Kansas Democrats met in Topeka this week to consider the direction of their party, and to look forward as to where they would go next. With many Democrats concerned about the continuing results in Kansas, discussion was free flowing and surprisingly up beat - in hopes that change would provide them an effort to change.
Friday night in Topeka provided the typical prior to state meeting event that you tend to expect nationwide - lots of drinking, lots of discussion and a chance for many old and new friends to get together and network.
Friday Night offered the Kansas Democratic Party an executive meeting of outgoing officers an opportunity to set the budget for the future - a budget which now a new executive director and new chair will work with, and a framework for the expectations of the party for 2015 and 2016.
Kansas Democrats began Saturday with Caucus meetings and gatherings, a chance for many caucuses - though not all - to reorganize and to vote for new officers. At a meeting 4 years ago, there was an attempt to avoid this, by encouraging organizations to be credentialed prior to Washington Days as an effort of transparency -- so that the party knew the delegates before Washington Days occurred -- however that thinking has gone by the wayside more recently.
Meetings, training seminars and functions were held throughout the day; revolving around data and methods to what it takes to build counties and precinct committee persons.
The meeting of state committee members - an opportunity to elect the leaders - for the state party. We began with the election of lower officers - an unusual tact in many of these meetings as I'm far more familiar with electing chairs or handling rules first - and then proceeding up the list to finish with the race for chair.
Rev. Tobias Schlingensiepen was elected via unanimous consent with no opposition to the role of Party Treasurer, and Jean Schodorf, candidate for Kansas Secretary of State, defeated Barbara Ikerd, a Wyandotte county union organizer in a race for party secretary.
Prior to the election of further leadership, however, rule changes were needed. The rules committee had offered a bylaw change which would provide for two vice chairs, an unpaid position, in Kansas to help serve the Kansas Democrats.
There was some confusion in the crowd, however, that focused around the wording of the amendment, which included "should" come from an east and west of the state without any geographic delineation, as well as concerns expressed by Representative John Carmichael, Democrat, Wichita, that the rule as it was currently configured would be both difficult to enforce and could lead to confusion as to who would act as the representative to the national.
Representative Carmichael, amongst others, stood repeatedly to call to point that the measure was simply not ready for a vote, and on first vote the adoption of the rule was soundly defeated, referred back to the rules committee.
This resulted in a bit of chaos, as the party had planned - and already had - two candidates running for what were thought to be vice positions that in the end were not agreed to by the body. In a vigorous back and forth debate over the implications - including motions to elect people by 'suspending the rules' (a motion which failed), those within the meeting argued that the party should accept both candidates, Kathryn Focke and Melody McCray Miller and revisit the rule, however, those who sided with "no" pointed out that it would be possible a position as "ad-hoc" until the bylaws could be fixed. After more than 35 minutes of heated debate, the committee as a whole reconsidered and both were elected vice chairs.
In the race for state chair - as noted here - Larry Meeker, economist from Lake Quivira, Kansas became state party chair; but not before Phil Black, county chair of Saline County, stood to argue that Western Kansas needed more representation. Earlier in the day, at the first district meeting, loud voices echoed noting that there should be at least a call for consideration.
With numerous members standing for a second, I stood to both praise Dennis for his hard work on behalf of the party, as well as to point out that I knew that he was not interested in the job. I had been asked earlier by one group to not nominate Dennis (which I wouldn't) and by others to see if I could 'put a pin in it' once it was obvious it would occur regardless. By noting his non-interest in the position as well as providing Dennis McKinney and opportunity to speak, many of those who were unhappy in prior meetings were largely OK with the results and the nominating procedure stopped.
McKinney, former state treasurer and 9 time elected was able to deliver a short address, thanking the committee for their support, and offer some words of wisdom to the body:
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"If your great-grandparents came to this country to work in the mines, and they were dirt poor, and they were part of the early labor movement in Kansas that helped us to be one of the first states with unemployment compensation and workers' compensation and workplace safety rules," McKinney said, "and then one day you wake up and your town is described as a 'craphole' small town, you have to understand why we're not connecting with the people and culture of Kansas."
With a long applause to thank him for his service, the outgoing party chair took a moment to thank Dennis for his humility of decision and to note that she hoped Dennis would consider a run at a larger chair in 2018.
In taking the position as State Party Chair, Larry Meeker replaces outgoing Joan Wagnon, who chose to step down this year. Meeker noted to those present afterward that "we need to be boots on the ground" everywhere, and had offered to work support for those who seek to change the layout.
Sen. Minority Leader Anthony Hensley made an open call for Kris Kobach to resign in relation to comments reported in the KC Star, here and Right Wing Watch over racist claims around law enforcement and the president. It is unlikely such a thing would occur - but such a moment helped provide many Democrats with the red meat they had been waiting for most of the weekend.
Esau Freeman, activist in District 4 on behalf of law enforcement changes in the prosecution of marijuana possession pointed out: "The speeches are fine; now we have to actually go out there and try and make it happen. That's the next step."
Speeches from Paul Davis, Jill Docking, Joan Wagnon and others filled the night to lead to the keynote speech by Martin O'Malley.
Martin O'Malley, former Governor of Maryland pitched his case for why Maryland was a shining example of how Democrats in the country can and should govern - but the question on many in the audience mind was whether or not O'Malley was considering a presidential primary run in light of his recent demure from the senate race to hold Barbara Mikulski's seat. I had a moment to talk to the governor, and asked him specifically about his opinion of Sen. Reid's endorsement of Chris Van Hollen, but was unable to get an opinion as he needed to quickly move on.
As news stories were published in the evening, social media began to chime in on the outcome of the Kansas Democratic Party function. John Altevogt, former conservative columnist for the KC Star, commented in response to a plan to become a larger party with a simple query: "By becoming Republicans?" Larry Meeker had time to address this question in the banquet lines by continuing his earlier comments indicating that Governor Brownback was providing Democrats in Kansas an 'Epic opportunity' to overturn seats in the 2016 election a chance for significant Democratic growth.
The gathering lasted late into the night as senators and representatives hung out in the hallways until 2AM and long after discussing politics and life and working to see how the party can work to accomplish the complex goals of the next series of elections.