Blogger wars go national

It's the joke that never dies.

Over the past couple of days, Rob Wasinger has begun reaching out to national blogs and posting his thoughts and comments there. It's difficult for me to be critical of this as more information from candidates is good and I appreciate someone willing to use new media to reach new voters.

And if that were the only motives behind the blogger bust out, I'd be fine. But there certainly seems to be an ulterior motive here, mainly, that Huelskamp hasn't rolled over and died like Wasinger's plan entailed. In fact, it looks like Huelskamp is dominating state support and been more than competitive on the national scene. That combined with an embarrassing public tie to his pro-Wasinger blog and the Boldra hit blog and suddenly a new blogger image becomes necessary.

Of course, it wouldn't be complete unless Huelskamp joined in. He now has posts up on Red State and American Spectator. Both are excellent and the Am Spec piece certainly highlights Wasinger's inability to say Sebelius is a bad choice for HHS. It's such a simple truth, one wonders why he can't spit it out.

Rob has a post up on Red State as well and has certainly gotten his blogger posse to recommend him. My favorite recommendation comes from E Pluribus Unum. I think it's because it reminds me of another bloggers name, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Perhaps my readers can help me out on that one. ;)

Huelskamp highlighted on Eagle blog

The Wichita Eagle editorial blog noted today Sen. Huelskamp's opposition to a plan that would consolidate Kansas counties into 13 versus the 105 the state currently has.

“Wouldn’t we just save a lot more if we eliminate them all?” — Sen. Tim Huelskamp (in photo), R-Fowler, on the proposal by Sen. Chris Steineger, D-Kansas City, to consolidate Kansas’ 105 counties into 13 supercounties

The rhetorical question highlighted the question of how far politicians should go in considering government consolidation. The only state in the union that is not further organized into counties is Alaska.

KSNBC-01, in their usual fair handed fashion, believed this to be a quote of support of eliminating all counties in Kansas. Of course, the author doesn't seem to understand that the outrageous nature of this claim not only reflects poorly on the author, but it also provides further evidence the author of KS-01 is also behind the new Sue Boldra hit blog.

The Hutchinson news has more on the Boldra blog flap.

Boldra enters Big First race and gets a Wassyngton welcome

Goodness, I step away from the computer for a couple days and everything breaks loose.

Well, there's now four people who want to replace Jerry Moran. I'm sure that's just the start. I really wouldn't be surprised to see eight or nine different candidates either get in or out by the time it's all said and done.

In any case, it would seem Team Wassyngton has learned their lesson well and put out a hit site on Sue Boldra before she ever even announced her candidacy. I'm not really sure what to make of the blog or the comments. There are a few that seem to be from Boldra supporters that say the site is a fake but they don't ever say that the claims in the post are factually wrong, so that's a little troubling.

Of course, the more posts that are put up on the blog with the same tired picture, the more it becomes obvious it's a hit blog and nothing else. I, of all people, can understand refuting something to a point and then just saying, you know, if folks can't figure out the truth from that then common sense really is dead. So maybe the Boldra people got to that point quicker than I did.

I've never been good at pretending to be something I'm not, so no liberal masquerade blogs from me. Sorry to disappoint you. (And I know there are some of you that really are disappointed!!!)

Then again, it seems Team Wassyngton isn't very good at masquerading as a liberal either... or acting like they're from Kansas for that matter.

So while I'll give dirty politics credit where it's due, I'll also note that Team Wassyngton hasn't exactly figured out that over-the-top stuff doesn't go over in Kansas, even in the blogosphere. If they would have just stopped with their first post, it might have passed by under the radar, but in typical Wassyngton fashion, they just can't help themselves. (Can you say 300 million comments in 3 minutes???)

But, I will say that at least they started the blog late Sunday night and then posted a link on KSNBC-01 early Monday morning, a whole eight hours later. They can't pretend to be a gay marriage lover, they can't seem to lose that pesky eastern accent (in writing no less), but by golly, they sure have good timing, don't they?!

A rather boring story

Well, this is going to be rather boring, but here goes...

My blog was graced with being the first place where Wasinger supporters linked to the first Huelskamp video they put out. It was just dumb luck that I happened to be online at the time and was the first one to view the video, as you can see by the screen shots with this post.

I've never been the first person to view a video on YouTube except when I was the one loading it. So, the only way that specific link could have been posted here was if the person posting it was the one who uploaded it.

The IP address of the comment links back to Steubenville, Ohio.

This is the same IP address as the first commenter to route people to the KSNBC-01 blog. Thus, our fair and balanced Ohio friends are apparently also the ones who produced both videos.

