Labette County Democrats "Democrats United for the Common Good!"
News You Need to Know
Upcoming Events
February meeting of the Labette County Democrats--Thursday,
Feb. 28 at 7:00 at the Arvon Phillips Rec. Center, 1200 S. Heacock in
Parsons. We have a full agenda including a review of the caucus,
information on the Holcomb coal-fired power plant. (As always, invite
a friend or neighbor!)
Washington Days--Feb.
29 & March 1 in Topeka. This is an excellent opportunity to meet
Democrats from across the state! (Tickets are $25 for just Saturday).
On Friday night the speaker will be Tim Kaine, Gov. of Virginia. For
more information on events and to register, go to: Washington Days.
Obama Wins Wisconsin Primary
Barack Obama cruised past a fading Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Wisconsin
primary Tuesday night, gaining the upper hand in a Democratic
presidential race for the ages. It was Obama's ninth straight victory
over the past three weeks, and left the former first lady in desperate
need of a comeback in a race she long commanded as front-runner.
"The change we seek is still months and miles away," Obama told a boisterous crowd in Houston.
He cut deeply into Clinton's political bedrock in Wisconsin,
splitting the support of white women in Wisconsin almost evenly with
the former first lady and running well among working class voters in
the blue collar battleground, according to polling place interviews.
The economy and trade were key issues in the race, and seven in 10
voters said international trade has resulted in lost jobs in Wisconsin.
Fewer than one in five said trade has created more jobs than it has
lost.
Jennifer Lyn Holtz
OSWEGO - Jennifer Lyn Holtz, 51, of Oswego died Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008, at Labette Health.
She was born June 18, 1956, in Iola to Larry and
Shirley Sue (Burgess) Holtz. She attended schools in Oswego and
graduated from Oswego High School in 1974 and attended Pittsburg State
University for a nursing degree.
She worked in the Kansas City area for 20 years. She
returned to Oswego in 2000. She has been caregiver for family and
friends in Oswego. She was a member of Mother of God Catholic Church and was in the church choir. She was an avid Democrat and was active in the Labette County Democratic Party. She will be sadly missed by all of us.
She is survived by her mother, Sue Froelich of
Oswego; her father, Larry Holtz of Oswego; a sister, Valorie Hayden, a
nephew, Harold Hayden; and a niece, Lori Wolf and a host of friends.
There will be a memorial service at the First Presbyterian Church in Oswego at 1:00p.m on Wednesday. A memorial Mass will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Mother
of God Catholic Church with the Rev. Larry Parker officiating. She was
cremated and her inurnment will be at a later date.
Fund Raiser for Nancy Boyda on Thursday 21st
We have an
opportunity this week to help get Nancy Boyda re-elected.
The Southeast Kansas
Academy of Pharmacists is sponsoring a reception for Nancy this Thursday, the
21st, from 6 to 8 pm at the Commercial Bank in Parsons at 1901 Main (go in
the west door). You will have the chance to meet and talk with Nancy, and get an
understanding of how she has actively supported independent local pharmacies in
Kansas communities since the very beginning of her term.
The campaign season
is upon us, so your support is critical if we want to maintain the strong,
active representation we have had for southeast Kansas with Rep. Boyda. The
Republicans are gunning for this seat and a return to the indifferent
representation we knew for too many years, but you can help stop
them. Tickets to this event are $50, but having her as our representative
is--as the commercials say--priceless. And with this event you get the chance to
meet her right there in person--something you won't get if you wait
and send your check through the mail later. So, please spread the word and
come out to show your support for our Outstanding Representative, Nancy
Boyda.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius gives Democratic Response
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius called for "a new course" for the nation
on Monday, saying Americans "have no more patience with divisive
politics" and urging President Bush to join "the vast majority of Americans" to make needed change. Sebelius said her "American response" to the president's State of the
Union address was "a national call to action on behalf of the
struggling families here in the heartland, and across this great
country" and "a wake-up call to Washington, on behalf of a new American
majority, that time is running out on our opportunities to meet our
challenges and solve our problems."
