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
Tags: americans for prosperity, Jarrod Mendicki, kansas, Melissa Ward, Tiahrt, Todd Tiahrt, Vicki Tiahrt, Virginia Crossland
Posted by caleb on Jun 30, 2010 in
Election 2010,
Local and State Politics This is a guest posting I wrote for On the Kansas Trail, a blog published semi-weekly by Vicki and Jessica Tiahrt.
On Saturday, June 26 the Olathe Republican Party hosted their annual picnic and straw poll. Candidates from Kansas’ Third Congressional District and those running statewide were invited to attend, pass out literature, and set up booths. Each candidate was also given a small allotment of time to speak.
I had worked that morning at the Edgerton, KS parade, so I arrived right after the picnic started – hundreds of people were already there, talking with candidates and their volunteers. The first thing I noticed, however, wasn’t the delicious smell of hamburgers being grilled by State Representative Arlen Siegfreid, but the sheer number of red Tiahrt shirts! With the estimated 800 or so in attendance, over a quarter were wearing the signature Tiahrt red, while nearly a hundred more proudly displayed their Tiahrt stickers.
Throughout the late morning and early afternoon, the buzz built as it neared time for Congressman Tiahrt to address the red shirt-saturated crowd. People were constantly coming up to our booth to speak with the Congressman and to snap a picture with our proudly displayed life-sized cutout of Gov. Sarah Palin, one of Rep. Tiahrt’s most recent endorsements – a list filled with conservative super-stars that builds daily.
When the Congressman was finally able to take the stage a few minutes after 1:30, the crowd erupted in to the loudest screaming, applause, and cheering heard for any candidate – many times over. In fact, Rep. Tiahrt was unable to begin speaking for over a minute as the crowd slowly quieted down enough to hear the microphone.
Todd spoke of our need as a nation to return to stalwart conservative values and of the ever-growing list of leaders and voters who have endorsed him. He discussed how he spent over ten hours on the floor of the House of Representatives fighting endlessly and tirelessly against Pres. Obama’s so-called healthcare reform package (while his opponent recorded videos outside the Capitol).
With the determination he used to fight to destroy the government takeover of healthcare, the dedication he used to never vote for a stimulus package, a bailout, or a tax increase, and the inspiration he gained from working to make a starting position as an underclassman on his high school football team, Todd Tiahrt will do something D.C. hasn’t seen in years. He’ll bring common sense to the madness. It’s not so much how long you’ve been in Washington, but how much Washington is in you.
With thundering interruptions every forty-five seconds, the Congressman was nearly unable to finish his speech during the allotted time. Those in attendance clung to his every word, cheering as loudly as possible. When he finished, they chanted “Tiahrt! Tiahrt! Tiahrt!” and applauded him for two solid minutes before the announcer was forced to re-take the stage.
As if anyone needed reminding of the incredible momentum building behind the Tiahrt campaign, Todd won an astronomical 73.6% of the straw poll vote, besting his opponent by an almost three-to-one margin, proving once again that he is the REAL DEAL for Kansas.
Tags: Arlen Siegfried, Jessica Tiahrt, Olathe, Olathe Straw Poll, Palin, republican party, Sarah Palin, Southeast Kansas Power Team, Tiahrt, Todd Tiahrt, Vicki Tiahrt
Posted by caleb on Jan 31, 2010 in
Local and State Politics 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.
Tags: College Republicans, jerry moran, kansas, Kansas Days, KSGOP, Libby Ensley, Lynn Jenkins, Mary Alice Lair, Michelle Hucke, Mitch Daniels, Pitt State, Pitt State College Republicans, republican party, Ron Thornburgh, Sam Brownback, Senate, Todd Tiahrt, Vicki Tiahrt, Virginia Crossland
