indiana's unequal mandate for polling-place voter ID, it sent a clear signal that-partisan politics aside-election laws should be assessed on whether or not all voters are given equal access to the democratic process. Yet, despite violations of law and the fact that absentee voting is more susceptible to voter fraud activity than in-person voting, other states continue to emulate what was one of the country's toughest voter ID laws.
True to form, she's also hoping the people of Kansas will forget all about it too.
But we're not gonna let up.
To start, we're launching JenkinsFail.com, a new website from the Kansas Democratic Party with the sole intent of keeping track of Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins' repeated failures both past and present.
Remember Rep. Lynn Jenkins? If you don't, she was last week's Joe Wilson.
Jenkins spent her recess eagerly embracing obstructive partisanship, going so far as to declare herself a "proud member of the Party of 'No'". Now she's back among her Republican colleagues in Washington where she's now disguising an attack on the President as a plea for bipartisanship:
"...I was hopeful that tonight he [Obama] would lead the way on a bipartisan solution."
That statement was sent out just minutes after President Obama finished his speech last night.
Rep. Lynn Jenkins' terrible awful no good very bad August is definitely extending into September.
Yesterday, her parade of failure marched on. Elizabeth Smith, the uninsured single mother Jenkins laughed at, is now telling her story. Last night on the Ed Show, she made it clear that she was "frustrated" with her Congresswoman and that she "wasn't looking for a handout" in insurance reform.
After this week, I bet Lynn Jenkins can't wait to get back home to Washington. Video below the fold...
The tide is turning in Kansas' Second Congressional district.
In what has to be described as Republican Rep. Lynn Jenkins' terrible awful no good very bad August, the Congresswoman has faced a slew of bad front page headlines, embarrassing gaffes, and three consecutive mentions on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Jenkins has admitted she failed to read legislation she's voted on, has no plans to read the health bills she opposes, and failed to show compassion by laughing at an uninsured single mother while she held her young son.
Lucky for her, August is over.
...but September is already off to a bad start. She can't wait to find shelter in Washington.
All the bad press is starting to catch up. She's rattled. Yesterday, Rep. Jenkins held another town hall forum, and, let's just say, the crowd was left unimpressed. Meet me below the fold for more.
Lynn Jenkins is really making a name for herself this past week.
No, I'm not talking about her "great white hope" comments. I'm talking about her incredibly cold response to a 27 year old single mother without health insurance. This polite woman, a full time waitress, falls just within the health insurance crack. Despite having a young son, she can't afford health insurance and doesn't qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP. As the AP wrote:
One was Elizabeth Smith, a 27-year-old Ottawa waitress who wanted to know what was wrong with a government-run plan for Americans who are currently uninsured. Smith's 2 1/2-year-old son, Jonah, sat on a nearby table, swinging his legs...
....Smith's son hasn't been to a doctor in 21 months, except for emergency room visits for ear infections, because she can't afford either insurance or a doctor's visit.
Jenkins' response? A hardy laugh and the words "go be a grown up."
This compassionless, bureaucratic exchange between Smith and Lynn Jenkins' was luckily caught on tape. The footage is incredible in it's detachment from the dire situation that is our health insurance crisis.
STATE BLOGS
Today's focus is on the important elections happening all across the country but we wanted to take a few moments to update you on our campaign at