"Jealous Paul Ryan." Do you need a link on Mike Pence? If so, bless you.
*[UPDATE: Okay, DeVos tie-breaker; who needs more?]*
KANSAS ON OUR MINDS: New York Magazine, April 11, 2017 at 10:23 a.m.
In Kansas, Republicans Are Panicking and Democrats Are Voting Their Resistance -- By Ed Kilgore
[...] Beginning today, though, there will be opportunities for real voter pushback against Trump and company in a series of congressional special elections, followed by regular off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia, and then, of course, the 2018 midterms. (Yes, there has already been a special election in California, but in a district as blue as the nearby Pacific Ocean).
Today’s curtain-raiser in the state’s 4th congressional district, to replace CIA Director Mike Pompeo, was not supposed to be competitive. The district has been represented by Republicans since 1994. Pompeo won reelection last November by a 61-30 margin. Trump won there by a 60-33 margin; Mitt Romney won it in 2012 by 62-36. It is basically a sea of red counties surrounding islands of Democratic support in Wichita. As recently as March 17, the Cook Political Report’s highly regarded David Wasserman rated the race as “Solid Republican,” with GOP state treasurer Ron Estes expected to dispatch Democratic newcomer James Thompson easily.
Now it’s “Lean Republican,” and Wasserman explains why:
Republicans familiar with recent polling describe extremely high Democratic intensity and very low GOP enthusiasm in what is likely to be a very low turnout special. More than that, Estes appears to be swept up in a last-minute vortex of factors outside his control: Democrats’ anger towards Trump, independents’ anger towards Gov. Sam Brownback and GOP dissatisfaction with early administration failures.
[...] Estes is a member of the increasingly unpopular governor’s cabinet, and as Wasserman notes, was nominated by a party convention, not voters. Kansas probably had the country’s most pronounced intra-GOP split, with hard-core conservative ideologues led by Brownback perpetually battling self-conscious Republican moderates. The split was just exacerbated when Brownback vetoed a Medicaid expansion that was backed by a host of moderate legislators.
Now Donald Trump is doing robo-calls, too, telling GOP voters: “Ron is going to be helping us, big league.” Ted Cruz is parachuting in to campaign personally for Estes, as well. This is not what you would expect from a deep-red district that is also the home of Koch Industries.
If Thompson wins, obviously, or even if Estes wins by single digits, it will probably ramp up the excitement over next week’s special election in Georgia’s 6th congressional district to a level of great intensity, [...]
Notice, Ted Cruz there in the flesh. Robo-Donald. Pence? MIA. Hiding under a rock?
Aren't these Kansas deep-red folks supposed to be Pence fodder? Erik Prince MIA there too, but that's not unexpected. Emirates Erik might not ring bells outside of his secure Indiana homeland.
So, would it be the magic grasproots hand of Tom Perez moving the process blue-ward? The GOP reportedly is sending in money. What about the DNC?
A websearch. Missing links? MSNBC, CNN, FOX??
Rollcall reports.
Another websearch. Differing from the previous one. This lead item returned by that second websearch.
UPDATE: HuffPo, here and here. The term “establishment thinking” showing up in each HuffPo link; and the last minute helping cash flow suggest the centrist-corporatists in DC do not want a win without their having a chance to say, "our win." Biden and his butler, what other reason to wait, then move?
Days ago, HuffPo, "Kansas Democrat Proudly Wears Support Of Bernie Sanders Group In Unexpectedly Close Race," might explain why the corporatist money was held back until it would embarrass if a win happened with the Bidenistas having taken a total hike. Little, and late? Who is to say? Two more links, one explaining a candidate appointment split back in February; and then this endorsement dated March 29. Not everyone on the train, closing ranks, directly after a candidate was chosen? That has implications. Trickle in timing (and intensities) also may have implications. May Thompson win; then see who steps up to take credit. There would be implications to that too. Expect Thompson, if winning, to not burn ANY bridges. Yet, what he may say post-election, either outcome, should be important to analyze. Canova against DWS had some fallout to it when the dark forces prevailed.
Reader help is needed. If Justice Democrats back or earlier backed Thompson, when did they commit, and to what extent? Web searching did not disclose any Justice Democrat hand/cash at issue.
FURTHER UPDATE: What to make of this Facebook page. Not being a Face Bookie, have I missed a reference to Thompson? Is there some story afoot? Endorsing the JD platform seems a litmus test; so did Thompson test a wrong color or did he decline to participate in that litmus test? Again, readers with an answer are more than welcome to comment.
FURTHER: As best as I understand sub-Reddits, this one:
https://www.reddit.com/r/SandersForPresident/comments/5x9t1s/kansas_democrats_elect_civil_rights_lawyer_james/
It seems a clear start with a pure heart, on Thompson's part, and late money from DC given that history is a concern. As in some powers wanting to quell the Bern?
FURTHER: Days ago, Politico:
House Republicans pump last-minute money into Kansas special election
By Elena Schneider - 04/06/17 02:33 PM EDT
[...] The unexpected GOP financial assistance is coming for Estes even as Thompson hasn't been able to rally financial support from the state's Democratic Party, which rejected a request from Thompson for a $20,000 mailer campaign, The Wichita Eagle reported. Thompson's campaign accused the state party of "sitting on the sidelines."
The NRCC and the GOP is already under mounting pressure from worried Republicans in Georgia, where the NRCC's independent expenditure unit has already poured $2.2 million into boosting Republican turnout in the hotly contested special election there. Democrat Jon Ossoff has raised more than $8.3 million to boost his campaign, a staggering amount for a House candidate, on the eve of an all-party primary to replace HHS Secretary Tom Price in Congress. Ossoff is angling to win 50 percent of the vote in the all-party primary, which would win him the seat under Georgia's special election rules.
"... hasn't been able to rally financial support from the state's Democratic Party, which rejected a request from Thompson for a $20,000 mailer campaign," speaks volumes.
They seem established/corporatist/inner party elitists reacting to a perceived unwelcome insurgency; with a starve the Bern attitude and answer. Screw 'em. Hang 'em high. Trample 'em under.