Analysis: Despite an onslaught of negative campaigning, conservatives gained in House races, while liberals held their own in the Senate.

No major breakthroughs in Kansas' right-left battle

What is the political mood of Kansas?

That remains an open question after Tuesday’s election, in which voters sent mixed messages when they went to the polls.

Indeed, a review of election results shows that in this primary season there was no overarching theme. [ Read more...]

Morris now says KTRM mailers that implied conservative candidates are racists are 'not helpful'

Senate President claims primary involvement necessary to fend off conservatives

The last-minute heat generated by statements and mailings by a "moderate" GOP organization called "Kansans for a Traditional Republican Majority" has caused some of their backers to explain their support.

After it was reported that Kansas' Senate Leadership PAC donated $45,000 to the KTRM campaign, Senate President Steve Morris said Monday that he would have preferred not to spend money intended for use against Democrats in Republican primaries.

However, he said he and other members of Senate leadership believed conservatives had recruited candidates to run against incumbent Republican senators, necessitating the leadership PAC involvement in Republican primaries. [ Read more...]

Election officials reporting light voter turnout

Call it "democracy lite."

Despite the controversy over PAC money being used to discredit candidates, Kansas voters aren't exactly flocking to the polls to vote in today’s primary election.

So far, voter figures are in line with Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh’s prediction that turnout would be around 19 percent of registered voters. Thornburgh said he based that estimate on a smaller than usual number of contested primaries this year. [ Read more...]

Kansas' governor's attack on a pro-life Democratic state senator carries a growing risk.

Sebelius confounds Obama effort to appeal to Catholics

As Catholic voters increasingly turn away from Barack Obama's presidential effort - polls show Obama's support has dropped more than 25 points among Catholics in the last month alone - the Democratic party may be ready to give their party's lone pro-life senator, Bob Casey, Jr., from Pennsylvania, a chance to address the national convention in Denver.

The move is part of a series of considerations the Obama campaign is giving to mollify Catholics who feel Democrats often disregard their church's teachings on the sanctity of human life. Casey's father, Robert Casey, Sr., was banned from addressing the Democratic convention 16 years ago because of his pro-life views.

However, at the same time, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, often mentioned as a potential Obama running mate, worked with the state Democratic party to defeat Mark Gilstrap, a Catholic and a three-term Democratic state senator because of his openly pro-life position. [ Read more...]

State senator reimburses campaign for funds apparently misused

Primary opponent says Umbarger violated campaign finance law

The Kansas Ethics Commission acknowledged Friday that it had received a complaint regarding campaign expenditures made by Sen. Dwayne Umbarger, a "moderate" Thayer Republican.

The complaint against Umbarger, who serves as chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, was filed by Kris Van Meteren, whose mother, Iris Van Meter, a conservative Republican, was defeated by Umbarger in Tuesday’s primary. Van Meteren served as spokesman for his mother’s campaign.

But the commission isn’t saying whether it plans to launch an investigation. [ Read more...]

Democrats in Congress keep complaining that oil companies aren't developing domestic resources - and then pass laws that prohibit that development. If Congress would stand back and let the market do its work, the U.S. would have energy to burn, says Karl Peterjohn in a commentary from Mt. Sunflower.

The U.S. Has Energy Enough to Export

Wouldn't it be great if the U.S. had as much oil as Saudi Arabia? Wouldn't it be great if we knew where it was? Would you be surprised if you knew that the answers to both questions was, "We do!"

Earlier this year the Democratic Congress voted against allowing any development of the oil shale that has been identified in the tri-state region of northwestern Colorado, northeastern Utah, and southwestern Wyoming.

According to a Rand Corporation report, the amount of oil in that region is estimated to be two trillion barrels of oil - or more than twice the entire Middle East oil reserves. [ Read more...]

The Week on the Web

Something squirrely. Michelle Malkin's watching the nuts at ACORN, including these guys:

As of July 2008, at least three ACORN workers have been convicted of voter fraud in Kansas City, and one is awaiting trial. These ACORN workers in Kansas City flooded voter registration rolls with over 35,000 false or questionable voter registration forms.

The NLPC  has more on this. ACORN is paid for by you.

Ft Riley voters AWOL? Talking about a light turnout! The Kansas Meadowlark  takes a look at those 600 voters who were registered to vote at Ft Riley but didn't turn up at the polls. Not a single voter out of 600. But he couldn't find them. So what's up with that? Indifference? Incompetence, more like. It turns out that Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh forgot to do his job and take voters who have relocated off the rolls: "Secretary of State Thornburgh and local election offices are not taking their responsibility seriously in keeping lists accurate,"  chirps the 'lark. Thornburgh needs to go Doe hunting, maybe.

Kansas down-under.  But closer than Australia. KCTV reports on a buried city under Leavenworth:

Katy Ryan is the editor for LV Magazine and has been researching the mysteries below."You know, you just think of the underground as such a dark, spooky place, but to think that this could have maybe been some kind of vibrant economic center is just kind of baffling really," Ryan said.

Wait until they send out property tax bills on all those underground structures. Then they'll really be buried.

A Preview of the Coming Week

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