The "overblown" culture war sure feels real out here

By Diane Silver

A study released this week by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life is fueling speculation that the culture war is "overblown" and not, well, as warlike as some of us think.

I found the study's results to be simultaneously hopeful and depressing. It should be read by everyone interested in cultural issues. However, I don't see that it means that cultural bombs aren't being hurled and that people and their rights aren't suffering wounds or even worse. At the very least, that doesn't match my experience out here in the Heartland.

Reuters reports:

On five prominent social issues -- abortion rights, stem cell research, gay marriage, adoption of children by gay couples, and availability of the "morning-after" pill -- most Americans did not take consistent stances.

Just 12 percent took the conservative position on all five issues, while 22 percent took the opposite stance on all five. The bulk of Americans had mixed opinions.

On the subject of gay unions, 56 percent opposed giving gays the right to marry, but 53 percent favored allowing gays to enter into legal agreements that provide many of the same rights as married couples

The Pew Forum notes of its findings:

Americans cannot be easily characterized as conservative or liberal on today's most pressing social questions. The public's point of view varies from issue to issue. They are conservative in opposing gay marriage and gay adoption, liberal in favoring embryonic stem cell research and a little of both on abortion. Along with favoring no clear ideological approach to most social issues, the public expresses a desire for a middle ground on the most divisive social concern of the day: abortion.

Together, the results of the latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life suggest that the public remains reluctant to move too far from current policies and practices on many key social policy questions. Despite talk of "culture wars" and the high visibility of activist groups on both sides of the cultural divide, there has been no polarization of the public into liberal and conservative camps.

What does seem clear is that the armies on both sides of the cultural divide aren't as large as previously thought. Most people appear to be standing on the sidelines and to be unwilling to sign up to seve with either side.

To imply that there isn't a battle, though, is to ignore the very real suffering of lesbians and gays and many other Americans. Every time the cultural warriors on the right curtail and block our ability to be treated fairly under the law, our children are hurt, and we are hurt.

Also, to argue that this study shows there isn't a culture war is to pull people's attention in the wrong direction. This is a fascinating study. It has much to say about how people really think. Let's take a look at what the numbers really say and ignore those who might argue that despite the blood and despair, there really isn't a battle going on.

The Kansas Evolution Election: What it means for the future of the religious right

By Diane Silver

Tuesday's vote in Kansas was momentous, or was it? Voters in the nation's most iconic red state declared their support for Darwin and science, or did they? The religious right suffered a major blow, or did it? From my perspective out here in Kansas, I don't believe the answers to those questions are as obvious as folks might think.

This very long post will recap what happened in the primary, show how conventional wisdom took a hit, talk about the realities of red state politics and discuss what this means for Kansas and the future of the religious right.

A Primary Recap

(Feel free to skip this if you're already up-to-date on Tuesday's results, although the information on turnout might be new to you.)

Tuesday moderates won on both the Kansas Board of Education and in two closely watched statewide races.

In the races for the state Board of Education, the balance of power once again shifted from the religious right to the pro-science forces.

Moderate incumbent Democrat Janet Waugh held onto her seat in Kansas City. Republican Jana Shaver of Independence ousted the Republican, anti-evolution standard bearer to take an open seat away from the religious right. Republican Sally Cauble of Liberal pulled off a shocker by defeating incumbent Connie Morris, once the darling of the religious right. Morris is known for, among other things, declaring that evolution is nothing more than a fairy tale.

Meanwhile, the religious right scored victories by nominating John Bacon of Olathe and Ken Willard of Hutchinson to run as Republicans in November and possibly keep their current seats on the board.

No matter what happens in the November general election, pro-evolution forces have already taken over the board. This is because Waugh has no general election opposition and the Democrats running against Shaver and Cauble all support evolution.

Meanwhile, incumbent Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger beat the religious right's candidate, Rep. Eric Carter of Overland Park, by winning 60 percent of the vote in the Republican primary. Incumbent Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh beat ultra-conservative state Sen. Kay O'Connor of Olathe with 73 percent of the vote.

