Liberal group’s endorsement blows Howe’s cover
Don’t forget the Stand with Phill campaign is ongoing, trying to raise $300k for a burst of final days advertising in Phill Kline’s race against Steve Howe to capture the Republican nomination for Johnson County District Attorney. The election is in 8 days on August 5. Speaking of Howe, he just got a nomination he says he didn’t want, according to the Kansas City Star blog:
Don’t look for an endorsement from the Mainstream Coalition’s political action arm on Steve Howe’s campaign resume….
The board of MainPAC, an affiliate of the politically moderate Mainstream group, voted to endorse Howe, who is running against Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline in the Aug. 5 GOP primary.
But the conservative Howe turned down the endorsement.The former assistant district attorney, fired by Kline when he took office, is holding together a fragile coalition of GOP conservatives and moderates.
For social conservatives in Johnson County, the “secularist” Mainstream Coalition is the enemy. Howe doesn’t want to be regarded as sleeping with the enemy.
It could cost him critical conservative support.
As usual the KCS is spins. In reality, the Mainstream Coalition is a big liberal organization that mostly endorses pro-abort Democrats. Howe has been attempting to portray himself as a conservative. Howe’s cover is blown.
And ironically, the Mainstream Coalition will endorse and fight against many legislators in Howe’s “fragile coalition” in the upcoming general election.
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.
Steve Howe should do what is right and bow out of the race. This would allow Kline to keep his money for the general election.
Both Howe and Kline seem like terrible choices for District Attorney. Is there a good Dem in the race?
At least Kline is (relatively) safely contained in JoCo.
The more I think about this whole situation, the more my stomach turns. It seems that if Kline is not elected, the newly elected DA will discard the case — thereby disregarding the law. If this occurs, it seems that the rule of law can be subverted by local elections. And I find it hard to believe that this is what the framers had in mind.
Charles, from my perspective, if Kline is not elected and the new DA discards the case, it will uphold previous findings of fact and bring to an end a grievous abuse of power and simultaneous dereliction of duty in other areas by Kline.
Either way, it will be up to the local voters to decide who best represents their interests in this and other prosecutorial matters, which, it seems to me, is exactly what the framers had in mind.
Ray, please explain in certain terms what were Kline’s “grievous abuse of power and simultaneous dereliction of duty.”
Jill, Kline’s transgressions have been described here before:
http://www.jillstanek.com/archives/2008/06/breaking_news_p_3.html
In short, Kline has to answer to his constituents for spending a shockingly small amount of time doing his actual job as prosecutor, politically motivated firings of career employees without cause, replacing said employees with inept cronies, incompetent prosecutions by said cronies, not living in the district (until just recently, when campaign supporters gave him a sweetheart deal on a house), and, finally, pursuing this baseless case despite being voted out of statewide office for doing so.
Ray, then by your own statements the public, via their votes, can and should elect persons who will selectively enforce the laws based on their belief system. And I am certain that this is not what the framers had in mind. As I do remember from college that we have three equal branches of government for a reason: to ensure one does not control unilaterally. Hence, the enforcement of the laws drafted and approved by the elected legislators must be applied without prejudice to all matters of law — not just the ones which are
I live in Johnson County and I know what I
JoCo Dan, how do you juxtapose the following statements:
Johnson County is overwhelmingly Republican. Social conservatives control the party machinery. The Democratic Party is very weak in Johnson County. Often, they don
Charles, not in KS. The GOP has been tearing itself apart- far right conservatives vs more moderate folks for years. Many people are truly, deeply tired of Kline. If he wins the nom, the Dems will no doubt find a candidate to run and s/he will win.
Charles