Both video's are from the first congressional district meeting at Kansas Days and, as everyone can tell, have been heavily edited. The angle of the camera is consistent with where the Rob Wasinger supporters were standing.

On Feb. 13, there were a barrage of comments on this post. It was surprising to me that this post triggered such an outrage from Wasinger's supporters because it didn't even have anything to do with the first district race. I just thought it was something that needed to be said.

In any case, all of those came from either the Steubenville, Ohio, Virginia, Washington D.C., or Boston areas. There were two different folks from Virginia while the other locals featured one commenter each.

Most comments concerned reimbursements to Sen. Huelskamp's wife. I discovered that only reports from 2006 are available online, so someone had to have gone to the Secretary of State's office and get campaign finance reports from 1996 to 2006. How that information got into the hands of bloggers from Ohio, Virginia and Massachusetts isn't clear to me.

One hour before the comment barrage started, there was a hit from an IP address in Hays for a few minutes.

There's of course more to this than what I've put up here, but I think it's best for everyone involved, even the out-of-state Wasinger supporters, that I stop here. There's of course nothing wrong with supporting your candidate; I do it.

And really I can't complain too much about the two videos. They're editing isn't that great so it's easy to see it was selective in nature. But of course, I'd hate to see a full audio file of the first district meeting show up on the internet.

I think the only problem I would address is the person from Massachusetts that decided to attack the adoptions of Sen. Huelskamp. I don't think you're doing your candidate a service by going there.

Instead of signing a clean campaign pledge and then attempting to attack anonymously from Ohio, Rob should have just been straight and honest about his attacks. At the very least, it'd be nice if you referenced your material.

KSNBC-01 today said they endorsed Rob Wasinger. Again, rather than attacking Huelskamp in a thin veil of fairness, I'd hoped that they would just be up front and honest about who they support. I had hoped today's endorsement would clear that up, but unfortunately, it didn't.

Here at Kansas01, we set out to follow the race in a non-partisan manner. We hope that we have been true to our intent, and we hope to continue reporting the race in such a manner.

...we will continue to chronicle the race, cutting through the spin, which means that we will continue to report on developments equally.

The Hutch News has a story up about Rob's new house in Cottonwood Falls. Why he told the Hutch News in December he'd bought a house in Hays I still don't understand.

Cottonwood Falls is a great town and the Flint Hills are just gorgeous. One of the best drives you can take is from Council Grove to Cassoday on K-177.

Also, the Kansas Jackass did a story about Huelskamp working to curb card check legislation in Kansas. I'd say more about unions and why they're good and bad sometimes, but I don't have the energy today.

Strategery

I think the best of Saturday Night Live comes around every four years. It's probably the only thing that keeps them from being canceled, if you ask me.

I think one of the best one liners came from the first Bush/Gore debate of 2000.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find the video of the second debate, but you may remember it. Bush had been criticized for not knowing much about foreign policy, so in an effort to remedy this, he names as many world leader names as possible. I'm so bummed I couldn't find the video, it was hilarious.

Anyway, it would seem our industrious candidate in the first has taken a lesson from the SNL playbook.

The strategery? Name as many towns in the first district as possible. And when he runs out of towns, say "Kansas" as much as possible. (pst St. Francis, Syracuse, Scott City)

Exhibit 1: Rob's most recent fund raising letter:

As the son of a truck driver who ran a dairy route stretching from Hays to Hillsboro and Hutchinson and back, I know the value of hard-earned dollar and a good day of work.

I know, they all start with 'H'. Very strange. What else starts with H that would trigger a subconscious list like that? Weird. (pst, Colby, Garden City, Medicine Lodge...)

Exhibit 2: Rob's updated website:

I am the son of two hard working parents from Hays, Kansas. We all drove back to Hays together.

Well, okay. I admit this may be more like a half an exhibit than a full one. But hey, he's kind of limited in towns he has a connection to, give him a break. What's he going to say, "Vote for me, I once had to stop for gas in Salina on the way back to Hays where I used to live with my aunt." (pst Goodland, Tribune/Greeley County, Elkhart)

Exhibit 3: Rob's updated campaign finance reports:

FEC FORM 2
STATEMENT OF CANDIDACY
FILING FEC-401797
1. Robert K Wasinger
NOTE: Address is different than previously reported
309 Oak Street
Cottonwood Falls, KS 66845-6845

This is interesting because it was filed two days after his finance report and more than a month after Wasinger told a Hutch News reporter he had already bought a house in Hays. It was also more than a month after listing his new Cottonwood Falls address for a reimbursement to himself for travel to an out of state fund raiser. (pst economic development) I guess maybe Rob was hoping no one would notice he changed his address to an empty house. (pst Emporia, McPherson, Council Grove)

Exhibit 4: Rob's new 'About' page - "Kansas" appears 25 times.

