$4.9 Million Raised to Date in KS-02 Race

In what will end up one of the most expensive congressional races in the United States of America, the three main candidates for the Kansas 2nd seat in Congress have raised a combined total of more than $4.9 million.

Overall, candidates in the race have raised a stratospheric $4.9 million, nearly three times the total spent in the 2006 election and ranking it with some of the nation's most expensive contests.

Surprisingly, it is former Congressman Jim Ryun, who lost in the August primary and isn't on the November ballot, who has raised $1.9 million so far, the most of anyone in the race.

Boyda, the freshman Democratic representative, has raised $1.5 million since the beginning of the election cycle.

Jenkins, the Republican state treasurer, brought in $1.4 million, which included $100,000 she loaned her campaign.

That's a huge, huge number from each candidate- particularly from Ryun.

Lots of ink has been spilled over the fact Lynn Jenkins managed an extraordinary take in the last quarter- it was impressive for sure. We can't, however, stress enough that she had no choice but to raise a ridiculous amount after spending nearly every cent she had to beat Jim Ryun in the primary just two months ago and- and this is very important- if it hadn't been for the fundraiser President George W. Bush was supposed to attend for her that ended up being with First Lady Laura Bush Jenkins would have raised less money than Boyda did.

'Course, none of this matters- Boyda's still got more money to spend, and Jenkins' support from the NRCC has gone up in smoke. Not a fun time to be Lynn Jenkins.

Boyda's FEC Shows Cash-on-Hand Lead

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda:

Beginning of Period: $890,452.80
Raised: $302,292.85
Disbursements: $570,414.76
Cash-on-Hand: $622,330.89

Itemized Contributions: $141,749
Unitemized Contributions: $41,711.08
PAC Contributions: $112,060.80
Other: $6,411.94

A much better number for Boyda when it comes to small dollar donations. While we aren't done with our full breakdown of both reports, it looks like both woman got the vast majority of their donations from Kansas. It also looks like that without her would-be fundraiser with President George W. Bush, Lynn Jenkins fundraising for the quarter would have been cut in about half- more on that later!

Oh, one other point- the very, very most important point going into the home stretch: Congresswoman Nancy Boyda still has more cash on hand than Lynn Jenkins, which means she's got more in the bank to use to get her message out in these last critical weeks.

Also, can we say one other thing: Jenkins raised a fabulous amount, that is undeniable, but that comes at a cost to both her campaign and the voters of Kansas. To raise this money, she scheduled a fundraiser with one of the least popular presidents in American history- and got hundreds of thousands of dollars from people who wanted to come and see him and who would, one would expect, like to see his policies continued.

The other problems is, in order to raise to much cash, Lynn Jenkins would have had to locked herself in a small, dark room with a telephone and a computer and made fundraising phone calls for hours upon hours. While that's certainly just part of the game, it prevented her from talking to voters, and from doing the job she currently has (which has been evidenced in recent days with more revelations she's ignoring her duties at the treasurer's office). It's a trade off- she did the only thing she could do to stay even kind of viable in her race, but tied herself to a deeply unpopular president and his deeply unpopular policies, and she ignored her current jobs and the voters of the 2nd District.

We'll see if it pays off in the end.

Sarah Palin in for Lynn Jenkins?

Republicans have been known to pull out all the stops in order to try and prop up failing candidates (see Jim Ryun's last minute visit from George W. Bush in 2006), though those last ditch efforts almost always end up doing more harm than good (again, George W. Bush in for Jim Ryun in 2006).

Today, the Kansas Republican Party faces another sagging candidate who is in desperate need of some kind of, you know, umph!, to get her across the finish line.

In swoops the polar bears worst enemy, Gov. Sarah Palin?

No, nothing like that has been announced (though former Governor of Massachusetts and failure of a presidential candidate Mitt Romney is coming in for a visit in a couple of days), but a plan that involves flying dear Ms. Palin in to Kansas jazz up the Repubilcan base is, we're sure, on someone's drawing board somewhere.

