New Stanek WND column, “Is Brownback betraying pro-lifers?”
On April 24, KS pro-life U.S. Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts issued a press release endorsing Steve Howe for Johnson County district attorney.
The release called the position an “open seat.”
It is not.
Phill Kline is currently the appointed district attorney and has been urged to reconsider his decision not to run to retain his seat in November….
Kline is the only DA in the country with a pending criminal case against a Planned
Parenthood….
Brownback knows pro-lifers are encouraging Kline to stay… because many influential pro-lifers called him and asked him to wait for Kline to decide before endorsing. There was no hurry. The filing deadline is still over a month away….
But Brownback… endorsed Howe anyway….
The question is whose help does Brownback want?
RINOS and hacks want the Planned Parenthood investigation ended. They fear a run by Kline will stir more Democrats to vote than might otherwise.
They also consider the Johnson County DA position a launching pad to a bigger and better thing: The AG’s office.
Was Brownback enticed to support Howe for a promise of support in his gubernatorial bid by non-conservative Republicans?
Or perhaps he fears sharing the ticket with Kline in 2010?
Last Thursday a group of Kansas pro-life leaders paid Brownback a surprise visit in his
Washington, D.C., office….
Continue reading my column today, “Is Brownback betraying pro-lifers?” on WorldNetDaily.com.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
I guess that’s what they call the ol’ Potomac two-step – got screwed by Washington (as in: no nomination) and now he’s out for everyone else.
Remember Rick Santorum? Who was and apparently still is a good guy after probably giving the PA primary to Spectre over Toomey in a 51-49 race? Against Catholic “non-negotiables”?
Well, if Santorum is still a really wonderful person after his mea-non-culpa (admitting it was a political calculation), why bother about Brownback.
Why should I or Brownback not expect you to invite him to speak at pro-life meetings, and get honors, and whatever else like you do with Santorum – since his was about a senate seat, not a DA election?
If you don’t hold them accountable, don’t expect them to behave as if you will.
I am glad those lovely ladies went to his office. It is high time pro-lifers start being accountable for their actions. They are constantly coming to the base wanting our vote and then they hide us in the closet while they spend their elected terms doing whatever they please, against the values they claimed they would uphold. A few months ago, Dr Dobson noted that the,Christian right is like a mistress to the Republican party.
Maybe after a few more lost elections they will return to the values that promote the family not destroy it.
I’m glad Phil Kline will disappear into the same lonely world that Santorum did. Maybe do some talk shows but never get voted into office ever again. Bye Bye Kline.
I have a friend that works near Kline and says he castrated himself four years ago…is that true?
Good morning, irrelevant quote of the day!
Pro-choice does not mean “I hate children!” I think I have often expressed my desire for children one day and both Obama and Clinton have children of their own. It is pointless for you to take anything said by a pro-choicer with the word “child/ren” in it. Who wouldn’t want a better world for their children? I hope when I have kids they come into a world better than the one we live in today.
All you are doing is endorsing those two candidates. Well done.
Can someone explain to me what a superdelegate is? I was listening to the radio reports here in the Great White North (that is Canada) and the reporter mentioned that the superdelegates hold the key as to who will be the Democratic candidate.
mucho gracias!
maybe he just doesn’t like Kline.
Good column. Brownback and Roberts will NOT speak out publicly or do much of anything in these Planned Parenthood and Tiller cases. It sickens me – especially in the case of Mr. Life (Brownback). This is right in their back yard, and the silence is deafening.
Huckabee and McCain were here before the primary some weeks back, and they didn’t say a word about it either!
Time to publicly hold people’s feet to the fire. These Kansas cases get thwarted in court almost daily, and there is still no real progress, even though they are the most obvious cases of illegality in late-term abortion and statutory rape of teen girls most of us have ever heard of.
Kansas needs a national spotlight shone upon it!
TZ, 7:43a: Good point and good analogy. Know that I publicly criticized Santorum for supporting Specter over Toomey.
In an instance similar to McCain’s, though, when Santorum went on to run against Casey, I supported him as clearly the better pro-lifer, which has proven true. That was not to excuse his past mistake, which I know for a fact he regrets, but it was to make the best of the situation at hand.
In the future I may support Brownback for gov against a wimpy pro-lifer or a pro-abort. Who knows? That will not be to excuse him. That will be to make the best of the situation at hand.
That said, Santorum lost because of his support of Specter. He paid the price. Brownback should take heed.
Great article. I was privileged to hear DA Kline speak at a pro-life banquet in Houston. He is remarkable. I pray he stays where he is until the suits are resolved favorably.
I also got the impression that Sam Brownback was less devoted to the pro-life cause than he has been credited with during his presidential run. I can
maybe their afraid of where the investigation may lead. Maybe they’re hoping certain facts never come to light.
Amusing how anti-choice extremists attack legislators with a 100% pro-life voting record like Brownback (and Bob Schaffer in Colorado) because no one in public life (except maybe Phill Kilne) can be extreme enough to suit them.
