Politics

Wichita ethics code to be considered
08
May
By Bob Weeks

Wichita ethics code to be considered

The Wichita city council will consider an ethics code that overlooks a simple and effective solution to a problem. This week the Wichita City Council will consider the final version of a proposed ethics code. It does not cover campaign finance. It does cover gifts to council members, which has been an issue in the past. Part of the problem with the proposal is the creation of a new board, the Ethics Advisory Board. Its members will be asked to judge things like whether a gift is "... intended or has the appearance or effect ..." The board will be…
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Presidential approval
03
Oct
By Bob Weeks

Presidential approval

Explore and compare the approval ratings of presidents in this interactive visualization. I've gathered presidential approval poll data and present it in an interactive visualization. I present data in a table and a timeline. Then, I present several views based on the poll date as the number of days from the start of each presidential term. To learn more about the data and access the interactive visualization, click here.
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Partisan Conflict Index
14
Sep
By Bob Weeks

Partisan Conflict Index

Have you suspected that the country has become more partisan? An index supports that. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia produces a monthly index that measures one aspect of political partisanship. The authors explain: The Partisan Conflict Index tracks the degree of political disagreement among U.S. politicians at the federal level by measuring the frequency of newspaper articles reporting disagreement in a given month. Higher index values indicate greater conflict among political parties, Congress, and the President. The index is an outgrowth of recent Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia research that finds that the index tends to increase near elections…
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Libertarian campaign visits Wichita
29
Aug
By Bob Weeks

Libertarian campaign visits Wichita

In Wichita Story, Tim O'Bryhim reports on the visit of the Libertarian Party vice presidential candidate to Wichita: "It is another hot August day in Kansas; a good day to be inside. But a crowd gathers in the (sadly only proverbial) shadow of the Keeper of the Plains to welcome Spike Cohen, the vice-presidential candidate of the third largest political party in the United States of America. If elections were the Olympics, the Libertarian Party would proudly climb on the medals stand every four years with a bronze medal around its neck. But in American politics, third place is almost…
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30
Jul
By Bob Weeks

Herman Cain, RIP

Today we learned that Herman Cain has died at the age of 74. He had been hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a statement on his website. He was an interesting man. In 2010, as he was rising in national prominence, I interviewed him in his hotel suite in Las Vegas. He ran for president in 2012. For my interview, click on Herman Cain: Conservatives should dream, be united, informed, inspired.
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All Kansas Republicans should have a voice
29
Jan
By Bob Weeks

All Kansas Republicans should have a voice

A presidential nominating caucus or primary would allow Trump skeptics in Kansas to have their say. It could provide a safety valve, a way to release the pressure that builds up from being told they are traitors to not only their party but to the country as well. In September, leaders of the Kansas Republican Party decided to deny giving rank-and-file party members a voice in choosing its presidential nominee for 2020. In a release, the state party said : "The Kansas Republican Party will not organize a Caucus for the 2020 election because President Trump is an elected incumbent…
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New Symposium Society: Language Matters
17
Oct
By Bob Weeks

New Symposium Society: Language Matters

From the New Symposium Society: Language Matters. Recorded October 15, 2019. Panelists were, in order of their first appearance: Russell Fox -- moderator John Brungardt -- philosopher Bill Coleman -- linguist Dion Lefler -- journalist Bob Weeks -- publisher For more information on this event, see Language Matters.
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From Pachyderm: Wichita school board candidates
05
Oct
By Bob Weeks

From Pachyderm: Wichita school board candidates

From the Wichita Pachyderm Club this week: Candidates for the board of USD 259, the Wichita public school district. This was recorded October 4, 2019. In board district 3, incumbent Ernestine Krehbiel is running unopposed, so this event did not include that district. In board district 4, the candidates are James W. Kilpatrick, Jr. and Stan Reeser (incumbent). For the at-large board district, which covers the entire school district, the candidates are Sheril Logan (incumbent) and Joseph Shepard. Of note, the boundaries of the Wichita school district are not the same as the City of Wichita boundaries. Substantial parts of…
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From Pachyderm: Wichita mayoral candidates
28
Sep
By Bob Weeks

From Pachyderm: Wichita mayoral candidates

From the Wichita Pachyderm Club this week: Wichita mayoral candidates Jeff Longwell and Brandon Whipple. This audio presentation or podcast was recorded on September 27, 2019. Todd Johnson is the moderator. Shownotes Jeff Longwell campaign web site: www.jefflongwellformayor.com Brandon Whipple campaign web site: www.votewhipple.com
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Kansas Republicans should have their say
08
Sep
By Bob Weeks

Kansas Republicans should have their say

Kansas Republicans should insist on having a voice in choosing the next Republican presidential nominee. The Kansas Republican Party has decided to deny giving rank-and-file party members a voice in choosing its presidential nominee for next year. In a release, the party says : "The Kansas Republican Party will not organize a Caucus for the 2020 election because President Trump is an elected incumbent from the Republican Party." The release gives a reason: "Every time an elected incumbent Republican has run for re-election, except in 1912, the Kansas Republican Party state convention adopted a resolution instructing all delegates to vote…
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From Pachyderm: David Kensinger
03
Aug
By Bob Weeks

From Pachyderm: David Kensinger

From the Wichita Pachyderm Club this week: David Kensinger, President of Kensinger and Associates. His topic was “The Early Returns of the 2020 Presidential Election." This audio presentation was recorded on August 2, 2019.
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From Pachyderm: Martin Hawver
05
Jan
By Bob Weeks

From Pachyderm: Martin Hawver

From the Wichita Pachyderm Club: Martin Hawver, dean of the Kansas Statehouse press corps. This was recorded January 4, 2019. Martin Hawver is the editor and publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report, the respected, non-partisan news service that reports on Kansas government and politics. He also is the dean of the Kansas Statehouse press corps, having covered the beat (36 years) longer than any current Statehouse reporter -- first for 17 years as a Statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal and since 1993 for Hawver’s Capitol Report. He is the primary reporter/writer for the news service. He also writes a column…
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Kansas Representative Leo Delperdang
03
Dec
By Bob Weeks

WichitaLiberty.TV: Kansas Representative Leo Delperdang

In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Representative Leo Delperdang joins Bob Weeks to discuss the recent election and the upcoming session of the Kansas Legislature. View below or click here to view at YouTube. Episode 220, broadcast December 2, 2018. Shownotes Representative Leo Delperdang at Kansas Legislature Delperdang for Kansas on Facebook Representative Leo Delperdang on WichitaLiberty.TV, June 22, 2017
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Bob and Karl look at election results
08
Nov
By Bob Weeks

WichitaLiberty.TV: Bob and Karl look at election results

In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Bob and Karl look at election results nationally, in Kansas, and in Sedgwick County. View below, or click here to view at YouTube. Episode 217, broadcast November 11, 2018. Shownotes Election results at Politico. This is one of the best sites for analysis of election results. Election results for Sedgwick County. Election resuts from Kansas Secretary of State.
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Election 2018 preview
01
Nov
By Bob Weeks

WichitaLiberty.TV: Election 2018 preview

In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Karl Peterjohn and Bob Weeks provide a preview of the congressional and gubernatorial election for the Wichita area in November 2018. View below, or click here to view at YouTube. Episode 216, broadcast November 4, 2018. Shownotes Candidate appearances on WichitaLiberty.TV: Ron Estes, James Thompson, Jeff Caldwell, Rick Kloos, Kris Kobach, and Greg Orman. School spending in Kansas: Charts Sedgwick County Commission: Richard Ranzau and Renee Duxler.
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