Oh My

Buh-bye, GOP:

A mini-rebellion is under way in an American Heartland state so historically unswingable that neither national party typically spends much time or energy stumping for candidates.

But this year President George W. Bush, the country's leading Republican, is making a last-minute campaign stop in Kansas, where at least nine candidates running on the November 7 ballot are Republicans-turned-Democrats. They include a veteran county prosecutor seeking to unseat the Republican attorney general and a former state Republican Party chairman running as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor.

A cross-section of Democrats, moderate Republicans and independents are backing the party-switchers, saying a Republican obsession with expanded government and deficit spending, along with divisive social issues like abortion and gay marriage, has marred efforts to limit government, boost spending on education and ensure fiscal responsibility.

"The Republican Party got focused on some issues that really have nothing to do with people's daily lives ... I just could not continue to work with the conservative Republicans that were running the state party," said Mark Parkinson, candidate for lieutenant governor.

In one sense, I worry that Republicans joining the Democratic Party will hasten its movement rightward, but when I see that they’re joining because they reject expanded government, wanton spending, and the exploitation of reproductive rights and gay marriage, I can’t help thinking that it might not be as bad as all that. If the new breed of Democrat are hardcore supporters of government keeping its nose out of our business, that could be a very good thing in many ways, especially on the issues of legalized abortion and same-sex marriage. I just hope we’re able to convince them of the value of things like universal healthcare, corporate regulation, and environmental protection. There’s a medium to be found between “no government at all” and “government controlling everything,” and finding the balance only takes people who are willing to compromise and genuinely care about all Americans.