Turnout in the primary was a record low 18 percent of the state's registered voters. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that only about 296,000 people statewide voted, out of 1.6 million registered. The Secretary of State's office says the previous record low for a turnout was 26 percent in 2002.


Conventional Wisdom Takes a Hit

The conventional wisdom so beloved of pundits often includes three parts.

1. Low turnout favors the religious right because they are more organized and passionate about their issues than other voters.

2. As described in Thomas Frank's What's The Matter With Kansas, the state's Republican Party is torn between the rabidly anti-evolution, anti-gay religious right and the socially progressive, fiscally conservative moderates.

3. Tuesday's vote was a referendum on evolution itself and the election's results show that intelligence design is such a weak idea with so few supporters that it can't even win in Kansas.

All of this so-called wisdom took a hit on Tuesday.

Low turnout didn't seem to favor the religious right in either the state board races or the statewide races. Cherokee County, for example, had the lowest turnout in the state with only 9 percent of the voters participating. Cherokee is part of District 9 where Jana Shaver beat an anti-evolution candidate.

This could mean that the rank and file of the religious right really doesn't care that much about evolution, or it could mean that the pro-science forces were more energized by their recent defeats.

Some liberals and moderates angered by the anti-science, anti-public education state board were furiously organizing. A new organization created by a farmer called The Kansas Alliance for Education spent more than $100,000 to fight for pro-science candidates. The MAINstream Coalition and its MAIN*PAC in Johnson County also worked hard for the pro-science forces.

However, Washburn University Political Scientist Bob Beatty told The Wichita Eagle that neither a letdown by the religious right nor the energy of liberalism or moderation may have been a factor. The true issue may have been that the incumbents weren't perceived as doing their jobs. Call it the making-the-trains-run-on-time factor. The Eagle reports:

Conservative state school board members might not have been vulnerable because they're anti-evolution but because of the amount of time, effort and energy they put into that subject, he said.

(Secretary of State Ron) Thornburgh and (Insurance Commissioner Sandy) Prager may have benefited from being seen as competent stewards of their offices, Beatty said.

"Thornburgh is right where a large majority of Kansans want him to be, doing his job and not picking fights on issues that don't have much to do with his job," Beatty said.

Beatty is also quoted as saying that the moderate-conservative split in the Republican Party "might have been a little overblown."

I disagree with Beatty. I think the split is deep. To say that the two sides hate each other with a blood passion is an understatement given what I've personally witnesses. However, I wonder if the split is more passionate for politicos and reporters than for the average voter.

The one thing the low turnout does say is that the vast majority of Kansans just didn't give a hoot one way or the other about the primary. To them, it wasn't the "Evolution Election" as I've been touting it on this blog. It was merely a big waste of time. This attitude apparently extends to the religious right as well as liberal and moderate voters.

Of course, there were other factors that could have driven down turnout. The race to pick what may well be a Republican sacrificial lamb to face Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in the fall was a real snoozer.

It was also HORRIBLY HOT on Tuesday. The temperature was at the official Blast Furnace level and just stepping outside was a trial. This is particularly true for older voters who may be counted to support the old-fashioned values of the religious right. However, it has always been hot in Kansas during its primaries.

The Salina Journal, a pro-science newspaper, counts other reasons for the losses of state board incumbent Connie Morris and anti-evolution candidate Brad Patzer. The Journal wrote:

For her part, Morris showed a lack of respect for state taxpayers when she spent lavishly on a state-paid trip to a magnet school conference in Florida. She stayed in a luxury hotel suite and turned in questionable receipts for payment. Later Morris reimbursed the state $2,900 for the trip, but only after details of her travels became public.

