The Kenig Konnection

• Call These Senators Now!

  The Senate is set to vote on Healthcare this Saturday night--when no one is paying attention (convenient, right?). Contact these senators NOW, no matter what state you're from--their votes will impact all of us, from California to Maine, from North Dakota to Texas.
  
  

  If you live in the' [...]

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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 3:38pm EST
  

• Healthcare Protest: A Faceoff in Shawnee

  MoveOn.org and Kansas Democrats organized a protest outside Shawnee City Hall this past Saturday morning to protest against the "Healthcare Freedom Amendment" proposed by state Sen. Mary Pilcher Cook (R-Shawnee), which would allow Kansas to opt out of any Federal takeover of healthcare and preserve the right of Kansans to [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 10:26pm EST
  

• A Republican Resurgence in Suburban America; Dems lose newfound hold on nation's suburbs

  Tuesday's elections proved that the GOP is on a major comeback and the party is vibrant and alive. The results of the NY-23 congressional race notwithstanding (the drama that occurred with the nomination of a liberal Republican, the entry of a Conservative Party challenger, and the Republican suspending her campaign' [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2009, 11:04pm EST
  

• Election Day 2009: An Obama Referendum and Republican Resurgence?

  In three states tomorrow, voters will head to the polls to and vote in off-year elections viewed to be a referendum on Obama's policies in the first 10 months of his presidency. The elections in Virginia and New Jersey, where voters will elect new legislators to their statehouses and choose' [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 9:43pm EST
  

• BREAKING: Ethics investigation, scandal involving several congressmen, including Tiahrt

  The Politico and The Washington Post are breaking a major story--the Department of Justice and the house ethics committee are investigating whether a former Appropriations Committee staffer and employee of PMA (a prominent consulting/lobbying firm) used "straw man donors" to improperly funnel money to members on the house [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 1:47pm EDT
  

• Ed Eilert to speak to JoCo Young Republicans

  The Johnson County Young Republicans will be meeting this Wednesday, Oct 7th at 7 pm at Old Chicago at 119th and Metcalf. Former Overland Park Mayor and current Johnson County Commissioner Ed Eilert will be their guest speaker. Eilert is running for JoCo Commission Chairman against current incumbent Annabeth Surbaugh [...]
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  Posted: October 06, 2009, 8:07am EDT
  

• Gallup Poll: Government doing too much to solve our problems

  57 percent of Americans, the highest number in more than a decade, think the government is doing too much to solve our problems--becoming involved in actions that should be left to individuals and businesses. 45 percent believe there is excess government regulation of businesses. A majority of Independents share these [...]
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  Posted: September 22, 2009, 1:17pm EDT
  

• Upcoming Political Events...

  
  Townhall with Sen. Sam Brownback
  Sen. Sam Brownback, the next governor of Kansas, will be holding a townhall at Mid-America Nazarene University in Olathe this Monday, Sept. 21st from 6-7 pm at the Bell Cultural Events Center (2030 E. College Way). Brownback will discuss healthcare [...]
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  Posted: September 21, 2009, 2:21pm EDT
  

• House votes to defund ACORN; Cleaver backs sex-trafficking enablers

  Ever since young journalists Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe went undercover and did the type of seasoned, investigative reporting that the mainstream media no longer does, we have learned that not only is ACORN shady and corrupt in their voter registration practices, they also encourage tax fraud, prostitution, and sex' [...]
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  Posted: September 17, 2009, 2:36pm EDT
  

• 9.11.01: We Will Never Forget

  
  As we remember the lives lost and sacrifices made on this tragic day, let us not forget the ongoing, persistent threat of Islamic terrorism against U.S. and Western interests around the world.
  Our government, to their credit, has thwarted at least 21 large-scale terror [...]
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  Posted: September 11, 2009, 8:51am EDT
  

• Two Events This Thursday

  Rep. Jerry Moran, 2010 candidate for U.S. Senate, will be the guest speaker of the Johnson County Young Republicans at a special meeting this Thursday.
  
  Date: Thursday, Aug. 27th
  
  Time: 7:30 pm
  
  Place: the new Johnson County GOP headquarters (JCRP) at 12663 Metcalf in Overland Park (127th [...]
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  Posted: August 26, 2009, 11:06pm EDT
  

• BREAKING NEWS: White House predicts $9 trillion deficit

  That's $9,000,000,000,000 over the next 10 years--more than the sum of all previous deficits since America's founding. The White House also says that our debt will encompass 75 percent of our entire economy by the decade's end.
  