Hey, did I mention I'm from Kansas? You're from Kansas! Hey, I'm from Kansas! You know, we Kansans (who are from Kansas) should get together, Kansas, and talk about how great Kansas is, Kansas. We'll meet up, Kansas, sometime, Kansas, in Kansas, Kansas. (pst Great Bend, Hoisington, Lakin)

Exhibit 5: Very questionable judgment on this one, but here it is; attack liberals.

But I need your help to get elected to Congress. Right now, liberals are already attacking me.

Rob! Liberal is in the first district! (Kansas!) You need the votes man! Besides, I've been to Liberal. Every now and then they kind of flip out (once a year while running to be exact) but hey, a vote's a vote, right? (pst Hoxie, Bird City, Oberlin)

And of course, what strategery would be complete without turning the tables. Did you hear Huelskamp isn't from Kansas? Didn't want to come back when he was in high school? (pst Concordia, Clay Center, Glasgow)

I always say the best defense is a good offense. So I'm sure everyone will want to stay tuned this weekend when I tell you who's behind the videos you can find on KSNBC-01.

They're the unbiased, balanced ones.

(You know the only thing that would make this funnier is if I could find a widget that showed how many out of state people that check this blog are going to google maps right now to find these towns.)

Huckabee endorses Huelskamp

Well, I found some WiFi and it's a good thing I did.

"Tim Huelskamp is a rare breed of leader who boldly stands up for conservative principles -- and has a ten-year voting record to prove it."

That just part of the glowing endorsement Tim Huelskamp received earlier today from former Presidential candidate (and winner of the Kansas GOP caucus I might add) Mike Huckabee.

There's only one reason these endorsements are being made this early: money. But as I look at what's happened so far, (Thompson, Blackwell, Huckabee) it's interesting to note that Huelskamp has sought well known Washington outsiders while Wasinger has gone after those that have spent their share of time in Washington. A very smart move.

Huckabee continued with what I would call the recurring theme voters will hear from now until August 2010:

I would not be supporting Tim if he were not 100 percent Pro-Life. Tim did not tell me he was pro-life, his record did. And let me assure you that whether you're talking about fighting for lower taxes, government transparency, or protecting the 2nd Amendment, Tim Huelskamp's conservative voting record is solid.

A record. Isn't that refreshing? And not a record to run from, but a record to run to.

I am committed to doing what I can to help make sure he can bring those Kansas values to Washington, DC -- because we all know we have enough Washington values already. I hope you will join me in the fight for conservative values and support Tim Huelskamp for Congress."

So, not only does Sen. Huelskamp have more cash on hand and more Kansas donations, but he now has more prominent national endorsements (whether verified or anonymous), and thus more momentum and a better plan of attack than Rob Wasinger.

And he's now the only candidate with an endorsement that will actually translate into votes come August. The massive turnout of Kansas Republicans to vote for Mike Huckabee even though John McCain had virtually locked up the nomination should not be overlooked.

And he has a great voting record to back it all up.

That's what I call a front runner.

More here and here and here.

You know, I just don't think I pay enough taxes

Sun Publications Steve Rose is a patriot. A Joe Biden patriot.

In a Wednesday editorial, Rose blamed the state's current fiscal crisis on tax cuts over the years. And not just the cuts from last year or the year before, but all tax cuts from, well, seemingly forever.

A friend who serves in the Legislature asked the state’s research team to figure out how much all the costs of all the tax cuts have totaled since 1995. The cumulative impact on Kansas, the study finds, is a loss of $7.6 billion in revenue during that period. We are now losing about $600 million a year from tax cuts.

Of course, Steve fails to mention the 0.4% hike in the state's sales tax the last time we spent way more than we had. Since Steve fails to mention the legislator who requested the study, or really anything else about the study, I have no idea if the $600 million figure includes reductions due to the extra revenue generated by the 2002 sales tax increase. And increases in cigarette taxes. And a 83% increase in property appraisals since 1997.

Of course there are others who would say we spend too much rather than we're taxed too little. AFP-Kansas Director Derrick Sontag noted, "had we restrained spending growth to five percent since 2004, we wouldn’t be facing this budget shortfall."

However, I have a solution that everyone, liberal or conservative, can support.