Maybe Brownback would like to see someone in that office that would actually do the job.
I think Jill Stanek is the one who is betraying the movement by trying to turn pro-lifers against each other. This is pathetic and you should be ashamed of yourself.
Jill,
I always find your columns interesting and compelling, from beginning to end.
From what you’ve written, it seems clear to me that Sen. Brownback and Mr. Howe have made a deal. After all, these are politicians, and as such, they are self-serving pro-lifers (their own political life!) Most will say or do anything to get elected.
It makes one wonder what kind of President Brownback would have made, if he’s already compromising his principles to get a job he wants. Maybe he’s angry with Republicans for turning him down. It’s so dirty and despicable.
Abortion is a holocaust every bit as evil as what the Nazi’s did. PP is tough. Their business of killing is the marrow of the Democrat party. They have money, and are in a fight for their lives. Like every demon, they won’t go down without a horrific battle, using any means necessary to survive.
The Democratic Party is ruined and has been since the deaths of John and Robert Kennedy, but the problem with the Republican Party has been that outside of Ronald Reagan there have been many Sam Brownbacks who really don’t know that much about what they believe in.
This includes George W. Bush and John McCain. McCain is like 65% of a loaf of bread, which is better than no bread which Hillary and Obama represent.
The only solution is for conservatives and Republicans to rally around McCain, and hold the fort with him now until another Ronald Reagan does come along.
Patricia,
Superdelegates is a term that only occurs in the Democratic party. Actually, superdelegate isn’t even a term. They use the terms “pledged” and “unpledged” … the later being what we commonly refer to as superdelegates.
If you voted in the primaries or caucuses, you probably noticed there was a list of people to vote for, and beside their names was the candidate in parentheses who they plan on voting for. Those people you actually voted for are the pledged delegates. Often pledged delegates are people like family members and friends, or other politicians who support them.
The Democratic and Republican parties also nominates its own delegates (these are the “unpledged” delegates because they haven’t been selected through a vote) who usually vote for the primary winner in their state.
However, the superdelegates can vote for whoever they want, which is why they play such an important role in the upcoming election. They essentially have the power to swing the vote from one side or another.
The Kansas situation is the most horrific I have ever seen in terms of laws being broken, coverups being employed, and a ring of mostly Democrat officials stonewalling at every twist and turn.
The past and present web of campaign contributions and political appointments amongst Kansas Democrats is gigantic, and weak-kneed Republicans will not come out for the principle of LIFE.
Troy Newman and his Operation Rescue group (along with some help from WIN and CWA – I take it you’re familiar with these groups) are the only ones continually battling the egregious crimes and coverups in Kansas.
It would be a slam-dunk for the whole pro-life movement to hone in on Kansas and expose the whole mess, and if they did it before the elections this fall, I think it would open the door for a lot more pro-life candidates to win in Kansas and many other places.
Oh my gosh. Why does it have to be so complicated. Can’t we, the people, just vote for whomever we, the people, want?
I’m sick of politics. I wish this election would just be overwith.
Leah,
No, we can’t, because America does not have a democracy.
That irks me.
All the other kids are doing it! I wanna choose my president!
lol, Leah, you crack me up I love ya!
Next to Switzerland, we actually have one of the closest governments to a direct democracy.
The other day though, one of my buddies was talking about how only 54 percent of our eligible (meaning registered) voters vote…
[ Approximately 70 percent of people eligible to vote register, and only a little more than half those people vote, which means that only about a third of our population votes. ]
And my friend said, “That’s not really even CLOSE to a democracy.”
Correction: A third of our eligible voting population votes. That excludes people under 18, all immigrants, and prisoners.
Jill, thanks for your article.
I liked Brownback at first, but it’s looking like he is a self-serving politician.
All we can pray and hope for is that when we vote for a pro-life person, they will stay that way and try to pass pro-life legislation. (It’s disgusting that there even has to be legislation to protect unborn human beings.)
We seem to be living in a time warp.
Disgusting is the only word that comes to mind when I think about your hit and run job on Sen. Brownback. No other senator has done more for the pro-life movement than he has. He is a great man and is loyal to God and country.
Please reconsider your conscience and apologize to this great man and servant to the pro-life movement.
Terry, if you find any factual errors in my column or errors in my analysis, please let me know. I had several solid pro-life sources.
I find it absolutely sickening that you would dare imply that Senator Brownback would put his own political aspirations ahead of the pro-life movement. Not only does his record show him to be a champion for respect and dignity of all persons, but his presidential campaign forced other candidates to be held accountable for their record on life issues, ensuring a pro-life nominee.
Kline issued a statement saying he would not run for re-election in 2008 because his heart was now in “speaking, teaching and writing.” That is his decision, not yours. How can you expect the Senator to endorse someone who has declared that he doesn’t want to run? How is that a betrayal of the pro-life movement?