  Yet the president continues to spend money on a stimulus of' [...]
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  Posted: August 25, 2009, 8:19pm EDT
  

• Patricia Lightner for U.S. Congress

  
  Former state rep. Patricia Lightner has hit the ground running in her campaign to oust liberal representative-in-name-only Dennis Moore and return a Republican to congress from the 3rd District. She's launched an introductory video and website, and she's on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
  

  Check [...]

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  Posted: August 20, 2009, 2:16pm EDT
  

• Battle for the 3rd District

  Dennis Moore's unquestionable support for socialized medicine and his refusal to engage constituents in a town hall format (due to some perceived "death threats") are causing angst and anger throughout the 3rd District. There is solid evidence that Moore could be very vulnerable in 2010, this year, for the first' [...]
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  Posted: August 20, 2009, 2:04pm EDT
  

• TONIGHT: State Senator Mary Pilcher Cook with special guest U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback

  [...]
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  Posted: August 10, 2009, 12:57pm EDT
  

• 3rd District Republican candidates for congress to speak at JoCo Young Republicans meeting

  Join the Johnson County Young Republicans this Wednesday, August 5th at 7 pm at Old Chicago (119th and Metcalf) as they welcome two Republican candidates planning to take on embattled, unpopular incumbent Democrat Dennis Moore. Two declared Republican candidates running for the 3rd District congressional seat in 2010 currently held [...]
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  Posted: August 05, 2009, 12:00am EDT
  

• Happy 4th of July!

  

  
  
  

  Amid the fireworks, food, and family fun, let's reflect and remember that what we are celebrating: that we are the most free, most democratic, most open society and country on earth. This country and system of government did not happen by accident--the vision and' [...]
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  Posted: July 04, 2009, 2:49am EDT
  

• BREAKING News: Sarah Palin Resigns as AK Governor

  Lt. Governor Sean Parnell will take office later this month. Palin resigned before finishing her term; shocking the political establishment, and gave no indication of her future plans except to successfully outline her administration's accomplishments while stating that she wanted the state to get back to business and she was' [...]
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  Posted: July 03, 2009, 5:41pm EDT
  

• Tax and Trade: a vote to destroy the American economy

  Cap-and-Trade (which I call Tax and Trade, since that is what the bill really does) passed the House yesterday evening by only 7 votes. Eight misguided and ignorant Republicans joined the 83 percent of House Democrats in supporting the bill. 44 Democrats joined 95 percent of House Republicans in opposing [...]
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  Posted: June 27, 2009, 8:25pm EDT
  

• News Highlights...

  I've been extremely busy lately, so not much time right now, but here are some points to ponder:
  
  Obama's approval is down to 57 percent acc. to Gallup, which has always had his approval rating higher than other polls. Rasmussen (the only pollster to accurately poll the percentage outcome [...]
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  Posted: June 22, 2009, 12:39am EDT
  

• Jerry Moran's Johnson County Townhall

  
  [...]
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  Posted: June 05, 2009, 1:53pm EDT
  

• Sen. Reid: Sotomayer's judicial record does not matter--no plans to read any of her past decisions

  It's bad enough when our representatives in Washington assume we do not care how much they are spending or insult our intelligence by wasting time on the taxpayer's dime by calling in a speed-reader in an apparent mocking gesture and insult to the vast majority of Americans who naively [...]
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  Posted: June 03, 2009, 12:09am EDT
  

• Presidential Positioning

  Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced today he will not run for re-election to a third term as Governor of Minnesota, fueling speculation that he's setting up a presidential run for 2012.
  
  Coincidentally, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) was making the rounds in Sioux City, Iowa today, greeting voters. Ensign' [...]
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  Posted: June 03, 2009, 11:31pm EDT
  

• Gov. Parksinson denies military easy access to ballots

  We here at the Konnection have been pleased with Gov. Parksinson so far. He demononstrated the type of bipartisan, centrist decision-making we so admire when he compromised to allow for the building of a coal-fired plant in Holcomb, a welcome development that enables our state to move forward with a [...]
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  Posted: May 22, 2009, 6:28pm EDT
  

• Elephant Club Luncheon Tuesday, May 19th

  The Johnson County Elephant Club has their first event scheduled for this Tuesday, May 19th. The Elephant Club. The primary purpose is to provide an opportunity for members of the Johnson County Republican Party to become more fully informed on issues facing our elected officials [...]
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  Posted: May 18, 2009, 12:12pm EDT
  

• A Republican Resurgence in Alexandria?