I encourage the legislature to pass a law allowing anyone to voluntarily increase their tax liability. No more waiting for politicians to act. No more pleading, begging for votes to increase taxes. You can just increase your own taxes!

It's great for everyone. Steve Rose, the Kansas Jackass and others who want higher taxes and more spending can do their patriotic part.

Of course, there's been some trouble lately with Democrats paying their taxes. Maybe that's why they want tax increases, because they'll never have to pay?

Nah, I'm sure when given the opportunity to contribute even more to the government, they'll jump on board.

And because I firmly believe in leading by example, anyone who voluntarily adds to their tax liability should get their name published on a government website so everyone can see what a joy it is to give money to the government. This, in turn, will encourage others to give.

And those of us who feel that spending increases of more than 5% year in and year out are bad... well... we can just pay our required taxes and be very unpatriotic.

Barker caught funneling campaign donations

Mary Clarkin from the Hutch News has another interesting article up about the funneling of funds by Tim Barker's parents.

The Barker for Kansas campaign report showing money raised and spent during 2008 revealed the campaign returned $1,840 apiece to the candidate's parents, Patrick and Ann Barker, Pratt, because their donations exceeded federal limits.

The problem appeared to be triggered by campaign donations given by three Barker family-related firms, Barker Brothers LLC, Greengroup Ethanol LLC and Greengroup LLC. The report showed those donations in turn were reattributed to family members, so the donations were not actually given by the companies but by the family.

A corporation cannot give a campaign donation from its treasury, but must have a separate segregated fund for such donations, according to Mary Brandenberger, spokeswoman for the Federal Election Commission.

Reassigning the companies' donations to family members put Barker's parents over the $2,300 individual limit in 2008 per election cycle, thus prompting the return of excess donations.

I'm unsure why a lawyer and businessman would not be aware of the restrictions on corporate donations to his campaign.

I've been pondering over the past few weeks if Democrats would actually get a candidate for the first. I really began to wonder if they wouldn't just be happy enough with Barker. I mean, he hasn't even been a "Republican" for a year. He has a 24 year old Democrat as his Treasurer. And I've noticed comments on liberal blogs that supported him (kind of.) One was even from Bordonaro, Moran's last "challenge" in the first.

I'd have to say now though, that they will either have to find a Steve Morris to run or an actual registered Democrat.

The article also covered the other guys in the race:

Most of Wasinger's donations came from outside Kansas, while Huelskamp drew on in-state contributors

Of course I've already pointed out that Wasinger was only able to raise 3.4% of all contributions from Kansas, with nothing from the first district. That's a very sad state of affairs, although not as juicy I guess as campaign donation fraud.

Is another move in Wasinger's future, or has it already happened?

Throughout the short campaign so far, Rob Wasinger has attempted to portray himself as a Kansan who was simply returning to his roots.

It's been a delicate balancing act because he still owns a nearly $1 million home in Virginia that he hasn't been able to unload. To further compound the situation, his wife had listed the home on her website, which was quickly noticed here in Kansas. As of today, the site has been taken down.

Further, just this past March, Wasinger signed off as a Catholic for McCain listing Virginia as his home state. All this combines to make it rather difficult for Wasinger to look like anything but a carpetbagger.

However, I discovered today that he may be even more "locationally challenged" than previously thought.

It began over a week ago when I got word that a house in Cottonwood Falls was to be renovated for, "a former Brownback staffer who has nine children." No question who they were talking about.

Campaign finance records filed January 30, 2009 indicated a travel expense reimbursement to Robert K. Wasinger. This was one of two expenditures in his report to addresses in Kansas even though earlier today he stated that all of his campaign funds would be spent in the first district.

The December 11 reimbursement lists 309 Oak Street in Cottonwood Falls for an address. I didn't quite understand why a Cottonwood Falls address would appear in his report. A voter registration search showed no voters registered at that address.

Today a repeat visit of his campaign filings showed an amended report from February 1, just two days after his quarter report. It was for a change of address to the same Cottonwood Falls address.

In a December 30 story in the Hutchinson News by Mary Clarkin, Wasinger claimed to be living in Hays with his Aunt. Why list your address on December 11 as Cottonwood Falls and then tell a reporter you live in Hays, only to change you address a month later back to Cottonwood Falls? Where exactly are you from Rob? Where exactly do you plan on living in a couple of months?

The Clarkin story also said that, "...he has bought a residence there and his wife and their nine children will relocate from Virginia." Why tell a reporter you live in Hays and bought a house in Hays and then change your address to Cottonwood Falls? Why all the lies?

