my thoughts about life.
You may download campaign collateral for your Facebook or Twitter profile pictures using this link. I appreciate your support!
Below, I’ve cross-posted my letter to the editor of the Labette Avenue (my local weekly) and the Parsons Sun (the local daily) regarding local candidates and elections.
On April 5, Kansas voters will go to the polls to decide who should serve on their local city councils, school boards, and boards of trustees for their local community colleges. Mayoral and other municipal races are also taking place during this election.
The problem is that, in rural areas in Kansas like where I live, races like these are based more on knowing a candidate more than their positions. They have to be; most candidates don’t even take the time to publish any of their ideas. It is considered sufficient to file papers with the County Clerk’s Office and hope for the best.
It is time for a change. The voters deserve better. I’m sure most of the candidates are good people, but that’s not what is most important. I care about how they will help my city, county, and local school district improve.
I consider my vote valuable, and I want to make informed choices with it. The complete lack of information on local candidates makes this almost entirely impossible.
Today, I’m respectfully issuing a challenge to everyone running for office to publish, at the very least, a short biography and a list of their positions on a few issues they consider important. Tell us why we should vote for you. We’ll agree with some of your positions, and disagree with others, but at least voters will know what to expect if you are elected. By publishing your views, you will be earning your votes, as opposed to winning (or losing) by default. Let us decide whom to vote for based on merits, not connections.
That’s how our republic should function.
Respectfully,
Caleb Hays
Below, I’ve published a list of local candidates, since even this list of candidates is difficult to find online. Please be aware this is specific to voters located within the city limits of Oswego, KS. This originally appeared in the Labette Avenue on January 28, 2011 and also includes information for other areas in Labette County, KS.
Oswego, KS Municipal Elections
Mayor
Glenn Fischer (my candidate of choice), or Bob Shields
City Council (choose 3)
Dee Brown, William Gray, Larry Hawkins, William Owens and Darren Tynan
School Boards
USD 504 School Board (choose 4)
William Barnes, Steven Charles, Tina Dinnsen, Jordan Irwin, Steve McBrien, Shaun Stapleton and Crystal Yeoman
Labette Community College Board of Trustees (choose 3)
Matthew Atteberrry, Carl Hoskins, Montie Taylor, David Winchell and Aubury Schultz
The Kansas AFP delegation met this afternoon for a lunch meeting in the Coolidge Room at the Marriott Wardman in the District. My perhaps less-than-completely-accurate estimate puts the number in attendance at above fifty Kansans who made the half nation trek to our country’s capital to stand for a movement that truly defends the principles of smaller government and less spending.
As surprise guests, the national director of Americans for Prosperity, Tim Phillips stopped by share some info on the national organization, and to thank us for our involvement.
David Koch, the Kansas native of Koch Industries fame, who is the Chairman of Americans for Prosperity Foundation and has recently been attacked for this involvement, spoke about his desire to take the flak for the sake of the nation for the salvation of the movement and the nation.
Rep. Todd Tiahrt speaking to Kansas AFP Delegation
Then, we had our third and fourth surprise guests (well, some of use knew ahead of time!), Congressman Todd (R-KS03) and Mrs. Vicki Tiahrt who drove in specifically for the AFP Summit and tomorrow’s Glenn Beck rally at the Lincoln Memorial. They haven’t given up the fight.
Mrs. Vicki Tiahrt speaking to Kansas delegation
To paraphrase Mrs. Tiahrt, “You [AFP] are who will take our nation back.” Vicki spoke for a few minutes on the importance of taking our message of opportunity for all and fiscal conservatism to reach new voters, especially those who may have been turned off in the past by misperceptions of the conservative movement.
It was a very informative and up-lifting lunch, and it was great to see Todd and Vicki again. Better yet, I finally got a photo with them:
Rep. Todd and Mrs. Vicki Tiahrt and I at #Dream10
On Thursday, July 8, Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-KS04) completed his tour of Southeast Kansas with multiple stops in Parsons, Oswego, and Pittsburg.
