Reader comments included. Some real nice replies.
Slattery launches campaign to unseat Roberts:
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By Tim Carpenter
The Capital-Journal
Published Wednesday, April 30, 2008
A staff member for Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts was on hand Tuesday to welcome back former U.S. Rep. Jim Slattery to the rough and tumble world of political campaigning.
While Slattery dotted his campaign launch speech in Topeka with criticism of Roberts' economic, energy and defense policy decisions, one of the senator's campaign workers thrust an official change-of-address form in the Democrat's hand.
Thad Allton / The Capital-Journal
Former 2nd District Rep. Jim Slattery, a Democrat, announces his candidacy for the U.S. Senate during a rally Tuesday morning.
JIM SLATTERY
Hometown: Topeka. Born in Good Intent, in Atchison County.
Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, Washburn University, 1970; law degree, Washburn, 1974.
Career: Served in Kansas Army National Guard, 1970-74; served in Kansas House, 1973-78; helped found and operate real estate firm, 1975-82; 2nd District congressman, 1983-94; unsuccessful Democratic nominee for governor, 1994; associate, Wiley Rein LLP, a Washington lobbying firm, 1994-2008; left lobbying firm to run for U.S. Senate.
Personal: He and his wife, Linda, have two grown sons.
"Welcome to Kansas,'" Ashley McManus, of the Roberts campaign, told Slattery.
Slattery, 59, reminded the audience McManus' boss went to Washington before the first astronaut stepped on the moon.
McManus said the brisk welcome was appropriate for someone employed as a Washington lawyer and lobbyist since 1994. Before that Slattery served the 2nd District of eastern Kansas in Congress for a dozen years. Never mind that Slattery has owned a home in Kansas since 1974 — the current one is in Topeka — and never registered to vote anywhere outside Kansas.
The issue of who might have lost touch with this state's values and interests wasn't ignored by Slattery. Roberts is seeking a third six-year term in the U.S. Senate, was elected eight times to the U.S. House and started his Washington career in 1967.
"My opponent is an entrenched career politician who went to Washington, D.C., before Neil Armstrong landed on the moon," Slattery said. "I face someone, who for all the good he may have done, has stayed in office too long. He has become part of what we must change if we are to get our country back on track."
The opening day of this six-month battle for political supremacy included radio advertisements from Roberts that attempted to lay waste to Slattery's aspirations for an upset victory. The Dodge City Republican, who didn't have a Democratic opponent in 2002, is likely to be a frequent flier on radio and television. He already has raised more than $3 million for his re-election bid.
A showdown between these experienced, well-connected politicians could turn out to be the most expensive U.S. Senate race in state history. Slattery first must defeat Overland Park railroad engineer Lee Jones in the Democratic Party primary in August.
Bob Beatty, associate professor of political science at Washburn University, said Roberts must be considered the front-runner, given the GOP's dominance in voter registration.
Beatty said critical numbers in the general election would be 41 and 26.
"Roberts has been in Washington 41 years and Slattery for 26 years," Beatty said. "It's a battle of which person who spent a lot of time in Washington is an agent of change."
Slattery, who lost the 1994 gubernatorial race to Republican Bill Graves, said he was running again for public office because the U.S. Senate was "simply not getting the job done."
He said the nation's economy was unstable, reliance on foreign oil had created a national security crisis and the country was engaged in a "tragic and costly war" in Iraq. The point about Iraq is a dig at Roberts, who he accuses of rubber-stamping President Bush's policy agenda as a chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee.
Slattery called the nation's combat troops American heroes but expressed concern military families weren't receiving the assistance they required.
Tim Carpenter can be reached at (785) 296-3005 or timothy.carpenter @cjonline.com.
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Reader Comments
Posted by: windybon at Apr 30, 2008 at 09:19:19 AM
If the "Senate is not getting the job done," maybe Mr. Slattery should ask Harry Reid why.
-2 Rating Posted by: 65impala at Apr 30, 2008 at 09:22:28 AM
BINGO!
+ 1 Rating Posted by: lkj at Apr 30, 2008 at 09:45:55 AM
Welcome back Mr Slattery! Looking forward to a contested senate race and Mr Roberts having to answer some tough questions for the first time in many, many years.
Lets let Kansas voters decide if we want to give Mr Roberts a "change of address card".
I will be looking at not only how he represented our state, but the country in whole.