Voters in southeast Kansas apparently associate Patzer with retiring board member (Iris) Van Meter, his mother in law, who contributes little to the board other than votes. She steadfastly follows the conservative block instead of representing her constituents. Voters must have assumed -- rightly so -- that Patzer would follow that pattern.

What's It All Mean?

In one sense, it's impossible to tell right now what this will mean, but here are a few of first impressions.

Red-state voters -- even the religious right -- may well care about making things work as much as anyone else does. The secretary of state should make the elections work right and fulfill his or her duties to regulate corporations. The insurance commissioner should make certain insurance companies play fair. The state Board of Education should help schools educate our kids. Perhaps even red-state voters don't want religion to be inserted into any of those positions.

It is clear that low turnout doesn't always favor the religious right. Moderates and liberals can be energized and get their own folks to the polls, even in a place like Kansas.

Intelligent Design and its backers really did take a hit on Tuesday, despite the strength of the religious right in Kansas and the fact that one out-of-state group ran radio ads promoting the anti-evolution viewpoint. How much of a hit probably won't be determined for a few years.

First, we need to see how the two anti-evolution incumbents who survived do in the November general election. Their Republican primary opponents have already endorsed the pro-science Democrats running in November.

The true test for evolution, however, will probably come in 2008 when the seats of three moderate members of the board are up for election. Will liberals and moderates fall asleep again and allow the religious right to swing the board to the right? Will the religious right care enough to come out and vote? If pro-science candidates can hang onto the board through two elections, then Kansas and perhaps the nation will have made real progress against the anti-evolution forces.

Meanwhile, those of you interested in the political strength of the religious right should direct your attention to the race for attorney general in Kansas. Democrat Paul Morrison is running against Republican Phill Kline, much beloved by the religious right. If Morrison -- a Republican turned Democrat -- can win in scarlet Kansas, that may well signal new weakness in the power of the far right.

And that, my friend, would be a very good thing indeed.

Texas Democrats keep Tom DeLay on the ballot -- with the help of the Fifth Circuit

By Nancy Jane Moore

In a suit filed by the Texas Democratic Party, the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the Texas Republicans can't replace Tom DeLay as a candidate for Congress.

That's right: The Democrats sued to make sure Republican DeLay, who has retired from Congress, stays on the ballot, especially since he is under indictment for money laundering and has been tired to Jack Abramoff. The Democratic candidate, former Congressman Nick Lampson, would like nothing better than to run against DeLay, who engineered the Texas redistricting that cost Lampson his seat.

This is for DeLay's old seat, the one he held from 1984 until last June. He won the Republican primary for it back in March, but then decided in to retire from Congress. He hasn't been doing any campaigning. Without another candidate on the ballot, the Republicans haven't been able to do any campaigning either.

According to The Washington Post, DeLay has claimed his Northern Virginia home as his residence, even though his wife remains in Sugar Land, Texas. However, the Fifth Circuit said the Constitution requires that a candidate reside in the district on election day and said it was not possible to say where DeLay would be living on the first Tuesday in November.

The three judges on the Fifth Circuit panel included two judges appointed by Clinton and one by the current Bush. However, the ruling was unanimous. The federal district judge who first heard the case -- and also ruled that DeLay had to stay on the ballot -- was appointed by Bush Sr.

The New York Times reported:

In Washington, Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said he was "mostly shocked" at the ruling "because Tom DeLay is usually so good at finding a way around the law."

This whole delicious mess is of DeLay's own making -- had he pulled out of the Republican primary, his party would have a candidate who wasn't tied to ethics scandals. But in March he was determined to hang on.

And the district isn't as conservative as it used to be. DeLay was so confident in his power that he moved some of the strong conservative precincts into nearby districts to make them more Republican.

Tom DeLay is a walking definition of hubris. And the chickens are coming home to roost.

