House Speaker Beth Harwell will help lead a national effort to elect more Republican women to state office.
Harwell was named Thursday as co-chair of Republican Women, Right Now, an initiative of the Republican State Leadership Committee. She will share duties with Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman.
By Dan Bacher
Despite intense political pressure by the oil industry, the Assembly Natural Resources Committee on April 29 approved three bills proposing to halt fracking (hydraulic fracturing), a controversial method of oil and natural gas extraction, in California.
Fracking opponents fear that increased water diversions destined for the peripheral tunnels proposed under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) will be used for expanding fracking in Monterey Shale deposits in the San Joaquin Valley and coastal areas. The construction of the tunnels is expected to hasten the extinction of Central Valley Chinook salmon, Delta smelt and other fish species.
When Wichita ABC affiliate KAKE Television ran a news story critical of Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, reporter Jared Cerullo wasn’t able to interview Brewer to get his reaction to his critics. The mayor refused to talk to Cerullo.
Speaking last week at the Wichita Pachyderm Club, KAKE news anchor Jeff Herndon said that KAKE has “repeatedly” tried to get an on-camera interview with Brewer. But the mayor is always busy, Herndon said: “They’ve got him on lockdown. He’s not going to answer that.”
Herndon was speaking for himself, and not for his employer. In his talk to the Pachyderms, he was critical of Wichita news media — both television and print — for not covering city government rigorously, telling the audience: “We need more reporters on that city government beat, and not just on decisions they make. We need to hold them accountable for the decision. We don’t do that.”
Brewer is sometimes mentioned as a candidate for higher office, perhaps challenging Kansas Governor Sam Brownback next year. Brewer’s term as mayor ends in April 2015. He is not eligible for election to another term as mayor because of Wichita’s term limits law.
The KAKE news story referred to is Wichita Mayor Scrutinized For Controversial Vote. Both text and video are available.
On his radio program, Joseph Ashby had an interesting take on Herndon’s remarks and Wichita new media. Video of the city council meeting that was the subject of the KAKE news story is here. Explanation of the public policy angle that drove citizens to testify at the April 16 city council meeting is here. The original article that identified the problem and to solutions is Pay-to-play laws are needed in Wichita and Kansas. In that article I wrote: “When one looks at the candidates these people contribute to, you notice that often there’s no commonality to the political goals and ideals of the candidates. Some people contribute equally to liberal and conservative council members. Then, when these people appear in the news after having received money from the Wichita City Council, it snaps into place: These campaign donors are not donating to those whose ideals they agree with. They’re donating so they can line their own pockets.”
When Wichita ABC affiliate KAKE Television ran a news story critical of Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, reporter Jared Cerullo wasn’t able to interview Brewer to get his reaction to his critics. The mayor refused to talk to Cerullo.
Speaking last week at the Wichita Pachyderm Club, KAKE news anchor Jeff Herndon said that KAKE has “repeatedly” tried to get an on-camera interview with Brewer. But the mayor is always busy, Herndon said: “They’ve got him on lockdown. He’s not going to answer that.”
Herndon was speaking for himself, and not for his employer. In his talk to the Pachyderms, he was critical of Wichita news media — both television and print — for not covering city government rigorously, telling the audience: “We need more reporters on that city government beat, and not just on decisions they make. We need to hold them accountable for the decision. We don’t do that.”
Brewer is sometimes mentioned as a candidate for higher office, perhaps challenging Kansas Governor Sam Brownback next year. Brewer’s term as mayor ends in April 2015. He is not eligible for election to another term as mayor because of Wichita’s term limits law.
The KAKE news story referred to is Wichita Mayor Scrutinized For Controversial Vote. Both text and video are available.
On his radio program, Joseph Ashby had an interesting take on Herndon’s remarks and Wichita new media. Video of the city council meeting that was the subject of the KAKE news story is here. Explanation of the public policy angle that drove citizens to testify at the April 16 city council meeting is here. The original article that identified the problem and to solutions is Pay-to-play laws are needed in Wichita and Kansas. In that article I wrote: “When one looks at the candidates these people contribute to, you notice that often there’s no commonality to the political goals and ideals of the candidates. Some people contribute equally to liberal and conservative council members. Then, when these people appear in the news after having received money from the Wichita City Council, it snaps into place: These campaign donors are not donating to those whose ideals they agree with. They’re donating so they can line their own pockets.”
Kansas spends 34 percent more than the states with no income tax, in both the General Fund and All State Spending. As a result, Kansas has to tax residents at much higher levels than most states.
Opponents of tax reform have tried to claim that oil and gas severance taxes in Texas make up for their lack on income tax, but that clearly isn’t true. Texas only has a $94 per-capita advantage over Kansas on severance taxes. Texas’ real advantage is that it simply doesn’t spend as much as Kansas.
Our dynamic analysis of Kansas’ 2012 tax reform showed that only a one-time reduction of $186 in General Fund per-capita spending was needed to balance the budget. Kansas could do that and still be the high-spender in the region. Instead, many legislators and the administration are trying to make up most of the budget gap by raising the sales tax and other revenue increases.
The argument is that consumption taxes are less damaging to the economy than income taxes. That’s true, but using a sales tax increase to avoid dealing with the real problem of excess spending is foisting an unnecessary tax on citizens that will damage the economy.