REALLY looking forward to hearing some of Roberts answers to tough questions.
+ 1 Rating Posted by: billbodiggens at Apr 30, 2008 at 10:19:25 AM
A person should have reservations about Slattery, but it would appear to be rather inappropriate for Roberts to questions Slattery’s residency. I have had the opportunity to be in Dodge City quite a number of times since Roberts was first elected and have never seen or even heard of any residence he has maintained as his actual residence in that town he claims his own. Carpetbaggers all.
-1 Rating Posted by: windybon at Apr 30, 2008 at 10:40:04 AM
I follow the congressional voting records pretty closely, and from my point-of-view, Senator Roberts votes in my best interests 90% of the time.
-2 Rating Posted by: shesalady at Apr 30, 2008 at 10:51:11 AM
I like Jim Slattery and would vote for him in a minute--if he were a Republican
-2 Rating Posted by: shesalady at Apr 30, 2008 at 10:51:40 AM
I like Jim Slattery and would vote for him in a minute--if he were a Republican.
+ 1 Rating Posted by: T-TownTracker at Apr 30, 2008 at 11:04:48 AM
I don't know why anyone would vote for anyone that was in congress when we squandered the good will of the world community and instead turned them against us by starting a war that is bankrupting our country.
+ 1 Rating Posted by: T-TownTracker at Apr 30, 2008 at 11:05:29 AM
Change is good. Especially a change in direction when you are heading off the cliff.
+ 1 Rating Posted by: gotelk at Apr 30, 2008 at 11:22:14 AM
windybon - with all due respect, your best interests may not be the same as mine or a large number of other Kansans, but that is what elections are all about.
+ 2 Rating Posted by: blexican at Apr 30, 2008 at 11:45:22 AM
Shesalady, you are exactly what's wrong with America. People brainwashed to partisan politics. If both sides could only come together, instead of worrying about silly labels, then much more positive progress towards real issues could be made.
+ 1 Rating Posted by: lkj at Apr 30, 2008 at 12:15:50 PM
Blexican...You are exactly right about the labels and partisanship.
I too have been guilty of voting my party line, but there is too much at stake for all of us right now...your words remind me to get outside of my box and put some of that partisanship away, get outside my box too!
+ 1 Rating Posted by: lkj at Apr 30, 2008 at 12:41:09 PM
T-Town tracker...you are right about those who haved served us the last 8 years, I want to know their 'direction" for the future. The financial "cliff" is here, thats for sure.
I want some accountability and change, wheather they be democrat or republican.
-1 Rating Posted by: stewartsteen at Apr 30, 2008 at 01:40:29 PM
The two years of Democrat control of congress have been a miserable failure. I'm voting for Roberts.
+ 1 Rating Posted by: TopekaIsBoring at Apr 30, 2008 at 01:48:31 PM
The two years of DEMOCRATIC control of congress have been a failure because republicans have been blocking everything that they try to do with parliamentary procedures. After November when there are over 60 DEMOCRATIC Senators you'll see some progress made.
-1 Rating Posted by: husky1 at Apr 30, 2008 at 02:20:46 PM
Slattery is a lobbyist, His residence in Topeka is only a sham. He only comes back here for photo ops. Throw him and the rest of the bums out. We need a change and he ain't it.
-1 Rating Posted by: husky1 at Apr 30, 2008 at 02:22:54 PM
Slatttery is a lobbyist. His residence here in Topeka is a sham. He only comes back here for photo-ops. Throw him and the rest of the bums out. We need change and he aint't it.
+ 1 Rating Posted by: TopekaIsBoring at Apr 30, 2008 at 03:16:59 PM
Roberts' son is a lobbyist. Roberts' residence in Dodge city is a sham (it's a P.O. Box in a strip-mall). He only comes back here for photo-ops. Throw him and the rest of the republican bums out. We need change, and Roberts is in the way.
Posted by: husky1 at Apr 30, 2008 at 03:18:33 PM
They are all BUMS, republicans and democrats alike.
Posted by: mlurp at Apr 30, 2008 at 04:49:17 PM
Bum's is being easy on many. I think this campaign is going to be much more of interest to us than the Dem's primary between Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama. Common sense tells one Mr. Roberts is part of the problem and isn't going to be much help for change! And if at all levels of govt. we have a strong DNC party, we will either see change for the people and a govt. of the people. Or we might consider a real change. Any one recall these words? From 1776 "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."