Oh no, not again...

Kansas thought it was done with Kris Kobach after he embarrassed himself in his race against Congressman Dennis Moore and as Kansas Republican Party Chair.

Kansas was wrong.

Kris is back...and he's brought his lies with him. From today's Wichita Eagle...

Republican Kris Kobach brings an impressive resume to his just-announced candidacy for Kansas secretary of state. But he also brings the prime talking point that voter fraud is rampant in Kansas, which four-term Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh called "utterly ridiculous."

As Kobach was holding kickoff events in Wichita and Emporia Wednesday, an exasperated-sounding Thornburgh told The Eagle editorial board: "He throws allegations around like facts, and I think that's the piece that we have to be really, really careful about."

A great way to kick-off your campaign is to say things so outlandish and untrue that long-time elected officials from your own party feel compelled to essentially call you a liar.

"He throws allegations around like facts." Yep, sounds like Kris.

In 2004, Kriswatch documented the various lies of Kris Kobach.

Today, progressive bloggers like Kansas Jackass are here to take over the burden of monitoring Kobach (trust us, it is a full-time job).

So we recommend you bookmark http://kansasjackass.blogspot.com if you want to keep tabs on him.

We just can't take another year-and-a-half of Kris. And Kansas sure as hell can't take four years of him.

Election's over folks. But you can relive the fun here at KrisWatch.

The End

It is done.

Congressman Dennis Moore has won. Kris Kobach has lost.

The final unofficial numbers from the Secretary of State show Moore at 55% and Kobach at 44% -- a 36,223 vote margin. That's more than three and a half times Moore's previous largest margin.

It is an unprecedented win for Moore in an overwhelmingly Republican district that saw a blizzard of mailings and ads from national Republicans.

Kobach's grand strategy to win by motivating the base failed. Even in a presidential year, and even after playing to their issues the entire election, conservatives were not enough to even make it close. We'll have to see some data on the vote breakdown, but we have to imagine moderate Republicans abandoned Kobach in droves.

Kobach's plan to go on the offensive after the primary was stifled and he spent the entire election playing defense. Moore proved to be a much more formidable opponent than Kobach had faced in the primary. He perfectly executed his tried and true strategy of securing the moderate vote by running on his record, while at the same time showing Kobach to be an extremist.

We won't hazard to say what this means for Moore's future races. We anticipate this district will always be a battleground, yet have to think that some top-tier candidates will look at this result and think twice about running next time.

Moderate Republicans will look at this race and feel vindicated. Conservative Republicans will surely find something to point to in order to shift blame away from themselves. Expect the same moderate/conservative fight in the 2006 primary.

But either way, for now, it is done.

We'd like to thank our readers, our tipsters, and all of you who offered us help and support.

Farewell for now -- the 2006 midterm election awaits...

Blowout

Updated at 11:50 p.m.

Brad Cooper of The Kansas City Star has the first comprehensive post-game story on what can only be called a resounding victory for Congressman Dennis Moore.

With 98% of precincts in at this hour, according to KMBC, Moore is winning by 32,542 votes -- 10 percentage points -- in a district where his previous largest win had been 9,833 against Phill Kline in 2000.

Moore beat Kris Kobach by 5,394 in Johnson County. This is the first time since he ran for Johnson County District Attorney that Moore has won Johnson County.

To both voters who used KrisWatch to make your decision...you're welcome.

Vote Today

Today is Election Day. Polls are open in Kansas until 7:00 p.m. If you're in line when 7:00 p.m. rolls around, you can still vote. Links to the various counties' election sites are to the right. Links to some issues we've covered are below.

• Taxes, Education and Health Care
• Tax Cuts
• Federal Funding for Kansas
• Troops on the Border
• The Minimum Wage
• The Constitution
• A National Sales Tax
• Overtime Pay
• The End of Health Insurance
• The Duties of a Member of Congress
• The Patriot Act and more Patriot Act
• Veterans' Issues
• Missile Defense
• Immigration and more immigration
• Gun Policy
• Abortion
• Tuition for Children of Illegal Immigrants
• Tort "Reform"
• Worker Safety
• The Deficit and Taxes
• The Issues Covered in the KCPT Debate
• Border Security

Our election guide

More than 130 posts later, we are approaching the end. Here, now, in no particular order, are The Turks' Top 10 Favorite Posts from the campaign. Consider it our election guide...