I don't exactly understand all the deception, other than Secretary of State records show Rob has only voted in Kansas once this past November. He lists his aunt's Hays address on his voter registration record. Perhaps as the voter registration deadline neared for the November election the Wasinger family had been unable to buy a house in the district and thus he talked his aunt into loaning her address to avoid the embarrassment of being a candidate in a state where he'd never voted. This, of course, is just conjecture on my part because quite honestly I don't understand why you'd list multiple addresses or why you'd tell a reporter you're moving to Hays when you're not.

A friend in Cottonwood Falls took the above pictures. He has told me that the house at 309 Oak Street is currently vacant but has been gutted inside in what looks like preparation for a renovation.

A Register of Deeds records search will hopefully reveal more information, such as when the home was purchased.

KS-01...MSNBC of the big first

As I previously noted, there is a new blog about the first district race. I'm certainly glad to link to it, as they have done so for me.

If you haven't figured this out already, let me be clear: I support Tim Huelskamp for Congress. I write this blog in an effort to get the truth out about his positions and what he's done for Kansas as well as get the truth out about his opponents and why they are not the best choice for Kansas or conservatives.

KS-01 seems to be different however. They claim that they will be non-biased and informative rather than, well, I guess biased such as myself.

I'm sure I feel like many other conservatives about 'bias' in the media. It doesn't bother me that the media is biased, it bothers me that they pretend they're not. This is my problem with KS-01.

Everyone has an opinion. Everyone has a position. Everyone comes from somewhere and has beliefs that shape the way they view the world. What I'm saying is, everyone has some bias.

This is my gripe with the 'mainstream media.' I don't care that they lean left, it just irritates me that they pretend they don't. And really, to be honest, many of them probably really truly believe they are unbiased in their reporting. If all I read were righty blogs, that would soon become my middle ground and anything outside of that would seem slanted to me.

I believe the same is true of a large sector of the media, Kansas and national. They are surrounded all day by those who, for the most part, agree with what they think. Therefore their baseline naturally leans left and they are unable to admit or consider the possibility that they have been unfair in their reporting.

We have become a nation that seeks diversity at all costs, but external diversity. Diversity of thought is neither valued nor sought.

Ok, back off my soapbox now! I say this because KS-01 is neither unbiased nor objective.

Wasinger Gets Lots of Love at Kansas Days - While to our knowledge neither senator has officially endorsed Wasinger, it looks like the senior members of Kansas' Congressional delegation may be lining up behind Wasinger.

Huelskamp Fiddles While Topeka Burns? - In what can only be described as a bizarre attraction for Huelskamp, a single violinist moved about playing classical music at Huelskamp's event during Kansas Days on Friday. One wonders if these are good signs for our presumed front-runner.

I think it's great there's another blog out there. And it should only be natural for another campaign to organize someone to do what I'm doing here.

But for goodness sake, don't insult readers by pretending to be something your not! I find nothing more insulting than a TV anchor telling me what to think and then claiming they're 'objective.' KS-01 is no different. How insulting to readers to tell them you're unbiased and then write what is on there.

I personally don't understand what the problem is with having an opinion. When I post facts, they're facts, and my liking one candidate over another can't change them. When I reason through an argument, you can sit back and say, "You know, that makes sense," or say, "Wow, he's way off!"

I would take a reporter who is slanted but openly admits it over someone who claims to be objective but then only gives half the story anytime. And I find KS-01 to be no different in their choice of "reporting" than many major news networks.

Of course, you may disagree with me. But guess what? At least you know where I'm coming from!!!

Wasinger MIA at main conservative event

Apparently conservatives aren't as divided as everyone thought.

An email to hhkansas@gmail.com today said that Jerry Moran, Todd Tiahrt, Sam Brownback, and Tim Huelskamp were all in attendance at the KRA Banquet Friday night. Wasinger was no where to be found.

Well, here's the whole email:

Just thought you'd like to know Wasinger was no where to be found at the KRA Banquet last night. Moran, Tiahrt, Brownback and Huelskamp were there and spoke. Nearly everyone had a Huelskamp sticker on. It won't be official for a while, but nobody I saw had a Wasinger sticker and no one I talked to really even knew who he was. Also, when they called Moran to speak, he was out of the building. Whoops!

Also of note, it looks like the Wasinger campaign has found a blogger of their own. You can visit it at kansas01.blogspot.com if you haven't already found it from several anonymous comments left here promoting the site.

The latest story is that Wasinger got a lot of checks from Kansans at Kansas Days. Unfortunately, his campaign finance report tells a very different story.

