Wednesday, February 4, 2009
As Amanda Adkins starts her new job this week as chairwoman of the Kansas Republican Party, she will be walking into a political firestorm involving everything from the budget to abortion to the elections in 2010, none of which will be easy.
Luckily she isn’t new to the scene. With years of political experience, Adkins has long been a GOP leader, though not necessarily part of the Capitol’s Who’s Who. She has previously worked on Capitol Hill as a staffer for many years, worked at the Heritage Foundation, and managed the successful campaign of Sen. Sam Brownback’s reelection campaign in 2004. It is worth noting that Brownback received the largest number of votes ever in Kansas history for a candidate running for a state wide office.
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Adkins will need all the experience she’s got for this job.
Adkins will need all the experience she’s got for this job. She must begin to build the bridge between moderates and conservatives. Typically, this bridge is needed for the issue of abortion.
Abortion has become an issue that has seriously divided the GOP for years, but Adkins may be getting a break from the most unlikely of sources: Washington, D.C. Currently Congress is debating a bill called the ”Freedom of Choice Act,” which would allow “on-demand” abortions across the country. Conveniently for Adkins, this act would make state abortion laws obsolete and take power on this issue from the state and hand it over to the feds. Passage of this act would give Adkins some room to navigate the turbulent waters that are the Kansas Republican Party.
With abortion off the table for the state GOP, Adkins may be able to heal the party and move forward. She will need to revamp the party’s platform and, using conservative principals, refocus the party to do what is right for Kansans. This idea of doing what is right for the people will not only be good for the state but will also be good for the party. If she is able to implement these ideas into the platform, then Adkins may have an easy election season in 2010.
— Patton is an Olathe junior in business and finance.
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Comments
Patton: Adkins could unite GOP
The FOCA won't even come close to removing abortion from the political limelight. It will only mobilize the conservative wing of the party, who will want to do anything to weaken the laws and still find ways around the FOCA. Imagine the monster being brought to life in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and you can imagine the electrical effect this legislation would have on conservatives, who would likely see this as a further impetus to try to drive moderates out of the GOP. Patton's argument that this will heal the rifts in the state GOP doesn't really make sense.
Patton: Adkins could unite GOP
Ditto, Hendrix! KRA vs. KTRM is not going to end because of FOCA, if anything a new fire will be reignited.
I do like this lady though, and I'm sure she will perform her role well.
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