Ah, but not so fast- a fellow blogger on the right points out that sending Palin to Kansas does only one thing: signal very, very loudly the GOP is d-e-s-p-e-r-a-t-e.

But sorry Kansas Republicans, no sense sending Palin out campaigning against Nancy Boyda. Doing that quickly sends the "white flag" message nationally.

We agree- though something like that might be the only thing that saves little Lynn Jenkins. She's decided to ignore real issues like the economy and jobs, and instead attack Congresswoman Nancy Boyda for taking votes she didn't take or for spending 10 minutes in a lounge getting a donut during a hearing. Jenkins wants to win the same way Karl Rove has been teaching Republicans to win for years: Ignore what matters to the people, ignore real issues, and, instead, inflame passions and distract.

Well, Lynn, you've got that down pat- as does the good Governor from the Great State of Alaska. Heck, who knows, Lynn, maybe you've got "Failed Vice Presidential Candidate" on your future resume, too?

Jenkins Breaks the Bank (with a Little Help)

Lynn Jenkins's faltering campaign for Congress just issued some good news for itself today (much needed, after the week they poor souls had last). The Jenkins camp says they have raised $640,000 since the beginning of August- the largest single quarter haul for a congressional candidate in Kansas history.

Jenkins says she raised this much money because of "her campaign's 'message of lower taxes, returning fiscal sanity to Congress, and finally ending our dependence on foreign oil.'"

Gag. No, Lynn, it's because the President of the United States was going to come raise cash for you (replaced with the First Lady) and because you had to replenish a totally broke campaign following your bruising primary with Jim Ryun. Of course you had a good quarter- otherwise you could have been toast.

Mitt Romney to Raise Money for Lynn Jenkins

Failed presidential candidate and former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney is about to become the latest in a line of miserably failed Republicans to come in and raise money for the Republicans running against Nancy Boyda.

So, on October 22 and for only $2,500 you and your spouse can have your picture taken with Mittens, even!

BREAKING: George W. Bush to Campaign for Lynn Jenkins

Details all still a little soft (at least we haven't had outside confirmation), but it looks like President George W. Bush will be in Topeka fundraising for Lynn Jenkins and her perpetually stumbling campaign for Congress on September 16.

Wow...nothing like standing up for "new leadership," huh, Lynn?

Boyda Reiterates Support for Middle-Class Tax Cuts

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda has, on numerous occasions, voiced loudly support for cutting taxes on the middle class, making that same point again in an article in the Lawrence Journal-World published today.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, Kan., was in Topeka on Monday, and said she supported making permanent the tax cuts that helped the middle class.

But, she said, making permanent those tax cuts for the wealthy would have to depend on how the economy is doing.

“We can’t go around invading other countries either that aren’t a threat to us and expect to be able to keep all of these tax cuts in place,” Boyda said. She said the federal government has to be able to pay for national security without charging the cost to the next generation.

Boyda is, of course, correct in her assessment of the Bush-sponsored tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. The present administration has spiked the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan off to the next generation, while, at the same time, slashing taxes- unfortunately in such a way the very wealthiest Americans were the ones who received the majority of the benefit.

For the average Kansan, Boyda's message is the right one: We've got to limit tax liability for the people who need it- the middle class.

President Bush Vetoes Farm Bill; The House Overrides

For only the second time during his Presidency, George W. Bush has seen one of his vetoes reversed.

The House quickly rejected President Bush's veto of a $290 billion farm bill Wednesday, and the Senate was poised to follow suit, a stark rebuke of a president overridden only once in his two terms.

Republicans abandoned the president (and their House leadership) in droves over this bill, designed to provide assistance to farmers and pay for nutrition programs.

Supporters praised the spending on food stamps and emergency food aid.

"Twenty-five percent of my state is now in need of food assistance," said Rep. Thaddeus G. McCotter, R-Michigan. "I work for them, not for the president."

One would have to wonder, then, who Kansas Republican Representative Jerry Moran works for- he voted against today's successful override.

Photo Caption Contest: Presidential Edition

In honor of both the President's newly abysmal polling numbers, and to the fact Jim Ryun and Lynn Jenkins both still want to be seen in his company, we have today's photo caption contest.