I caught up with the Congressman as he was touring downtown Oswego, KS, my hometown. Michelle Hucke, Tiahrt SEK Coordinator, and I (the lowly Labette County coordinator), along with Brie Bringle and Tom Bringle, Mayor of Oswego, introduced Todd to all of the local merchants and business owners in the community.
Mr. Tiahrt also toured one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in Oswego, the Boss Tank division of Tank Connections.
Later that afternoon, he held a town hall in Oswego – most likely the first event of this nature held in Oswego in at least a few decades. Even in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, he still had almost 1.5% of the entire population of the city attend – that’s the same attendance, per capita, as the Karl Rove event in Wichita!
Voters in Oswego are very excited about Todd. In fact, as you drive through the community of roughly 2,000 inhabitants, you’ll see Tiahrt yard signs all over the place; there’s even a giant 4×8 sign downtown. As for Todd’s opponent, he’s never heard the term “SEK” and his travel (or lack thereof) to the area shows it.
That evening, the Congressman hosted a “meet and greet” and town hall in Pittsburg, KS with the Southeast Kansas Conservatives group. With only hours notice, people packed into the meeting room the organization had reserved on Broadway in Pittsburg.
The photograph above (I apologize for the poor quality) was taken at the very beginning of the Congressman’s speech and from the front of the crowd. If you could only see how every seat surrounding Todd was filled! In fact, as people continued to come in throughout the evening, they had to sit behind just to have a place to sit. That’s how excited we are in Southeast Kansas about Todd Tiahrt.
You could feel the electricity and excitement in the air as Todd spoke about our need to rid ourselves of unnecessary government involvement. He said, “If the cost of a regulation outweighs its benefit, let’s get rid of it!” He also talked about the urgency with which he fought against Obama’s health care plan, and how we must repeal the atrocity called Obamacare as soon as is humanly possible. Truly, the Congressman was on-fire last night.
One woman raised her hand and talked about how, as “embarrassed” as she was to admit it, she was a registered Democrat. She said that she was ashamed of what her party was doing to the nation, and that she had been planning on re-registering as a Republican. The woman said after hearing Todd speak, and seeing the integrity with which he conducted himself, she was convinced and that she’d be voting for him on August 3. Talk about awesomeness!
The excitement on the ground was palpable. Basically everywhere we went, if you mentioned the name “Tiahrt,” eyes lit up, and people were anxious to speak with Todd. If you have ever had any doubt about the winner of August’s primary, cast it out. Todd Tiahrt will be our next U.S. Senator from Kansas.
3:30-4:30 pm
I just received this email from a fellow Tea Partier from South Carolina, home of Senator Jim DeMint, who, breaking from the rest of conservatism, has oddly endorsed Todd Tiahrt’s very moderate opponent for Senate.
As a native Kansan, a resident of South Carolina, and an executive board member of the South Carolina District 5 Patriots “tea party,” ( www.scd5patriots.org ) I am appalled that my Senator and Tea Party Hero, Jim DeMint, is actively campaigning against his fellow Tea Party Hero, Todd Tiahrt, in the race for the Senate Republican nomination in Kansas.
This week, Sen. DeMint, will travel to Kansas City to tell the voters of Kansas that Jerry Moran is the guy they can trust to put constitutional principles and the interest of his constituents above “politics as usual.”
There are reasons Congressman Moran was not chosen as a Tea Party Hero, such as voting to raise taxes 12 times, and voting for the tourism bailout that Senator DeMint called a “$400 million corporate welfare boondoggle.” (Washington Post op-ed by Jim DeMint) Yet DeMint, my senator and a Shining Star leading conservatives across the nation, will use his Tea Party Hero status to hoodwink the good people of Kansas.
This begs the question “Why?” And, it spits in the face of the millions of grassroots Americans who are seeking honest and principled ambassadors to represent THE PEOPLE in Washington.
What grates even deeper is that Moran is playing up DeMint’s Tea Party Endorsement as being an indirect Tea Party endorsement for him. This is a sleazy, deceitful tactic to usurp off the good name and credibility of the tea party movement. It’s fake, and it’s unscrupulous.
Sen. DeMint is sending mixed signals here, and it reflects poorly on the Tea Party Express organization and what it stands for.