  OK, I must take a break from KC Metro/Kansas/Missouri politics to comment on recent developments in Northern Virginia. Since I lived in D.C. for six months while interning for Sen. Brownback, I developed an extensive knowledge of the Capitol region and really love it, despite it's liberal politics--and I still' [...]
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  Posted: May 15, 2009, 8:57pm EDT
  

• More Americans pro-life rather than pro-choice

  For the first time in more than 15 years of polling, more Americans self-identify as pro-life (51 percent) over pro-choice (42 percent), according to Gallup. Almost an equal number oppose abortion in all circumstances as those who support abortion in all circumstances, with the vast majority in the middle, [...]
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  Posted: May 15, 2009, 8:30pm EDT
  

• Rep. Lynn Jenkins delivers the weekly Republican address...

  Kansas' own Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins was chosen to give the weekly Republican radio address, commenting on spending, taxes, President Obama's first 100 days, and Republican solutions to curb spending, create jobs, and control the debt.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: May 05, 2009, 10:55am EDT
  

• Poll: Sebelius unpopular with majority of Kansans...

  Probably due to a combination of issues: her opposition to the coal plants, inability to compromise with the legislature on a variety of issues, her inability to lead on the state budget debacle, her focus on finding a job in Washington, and her long absences away from Kansas during the [...]
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  Posted: May 05, 2009, 10:48am EDT
  

• Jack Kemp, RIP

  
  A conservative legend passed away yesterday. The Hon. Jack Kemp, a celebrated football player, and New York congressman of 18 years, was an instrumental player in the Reagan Revolution and one of the co-sponsors of the Reagan tax cuts, which brought a close to the [...]
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  Posted: May 03, 2009, 10:17pm EDT
  

• Who will Mark Parkinson pick as Lt. Governor? Probably not a Democrat who likened Tea Party protesters to Nazis

  
  Mark Parksinson was sworn in yesterday as the 45th governor of Kansas. Now, speculation swirls as to who he will pick as Lt. Governor, although the bench is relatively thin now without Mr. Morrison, and the choice will make little difference in next year's gubernatorial' [...]
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  Posted: April 30, 2009, 2:04am EDT
  

• Latest Polling: Americans may vote for a check in 2010 on Democratic power

  Rasmussen's new polling on the generic congressional ballot finds that 41 percent of Americans would vote for their district's Republican candidate while 38 percent would support the Democratic candidate. Republicans trailed in this poll for the better part of last year and only recently have started to tie or [...]
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  Posted: April 30, 2009, 1:33am EDT
  

• GOP leads on several issues, closes the gap on others

  
  The recent Rasmussen survey on partisan trust on major U.S. policy issues provides some surprising insight and demonstrates that the GOP has narrowed its credibility gap with the Democrats substantially on several issues. Shockingly, on the issue of the economy, where the Dems held [...]
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  Posted: April 23, 2009, 6:35pm EDT
  

• Obama's approval drops to 56 percent

  And the percentage of Americans who disapprove is at an all-time high, 44 percent, according to Rasmussen. [...]
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  Posted: April 23, 2009, 6:33pm EDT
  

• Wasinger announces campaign leadership team...

  Wasinger Announces Leadership Team
  Business and community leaders
  across Big First to lead team
  
  COTTONWOOD FALLS -- Today, Rob Wasinger announced 14 members of his Kansans for Wasinger Leadership Team, led by Co-Chairs Dick Friedeman and Bill Halvorsen.
  The Kansans for Wasinger Leadership [...]
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  Posted: April 21, 2009, 1:08am EDT
  

• Taxed Enough Already--Tea Party Day!

  
  Grassroots "Tea Parties" to protest the exploding national debt, runaway, wasteful spending, never-ending corporate bailouts, and rising taxation are being held across the nation this April 15th-Tax Day, with over 2,000 tea parties planned across the country.
  Check out this link to view a map [...]
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  Posted: April 14, 2009, 6:45pm EDT
  

• Guest Post by Rob Wasinger, Candidate for U.S. Congress, 1st District of KS

  The Konnection is pleased to publish the following guest post by Rob Wasinger, congressional candidate for Kansas' 1st congressional district, which will be vacated by longtime Rep. Jerry Moran, who is running for Sam Brownback's senate seat. So far, Mr. Wasinger faces Tim Huelskamp, Tim Barker, and Sue Boldra in [...]
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  Posted: April 01, 2009, 10:13pm EDT
  

• Q and A with John Kanaga, candidate for JCCC Trustee

  The Konnection recently interviewed John Kanaga, candidate for Johnson County Community College Board of Trustees in the April 7th election. Kanaga is one of 10 candidates seeking a position on the 6-member board which oversees policy and budget for the community college. You can find out more about Kanaga's candidacy' [...]
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  Posted: April 01, 2009, 1:34am EDT
  

