Kansas Republicans condemn violent threats — unless they make them

15 February

Rep. Patrick Penn, a Wichita Republican, joked with Hutchison Republican Rep. Kyler Sweely on Thursday about shooting a former Democratic representative.

So, wait a minute. Is threatening political violence acceptable now?

You see, I recall the ancient days of October 2024, when Kansas Republicans frothed in rage at the story of a University of Kansas lecturer who made an unfortunate comment to his students about shooting people who wouldn’t vote for a female president. But just this week, Republican Rep. Patrick Penn of Wichita joked with Hutchinson Rep. Kyler Sweeley about shooting former Rep. Jason Probst.

As far as I can tell, no Republican said a word.

One would imagine — and I’m just a simple country opinion editor here — that the ever-moral and upstanding Kansas GOP would rush to condemn such an offensive statement. After all, four months ago they were flooding my inbox with messages about how much they abhorred any suggestion of violence.

Perhaps that only counted when it came from Democrats. After all, GOP President Donald Trump gave political thuggery a warm bear hug last month, pardoning the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrectionists. It’s difficult to take a principled stand when you’re an enthusiastic member of a violence-worshipping cult of personality.

As always, Kansas Republicans, I’d love to be proved wrong. You can step up any time.

I should note that Probst wrote about the situation here and here on his Substack blog, “That Guy in Hutch.” He has thoughts, as you might imagine.

Not Docking, Dole

The much fought-over Docking State Office Building — named for Kansas Democratic Gov. Robert Docking — could face one more detour in its route to restoration. That would be the proposal by House Appropriations chairman Troy Waymaster to rename it after longtime Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Dole.

As reported by State Affairs Kansas, the matter came up during budget discussions (work on the office complex requires $19.3 million to cross the finish line). The Republican representative said he planned to introduce a bill on the subject.

Rep. Bill Sutton, R-Gardner, then jokingly asked if Waymaster would consider naming the building after former Gov. Sam Brownback. He was ruled out of order. Later in the discussion, Lawrence Democratic Rep. Barbara Ballard proposed a hyphenated alternative: Docking-Dole. Further discussions were promised, and lawmakers kept crunching numbers.

Here’s the problem, as I see it. Dole was a Washington, D.C., man. He served two years in Topeka, as opposed to more than 35 years in D.C.

On the other hand, Docking served four (count ’em, four) terms as Kansas governor. They were two-year terms, but still. He was also the first Democrat to unseat an incumbent Republican for the job. I would hate to imagine that partisanship played any role in all this.

Friday work

Kansas legislators gave themselves a whopping pay increase this session. In my first Statehouse scraps roundup of 2025, I voiced my support for the move, while also hoping that bigger paychecks would “cultivate a more professional attitude toward doing the people’s work.”

Evidence of such an approach looked scant in January and early February. Yet, wonder of wonders, the House actually met on Friday this week.

As I’ve written, legislators should receive a real salary. But I don’t think it’s crazy for people to expect they put in the same week’s work as the rest of us.

Brown plots departure

Farewell in advance to Kansas Republican Party chairman Mike Brown. He announced on Tuesday he would not be running for reelection to the post.

The pugilistic Brown was known for blistering conservative screeds in the party’s weekly Friday File newsletter. He also clashed with old guard party leaders, both before his election to the post and after an effigy of President Joe Biden was beaten by guests at a Johnson County event.

From Brown’s perspective, though, his two years in the top job have been a rip-roaring success.

“I am deeply grateful for this journey and for the unwavering support of so many incredible patriots,” he wrote. “Together, we have made the KSGOP a strong and more influential operation, and we now well-positioned for the battles ahead. The future is bright if the current course is continued, and I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with you in the good fights to come.”

Random questions

These random queries coursed through my mind this week.

If Loud Light and Kansas Appleseed are “bomb throwers,” in the words of Leavenworth Republican Rep. Pat Proctor, then what on Earth does that make the walking Newsmax channel that is Proctor?
With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. taking the reins as Health and Human Services secretary in Washington, D.C., how sad is former Hutchinson Sen. Mark Steffen not to be in thick of anti-vaccine conspiracies in Topeka?
When will Republican leadership in the House and Senate try to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of their gender affirming-care ban? It was their first bill passed of the session and saw a speedy response from the governor.
If the U.S. House moves ahead with giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, as advocates predict, will our GOP congressional delegation go along with it?
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach ran for office on a platform of battling government overreach. Have I missed something, or is he simply not seeing the enormous opportunity to sue the Trump administration for its myriad unconstitutional schemes?

House press restrictions

Hey, it’s just my weekly reminder that House Speaker Dan Hawkins has still barred Kansas news media from his chamber’s press box, banishing journalists to an upper balcony to cover proceedings in his chamber.

Of course, given what Penn and Sweely were joking about this week, perhaps it’s safer to put some distance between lawmakers and journalists.

Ha, ha! Just joking. All in good fun, right? Right?

Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com.

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