"How many deaths will it take 'til he knows that too many people have died?"*

By Nancy Jane Moore

Today's Guardian Unlimited has a special report on children killed in the Israeli bombing of Lebanon. Reporter Ghaith Abdul-Ahad writes:

Then another child was pulled from under the rubble, and another followed, and then another. You go a little crazy when you see little body after little body coming up out of the ground. I looked around me and all I could see in the house was the detritus of their short lives -- big plastic bags filled with clothes, milk cans, plastic toys and a baby carriage.

The actual civilian body count in Lebanon is unclear -- a July 28 Inter Press News Service story on Common Dreams News Center estimates the real total as 750 people -- but however many there are, no one doubts that lots of them are children.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been driven from their homes. Every news report contains pictures of towns reduced to rubble.

The Israelis keep saying that they must bomb residential areas, because Hezbollah fighters are hiding out among citizens. Most general news reports repeat this as if it were fact. But more detailed reports -- such as this one on Salon -- suggest that this is untrue. Reporter Mitch Prothero writes:

My own reporting and that of other journalists reveals that in fact Hezbollah fighters -- as opposed to the much more numerous Hezbollah political members, and the vastly more numerous Hezbollah sympathizers -- avoid civilians like the plague.

And while civilians are suffering in Lebanon, Hezbollah doesn't seem to be going away. Today's New York Times says they fired over 200 rockets into Israel. Israeli civilians have been killed and displaced as well, though the death and destruction in Israel is much smaller than that in Lebanon.

Israel has become its own worst enemy. Yes, it was provoked, but the response is out of all proportion to the provocation. I have been shocked by the poll numbers that suggest most Israelis support this war, but I am heartened by a report on Haaretz.com, an Israeli publication, that some authors, songwriters, critics and editors have come together to seek an end to the war. According to the news report, they sent a letter to Israeli officials that said in part:

There is no doubt that Israel has the right to defend herself against the aggression that infringes on her sovereignty and harms her citizens. Nevertheless, the exercising of unreasonable force, mainly toward civilians, attests to neither might nor deterrent power. On the contrary, it is an expression of hysteria, of the loss of ability to distinguish between a localized threat and existential danger, between a reasonable response and an excessive show of strength.

Juan Cole observes "that the only way this conflict can end is for the Lebanese state to be strengthened so that it has a hope of dealing with Hizbullah." But the Israeli bombing campaign is destabilizing Lebanon, making that unlikely.

Cole also points out that the conflict is leading Al Qaeda to support Hezbollah, even though Bin Laden considers that group heretical since they are Shi'ites. That is, extremist groups who hate each other are uniting under the theory that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Surely this is not an outcome that any sane government seeks.

But the U.S. is standing behind Israel, and refusing to help broker a ceasefire until, as The Times reports, "there is a solid plan in place to disarm Hezbollah."

Now I keep reading speculation that we're actually in World War III or IV, depending on how they count. And on the front page of July 27's Wall Street Journal (which, alas, is restricted to paying customers online), there is a story about support for Israel's actions from the "Christian-Zionist" movement, which the Journal describes as an "evangelical political philosophy rooted in biblical prophecies and a belief that Israel's struggles signal a prelude to Armageddon." See my earlier post "And now for something completely scary" for more about fundamentalists who see the war in Lebanon as fulfilling the prophecies in the Book of Revelation.

The WSJ article goes on to observe:

While Mr. Bush is clearly close to evangelicals, he has never fully embraced their agenda or rhetoric. But their views are generally in sync with the aims of his national-security strategists, who reach similar conclusions through a different logic. . . . This melding of realpolitik and religion, say former and current U.S. officials, has produced a potent force.

That potent force is sowing more death and destruction.

I have reached one conclusion as I struggle to comprehend all this suffering and hatred: We will never solve the problems of the Middle East with violence.

I have been reading the Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh's book Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames. "Punishing the other person is self-punishment," he says, and adds that this is true for countries as well as individuals. Every time one country invades, both countries suffer.
In a section called "Stopping Wars Before They Happen," he writes:

Violence can never bring about peace and understanding. Only by looking deeply in order to understand the true roots of violence can we achieve peace.