So, Senator DeMint, which side are you on? As your constituent and leader of the SCD5 Patriots, I am holding you accountable. I want a really good explanation, or a retraction of your endorsement of Moran for Senate in Kansas and cancellation of your trip to Kansas.
Sincerely,
Kris Thompson, Secretary
SC District 5 Patriots
803-526-9569
Yesterday, Former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for President George W. Bush, the “Architect”, “Boy Genius” Karl Rove visited the KC Metro Area and Wichita yesterday to announce his endorsement of Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-Goddard) in his campaign for Kansas’s open U.S. Senate seat.
I caught up with both the Congressman and Mr. Rove at the rally at the Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita. As a volunteer for the Tiahrt campaign, I was asked to help with the book signing portion of the event.
Congressman Todd Tiahrt at Rove Rally in Wichita
Congressman Tiahrt spoke for about fifteen minutes to a very excited and fired-up crowd of over three hundred about his work to take Kansas conservative values to the U.S. Senate. The race in Kansas has been described as a campaign between two candidates with almost identical platforms, but that’s only because the other guy re-shapes the truth. The real truth couldn’t be more different: Kansas’s U.S. Senate race is between a true, honest, movement conservative, and a reluctant Republican.
Karl Rove sees this, too, and he said that’s why Rep. Tiahrt is one of only two Senate candidates he’s endorsing during the primary season (Marco Rubio of Florida is the other).
Karl Rove endorsing Rep. Todd Tiahrt
According to the Wichita Eagle, Mr. Rove said ”this guy here [Tiahrt]” is a “natural fit” for tea party supporters. Said the candidate himself, “‘If Kansas can’t send a conservative, who can?’ he said. ‘We can’t depend on Connecticut.’”
Kansas holds its primary election August 3. Residents can now add or update their registration online.
On Saturday, May 1, 2010, the Pittsburg State University College Republicans hosted a forum in McCray Hall for candidates running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Invitations were sent to the two candidates considered viable in this race, Rep. Todd Tiahrt, and Rep. Jerry Moran, both sitting Congressman and from KS-04 and KS-01 Districts, respectively.
Following his pattern of well-documented avoidance of Southeast Kansas, Moran refused to show or even send a representative.
Congressman Tiahrt and his entire debate crew showed up and decorated the entire debate venue with Tiahrt Red signs and banners.
Nearly fifty people and students came to PSU to hear what the candidates had to say, and to personally ask questions. When the great “reluctant Republican” refused to show, Tiahrt was able to offer his plan for Kansas and the nation, unfiltered. As a hardcore Tiahrt supporter, that alone made me very happy.
In all, the event was a great success. The Congressman had a very successful discussion with everyone in the audience, displaying his firm support for fiscal conservatism, life, the War on Terror, immigration reform, and Israel, among others. Many took Tiahrt signs and signed up to support the Congressman in his run for Senate.
Rep. Todd Tiahrt in Pittsburg
The Pittsburg State University College Republicans and the Kansas Federation of College Republicans, along with four other Kansas chapters, have endorsed Todd Tiahrt for Senate.
For the sake of transparency, I wanted to let my readers know that I’m now volunteering with the Todd Tiahrt for Senate campaign as the Labette County coordinator and as part of the broader Southeast Kansas Power Team, headed by my good friend Michelle Hucke. I also wanted to say up front that I am receiving no financial or other compensation for this volunteer position or for any Tiahrt articles, images, or other items on my blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
But while we’re on the subject, I want to tell you why I support Todd.
I hope it’s become apparent to my longtime readers and Twitter followers that I’m not about furthering any one person’s agenda just because their rhetoric sweeps me off my feet. For me, it’s all about the conservative movement and how we, as citizens, can bring our government back inside the bounds we’ve set for it.
Every once in a great while, there comes about a candidate that truly has the ability and backbone to work for this same grand goal. In this Senate primary, that man is Todd Tiahrt.
As I hope you have seen, I don’t back candidates lightly. If you recall, it took me weeks to decide whether or not I would help the (pre-Palin) McCain campaign by doing anything besides voting for it. It wasn’t until after Palin was named VP nominee that I even campaigned for it instead of simply against Obama.