Digging Deep -- Kobach flails for an explanation of his questionable ties, coming up with an equally questionable person to link himself with

Kris, meet the truth. Truth, this is Kris -- Google at its finest, Kobach at his most blatantly dishonest

KCPT Debate Recap -- A simple title, for an extensive post on the Kris-tortions at the debate

Utterly Arrogant -- 9/11 Commission has something to say about Kobach's NSEERS

Pro-Kobach mailer: Taxes = Slavery -- The opposition at its most outrageous

Send Lawyers, Guns and Money -- Kobach's answer to the nation's problems? More lawyers!

Kobach prefers pledge over poor -- Forget tax relief, what the poor really need is the Pledge!

(Patriot) Acting Out -- We're probably on a watch list for this one

Kobach promotes study by anti-gay extremist -- That headline is kind of self-explanatory

KrisWatch Contest -- We never did get that photo of Kris in a feed store


Honorable mention: Prospecting and The NRCC Strikes Back

Best week: September 19 through 25

Funniest post: Reach out and touch someone

ODN editorialists drink the Kool-Aid

The Olathe Daily News has drunk the Kool-Aid and endorsed Kris Kobach.

The Daily News' editorial appears to have been written by the Kobach campaign itself, as it buys Kobach's faulty logic and flawed facts lock, stock and barrel on the matter of his questionable campaign supporters.

The Pioneer Fund contributions were in 1994, not 1938. You can't make the same links between Tanton and Moore unless you're on LSD. And yes, ODN writers, Kobach's new friend Vernon Robinson is black, but we're pretty sure he doesn't like Hispanics either.

They also buy Kobach's flawed analysis of Moore's voting record. Yeah, voting with President Bush half the time sure is "partisan."

We think newspaper editors should do endorsements. But we also think they should do research. Heck, maybe even read what stories some other newspapers in their area are reporting.

Who knews, they just might learn something...and avoid getting bamboozled in the process.

Coalition of the Lying

We got an e-mail from someone who received an automated call purporting to be from the Mainstream Coalition.

Only it wasn't from the real Mainstream Coalition.

The call was actually from conservative activist Dwight Sutherland, Jr., who joined with fellow right-wingers in a junior high-esque act to register the name "Mainstream Coalition" after the actual group let its registration lapse.

Our e-mailer reports Sutherland is making calls claiming to be from the Coalition, a group that promotes religious tolerance, and claiming that Dennis Moore is running advertisements that criticize Kris Kobach's religious beliefs.

Of course, Sutherland isn't with any group that promotes religious tolerance or moderate values, and no such Moore ad exists.

But that doesn't stop Sutherland for decrying bigotry and hatred and calling upon people to "say no" to Moore, who of course isn't the candidate who has connections to questionable groups that serve as the public face for a movement which has both such traits festering just below the surface.


UPDATE 2:15 p.m. -- The Mainstream Coalition has sent out an e-mail to its supporters denouncing Sutherland's tactics and providing an easy way to fight back:

"The best we can do to counter this blatant attack on our integrity is to spread the news to as many as we can. Use your email list today to forward this message and ask others to do the same.

"Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to call Sutherland (we hate to call him Mr.) at his home and office to register your disappointment. Home: 913-384-1418 and Office: 913-782-2350."

Bush whacked

Automated calls for Kris Kobach are going out and they're causing some confusion. Why? Because the "President Bush" doing the calling isn't the W. one would expect -- it is actually George H.W. Bush.

Sounding about as energetic as Bob Dole does in the latest Kobach TV ad, Bush reads his script about Kobach sharing his values of "a compassionate and conservative agenda." Well there is an agenda there and it is conservative. Not so much on the compassionate.

You can listen to Bush (or Dana Carvey, we really can't tell) by clicking here.