And that's the answer here. It's so obvious that violence isn't working, not in Iraq, not in Afghanistan, not in Lebanon. It's time to try something else.

*Bob Dylan "Blowin' in the Wind" Written in 1963 and still relevant today.

The Kansas Evolution Election: A victory for children

[7:30 a.m. update]

By Diane Silver

To quote the Lawrence Journal-World: "Darwin won."

Sally Cauble and Jana Shaver hung onto their leads, enabling moderates to once again throw a radical religious majority off the state Board of Education. Count this as a victory for the state's schoolchildren.

Even though yesterday's vote was only a primary, a moderate majority is assured. Pro-science moderate Democrat Janet Waugh has no opposition in November. Cauble and Shaver's general election opponents both support that new-fangled thing called science.

This is the second time the religious right has taken over the Kansas board, and the second time it has been thrown out of the majority. In both cases, voters ousted the anti-evolution members the first instant they had the chance by defeating the right-wing incumbents in the primary.

This victory not only means a return to science for the state, but also a return to professionalism in the state Department of Education.

One has to wonder how long Bob Corkins will last as education commissioner. A controversial figure who often opposed funding for public education, Corkins had no education experience when he was hired by the radical majority on the board.

Kansas Evolution Election: Anti-evolution forces win one, but may have lost the state board

[11:39 p.m.]

Over at Thoughts From Kansas, Josh is celebrating and calling the night a victory for the pro-science forces. This is a victory that will shift the balance of power away from the anti-evolution religious right. Looking at the numbers, I suspect he is right, but stay tuned to be certain.

[11:30 pm]

with 100 percent of the precincts reporting, AP has called the District 3 state Board of Education race for anti-evolution incumbent John Bacon.

Bacon ended with 49.3 percent of the vote, pro-science challenger Harry McDonald got 40.2 percent and a second challenger David Olphant received 10.4 percent.

Despite this victory, Bacon faces moderate Democrat Don Weiss in November. For full details on Weiss and other candidates, see Red State Rabble's fine overview of the entire field of candidates here.

Kansas Evolution Election: The pro-science forces win one

[11:20 p.m corrected]

AP has just called the District 1 state Board of Education race in Kansas City for the one moderate incumbent on the board, Janet Waugh. This gives her the Democratic nomination. Given the fact that she doesn't have a Republican opponent in the November general election, this IS the election. Unless I'm missing something, Waugh has just won her seat on the board.

Waugh's opponent made an early attempt to run a stealth campaign. This favorite trick of the religious right in Kansas allows a candidate to win an election by appealing to the mega-church audiences without campaigning in front of the general public.

By itself, Waugh's victory does NOT change the balance of power on the state board. That will depend on the results of the other races tonight, and of course, what happens in those races in November.

State Board of Education - District 1 - Dem Primary

183 of 190 Precincts Reporting - 96.32%

	Name	Party	Votes	Pct
	Waugh, Janet (i)	Dem	5,912	65.13
	Hall, Jesse	Dem	3,165	34.87

Kansas Evolution Election: Good news - bad news, but still too close to call

[updated 10:35 p.m.] The Good News The one pro-science incumbent up for election this year, Janet Waugh, appears to be beating off a challenge by an ultra-conservative stealth candidate. Pro-science candidate Sally Cauble is leading Connie Morris. Pro-science Jana Shaver is also ahead of the anti-evolution candidate in her district. The Bad News Things are not looking good for pro-science Harry McDonald or Donna Viola. However, it all depends on where these votes are coming from and on which precincts are left to report. Stay tuned. From AP: State Board of Education - District 1 - Dem Primary

166 of 190 Precincts Reporting - 87.37%

Name Party Votes Pct Waugh, Janet (i) Dem 4,739 64.20 Hall, Jesse Dem 2,643 35.80