Wasinger raises 3.4% from Kansas, nothing from 1st district - Huelskamp 95.6% from Kansas, 62% from 1st district

In what can only be described as expected, Rob Wasinger raised just under 3.4% of total itemized contributions from within Kansas.

What is somewhat unexpected is his inability to itemize a single contributor from within the district he hopes to represent.

As the charts above demonstrate, Huelskamp is the clear winner in raising funds where it matters.

A state to state analysis shows Virginia to be the #1 battleground for fund raising with the Wasinger campaign. Just over 25% of total itemized contributions come from Wasinger's current home state. Second is New York at 18.5% and "home" to our new Secretary of State and, I might add, one of the best carpetbaggers around. Third is Wasinger's old stomping ground and home to the first gay marriages performed in the US, Massachusetts. Just over 14% raised there.

Kansas came in #7 with a mere 3.4% of total itemized contributions. Three contributors accounted for the Kansas slice, two from the second congressional district and the third from Wichita.

It's rather inexplicable how a candidate for Congress is unable to find a single large donor from within his "home territory" while the frontrunner is able to gain over 60% of his itemized contributions from within his home district, and over 95% from within Kansas.

Huelskamp reported more un-itemized contributions than Wasinger. I can only speculate that the vast majority of those came from hard working Kansans who gave what they could while itemized reports would seem to indicate Wasinger's came from out-of-state.

Barker raised just over $26,000 and only has $2,200 on hand, which combined with his business in bankruptcy and poor personal voting record, effectively eliminates him from the race.

It's also interesting to note that with all the star power Wasinger supposedly has that he was only able to raise $26,000 more than Huelskamp by going nearly exclusively to old friends in Virginia, New York and Massachusetts. Meanwhile Huelskamp stayed competitive with over 95% of contributions from Kansas.

It seems voters in the first district are voting with their wallets so far. It will be interesting to see if Washington insider cash will influence decision makers here in Kansas in the coming months. With the connections Wasinger has, it's certainly surprising he wasn't able to raise twice as much.

On the other hand, the numbers highlight the most difficult problem for the Wasinger campaign... they just don't know anybody in the first district.

It's official, Washington insiders think Kansans should vote for Wasinger

Can somebody send Wassy a memo...if you want to win an election in Kansas, it really helps if you know people, well, who are in Kansas.

Of course, I'm referring to the Fred Thompson endorsement Wasinger has posted on his website. It's supposed to be a big deal I guess (heck, I like Fred as much as the next guy, even though he has about as much liveliness as my 90 year old grandmother on a Monday night). But, I'm still waiting for somebody who's at least been to Kansas to come out and say they support Wasinger.

Is it too much to ask that the guy get local support? Is it that hard for you Rob?

Look, we all know you've been in Washington for years. We're aware you know the good ol' boy network. We know you're in good with people that have never been to Kansas and have no plans to ever come here. But at some point man, you're gonna have to come to Kansas and meet the people who actually live in the district you want to represent.

I understand this can be hard. After all, it was just back in March that you were on the steering committee for 'Mr. Moderate' John McCain's campaign to win the catholic vote.

Oh, and what local did Wassy list as his home? Was it Hays? Not! Virginia, of course!!!

But really, I'm just enthralled at you're ability to get people who endorsed Sam Brownback for President to endorse you for Congress (except Fred because, well, Rob had already run the Brownback ship ashore before Fred finally called it quits.)

Oh wait, what's that? People who endorsed Brownback are now endorsing the guy who ran his campaign? Gee, isn't that neat? Should we all be impressed you know how to use a Rolodex and welsh off your old boss?

Or rather, maybe the question should be why haven't other Brownback supporters made similar endorsements? Like Michael W. Smith, Tom Managhan and Stephen Baldwin? Or should we ask why King removed her support? Or why none of these "endorsements" can be found on your website?

Here, I'll help you out with a new campaign slogan:

Wassinger
The DC insider that Washington elites think Kansans should vote for.

FEC reports are due tomorrow. Can't wait to see how much of that $100,000 plus Wasinger claims to have raised came from within Kansas.

I can't take it anymore...Why Barker will never win a primary

I simply can't take it anymore. Even though the batty Barker people have decided to stop their illogical posting about how wonderful he is, I've pretty much decided that the real reason he doesn't have a chance needs to come out.

Simply put... Republican primary voters won't vote for a guy who's never gone to the trouble of voting in a primary election himself.

That's right my friend, Mr. Tim "Think I'll run for Congress today" Barker has never voted in a primary election, Democrat, Republican or otherwise.

