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Monday, January 28, 2008
Kan. governor to call for bipartisan work in Washington
By JOHN HANNA
AP Political Writer
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Gov. Kathleen Sebelius planned to stress the need for bipartisan work on the economy and other issues in giving the Democratic Party's response Monday to President Bush's last State of the Union address.
Democratic leaders believe Sebelius is a good person to deliver such a message to a national audience. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called her both one of the nation's leading governors and one of the party's brightest stars.
Sebelius has won two terms as a Democrat in a traditionally Republican state by wooing moderate Republicans and independent voters. Before her response, she noted that 28 of the nation's Democratic governors, including her, are from states that the Republican president carried in 2004.
''There is really a lot of evidence that there is a new American majority coming together, people who don't necessarily see themselves as partisans,'' Sebelius said during a conference call with Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Sebelius said she would talk about people's hope that problems such as a softening economy, rising health care costs and dealing with global warming can be addressed -- and their willingness to tackle them.
She said she will call upon Americans to stay ''engaged and involved'' despite their frustration with Washington's partisan politics.
''We have 357 days left in this administration, but those days can be used to solve real problems,'' she said.
As other Democrats have nationally, Pelosi and Reid portrayed Sebelius as someone who has been able to solve Kansas' financial problems, grow the state's economy, improve public schools and tackle health care issues.
Kansas Republicans have repeatedly questioned Sebelius' leadership. State GOP Chairman Kris Kobach noted that she has proposed tax increases in the past and this year endorsed higher tobacco taxes to finance health care initiatives. He described her as a liberal who is ''more interested in pandering to special interests on the East and West coasts than serving the people of Kansas.''
They have been especially critical of Sebelius because her administration has blocked the construction of two coal-fired power plants in southwest Kansas, citing their potential carbon dioxide emissions. GOP legislators note the $3.6 billion project would provide 2,000 construction jobs and expand the local economy.
''She speaks in trite sound bites and has repeatedly failed to step up and lead on the pressing issues facing Kansans,'' Kobach said.
But Sebelius won re-election with 58 percent of the vote in 2006, in a state where registered Democrats are less than 27 percent of the voters. Also, Bush carried Kansas by wide margins in 2000 and 2004, and no Democratic presidential nominee has prevailed there since 1964.
''Obviously, the Democratic Party wants to advertise itself as something more than a coastal party and show that there are Democrats in places like Kansas,'' Bruce Oppenheimer, a Vanderbilt University political scientist, said Monday. ''You don't always want to round up the usual suspects.''
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