State Board of Education - District 3 - GOP Primary

249 of 300 Precincts Reporting - 83.00%

Name Party Votes Pct Bacon, John (i) GOP 8,660 50.59 McDonald, Harry GOP 6,736 39.35 Oliphant, David GOP 1,722 10.06

State Board of Education - District 5 - GOP Primary

316 of 609 Precincts Reporting - 51.89%

	Name	Party	Votes	Pct
	Cauble, Sally	GOP	6,101	53.69
	Morris, Connie (i)	GOP	5,263	46.31

State Board of Education - District 7 - GOP Primary

296 of 463 Precincts Reporting - 63.93%

Name Party Votes Pct Willard, Ken (i) GOP 6,763 52.27 Viola, Donna GOP 5,162 39.89 Liggett, M.T. GOP 1,014 7.84

State Board of Education - District 9 - GOP Primary

299 of 428 Precincts Reporting - 69.86%

	Name	Party	Votes	Pct
	Shaver, Jana	GOP	9,281	58.80
	Patzer, Brad	GOP	6,502	41.20

Kansas Elections: Religious Right takes one on the chin

[10:25 p.m.]

AP has called the Kansas Secretary of State's race for the Republican nomination for incumbent Ron Thornburgh. He was running for the nomination against Olathe state Sen. Kay O'Connor, a darling of the religious right who was known for once saying that she wasn't certain women should have the vote.

With 65 percent of the vote in, AP is calling the race, giving Thornburgh a 71 percent to 29 percent victory.

The Kansas Evolution Election: Early Results

[updated 9:25 p.m.]

By Diane Silver

I've covered a fair number of elections, and my opinion is that no matter what the early numbers say, we can't tell much of anything yet. Actually, you don't have to be a political expert to see that. Very preliminary results put the anti-evolution forces on the losing side of several races or running neck and neck with their opponents, but remember it is early.

The Kansas Secretary of State's election site doesn't seem to be as up to date as some of the state's newspapers. The Secretary of State site is also running very slow.

The Lawrence Journal-World seem to be posting results fairly quickly. See here.
Also see The Wichita Eagle.
Associate Press results are here.

=================

[earlier post]

It's 7 p.m. here in boiling Kansas and the polls have closed.Turnout for the primary appears to have been very light today, perhaps because of the outrageous heat.

We should have preliminary results in the state Board of Education race and other races in about an hour or so. Please return to In This Moment for the latest, or check out the results yourself at the Kansas Secretary of State web site here.

For the state Board of Education race, look for the results in these districts.

District 1 * Janet Waugh (pro-science Democrat)
District 1 * Jesse Hall (anti-evolution Democrat)

District 3 * Harry McDonald (pro-science Republican)
District 3 * John Bacon (anti-evolution Republican)

District 5 * Sally Cauble (pro-science Republican)
District 5 * Connie Morris (anti-evolution Republican)

District 7 * Donna Viola (pro-science Republican)
District 7 * Ken Willard (anti-evolution Republican)

District 9 * Jana Shaver (pro-science Republican)
District 9 * Brad Patzer (anti-evolution Republican)

For background information, look at the What the Heck post and the Who's Who post.

Headlines: Vote today in the Evolution Election; heat & other insanities

The Kansas Evolution Election: Time to vote!

What is really the matter with Kansas

What is really the matter with Kansas

By Diane Silver

Thomas Frank became a best seller in 2004 with the book What's the Matter with Kansas. His claimed the problem is that we feeble-minded Kansans had been mislead by the bait and switch tactics of the Republican Party. After much not-very-scientific research, however, I have deduced that he was wrong. The true problem with Kansas is the heat.

It's summer on the prairie again. Out here thermometer readings are irrelevant because the difference between 100, 103 or 105 or more don't matter much.

In the blessed Heartland of Our Nation, there really are only four different temperature readings in the summer. These are:

• Too Damn Hot
• Sauna
• Blast Furnace
• The Breath-Catching Phase Between Heat Waves (That's when the temperature plummets to 95 or even, gasp, 80-something.)