Of course, it would have been very difficult for him to vote in a Republican primary election since he just changed his registration from Democrat to Republican on August 15, a couple weeks after our most recent primary.

Still, there were competitive races among Democrats, like Jones and professional lobbyist Jim Slattery for who would get beat down by Pat Roberts. I guess Tim just didn't care...

Is it too much to ask that the guy who wants to represent Kansans in Congress bother to vote himself? He's 30 years old, it's not like he hasn't had the opportunity to get it done. According to the Secretary of State's website, he's even figured the last two times (of four???) that he can vote absentee. Why couldn't you get it done this August Tim?

Primary voters are the most reliable kind of voter. They believe it's a responsibility to vote, not just a right. They tend to come from the ends of the political spectrum versus the "middle."

Further, only Republicans can vote in the primary for Republican candidates so things didn't look too good for Barker to begin with. Tell them the guy they may be casting their vote for has never bothered to vote in a primary election himself... well... I don't think they'll look kindly on the situation.

So whine on batty Barker people. Say what you want, but when it comes down to it, Republican primary voters simply won't vote for a guy who doesn't care enough to vote in a primary himself!

Concerned Women of America PAC goes with Huelskamp

When it comes to tangible pro-life endorsements that translate into votes rather than anonymous blog comments, Tim Huelskamp seems to be way ahead (although he gets a lot of anonymous comments too.)

Concerned Women of America PAC today endorsed Tim Huelskamp for Congress over Rob Wasinger of Virginia/Washington/Boston..........and Hays (kind of sort of not really), and no name "Think I'll run for Congress today" Tim Barker.

Now, for Wasinger supporter(s) [in parenthesis because I'm not quite sure there's more than one yet], this is what a real endorsement looks like:

"Tim was already well known to Concerned Women PAC long before he decided to run for Congress. Not only has Senator Huelskamp been a solid vote on pro-life and pro-family issues, he has been a leader," said Beverly LaHaye, Founder and Chairman of Concerned Women PAC.

Unlike with individuals, there's more that figures into an endorsement than just knowing a guy when organizations are concerned.

They look at, oh, I don't know, a voting record, which no other candidate has in this race. They look at leadership...not the "behind the scenes have nothing to loose" kind of leadership, but the up front, in the public eye, actually accomplished something kind of leadership that, again, no other candidate has in this race besides frontrunner Tim Huelskamp.

LaHaye continued:

"This is exactly the type of candidate we look for; Tim's a proven legislator who led the effort to pass a marriage amendment in his state, and has shown time and time again that he will do whatever it takes to protect the unborn. What touched my heart the most about Tim however was his personal story. He has lived in the first district all his life, as a farmer, a legislator and a good husband to his wife Angela and four adopted children. I couldn't be more pleased to endorse Tim Huelskamp for Congress."

So while it's interesting to read individual testimonials posted here anonymously from people who have never been to Kansas, not gonna come to Kansas and probably wouldn't even like to look at photographs of Kansas, it's really more pertinent and refreshing to hear that the organizations and people who will actually influence voters in the first district have already decided who has the record and leadership capabilities to get their support.

You can read the full press release below.

Washington, D.C. - Concerned Women Political Action Committee (CWPAC) announced its endorsement of Kansas State Senator Tim Huelskamp in his campaign for Congress in Kansas First District.

Concerned Women PAC is affiliated with Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, the nation's largest public policy women's organization with more than 500,000 grassroots members nationwide.

The First Congressional district became an open seat when current Congressman Jerry Moran announced he would be running for the U.S. Senate in 2010 for the open seat created by pro-life Senator Sam Brownback, who is running for Governor.

"Tim was already well known to Concerned Women PAC long before he decided to run for Congress. Not only has Senator Huelskamp been a solid vote on pro-life and pro-family issues, he has been a leader," said Beverly LaHaye, Founder and Chairman of Concerned Women PAC. "This is exactly the type of candidate we look for; Tim's a proven legislator who led the effort to pass a marriage amendment in his state, and has shown time and time again that he will do whatever it takes to protect the unborn. What touched my heart the most about Tim however was his personal story. He has lived in the first district all his life, as a farmer, a legislator and a good husband to his wife Angela and four adopted children. I couldn't be more pleased to endorse Tim Huelskamp for Congress."

Concerned Women Political Action Committee was started in 2002 to help elect solid pro-family, pro-life conservatives to Congress. Concerned Women PAC sends out a monthly letter to members encouraging them to financially support candidates like Kansas State Senator Tim Huelskamp. For more information on this race, please contact Mike Mears at 202-408-4941.

