Is Kansas On The Mend? genre: Polispeak & Six Degrees of Speculation

Two years ago Thomas Frank used the title of his book to ask the question, "What's The Matter With Kansas?" Today, the Los Angeles Times suggests that Kansas may be the first indication that the Republican Party that once seemed invincible is about to fracture. Read the full article here.

TOPEKA, Kan. — Mark Parkinson got his start in Republican politics at age 19, as a precinct committeeman. He served six years as a Republican state legislator, eventually becoming state Republican chairman.

But two weeks ago, Parkinson announced he was running for lieutenant governor — as a Democrat. He said he no longer felt welcome in the increasingly conservative Kansas Republican Party.

Political observers say the fracture within the Kansas GOP may foreshadow the future for the national party. The division between moderates and social conservatives is expected to define the contest for the party's 2008 presidential nomination.

Moderates who emphasize economic development and religious conservatives concerned with limiting abortion and gay rights have battled for more than a decade for control of the Kansas Republican Party, which dominates the state with 48% of registered voters. The remaining voters are split evenly between Democratic and Independent registration.

While these registration numbers seem to suggest that the Republican hold on Kansas is insurmountable, the Governor of the state, Kathleen Sebelius, is a Democrat who polls favorably. Her popularity suggests that many of the remaining 52 percent of registered voters as well as a portion of registered Republicans are not strict social conservatives. Further, the recent Republican defections indicate a growing concern about the absolute ideology being promoted by those on the far right. In fact, those in the Party who favor more diversity and voice disagreement with the narrow platform have been targeted for removal. It appears that Kansas voters are beginning to view this retaliatory and intransigent posturing with skepticism.

Alan Cigler, a political science professor at the University of Kansas, compares the intra-party turmoil to the national schism between business-friendly moderate Republicans and cultural conservatives over illegal immigration.

"The state is kind of dividing up," Cigler said. "It's the Christian right versus the business interests of the Republican party. That's what Kansas is all about now."

The Kansas Republican Party, Cigler said, "has been ahead of the curve."

Some Kansas voters say they feel shut out. "I'm absolutely fed up with the conservative Republicans," said Richard Meidinger, a retired physician in Topeka. "All the abortion stuff, gay marriage stuff doesn't belong in the legislative debate."

If Cigler's analysis is correct, the well documented goal of Karl Rove to establish the Republican Party as the dominant force in politics and for him to be seen as the "architect" of a new era in government that would be defined as "The Ownership Society" may both be in jeopardy. What has appeared to be the beginning of a political dynasty may ultimately be characterized by historians as an overly zealous miscalculation. The next two election cycles may prove that Kansas is on the mend.

Daniel DiRito | June 13, 2006 | 8:47 PM
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