I'm a native of the north -- born and bred in Michigan. My brother and sister in law still live there, residing in the Alaska clone country near Lake Superior. As far as I'm concerned, anything over 90 is a personal insult.

As I write this at 8ish in the morning, it is already 83 outside. The temperature today is forecast to reach 101, but with high humidity it is supposed to feel like 110.

The local newspaper is warning pet owners not to lock their dogs in their cars. With rolled-up windows, temperatures inside a vehicle can reach 150 or more.

Not to underplay the importance of loving man and woman's best friend, but has anyone thought about what it is doing to us poor human beings to repeatedly climb into cars where it's 150-plus degrees inside? I'm betting we lose a few brain cells every time we do it.

Right now the collective breath of Kansans -- Republican, Democrat, religious and secular alike -- is being held as we wait for a predicted break in the weather. If the forecasters are right, the temperature will plunge to 96 tomorrow. And the day after that? Be still my beating heart! They are predicting a chilly 84.

What's the matter with Kansas? At this moment I suspect those of us living here would sum our answer to th question in something akin to a primal scream. And, I haven't even begun to talk about the chiggers yet.

Don't forget to vote. It's primary day today, and I hear the polling places are air conditioned.

The Kansas Evolution Election: Time to vote!

Today is primary day in Kansas. All you Kansans out there, forget about the heat, fortify yourselves with a dip in the pool, a spritz from the lawn hose and a bit of iced tea. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Get out and vote!

Why is this important? If enough social conservatives are defeated today, then the balance of power will shift on the state Board of Education from the religious right to mainstream moderates.

Who should you support in the state board race? See this Who's Who about the race. More information on the election is at Round One of the Evolution Election.

Even the New York Times is paying attention. Take a look at "In Kansas Evolution's Backers are Mounting a Counterattack."

Other races are also important. Watch for what happens in particular House races and in the race for the Republican nomination for the state insurance commioner. Here's a post explaining the race.

Check out the Kansas Equality Coalition Voters Guide here.

MAIN*PAC, a moderate PAC has endorsed the following candidates. They don't endorse in all races so make certain to check out the other information linked above.

Waugh, Janet District 1 School Board D
McDonald, Harry District 3 School Board R
Viola, Donna District 7 School Board R
Cauble, Sally District 5 School Board R
Shaver, Jana District 9 School Board R

Rigney, Ginny District 6 Kansas House D
Yonally, Jim District 16 Kansas House R
Talia, Milack District 23 Kansas House D
Bachelor, Amber District 29 Kansas House D
Winn, Valdenia District 34 Kansas House D
Brewer, Quentin District 39 Kansas House R
Smith, Sherrelyn District 48 Kansas House R

Thornburg, Ron Statewide Secretary of State R

Praeger, Sandy Statewide Commissioner of Insurance R

The Kansas Equality Coalition Voters Guide is now online

By Diane Silver

For Kansas voters and out-of-state political junkies: Check out the new Kansas Equality Coalition Voters Guide.

For some reason known only to Blogger, I can't get the direct link to post. Go to the Equality Coalition's home page and scroll down to News & Events, then click on "read more" under August 1st Primary Voter Resources.

Less than a year old, the Equality Coalition works for fair laws for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Kansans. This is its first attempt at creating a voters guide. It is also the first time a gay-rights group has posted a guide that encompasses all of the contested offices statewide.

The good news is that many candidates did respond to the group's survey. The bad news is that many did not. That will only change as candidates learn that ignoring the Equality Coalition costs them at the polls. That will only change when fair-minded Kansans give money and time to the group.

On a slightly different note ... If you are meandering through the Equality Coalition web site and notice that it looks like there's not much happening in the Lawrence Chapter, don't dispair. The chapter is meeting and at work. They just aren't doing a great job of updating the site.