The House and Senate budget proposals do have some small spending reductions, and it is certainly a daunting task for legislators to lead real spending reform; they have to face unending requests for more spending and an entrenched bureaucracy that often makes it difficult for reform-minded legislators to get the information they need. And the prospect of re-election is ever-present for most.
But even this late in the session, solutions exist that would avoid a sales tax increase without arbitrary spending reductions. Our Legislator’s Guide to Delivering Better Service at a Better Price (published in February) shows how to use existing cash balances to close the budget gap and ‘buy time’ to implement thoughtful spending reforms.
Even if the current budget is balanced with a tax increase this year (which, at this writing, seems likely), the spending problem isn’t going away. There are some small spending reductions in the current plans but every plan allows overall spending to continue to increase…while further reducing income taxes in future years. Simply put, the problem only gets worse the longer it is ignored.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker made good use of his time in Des Monies on Thursday night. In the span of a couple hours, he raised money for his 2014 re-election campaign at a private roundtable fundraiser that was organized by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, and then dipped his toes directly into Iowa’s presidential waters by speaking at a Polk County GOP fundraising dinner.
Some may think that speaking at a local GOP fundraising dinner is not that big of a deal, but in recent years, the Polk County GOP has surpassed the Republican Party of Iowa when it comes to pulling off high-profile, big dollar events. For instance, the Republican Party of Iowa’s recent sold out event with Senator Rand Paul had fewer attendees and likely raised far less money. The Polk County GOP sold over 800 tickets to Thursday’s dinner and raised over $100,000.
Walker’s speech wasn’t a barnburner like Sen. Rand Paul’s speech at a Republican Party of Iowa fundraiser earlier this month. There were no jabs at Hillary Clinton and no real mention of the scandals that are rocking the Obama administration. Instead, Walker offered attendees a serious speech void of clever one-liners that focused on what he believes Republican must do to be successful in future elections.
Walker’s speech focused three main points, optimism, relevance and courage. “I think we need to be more optimistic. I think we need to speak in terms that are more relevant, and I think we need to be more courageous,” Walker told the crowd. He then proceeded to provide examples of what he has accomplished in Wisconsin.
Of course Walker spoke about the recall election and the issues surrounding it, but he also spoke about entitlement reform and education. While touting Wisconsin’s school voucher program, Walker suggested it was a key factor in his ability to reach out to Hispanic voters who just want to do what’s best for their kids. Even though he didn’t whip the crowd into a frenzy, Walker’s speech on Thursday night hit all the right notes with caucus goers.
The first obstacle that Walker must overcome if he is indeed thinking about running for president in 2016 is winning re-election in Wisconsin. Walker was elected governor in 2010 by defeating his Democrat opponent Tom Barrett by a 52 percent to 46 percent margin. Barely into his first year in office, Wisconsin Democrats and public-sector unions collected enough signatures to force a recall election to be held in June of 2012. Walker withstood the challenge and once again defeated his 2010 opponent Barrett by a 53 percent to 46 percent margin.
While the effort to recall Walker is obviously something that he would have preferred to avoid, it is also what makes him a top presidential contender in 2016 should he seek the Republican nomination.
Perhaps no other potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate has been vetted as thoroughly as Walker. His 2012 recall election is also probably the closest thing to a presidential campaign that there is. It also made him a nationally known figure with a national donor base. And let’s not forget, Walker is a hero to Republican grassroots activists who in large part will select the nominee.
Besides being run through the gauntlet of a recall election, Walker also has other advantages over the potential 2016 Republican field. First and foremost, he’s a governor of swing state, not a member of congress, a body that most people loathe. As an executive of a state, Walker can effectively point to actual accomplishments while Republican Senators and Representatives will only be able to site the things that they opposed.
Another advantage for Walker that shouldn’t be overlooked is his proximity to Iowa, which would allow him to easily travel in and out of the state, as well as his cozy relationship with Branstad. As mentioned earlier, Branstad organized a fundraiser for Walker in Des Moines while he was in town on Thursday. It’s not the first time Branstad has lent a helping hand to Walker, as he also helped raise money for Walker’s recall campaign. Walker returned the favor by headlining a fundraiser for Branstad in Cedar Rapids before the 2012 general election. The two governors also traveled to China together on a trade mission last month.
It’s not a potential Branstad endorsement that is so valuable to presidential candidates, it’s the access to someone who understands the ins and outs of Iowa politics like no other. In recent elections, Branstad has generously offered his advice and counsel to the likes of Texas Governor Rick Perry in the 2012 caucuses and Mitt Romney in the general election. Sadly, neither really followed through on Branstad’s advice. Walker would be wise to heed any advice that Branstad gives him when it comes to how to campaign in Iowa.
By all accounts, Governor Walker’s 2016 debut was a good one. Regardless of how one feels about Walker’s presidential aspirations, every Republican respects him for what he has endured and overcome. On Thursday night, Walker proved himself to be a thoughtful and serious Republican leader with an eye towards the future. The 2016 race is a still a long ways away, but Walker hit the right note on Thursday night.
Last week KAKE Television news anchor Jeff Herndon addressed the Wichita Pachyderm Club. Today, on the Joseph Ashby Show, the host commented on Herndon’s views on Wichita news media, and drew some conclusions about anti-conservative bias in Wichita news media.
The KAKE Television news story referred to is Wichita mayor comes under scrutiny for controversial vote.