As an industry, agriculture in Kansas is extremely important—the state ranks seventh among for total agricultural production and you'd think the high-ranking senator from Kansas—who likes to call himself a "warrior" for farmers—would be especially interested in agriculture issues. Not so with Sen. Pat Roberts:
Documents related to committee attendance available from the U.S. Government Printing Office showed Roberts was present for 35.5 percent, or 71 of 201, of the agriculture committee's sessions from 2000 to 2014.
A representative from Independent Greg Orman's campaign is taking the bull by the horns and hitting Roberts hard:
"It's bad enough that Sen. Roberts doesn't live in Kansas and barely visits, but the fact that he isn't even showing up for the job Kansans are paying him to do in Washington, D.C. — where he lives — shows that Sen. Roberts has forgotten the people of Kansas and is failing to represent their interests," Jonas said.
Roberts also failed to take charge of the committee when he had the chance:
He had the option of chairing the Senate Agriculture Committee, but he chose to head the Senate Intelligence Committee. The panel was embroiled in an inquiry of intelligence failures before the 2003 invasion of Iraq and a partisan conflict regarding President George W. Bush's wartime decisions.
Yes, the Senate Intelligence Committee really got to the bottom of why we went to Iraq. Time well spent, Senator.
Elsewhere in Kansas, Kris Kobach—the worst secretary of state in the nation—has a strong Democratic challenger next month—Daily Kos-endorsed Jean Schodorf. Recent polls show them in a close race.
Can you chip in $3 to help elect Jean Schodorf for secretary of state?
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Let's get rid of these two Republicans and help Kansas get back on the right track.