In the name of full disclosure: I helped form the Equality Coalition and sit on two of its committees.

The Kansas Evolution Election: Round 1 is tomorrow

By Diane Silver

My fellow Kansans, I am writing to inform you of your homework assignment. It has two parts. (1) Your job tonight is to call all of your open-minded friends and tell them to get to the polls tomorrow. (2) Your job tomorrow is to get yourself to the polls to vote in the primary.

The Aug. 1 primary marks Round 1 of the battle over control for the Kansas state Board of Education. Because Kansas is also an overwhelmingly red state, the primary may well mark the best chance to defeat to defeat some of the anti-evolution, anti-science incumbents who helped de-emphasize the teaching of evolution and undermine education in a variety of ways.

Right now the bad news is that officials are predicting a low turnout. Low turnout always favors the more fervent and organized group in a campaign. No matter what else you can say about the religious right, they are certainly fervent and organized.

Thoughts From Kansas puts the primary in perspective this way.

In 2004 there were less than 38,000 votes cast for the two candidates for the Republican nomination that Kathy Martin ultimately won (thus seizing a creationist majority). This is an off-year without an exciting race at the top of the ballot, so turnout will be lower. Getting a few people to remember to vote (this) Tuesday could easily swing the tide.

For more of In This Moment's coverage of the state board races, see:

The Kansas Evolution Election: What the heck is it?

The Kansas Evolution Election: Who's Who & How You Can Help

Thoughts From Kansas pointed us to this interesting column in this weekend's Wichita Eagle.

Other commentary and coverage of the primary can be found in the following.

On the Insurance Commissioner's race:
Kansas Politics: What the radical right really wants

On the primary as a whole:
Primaries see religious influence

Sen. Kennedy is letting his colleagues off the hook when he blames a deceptive process for the Senate's approval of Justices Roberts and Alito

By Nancy Jane Moore

In today's Washington Post, Sen. Edward Kennedy says that the Senate, and particularly its Judiciary Committee, were deceived by managed testimony in confirming Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito.

While I know the Bush administration (and the Republican-controlled Senate) insisted on limiting the testimony, the written opinions of both justices were available for anyone to read -- including senators. Just by looking at some of their past decisions I could have predicted what side they would take in the opinions Kennedy cites -- Alito's joining of the dissent in Hamden v. Rumsfeld, and their agreement in eviscerating the Fourth Amendment in Hudson v. Michigan. In fact, the only Supreme Court ruling that surprised me all year was a unanimous opinion Alito wrote reversing a death penalty case on due process grounds (Holmes v. South Carolina) -- I didn't expect him to ever rule in favor of a convicted defendant.

To be fair to Sen. Kennedy, I know he voted against both of them. And he's right about the changes that should be made to the Senate procedure. He writes:

First, any qualified nominee to the Supreme Court will have spent many years thinking about legal issues. We should require that nominees share that thinking with the Judiciary Committee, and not pretend that such candor is tantamount to prejudging specific cases.

And he closes his article with this statement:

But it is essential that we learn enough of their legal views to be certain that they will make good on the simple promise etched in marble outside the Supreme Court: "Equal Justice Under Law."

Claiming they were misled by the process is just an excuse being used by Democratic and moderate Republican senators to justify their votes for justices with extreme judicial philosophies. They really voted for them because they were too scared to rock the boat -- the same reason they have supported many other bad Bush administration policies.

The Democrats should have filibustered both nominees. Going along to get along isn't working in the current Senate. In fact, given most of the actions of both houses over the past year, I think we'd be better off with a stalemated Congress.

About the only positive thing Congress has done this year is pass the extension of the Voting Rights Act. And in that case, due to the fact that there were questions about whether it would be extended, no one even tried to expand the law to cover other jurisdictions that have recently demonstrated serious flaws in their electoral process -- Ohio comes immediately to mind. A real Voting Rights Act extension would address current voting problems as well as making sure that the progress made in the South isn't abandoned.