Senator Brownback has proven to be a strong Christian, whose goal in life is to be faithful to Christ and his teachings. I suggest you read his book, From Power to Purpose, and also do some research on his debates on the Senate floor against the likes of Barbara Boxer, and then condemn him as not truly have the intentions of the pro-life movement at heart and “not perfom[ing] like a pro-life elected official.”
All you are doing by unjustly attacking Senator Brownback is splitting the pro-life movement against each other. Pro-lifers need to stick together to defeat the culture of death in the crucial upcoming elections. Please apologize to the Senator and stop damaging the name of one of our movement’s most dedicated warriors.
Sincerly,
Natalie Brown
Natalie, while Kline said he was not running for reelection, as my column indicated, influential pro-lifers have asked him to reconsider, and these same influential pro-lifers alerted Sen. Brownback they had asked Kline to reconsider. They asked Brownback to hold off on his endorsement. What is the hurry? Sen. Brownback endorsing a primary candidate over a month before the filing deadline is unprecedented. Elected officials just don’t do that. They either wait until all candidates have filed, or they refuse to endorse in the primary, not wanting to choose between members of their own party.
It is clear politics was at play with Sen. Brownback’s endorsement, which was not in the best intererst of the pro-life movement. He has done great things for the movement. But he slipped up. Read your Bible. Read about Moses, or many other great Biblical figures who did great things but slipped up. And some had to pay the price… like Moses.
Sen. Brownback is a sniveling weasel, which is why his candidacy for president floundered. Dig deep and you’ll find the money connection between the Senator and Howe. By now you would think he would understand that enlisting the help of RINOs gets you a ticket to the unemployment line.
May G-d’s wisdom be breathed upon the Senator before it’s to late.
What’s wrong with Steve Howe anyway? Why is he not acceptable to the pro-life community? Anyone know?
Regret is very difference from repentance. Santorum to my knowledge has not said he did something evil, merely something that backfired on him politically.
We must support whomever the best choice according to an informed conscience in any specific election is – including Brownback or Santorum if they run against someone who is clearly pro-abort.
And Santorum has lost the election, but not much reputation. I’m listening to an internet radio replay of a Detroit Men’s conference that featured Santorum telling how God’s power let him overcome impossible odds to get elected. Apparently God’s power fizzled out, or God was not to be trusted in the matter of Toomey v.s. Spectre.
I would worry that Santorum – and for that matter Brownback’s soul is at stake, though I cannot judge the heart. I do not know how to tell him the difference between a virtuous pagan and a fallible Christian is the difference between hell and heaven, only that Christians repent (and public sins require public repentance), and pagans do not.
Jill said, “Sen. Brownback endorsing a primary candidate over a month before the filing deadline is unprecedented. Elected officials just don’t do that.”
Jill said, “…if you find any factual errors in my column or errors in my analysis, please let me know.”
Jill: There is precedent. It happens all the time all over the country at every elective level. Thousands of elected leaders endorsed all of the presidential candidates before the filing deadline. Brownback was the beneficiary of plenty of these early endorsements, mostly from the pro-life community.
Brownback isn’t even the only elected leader to endorse Howe before the filing deadline. Brownback isn
Brownback’s staff secretly pipes meeting
The plot thickens. I wrote in this week’s WND column that a group of KS pro-life leaders paid KS U.S. Senator Sam Brownback a surprise visit in his Washington, D.C., office May 3 to ask him to rescind his endorsement…
Ms. Stanek,
I urge you once again to get all the facts of the case before deciding to defame someone of Senator Brownback’s stature.
There is in fact a precedent for Brownback to endorse before the filing deadline. He endorsed Phil Kline before the filing deadline. Twice.
I once again challenge you to publicly apologize for your unjust and hurtful remarks towards Senator Brownback.
Sincerely,
Natalie Brown
Steve said, “Brownback isn’t even the only elected leader to endorse Howe before the filing deadline. Brownback isn
thank you steve for telling the truth of the story.
Jill,
You stated previously that “Sen. Brownback endorsing a primary candidate over a month before the filing deadline is unprecedented. Elected officials just don’t do that. ”
Are you now conceding that you were wrong in saying this?
Natalie, I asked for corroboration and haven’t gotten any. Read the last line of my last comment. And it must be for a primary.
Brownback endorsed McCain rather than Ron Paul or Mike Huckabee when Brownback dropped out of the race.
How low they’ll go to defeat Kline
Well, this one certainly puts U.S. Senator Sam Brownback in a tight spot. Recall Brownback threw Phill Kline under that bus headed to Politicalexpediencyville to endorse Steve Howe in tomorrow’s Republican primary for Johnson County, KS, state attorney…
Obama nominates Sebelius for HHS head; Brownback/Roberts “congratulate”
UPDATE, 10:25p: Politico’s Ben Smith called Brownback/Roberts’ endorsement “a setback to the attempt to rally conservative Catholics against Kathleen Sebelius….” _______________ UPDATE, 10p: Headline seen on Twitter: “Who broke Brownback?” Also read …