Once you meet Todd and his family, you instantly understand. Instead of the usual political garbage, you get authenticity and a feeling that you’re speaking with someone who’s actually listening, not just doing the head-bob that politicians are so good at. Fifteen seconds later, and after his surprisingly firm handshake, you realize he’s just like you; you come to understand that he could just as easily be your children’s football coach or the man who owns the local real estate agency. That’s because that’s who Todd is: a genuine, caring, and intelligent man who is one of us. Instead of D.C. changing Todd, Todd has changed D.C.
For me to support, endorse, and actually work for a candidate, I have to truly and wholeheartedly believe in them and what they stand for. #RealDeal is not just a Twitter slogan. I hope my support solidifies that idea for you, because it’s completely true.
Todd Tiahrt is that man, and he’s the real deal, Kansas.
Before last year, I’d never heard of anything called “Kansas Days.” I’ve lived in our fair State since right after I turned eight, and think of myself as a Kansan, albeit with some experience in the “Outside.”
Then, when I started college in the fall of 2008 and decided to transform my TV-screaming into real action and became (heavily) involved in politics, I realized the school lunch theme week of “Bison Burgers” and “Sunflower Shortcake” and “Prairie Potatoes” wasn’t the only modern-day celebration of our Statehood. Thank goodness.
This year, thanks to my good friend and political mentor Virginia Crossland-Macha, I attended Kansas Days in Topeka for the first time this weekend. My fellow CR, President (and Vice Chair-elect of the Kansas Federation of CRs) Michelle Bringle-Hucke and her husband, Josh Hucke (of local fame) joined in for the fun, as well.
At the first annual Brownback Red Boots event (that thankfully pre-empted an event where that blasted former governor of Kansas was speaking), we heard a very enthusiastic Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels tell of how his state has managed to do relatively well through the current recession by using some financial common sense and spending less than they take in. Our group was the first to mob meet him after his speech.
George Weston, Sen. Sam Brownback, Michelle Hucke, Gov. Mitch Daniels, and Me
We attended the Second District Meeting the next morning with Virginia and my favorite former national delegate, Mary Alice Lair. It was relatively normal, until it wasn’t: our own Rep. Lynn Jenkins mistakenly said “Senator Tiahrt,” much to my pleasure, and much to the chagrin of Rep. Jerry Moran, who is Tiahrt’s primary challenger, and retiring Secy of State Ron Thornburgh endorsed my family reunion relative, Libby Ensley, to replace him (that’s more of a disclaimer than an endorsement. I’m only related by marriage).
Later on, at the tense KSGOP Winter Meeting, Moran didn’t even show.What DID show, though, was the complete lack of articulated direction. It’s not that the party doesn’t have direction; it’s that they have no way of getting their message out. Their idea of “new media” is a template website and rarely updated Facebook and Twitter pages. Their email newsletter was a great idea, until it died sometime over Christmas. It was recently resurrected, but apparently not as a daily, as before, since I’ve only gotten one this year. We also saw first hand the political might of the tea party movement in the state, as a one group is mounting a campaign against the current platform and, in reality, the process itself. Expect some terse words to fly.
My favorite event by far, though, had to be the Todd Tiahrt for Senate rally. As I’m sure you’ve gathered by now, I’ve chosen to personally endorse and support Todd in the race for Sen. Sam Brownback’s seat. You could positively FEEL the electricity and excitement in the air. Everyone in that room seemed to just know that we didn’t just have a shot at winning; we all knew we were going to.
These events are always filled with networking and new names. Many you leave feeling that the other person could really care less about who you are personally and instead only wants what you can give them. That’s to be expected, at least somewhat, since this is politics. That’s why I enjoy meeting other activists and why my favorite new activist acquaintance just happens to be Vicki Tiahrt. Both she and Todd and their family are some of the most genuine people I’ve ever met in politics. They’re no more assuming than my next-door neighbors. In fact, they could very well be my next-door neighbors. That’s how authentic they are. It was refreshing.
In all it was a great weekend. We made some new contacts for our organization and learned so much. Michelle gained a new position, and I met some very helpful and interesting people. I can’t wait to see what God does in 2010.
