Reform and Reaction : The Arc of Kansas Politics / Michael A. Smith and H. Edward Flentje.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Michael A., 1942 February 16- author.

Flentje, H. Edward, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Politics and culture.

Kansas--Politics and government--1951-.

Kansas.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (0 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Lawrence, Kansas : University Press of Kansas, [2024]

Summary:

"Originating under the leadership of the late Burdett Loomis, Reform and Reaction tells the complex story of recent Kansas politics, beginning with the end of Old Kansas that took place in the 1960s and concluding with the reversal of Governor Sam Brownback's "Red State" policies in the 2016 and 2018 elections. The Kansas that emerged from the reapportionment decisions and the overhaul of state government in the 1960s and 1970s was one that found itself in a push-and-pull, reform-and-reaction pattern the authors refer to as the arc of Kansas politics. Reform-minded and policy-oriented politicians, who tended toward a moderate, bipartisan approach, pushed to modernize the state to better serve the needs of its citizens, following the maxim of Governer Robert Docking: "austere but adequate." Because this approach avoided or rejected the narrow conservative interests of culture warriors, reformist administrations were followed by reactionary administrations that advanced a right-wing agenda. Brownback thus brought the era of "austere but adequate" to an abrupt end when he won the governorship in 2010. When voters became tired of this approach, a new set of reform politicians were elected-and so the arc continues. Reform and Reaction not only illuminates the political history of Kansas, but it also sheds light on what may be in store"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

The end of the Old Kansas and the reapportionment revolution / Burdett Loomis

Institutional reform and the Bennett governorship / H. Edward Flentje

Political competition and policy activism in the 1980s : Governors Carlin and Hayden / H. Edward Flentje

The Finney transition and political undercurrents / H. Edward Flentje

Contentious Republicans : the Graves years / Michael A. Smith

Democratic rule in red-state Kansas : the Sibelius-Parkinson years / Michael A. Smith

Political strategy shifts rightward / Chapman Rackaway

Brownback's "Red State" governance / H. Edward Flentje

Kansas voters reverse course : the 2016 and 2018 elections / Patrick Miller

Conclusion : reform and reaction, the arc of Kansas politics.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-7006-3663-3

OCLC:

1422229691