KC Buzz Blog

Leading left-leaning blog touts Sebelius for VP

   Daily Kos, arguably the most powerful liberal blog, has a flattering post about why Kansas Gov. Kathleen Seblelius would make a formiable Veep candidate for the Dems.

Posted by DeAnn Smith

Governor to name new high court justice

   Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will name a new state Supreme Court justice at 1 p.m. today.

   The announcement will be made in the governor's ceremonial office at the State Capitol in Topeka.

   The new justice will replace retiring Justice Donald Allegrucci, a former Democratic state senator.

UPDATE: It's Lee A. Johnson, a 59-year-old native of Caldwell, in Sumner County, who has served on the Court of Appeals since 2001. He was appointed to that court by Republican Gov. Bill Graves. He is the third appointment to the seven-member Supreme Court by Sebelius, a Democrat.

Posted by Jim Sullinger

Guess who's coming to Kansas?

   What's the matter with Kansas?

   If you're a Democrat, maybe nothing -- these days, anyway.

   But the man who once again popularized the phrase -- author Thomas Frank, the once-upon-a-time Mission Hills boy -- will be Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' special guest at her inauguration activities next week.

   Frank will attend the Sunday night festivities in Overland Park. And he'll be on hand Monday morning at the Capitol when Sebelius takes the oath of office for the second time.

   The big question: Will he be signing books?

Posted by Steve Kraske

A Christmas card you probably didn't get

Didn't get a Christmas card this year from Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius?

If you were lucky enough to get one, you know what it looks like. But if you're among the multitude who didn't, there's a website that features not only her card but cards sent out this year by many of the nation's governors.

Stateline.org has collected a gallery of governors' greeting cards: from hand-painted pictures by Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to a recipe from outgoing Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R).

The Sebelius card is on the upper left corner of the collage at http://archive.stateline.org/flash-data/xmascards.swf

It's the card with the picture of a decorated door.

Posted by Jim Sullinger

Getting the scoop on Sebelius inaugural

   Want to go to one of the four inaugural galas next month across the state for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius but don't know where to get tickets or how much they cost?

A web site has been set up to take care of questions involving the Kansas inaugural.

The answers can be found at www.bestofkansas2007.com including updates should any of these events be threatened by bad weather.

Posted by Jim Sullinger

Sebelius grabs some national spotlight

    Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who will chair the Democratic Governors Association next year, came to Washingtonon today and let her allies in Congress know that success in 2008 depends on them.

  "I'm hopeful - and we're all trying to be optimistic about this - that our new majorities in the House and Senate will work closely with us because we know how to get things done," she told a press conference. "I am very concerned that their ability to have something delivered - here's what Democrats can do when they're in charge - will make or break us being able to elect a Democratic president in '08."

  Sebelius will become the first woman chair of the DGA, a policy and political recruitment arm of the Democratic party. Democrats now hold the governorships in 28 states. And if you didn't think that the 2008 presidential race wasn't on their minds, Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, the departing chairman and a potential White House contender himself, quickly dispelled that notion.

  He said that before last month's elections, Democrats controlled states totalling 208 of the 270 electoral votes needed to elect a president. Now they control states worth 295 electoral votes.

  "This election proved that Democratic governors were competitive all around the country, in red and blue states," Richardson said.

Posted by David Goldstein

It's official: Sebelius in as new DGA chair

   Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has just become the first woman to chair the Democratic Governor's Association.

   Sebelius said she was honored: “Democratic governors are, by nature, results-oriented public policy entrepreneurs. I intend to strengthen the DGA’s role as a clearinghouse for best practices in the states.

   "It’s been my experience that good policy equals good politics. And I expect that to be a hallmark of my leadership as DGA Chair.”

   More in Thursday's Star.

Posted by Steve Kraske

The talk: Sebelius to head Demo governors

   The buzz out of Washington today:

   Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will be named tomororw to head the Democratic Governor's Association.

   She'd be the first woman to hold the post.

   Yes, folks, her national profile is rising, rising....

Posted by Steve Kraske

Blunt, Sebelius share the dais

   Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius are scheduled to be in Phoenix this week to participate in a seminar on the challenges of the global economy.

   The seminar is part of the National Governors Association's Innovation America Initiative, an effort to maximize innovation at the state level to deal with changes caused by worldwide competition.

   The two-day meeting of state and national leaders will focus on three areas of concern:

• emphasizing science, engineering and mathematics in elementary and secondary school;
• aligning college instruction with the needs of high-growth industries;
• ensuring state policies help companies remain innovating.

  The meeting kicks off Tuesday.

   Meanwhile, Blunt has been elected vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association, putting him in position to be elected chairman next year.

   The RGA develops policy proposals to address state issues and supports the election of Republican candidats for governor.

   "There is no bigger star in the RGA than Matt Blunt," said Phil Musser, the group's outgoing executive director. Musser said Blunt has been selfless with his time in support of the group and was chairman of the group's annual fund-raising gala earlier this year, which raised a record $9.6 million.

    The vice chairman traditionally is elected chairman the following year. Gov. Sonny Perdue of Georgia was vice chairman until being elected chairman last week.

   Membership in the RGA is about to become more exclusive. Republicans held 28 governorships this year. In the wake of the November elections, the number of Republican governors will drop to 22 in January, Musser said.

Posted by Kit Wagar

Parkinson energized

    Kansas Lt. Gov.-elect Mark Parkinson got his first assignment today (the first that we know of, anyway, since he and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius won last week's election).

  The job? Co-chairing the Kansas Energy Council, which looks at the state's energy needs and resources and plays a key role in the production and use of wind energy and ethanol.

   “Energy will be a key focus of my second term, and Mark will lead our administration’s efforts to promote renewable energy production and energy conservation,” Sebelius said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.

   Parkinson said in the statement that “We really do have an opportunity to make Kansas a national leader in renewable energy, and the Energy Council has done great work in soliciting input from producers, consumers and Kansans on how we take advantage of that opportunity.”