Kansas

Since Republican Sam Brownback became the Governor of Kansas, the press has been salivating at the opportunity to declare his fiscally conservative policies a failure, to the point where they believe that their failure is an undisputed truth. Really? If they're such a failure, why have the welfare rolls in The Sunflower State declined by a reported 78 percent, and why have those who have been…

The New York Times, never overly interested in Middle America, has nonetheless long had the knives out for Kansas’ Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, striving to make him a national example of the perils of foolish tax cutting and delighting in his “failed” right-wing experiment in Kansas. Mitch Smith and Jacey Fortin. “Kansas Governor to Be Nominated as Ambassador.” The reporters took precisely four…

A Kansas woman who entered a national makeup artists contest has been disqualified from personally redeeming her prize after having been declared its winner. Why? Because, and only because, she posted on Instagram, without comment, a "Trump for President" 2016 graphic on Election Day last year. Despite having all the necessary evidence documenting what happened, the Wichita Eagle's related story…

Monday’s New York Times used a new White House office to go after a conservative who represents two of the things it most loathes: limits on immigration and crackdowns on vote fraud. Both trends are encapsulated in the person of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. Reporters Michael Wines and Julie Bosman penned: “A ‘Passionate’ Seeker of Voter Fraud in Kansas Gets a National Soapbox.”

Whatever was the matter with Kansas when Thomas Frank wrote his book is now less daunting for the left, believes New York magazine’s Eric Levitz, who contended in a Wednesday piece that the closeness of this week’s House special election in the Wichita-centric 4th District appears to spell trouble for conservatives.

Thursday’s New York Times got a kick out of conservative defeats in Kansas at the local and national level, when it wasn’t from relishing Donald Trump controversies and prematurely crowning Hillary Clinton the winner of the election. Reporter Carl Hulse, always on the look-out for signs of conservative weakness, found a pattern in a defeat of “hard-right” Kansas congressman and Tea Party “…

New York Times Midwest correspondent Julie Bosman learned an "alarming" new term from Kansas conservatives for Sunday’s edition: “The Right’s Wording for Public Education in Kansas: ‘Government Schools.’” Some other sneaky terms concocted by conservatives to pull the wool over voters eyes? “Tax relief.” “Pro-life.” “The Democrat Party.” “Death panels.” And another Times writer revealed how…

During Barack Obama’s presidency, Republicans have greatly increased their power at the state level, enabling governments in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Kansas, and other locales to enact legislation that Daily Kos blogger Hunter has called, among other things, “straight-up crooked” and that has caused, among other things, a “financial clusterfuck.” In a Friday post, Hunter theorized that one…

The Bloomberg headline was shocking: “Grisly Language Propels Kansas Anti-Abortion Bill as U.S. Model.” Bloomberg journalist Esme E. Deprez was tasked with informing readers about the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Act, which last month was introduced in both Kansas and Oklahoma. The writing experience obviously wasn’t pleasant for her.

On the eve of the midterms, Time’s Joe Klein listed “5 Things to Watch for in the Midterm Elections.” But the funniest one was number three. He titled it “Kansas Rejoins The Mainstream.” Klein gleefully foresaw that in the defeat of Gov. Sam Brownback, “the myth of extreme supply-side economics might finally be put to rest.” But Brownback won, 50 to 46 percent. The grip of voodoo Reaganism…

New York Times reporter Trip Gabriel discovered What's the Matter With Kansas? and his name is Kris Kobach, Kansas's worryingly activist and conservative secretary of state: "He Pushed Kansas to the Right. Now Kansas Is Pushing Back." Kobach is locked in a tough re-election race, and the Times smells blood in the water.

Following a segment that aired on Sunday night’s NBC Nightly News on President Obama’s unpopularity ahead of the midterm elections, the evening news program with two more midterm election segments on Tuesday. Both segments, however, were not without liberal bias, as one segment promoted the “close” Kentucky Senate race and the other discussed three Senate races to watch that present “big hurdles…

"The chancellor of the University of Kansas announced Thursday that a journalism professor suspended over a tweet that angrily targeted the National Rifle Association after the Navy Yard shootings will not return to his classroom in 2013," John Milburn of the Associated Press reported yesterday. "[David] Guth will be given nonclassroom assignments, including service and administrative duties,…

The Associated Press, in story carried at Channel 6 in Lawrence, reported (HT Twitchy) that a Kansas University professor has been "placed on administrative leave" after he issued the following tweet concerning Monday's Navy Yard murders: "The blood is on the hands of the #NRA. Next time, let it be YOUR sons and daughters. Shame on you. May God damn you." A NewsBusters post by Ken Shepherd…