Off the air

Kris Kobach won't be beamed into the homes of Kansas Citians on Sunday morning, as the Rev. Jerry Johnston's 30-minute infomercial for Kobach has been pulled by the TV stations set to air it, so reports Brad Cooper of The Kansas City Star.

Kobach was scheduled to appear in a taped interview with the Rev. Jerry Johnston, pastor of First Family Church in Overland Park, at 7:30 a.m. on KMCI-TV and 10 a.m. on KSHB-TV. Another broadcast scheduled for 10:30 p.m. on PAX TV also was canceled.

The general managers for the three stations said the political nature of the broadcast would have required the station to provide equal time to Kobach's Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore.

With the election Tuesday, they said their stations did not have the time to give Moore the equal access that is required under the rules set by the Federal Communications Commission.

From reading the article, it appears as if Johnston tried to bait and switch Moore repeatedly, first claiming the show would be shown on KCPT, then -- lo' and behold -- discovering the station was booked, he just taped it at the church instead.

The Star reports that the show focused largely on gay marriage, Kobach and Johnston's obsession, with Johnston saying he was "so proud" of Kobach.

Congressman Moore, meanwhile, sees something fishy going on.

“It seems to me as if they have an agenda,” Moore said of the Johnston interview. “I'm not sure it's going to be very productive for me to be on the show, honestly.”

An agenda? Why would someone who has devoted his time and his church's resources to the defeat of anyone who doesn't agree with him on social issues have an agenda? It isn't like he is favoring Kris Kobach by having him speak repeatedly at his church or by going on tour with Kobach and Jerry Falwell.

Oh, wait...

Kobach, who has meanwhile has apparently become an expert at FCC law, was upset.

“This is not a candidate use, which would trigger equal-time provisions under the FCC rules,” Kobach said. “Even if it were a situation that triggered equal-times provisions, Dennis Moore was offered equal time and he declined to accept it."

“It's truly bizarre what is happening here.”

Surely it can't be a "candidate issue" -- it only involves two people who both just happen to be running for Congress and it just so happens the show would be aired the Sunday before the election.

Just a "bizarre" coincidence, we're sure.

Mock the vote

The Johnson County Election Office has released the results of the student mock election and Dennis Moore was the only Democrat in Kansas to win:

4456 - Dennis Moore (D)
3986 - Kris Kobach (R)
312 - Richard Wells (Ref.)
286 - Joe Bellis (L)

Fan Mail Friday

Last Friday before the election. And we were just getting started...

L writes in about the new Bob Dole for Kobach ad:

Have you seen the Dole ad for Kris? Bob hasn't lived in Kansas since he left office and face it, for many many years before then. He never lived in the 3rd District. Seems really odd for Bob to tell us who is or isn't good for us here. He should stick to being funny. His Kansas Tourist Commission ads on the radio were funny. Pitching Kobach to the masses, not funny.

And he didn't even have Britney in the ad, which would have made it moderately worth watching.

Rachel of KJHK's "Politics with Rachel" writes in to plug tonight's show, which we recommend listening to if you're in the listening area.

Finally, we'd like to thank all of you who have written in with tips, stories, and messages egging us on. We appreciate your readership and support. We've had fun and while it isn't over until the polls close November 2, we're already getting nostalgic and a little misty eyed.

Then we see the Republicans comparing taxes to slavery and we get mad again, so it all evens out.

The Kobach Enquirer is Rich

Only four days to go, and still so many unanswered questions about Kris. We'll wrap up the Enquirer next week. Can you guess what the title will be? Anyway, here we go...

We wanna know!

Corporations as Slaves - Will Tom DeLay be seeking slavery reparations for Halliburton?

The Kobach Stealth Truck - still running? Seriously, this is a major campaign finance violation. Add to that his major tax fraud. The rest of the Kansas delegation pays them, so it's not like he's taking advice from his would-be colleagues.

The Kobach Lawsuit - How much is FAIR paying him? Or do their campaign contributions cover it?

Kris Kobach - almost an Olympic rower? Kris Kobach says he almost made the team. That's pretty impressive, it just hasn't ever been verified. Greetings to folks who are Googling "Kobach" and "rowing."