(We know it isn't the best picture ever...but we trust in your creativity!)

President George W. Bush in Kansas City

That's right, the least popular president in modern history is coming to Kansas City, Kansas, to campaign for Republican congressional candidate State Senate Nick Jordan.

What on Earth is wrong with Jordan we do not know- this comes after he threw an ill-attended fundraiser with Vice President Dick Cheney- so this makes him only the second Republican candidate in the nation to bring both Cheney and the President in to glad-hand for him.

The other? Missouri Congressman Sam Graves- who, like Jordan, suffers from a desperate lack of money and Democratic opponents they're going to have an awfully hard time defeating.

How does this fit into the race in the Kansas 2nd?

Our sources say Lynn Jenkins is on the sponsor board of the event (she was also in attendance at the VP event). Strangely absent from the list of sponsors- Jim Ryun.

Is Jenkins simply too dumb to know her potential district disapproves of the president as much as the rest of the country, or is she simply a gadfly who is in desperate need of attention? And why is Ryun not supporting fellow candidate Nick Jordan? Has he really been pushed that far out of the center of the Kansas Republican Party?

UPDATE: Well, indeed Jim Ryun is on the invite- and while he is, apparently, still welcome to play with the big boys (and girls) of the KS GOP, we're now left with TWO candidates for Congress in the 2nd District stupid enough to put their names next to George W. Bush's. Guess it was just to much to expect any of them to learn from the disaster that was Bush's swing through for Ryun in '06.

More at Left Brain Kansas.

Boyda Hopes the Senate Follows the House's Lead on Preventing Cuts to Medicaid

As this blog reported in April, Congresswoman Nancy Boyda and her Kansas colleagues in the House of Representatives voted to prevent President George W. Bush's proposed massive $13 billlion cuts to Medicaid- a bill that passed 349-62 with the support of every single Democrat and two-thirds of the Republicans.

Slashing spending on a program that is designed to make sure the very poorest Americans can afford medical attention when they need it is one of those fundamentally bad ideas that even the viciously partisan House can come together on.

It isn't definite that the cuts have been stopped, however, because the bill now much make it's way through the Senate. We don't yet know for certain how both of our senators will vote (Sen. Pat Roberts seems to indicate he will vote to prevent the cuts).

Now, even after the House rebuked the Bush Administration on Medicaid cuts, there is the potential for equally devastating cuts to Medicare, which opens the door to a horrifying new problem for the very poorest and most needy Americans:

As reimbursement rates dwindle, doctors and other health care providers must decide whether to reduce the number of Medicare and Medicaid patients they treat to cover their costs and make a profit.

Congresswoman Boyda certainly makes it clear she doesn't think that's a situtation that can be allowed to occur:

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., said primary care physicians and other doctors haven't seen an increase in Medicare reimbursement rates since 2001 and are now facing a 9.9 percent decrease.

"Medicare never reimbursed very well to begin with and now there's this decrease," Boyda said.

What is alarming to Boyda is the amount of government subsidies received by the health insurance industry — which she says totals $65 billion over five years. She said those subsidies should be halted and the money used to reimburse primary care physicians and other health care providers.

She said the power wielded by the health insurance industry influences the decisions — and lack of action — by Congress to reform the health care system.

"That's why nothing changes," Boyda said. "I can't describe to you how powerful they are."

She, of course, knows first hand the power of the healthcare industry- Boyda was an executive in Big Pharma before running for Congress. It gives her a particularly useful perspective as this fight continues.

We'll hope Republicans join together with Democrats again and prevent irresponsible cuts to Medicare and, when the President vetoes their bill, enough of them will hold together and override his mixed-up priorities.

Five Years After "Mission Accomplished"

Nothing, absolutely nothing, is any more distressing and deeply depressing than the fact the President of the United States told us five years ago today that the war in Iraq was over, and that our mission was accomplished.

It was foolish, and the thousands of American and Iraqi lives lost since them is a testament to that foolishness.

