Last Friday, at financier Doug Brown’s Manhattan Beach ocean view home, Sen. Sam Brownback 
announced that he would open his Presidential Exploratory Committee today. The Senator pointed out that in politics " anything " can happen. Given, that conservative Sen. George Allen is no longer, in less than a month, proves the point.
Explaining how he would succeed, Brownback (pictured to the right) pointed out the obvious. It’s all about Iowa. Kansas which shares a long geographical border also share common political instincts. The nature of that Primary demands intense retail politics. Brownback has nurtured his contacts there since he was elected to Congress in 1994. The Senator correctly believes that if he shows well in the Iowa primary his campaign could ignite nationally.
Sen. Rick Santorum help convert Sam Brownback into Roman Catholicism in 2002. As such it was no surprise seeing several prominent Catholic leaders. Brownback expects to lead social conservatives and his impressive foreign policy credentials will help him defense minded conservatives. Brownback authored the breakthrough North Korean Human Rights Act and chaired the Helsinki Commission.
December 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Sen. Brownback’s position on illegal immigration is going to be a huge problem for him Shawn, not to mention he doesn’t have hardly any name ID nationally. You cannot win the 2008 GOP Presidential primary and be for amnesty in this activist’s opinion.
December 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Good point about Kansas bordering important contacts close to Iowa, but consider the past winners of the caucuses: 1992 Tom Harkin (D), 1988 Dick Gephardt (D), 1988 Robert Dole (R), 1980 George H.W. Bush (R), 1976 “Uncommitted” (nobody, D), 1972 Edmund Muskie (D). Gov. Vilsack (D) is trying the same strategy, which didn’t work for the past winners. It’s all about New Hampshire.
Sen. Brownback reminds me of Sen. Dole, by the way; nice guy, but suffers from the charisma thing and occasionally bad votes.
December 5th, 2006 at 12:00 am
As a Democrat, I sometimes don’t understand the Republican view, but is Duncan Hunter no longer considered a conservative?
December 5th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Amen, Allan. If a Republican doesn’t sound like Tom Tancredo on illegal immigration, he ain’t getting my vote, period.