Hutch News nails Wasinger, Barker

I couldn't help but laugh out loud as I scanned the headline.

"Pair vying for Moran seat must boost ties" the headline proclaimed.

Uhhh, yea think McFly?

Well, apparently one out of the "pair" doesn't.

Wasinger pointed out that Kansas has a history of sending people to Congress who have gained experience on Capitol Hill and then have run for office. He cited the example of U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan, who was an aide before representing the 1st Congressional District.

Okay, wait, just hold up a second. So, Rob, you're telling me that Pat Roberts played musical chairs with his voter registration right up to the time he filed to run for office? And that voters were okay with that?

How about we try putting some truth on, hmmmm? I know that'd be a change for you. Roberts has always been a life long Kansan and traveled back whenever possible.

Now, let's take a look at you. You've traveled back long enough to register to vote in Hays, at your aunt's house, who, by the way, just happens to be a Democrat. But you didn't bother to bring along your wife and nine kids?

I've always been told home is where the heart is. Is your heart in Washington Rob or in Kansas? Or is it in Kansas just long enough to get a meal ticket back to Washington where it'll reside permanently?

As much as I enjoyed that, I think my favorite part was this:

Barker, 30, of Pratt, was a registered Democrat before switching parties on Aug. 15, four months before his campaign filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.

Oh come on. Is this guy serious? Sometimes I look at politicians and wonder if they just woke up one day and said, "You know, I think I'll run for office!" But I actually think that's what this guy did!

Okay, okay, to be fair, the guy saw the light and became a Republican. I've got to give him credit for that. But to then turn around and decide to run for Congress in the big first district? Oh come on! And as much as it blew me away that a reporter actually did Research (with a capital R), the guy got off easy. (More on that later.)

Let's face it, in a general election, being a Republican isn't going to win you the election. But in a primary? Well, it does help a little.

And before Wasinger and Barker start whining, let's point out that Huelskamp got mentioned once, at the very end, with nothing about his ties to Kansas (which when compared to Wasinger and Barker would be like comparing the "M" volume of the encyclopedia to a Dr. Seuss book.)

562 days til primary election day. I can't wait!

Wasinger takes a bow?

Dirt Diver, a relatively new Kansas blog, has a short rumor posted that Rob Wasinger is considering greener pastures already after not getting much traction against frontrunner Tim Huelskamp.

Apparently Wasinger doesn't agree. He most vividly signed his name to a comment where he called the author an "idiot" then followed up by suggesting he was working for Huelskamp.

You mean like how the now defunct Kansas Republican blog hounded Huelskamp for nothing time after time? Because you weren't behind that, were you Wasinger?

I have to question any candidate for Congress who would use such language, even in the online realm against an anonymous person. Not to mention it's probably true.

Wasinger has not gotten any traction and won't as the election nears because everyone is asking themselves, "Why vote for an unknown with no voting record when I can vote for the real deal with 12 years of history standing for conservative values?"

That's why Wasinger is in trouble.

To add a little fuel to the fire, it seems Wasinger has played 'musical campaign' before. A 2001 IRS 8871 form shows a 527 political organization formed with the name "Wasinger for Treasurer." I guess Rob wanted the Treasurer's spot just a few years ago.

Too bad for Rob that it never went anywhere. The 527 formed but no donations were ever reported. Now, it could be he took the money and ran, but after his faltering in the KS-01 race, it seems more likely nobody wanted to fork over any cash.

What is more concerning is that a Marilyn Wasinger is listed as Secretary and gives a Hays address for contact information. But voter registration records show the Marilyn Wasinger at that Hays address is a registered Democrat and most recently voted in the August 2008 primary.

It's one thing to be a Democrat, but when you vote in the primary...man...you are a DE-MO-CRAT!

I'm sure that Rob and Marilyn are related, which explains why Rob has a Democrat taking care of his money (or lack thereof.)

But if you want to run on a conservative platform in the big First District, wouldn't it seem appropriate to have, say, I don't know, a REPUBLICAN be your 527 treasurer rather than, you know, a DEMOCRAT?

It's clear what has happened here. Back in '01, Rob thought there would be an open Treasurer's spot and got all hyped up and formed a 527. But back then, it wasn't so hip to be conservative. So, having a Democrat as treasurer wasn't something to question.

But now it's 2009 and conservatives are getting ready to clean up. And if Rob wants to have a job after Brownback wins the governor's race, he's got to move quite a bit to the right.

Again, this is why Huelskamp will get the nod. Why waste time with a guy who just talks when I can vote for a guy that's walked the walk for 12 years?