This war, which was supposed to have been over five long years ago, has seriously damaged our ability to respond to any new threat that might emerge anywhere around the globe, and it is from that prospective that Congresswoman Nancy Boyda has approached her very sound desire to begin a strategic redeployment of our troops from Iraq.

As reported by this blog at the time, Boyda expressed these concerns when General David Petraeus reported to Congress in early April.

Boyda said military leaders were also increasingly concerned with the situation in Afghanistan. About 10 months ago, a National Intelligence Estimate reported that al-Qaida had regained its pre-9/11 strength in the border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"When we ask why we aren't addressing that more, we are told that Iraq is our number one priority," Boyda said. "But why and when did Iraq become the number one priority? It wasn't the number one priority on Sept. 12-13."

Boyda said she wasn't in favor of a large withdrawal, rather a slow and steady progression that would allow the U.S. to reset its military readiness. Boyda cited a quote from General George Casey, Army chief of staff, who said there was an "invisible red line" that would indicate the current operations can no longer be sustained.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said April 2, "I think we're close to (the red line) now."

"While everyone rejoices in some stability in the region, the questions are two-fold," Boyda said. "One, will we be able to stay and hold on to that stability and two, at what cost could we do it? It's clearly having an affect on readiness moving forward.

"We're on uncharted ground," Boyda said. "There's no doubt in my mind that if we had another 9/11-type incident, we would be able to have an overwhelming and immediate response. The Air Force and Navy are ready (to respond quickly). The problem is sustaining that response. That's what we're hearing from senior military leadership."

Our men and women in uniform have done a supreme job in the missions they've been given, and God bless each and every one of them and their families. We have seen, however, rank mismanagement of this war by the civilian leadership in the Bush Administration and by Republicans in the House and Senate. The refocus to Iraq from Afghanistan has allowed the nation we invaded first to fall closer and closer to chaos, with only minor success in Iraq to show for it. And, on top of that, our strategic readiness, our ability to respond if anything else happens globally, has been seriously undermined.

So, on this five year anniversary of "Mission Accomplished," we'd just like to take a moment to remember all of those who have died or have been injured, and to hope for a fundamental change of direction - hopefully before another five years have passed. It is a time, friends, that we are lucky to have Nancy Boyda in Congress.

Lynn Jenkins Photo Caption Contest #2

Back again to its regular day- and by popular demand- Photo Caption Contest!

Today, we'd love to know that you think these to famous faces are saying to each other:

Jim Ryun Photo Caption Contest #3

Yet another installment of our popular Friday game. Please, poke fun along with the rest of us (Jenkins supporters invited, too, of course. We'll get to your candidate eventually). ;-)

The price of Republican priorities: Children going hungry

Republicans in Congress and the White House have prevented most of this year's spending bills from becoming law.

The federal budget is so huge and deals with numbers so large it takes a significant problem with it to make it small enough for the average person to care about. Such a situation is about to hit the very most vulnerable Kansans- those who rely on the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program (WIC) to purchase necessary foodstuffs. We aren't being dramatic when we say children could starve to death without WIC.

According to a story that ran in today's Topeka Capital-Journal, if President George W. Bush's budget is accepted, WIC in Kansas stands to suffer a $7 million shortfall, which would force 6,000 people off the rolls, and would require an additional 2,000 people be turned away in 2008.

Put a different way, if the President's budget is approved without any increases, an estimated 8,000 children in Kansas will go hungry.

This problem is the same problem we see across the board when it comes to domestic necessities, and Congresswoman Nancy Boyda hits the nail on the head:

"This isn't just about WIC. This is about Head Start, veteran's funding, social security, everything.

"The bottom line is, the president has said he will veto any bill that increases spending. The Democrats have tried to compromise, compromise, compromise, and there have been no compromises with this White House."

First SCHIP, now WIC. The Republicans screamed and yelled the Democrats were using children during the SCHIP debate, saying they were trying to make the Republican Party look cruel and like it didn't care about the real hardship their policies were putting on people.

The obvious contempt the Republicans in Congress and the White House have for the poor is stunning. We don't need to use anything to make that point.

(Photo from, and more information available at kdheks.org)