• Kathleen Sebelius--Tax Cheat #5

  
  Now, we have the 5th Obama nominee who owes back taxes--and it's none other than my home state governor, Kathleen Sebelius, who has now managed to further embarrass the great state of Kansas before a national audience. According to CNN, Sebelius revealed "unintentional errors" on' [...]
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  Posted: April 01, 2009, 1:01am EDT
  

• April 7th Elections

  In just one week, Johnson County residents will be voting in local municipal races for mayor and city council, as well as school board, water board, and countywide races for Johnson County Community College. These low-turnout, low-intensity races have not generated much buzz, but they could have profound implications for [...]
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  Posted: March 30, 2009, 6:06pm EDT
  

• Off-year elections show encouraging signs for the GOP

  Republicans won the three federal elections held in 2008 after Obama's November landslide win (Chambliss was re-elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia, and Republicans won two house contests in Louisiana, including Louisiana's most Democratic district, the New Orleans-based 2nd congressional district, which has not been represented by a Republican [...]
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  Posted: March 27, 2009, 3:41pm EDT
  

• Special U.S.-British relationship in jeopardy

  Obama the candidate promised to restore American diplomacy and our international standing around the world, yet in his first few months in office, his administration managed to singlehandedly botch the century-intact Anglo-American relationship with our staunch ally, Great Britain. The first blow: Obama announced in January he was returning the [...]
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  Posted: March 17, 2009, 1:55am EDT
  

• Who says money doesn't grow on trees?

  After giving us the largest spending bill in American history, Obama and congressional Democrats are not done yet. While the Democrats were quick to remove funding for the D.C voucher program, depriving thousands of D.C. students a quality education and putting their futures at risk, they found time to insert [...]
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  Posted: March 17, 2009, 12:33am EDT
  

• Here Comes Obama Tax Cheat #4

  OK, this is beyond ridiculous and is just insulting. Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, nominated by Obama for U.S. trade representative, owes $10,000 in back taxes and becomes the 4th Obama nominee in a slew of appointments to fail to pay their fair share to the government (I'm sure' [...]
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  Posted: March 03, 2009, 3:15pm EST
  

• KC Tea Party/Bailout Protest

  Come protest against the Obama Administration's trillion dollar boondoggle of a spending package at the KC Tea Party this Saturday, Feb. 28th from 10 am to 12 noon at J.C. Nichols Fountain (47th and J.C. Nichols Parkway). Protesters will be walking 1 mile to Sen. Claire McCaskill's KC office at [...]
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  Posted: February 27, 2009, 1:14pm EST
  

• The Konnection Recaps Kansas Days for NewMajority.com

  
  
  I recently summarized the activities at "Kansas Days," the annual state Republican convention and celebration of Kansas statehood and was pleased to have my article published on NewMajority.com, a new website run by David Frum dedicated to reform and renewal of the Republican Party and [...]
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  Posted: February 10, 2009, 2:03am EST
  

• BREAKING NEWS: Michael Steele elected the new RNC chair

  Former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele was elected chair of the RNC today with 91 votes. The Konnection is pleased with the choice of Steele, who brings youth, vision, and innovative ideas to revitalize a struggling party. We trust that with Steele as RNC chair, he will be a much [...]
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  Posted: January 30, 2009, 3:22pm EST
  

• Upcoming Elections: Obama-mentum or GOP-led Comeback?

  Only a few states have off-year, odd-numbered year elections and these races can often provide insight or a glimpse at trends. While Republicans have been demoralized with Obama’s large win and the Democratic stranglehold on both houses of congress, they can take comfort in the fact that they have won [...]
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  Posted: January 22, 2009, 2:04pm EST
  

• Terror Targets: New York, D.C....and Kansas?

  Several months have passed since the media and political pundits began pondering the ramifications of Obama’s campaign promise to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, and as politicians and media speculated on potential domestic sites for the terrorist prison here in the U.S., it became obvious that the Obama administration [...]
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  Posted: January 17, 2009, 2:27am EST
  

• The New Democratic Culture of Corruption

  As the media fawns on the Obamas' new puppy and gushes over Obama's fit figure as he struts on the Hawaiian beaches, Democratic corruption, incompetence, and entitlement makes the news on the mainland:
  

  • Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, already the subject of over a dozen federal investigations for illegally awarding state [...]
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  Posted: January 05, 2009, 10:25pm EST