The earth moves in Kansas

There has been a fundamental shift in tectonic plates of the Republican Party, moving a staid party that has been willing to go along to get along on tax and spending issues into one that is fundamentally more principled, more firm, more demanding on tax and spending issues.  This change has been driven by a robust, intelligent, activist, determined GOP electorate no longer content with the status quo.

We saw it in Cincinnati with the decisive defeat of status quo (and corrupt) politician Congressman Jean Schmidt.  We saw it with the resounding defeat of Ohio GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine.  We saw it in neighboring Indiana with the lop-sided primary win of Richard Mourdock over 36-year Senator Dick Lugar.  We saw it in Texas with the primary win of insurgent Ted Cruz for U.S. Senate over the Lt. Governor. 

But the biggest news of this election year comes to us from elections for the Kansas state legislature where a week ago today voters ousted -- read this carefully -- 20 incumbents in the GOP state house primary.  20.  They removed nine Republicans from the State Senate alone, including the 20-year incumbent President of the Kansas Senate.

These changes in the 2010 and 2012 election cycle are not an aberration, outliers that can be explained away one at a time.  They are part of a national trend expressing utter disgust at the GOP establishment that has sold out our principles and our soul.  They have engaged in pay-to-play with the lobbyists and special interests, forgetting why the GOP electorate put them there to begin with.

We share with you today's e-mail blast from the Campaign for Primary Accountability, our absolutely favorite SuperPAC this election cycle:

Last Tuesday night, something groundbreaking happened.

Voters in Kansas took to the polls during their primary, and voted 20 sitting members of their state legislature out of office. This represents a blowout of historic importance, because prior to last week’s election, the record was held by Rhode Island voters, who in 2010, voted 10 members of their state legislature out in a primary. Voters in Kansas doubled that number!

And the icing on the cake? One of the incumbents to fall was the Senate president, Steve Morris, a 20-year incumbent. His history highlights the huge importance of primary elections. He was reelected in 2008 with 18,215 votes, which was 100% of the vote.  He was operating under the illusion that he was popular. But when voters in his heavily Republican district were offered a choice from within their own party, they ousted him by 334 votes. 


This reinforces our major message:  Primary elections are the place where voters have the most leverage to hold politicians accountable.

We're proud of the activists in Kansas who decided that enough was enough, and used the leverage of primary elections to hold incumbents accountable. If serious challengers run in primaries, no incumbent is safe from the wrath of an educated, mobilized populace.

Please help us continue to educate voters about the power of primaries with a small donation of just $10 or $20 today. Every dollar counts in this important effort to empower Americans who feel trapped in an unrepresentative system.

You and I understand that voting in low turnout primaries yields victories for the voters - please help us continue spreading this proven method to Americans everywhere who feel the deck is stacked against them, and there's nothing they can do. While I sympathize with their frustration, I want to empower them, and I know you do too.


Regards,



Eric O’Keefe

Co-Chairman

Campaign For Primary Accountability
www.c4pa.org


PS: Ballotpedia has been keeping track of how many state legislative incumbents are losing in primaries this cycle. After last night, the total is up to a record 134. I suggest you follow their research on this matter, and share it with your networks.

The message from all of this, ladies and gentlemen, is that we don't have to sit back and take it.  Not from our most revered, long-serving elected officials, or from newbies.  We can seize control from those in power -- GOP or Democrat -- and have them do the will of the people to bring down spending, lower debt and reduce taxes.

Please spread the word, because the first step to effectuating change, is demanding it.

This page from Ballotopedia.org (still needs to be updated) gives the box score for this dramatic and unprecedented election:  9 GOP Senators, and now 11 House members -- at least 8 Republicans, unceremoniously hoisted on their petards by the voters.

It brings a glow to COASTers nationwide just to think about it!