+
opinion
+
Preliminary is not Latin for "half assed."
I rolled my eyes so hard I got a migraine.
I miss Perry the platypus more than I miss Perry Ellis.
Is it just me or is Supreme Court Justice John Roberts a total DILF?
My skin's bad and so is my government.
KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, FEB. 9, 2017
Puppy gifs make everything better.
Every time I think about what the world could be like if Hillary and Tim had won, I weep. I weep for what could have been.
"That was funny! You were supposed to laugh at that, it was funny and clever" - my history professor
Another day, another engagement post on Facebook
I'd give up my dad before I give up carbs.
I could singlehandedly run the Jon Peters fan club.
KellyAnne Conway reminds me of my ex girlfriend.
Does anyone ever actually go to taco bell while sober?
Obama is a DILF
I knew growing up would be difficult but I didn't know it would involve seeing old friends post alt-right shit on Facebook
Sean Spicer looks like the Alaskan Bull Worm
America: land of the free, home of the easy D
Anyone else in the entire world named Tyler > Tyler self
I really consider tickets to be one-day parking passes that cost too much.
That feeling when both nostrils begin functioning at full capacity again
You know, I've been lusting after soup lately
My professor spent a solid minute staring at her own presentation, trying to understand her own slide...
to send in an FFA, text 785-289-8351
READ MORE AT KANSAN.COM
@KANSANNEWS
/THEKANSAN
KANSAN NEWS
@UNIVERSITY
DAILYKANSAN
Munoz: GOP to blame for dysfunctional D.C.
▶ VINCE MUNOZ
@vmunoz 18
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) used an obscure procedural rule to silence Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-MA) speech against the nomination of Jeff Sessions to be the attorney general. She was reading a letter from the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., who opposed Sessions' nomination to the federal judgeship in 1986. Once again, the American people have been reminded of the real problem with Washington: congressional Republicans.
Despite underreporting from the press in the name of "fairness," the truth is that congressional Republicans have been destroying long-held norms for years. Political scientists Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein make the case in their pivotal book, "It's Even Worse Than It Looks," that our country has been experiencing "asymmetric polarizations," the notion that, while both parties are becoming more polarized, the GOP is farther from the center than the Democratic party.
Everything that congressional Republicans have done since the 2008 election has proven this. In 2009, then-Speaker John Boehner said of Obama's agenda, "We're going to do everything — and I mean everything we can do — to kill it, stop it, slow it down, whatever we can." Similarly, McConnell noted that,
"The single most-important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." All defeated political parties have to promise their base at least some form of resistance to the partisan agenda of a new administration; however, the GOP took this to new extremes.
Some are tempted to say that President Trump is an outlier in our political system. To be sure, he has torn down presidential norms on his own. Is it unprecedented that a lawsuit filed by the first lady implied that she might try to use her "once-in-a-lifetime" chance to grow her company's bottom line? Yes. Is it unprecedented that a then president-elect called a major news network "fake news?" Of course. Is it unprecedented that the White House press secretary tells career foreign service officers to quit if they disagree
with the president? Perhaps, but all of this misses the point.
It was also unprecedented to block a president's Supreme Court nominee for more than a year. It was unprecedented when Ted Cruz suggested that his party would block any nominee from Secretary Clinton. Even before then, the GOP's threat to force the US to default on its debt in 2011 was a first. The list goes on and on. And you would be hard pressed to find an example on the other side of the isle.
Rank and file voters take cues from party leaders. Why do you think that 30 percent of Trump supporters do not support cutting federal spending, despite the fact that conservatism (the ideology of the GOP) calls for less government? It's because voters do not have set policy preferences—they follow their leaders. Now that right-wing
populists are in charge of the Republican Party, the voters have abandoned conservatism.
I'm not trying to argue that all Republicans (or even all Republicans in congress) are responsible for the decay of American democracy, but every Republican who has supported the flagrant abuse of power that congressional leadership has employed during Obama's tenure carry a substantial portion of the burden. The GOP fomented a mindset never before seen in American history. The goal of which is not to be a minority partner in governing, but a take-no-prisoners opposition, even at the expense of their own constituents and the nation.
Vince Munoz is a junior from Topeka studying political science and strategic communications.
ALYSSA HOEDL
@AHoedl
Hoedl: Change requires civic engagement
For all kinds of people, Democrats and Republicans alike, what is happening in our government may not be what they want to happen. Yes, we have a republican president, however, his views may not align with all republicans' views
Too many people just focus on the presidential election and think that if their candidate loses, then all hope is gone. Every little election counts, whether it is for state representative, state senate or city council.
Either way, instead of being upset about what is
happening and thinking they can't do anything to change it, citizens need to look in their community and see that there are a million opportunities to try and affect change.
Now is the time for people to get into action. By starting out early and showing interest in either running for office or just supporting people that is how real change gets done.
If people wait until early 2018 or 2020 to decide they
Change takes time and effort, and if people want to actually affect anything, they need to start now.
want changes made, then nothing will be different.
One easy way to try and cause change is by calling your congressmen or local representatives. Not Facebook messaging them or tweeting at them or emailing them, physically calling them is the way to go.
The internet is a great way to figure out which congressional district you are in, by putting in your zip-code.
Getting into contact with your local party group is another good way to be informed about events that are happening that you can
talk to legislators at or listen to what is going on with bills in your state.
Major change won't happen by getting out and voting at each election. To really get change moving and becoming effective, you need to start from the bottom and work up. Get people running who you think will do a good job and then support them until they win.
If you have someone already in office that you want to change something, call them every day. Sometimes even go in and make appointments with them, so they know what you want and they can't ignore you.
When constituents are upset, politicians can't
just ignore them. This was shown when the people of Alaska changed their Senator's mind on the appointment of Education Secretary.
No matter what, if you want change you can't sit around expecting other people to do it for you. You need to go out there and make it happen. Otherwise, you have no right to complain when the person you didn't want elected gets elected.
Alyssa Hoedl is a freshman from Olathe studying journalism.
- Edited by Ashley
Hocking
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
LETTER GUIDELINES: Send letters to editor@kansan.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the email subject line.
Length: 300 words
The submission should include the author's name, year, major and hometown. Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters.
Lara Korte
Editor-in-chief
lkorte@kansan.com
CONTACT US
Tucker Paine Business Manager tpaine@kansan.com
THE KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Lara Korte, Christian Hardy, Tucker Paine and Vince Munoz.