According to a profile in the
Lawrence Journal World this morning:
* Vice President Dick Cheney is traveling to Topeka next week to hold a fund-raiser for Ryun, another possible indication that Boyda is making headway.
This was a bullet in a list of evidence that US Rep. Jim Ryun is running for his life as his 2 time Democratic Challenger Nancy Boyda sails by him with a gaggle of Kansas moderates all thumbing their noses at Washington DC Establishment types.
According to the LJ World:
Several factors working in favor of a Boyda upset include:
* Boyda campaign signs seem to be popping up like wildflowers across the sprawling district that includes west Lawrence.
* Ryun, a five-term incumbent, has launched a television ad criticizing his Democratic opponent, a possible sign that he feels threatened.
[third bullet above]
* And nationally, congressional observers seem to think Democrats will make significant gains in Congress on Nov. 7.
Not mentioned here is the hilarious campaign commercial where Rep. Ryun Supported the Environment while pumping gas into his SUV.
The LJWorld cites Ryun's viability might be teatering on the ballance but he will likley not falter as there are
several factors in his favor:
* Since first being elected in 1996, he has won re-election handily, including a 56 percent to 41 percent thumping of Boyda in 2004.
* Cheney is coming to Topeka on Oct. 12 to raise money for Ryun.
* The national Democratic Party has little traction in Kansas.
* And Ryun is a Kansas legend from his world-record track feats as a young miler and Olympian.
Let's dispell a few roomers shall we...
1. Ryun had never faced a well funded challenger who ran TV ads against him until 2004 - a year when the country was afraid for their lives convinced that Bush was the savior - key in areas like Kansas.
Boyda's campaign was hit hard with accusations that she was soft on terrorism because she opposed the Iraq War in the lead-up to the bombings. Voters remember those ads - and they're starting to think Boyda was right. Proposing a smart plan that differs from that of the Republicans isn't unpatriotic - its responsible and nothing is more American given the failures we've seen in the past few years.
2. Vice President Cheney is even less liked among voters. They've seen him curse and snarl, spit and scream all while pushing his partisan agenda for war, war, war, and more war. He's a rich, partisan, political, establishment toaster who NO ONE wants to sit down and have a beer with unless you're as right wing as Jim Ryun. If Ryun really needed money from someone Kansas would stand behind he should have brought out John McCain, Bob Dole, Brownback and Roberts, Arlen Specter, Bush himself, or even Schwarzenegger... but Cheney?? Come on...
3. the DCCC has little traction because Boyda has refused to work with the national establishment because she knows what is best for Kansas ... not Washington DC insiders. For that you'd want Jim Ryun. The only way they could gain traction is by doing IE's without Boyda knowing ... and the Establishment Types are too busy watching their targeting and polling data to even notice what's going on in Kansas.
4. their last point is the killer. There it is. Jim Ryun got the silver metal in the Olympics. he is an awesome runner. An amazing runner. And a good Christian runner who runs good Christian running camps to teach kids about leadership and character and how important it is to exorcise and have good health. Doesn't mean he's a good Congressman. We all know Brownback and Roberts hand down helper pork bills and Ryun's chief of staff is running the show. So lets put Ryun where he belongs - back on track. No more detours to what could be one of the most amazing movements in child obesity in this country could be lead by someone like Jim Ryun - he could begin campaigns to stop child asthma and diabetes in youth all by advocating for what he does best.... But instead he's in Washington DC with lobbyists for Big Pharma, Big Oil, and the Right Wing Republican Machine and he's pushing bills they tell him to.
"On the Jim Cates show Monday on 1440-AM, Ryun and Boyda took callers' questions for about 40 minutes.
Ryun accused Boyda of supporting universal health care "where a bureaucrat in Washington" will decide on treatment. Boyda said she was willing to look at a number of proposals to get control of rising health care costs."
Because clearly - stay the course isn't working - we have an all out Health Care Crisis in this country and spent over $2Trillion - "That's four times more than what the United States spends on national defense" according to
John McLaughlin and as a scientist and a former pharmaceutical worker Boyda's seen how it works and she knows how to fix it.
Boyda responded: "If you're going to say global warming is a myth, then everything is going well in Iraq. We need to deal with reality."
This is all we get from the GOP - There is no such thing as the NAFTA SuperHighway, there is no such thing as Global Warming, Foley's emails were just innocent conversation taken out of context, we are Winning the War in Iraq...
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!!!!
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