"The new Democratic majority of Congress and the vast majority of Americans are ready -- ready to
chart a new course," she said, adding that restoring America's status
in the world and improving the fight against terrorism would not have
to wait for a new president if "more Republicans in Congress stand with
us this year."
Sebelius also called on Bush to sign the State Children's Health
Insurance Program bill that has twice passed Congress only to be met by
the president's veto."We know that caring for our children, so they have a healthy and
better start in life, is what grownups do," she said. "Governors in
both parties, and a large majority of the Congress are ready, right
now, to provide health care to 10 million American children, as a first
step in overhauling our health care system. Join us, Mr. President,
sign the bill and let's get to work."
On foreign policy, Sebelius said that five years of the war in Iraq
have "cost us dearly -- in lives lost; in thousands of wounded warriors
whose futures may never be the same; in challenges not met here at home
because our resources were committed elsewhere. America's foreign
policy has left us with fewer allies and more enemies.
Join us, Mr. President, and working together with Congress to make
tough, smart decisions, we will regain our standing in the world and
protect our people and our interests," she said.
Obama Wins South Carolina Primary
Senator Barack Obama was the decisive winner in Saturday's Democratic Primary in South Carolina. He polled 55% of the vote compared to Senator Hillary Clinton who received 27%. Former Senator John Edwards finished a disappointing third in his home state.
The trend of greatly increased interest and turnout continued in South Carolina. In the 2004 Democratic Primary approximately 280,000 voters participated. On Saturday, the turnout exceeded 530,000.
Clinton Wins New Hampshire Primary
Mrs. Comeback Kid. Hillary didn't marry to get this name. Yet again, the Clinton's have played the expectations game and the pundits like a harp, and most fell for it. Every pollster was dead wrong. So how did she do it? Well that may require an in depth analysis at a later date, but the short answer seems to be: women. That very group that some have said would make Clinton's nomination inevitable came through strong, loud and clear.
Obama Captures Iowa Caucus
Senator Barack Obama won the Iowa caucuses Thursday night with an exceptional showing, the opening test in the race for the 2008 Democratic nomination. Former Senator John Edwards finished 2nd and Senator Hillary Clinton was 3rd. Participation in the caucus was extremely high with many younger, first-time caucus goers evident at many caucus locations.
Republican House of Cards Falling Fast
After years of dealing out dirty tricks, the Republican house of cards is rapidly falling down.
Following a flurry of Republican resignations, including Senate
Minority Whip Trent Lott, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert yesterday
announced he intends to fold his hand as well.
Another surprise came from Rep. J. Dennis
Hastert (R-Ill.), who was toppled from the speaker's chair by
Republican losses in 2006 and had said in August that he would not run
for reelection. Hastert revealed that he is leaving Capitol Hill
immediately...
What's more? The Republicans leadership is no longer able to
bankroll their candidates while the Democrats continue to pull in the
chips. Republicans also face a daunting financial gap at the
congressional level, the likes of which they have not seen in decades.
At the end of October, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
had $29 million in the bank to spend on House races -- roughly 14 times
the $2.56 million its Republican counterpart had at that time.
"The challenge is that [open seats] spread thin resources even more
thinly," said Glen Bolger, a prominent Republican pollster. "Places
you'd like to play offense, you might not play because you have to play
defense" elsewhere.
Of course, the R's are keeping their poker faces in tact - claiming
these resignations will not affect the outcome of the 2008 elections,
but we can see they're bluffing. Here's the kicker... Expectations coming into the 2008 election were that
Senate Republicans faced a difficult climb back to a majority, with 21
seats to defend, while their House counterparts seemed well positioned to win back some of the 30 seats they lost in 2006. On both sides of the Capitol, those expectations have been ratcheted down significantly over the past year. (Source:Kansas Democratic Newsletter)
Copyright 2007 Labette County Democratic Central Committee. All rights reserved.
