Amid all the ominous signs for the unraveling of our constitutional republic — and the 50 state governments contained therein — one last month struck me as particularly bleak.
The Atlantic first reported that Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would be leaving the National Governors Association. The bipartisan group claims that it serves as “the voice of the nation’s Governors and a leading forum for bipartisan policy solutions.” Democrats Kelly and Walz apparently didn’t see it that way.
Meanwhile, Kelly has raised her national profile as chairwoman of the Democratic Governors Association and has called for a robust response to potential gerrymandering in Texas.
The cliche response to this storm of news would be: “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” But we are in Kansas, and in every other state besides. The notion that officials might benefit from listening to one another and working together has been thrown on the partisan bonfire. As Republicans attempt to extract maximum advantage from government, Democrats find themselves forced to react in kind.
None of this reflects reality. According to Pew, the United States splits right down the middle between Republican and Democrat party registration. There’s a similar division between governors, with 27 Republicans and 23 Democrats. But what does the real word have to do with politics?
Apparently Democratic governors have grouched about the national group for some time.
Michael Scherer and Ashley Parker of the Atlantic wrote July 24 that “some Democratic members of the group have privately been fuming in recent months over the organization’s tepid reaction to President Donald Trump’s federal incursions into state matters. They complain that the group did not respond forcefully enough when Trump’s Office of Management and Budget briefly ordered a disruptive pause on the disbursement of all federal funds in January; when Maine Governor Janet Mills and her staff clashed with the White House the following month, over transgender sports; and in June, when Trump deployed the California National Guard to the streets of Los Angeles over the objections of local authorities.”
That makes sense. But what an unfortunate situation for governance in this country. What an unfortunate lack of spine as the federal government spirals.
Kelly decided not to privately fume any longer, making her unhappiness public. Remember, we’re not talking about a stereotypical wild-eyed leftist here. We’re talking about Laura Kelly, a politician whose primary skill has always been demonstrating her sanity in an otherwise insane world of political maneuvering.
“I just felt like Kansas was not getting a return on investment, and we will keep our eyes on it,” Kelly said, according to KSNT. Dues for the organization run about $100,000 a year. “The NGA does some very good things particularly in the area of training for governor’s staff, but there also needs to be a state rights advocate, and I think they’ve sort of fallen down on that role.”
In the meantime, political tensions have flared over mid-decade redistricting for congressional seats. Lawmakers usually draw maps every decade, following U.S. Census results. However, Texas legislators have been pressed by Trump to create new maps earlier, making it more difficult for Democrats to win U.S. House seats. Given that the governing party usually loses seats in midterm elections, this redistricting could cushion the expected blow for Republicans.
This has enraged Democrats, and leaders of blue states like California have threatened their own gerrymanders in retaliation. Guess who’s OK with that? Laura Kelly.
“I have never believed in unilateral disarmament, and so while I may not want to participate in certain activities, if I have to, in order to level the playing field, I would support my Democratic colleagues who decide to answer in kind,” she told ABC News at a policy retreat last week.
She added: “If the other side is going to pursue this, regardless of the obvious unconstitutionality of it, then I don’t think we have any other choice but to go there. You just don’t go to the front lines without your bullets.”
By running and governing as authoritarian wanna-bes, Republicans have pushed moderate Democrats like Kelly toward bare-knuckle political combat. They have alienated would-be allies, all in the service of the dime-store strongman living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We live in a narrowly divided country, but the GOP has chosen to eschew rules, norms or the barest sense of shame.
Kelly will do fine. I wish I could say the same for our state and nation.
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.