L&T OPINION

Adam Hamilton’s pitch to the voters is a very good one. Too bad none of it is accurate or believable.

Politicians can promise many things, from never raising taxes to governing from the middle.

The fact is Washington, D.C., is not designed from the middle, even if Kansans were naive enough to believe Hamilton’s claims that he would do so.

Laura Kelly governed Kansas from the left after claiming to be a middle-of-the-road politician. She was overruled by the Kansas Legislature a record number of times after Kelly set a record number of vetoes.

Kansas Democrats seeking statewide office understand the headwinds of trying to win in the conservative state. There is no choice but to try and convince voters they will be the first to be true moderates.

And Hamilton has embraced that philosophy in a bid to unseat Dr. Roger Marshall.

There are several issues with that attempt, much like a fast food restaurant trying to convince the public that what is handed out of the window will actually look like the promotional pictures.

It never does, and Hamilton’s campaign runs contrary to Hamilton’s own statements.

As a pastor, Hamilton preached about the religious reasons to support the Green New Deal and how the carbon dioxide we all contribute is somehow attributable to what could be contrived as sin. From the vehicle you drive to the beef you eat, Hamilton preached — from the pulpit — on these issues that aren’t the typical stewards of the land messages but designed to be political in nature from the pulpit. In church. The church he pastors.

Hamilton and his supporters are now attacking Marshall by claiming he sued 700 patients for nonpayment.

A quick glance at Southwest Medical Center in Liberal might indicate just how many people require legal action to pay their bills because doctors are some of the rare professionals who still provide services up front with hopes of getting paid in the future.

Consider the claim from the woman who said she was arrested for not paying a $50 bill. It’s hard to make the case that health care costs are out of control when a patient who was treated won’t pay the final $50 of the bill.

The New York Times tried to make the case that several of the bills were for $100 or less.

Again, how is a doctor the bad guy when the bill is such a small amount? Those who don't pay their bills actually cause increases for those who do.

But it makes good theater, something Hamilton has a talent for, which would qualify him to be another do-nothing politician in Washington seeking camera time.

And what would he be pushing? The leftist agenda, of course, but like Joe Biden tried to do, Hamilton believes the leftist agenda is middle of the road.

Hamilton isn’t convinced that Adam and Eve were real, but he is sure convinced that climate change is, and he will seek any amount of tax money necessary to fight that battle while telling you it is a middle-of-the-road issue.

There are two sides in Washington, and the chasm isn’t closing. It’s getting wider.

Marshall has navigated his way in the U.S. Senate as a conservative, but he has reached across the aisle with regularity. According to govtrack.us, Marshall has co-sponsored legislation with Democrats 39 percent of the time. That is a true record of bipartisanship despite the efforts to paint Marshall as an out-of-touch conservative.

Marshall has worked with presidents of both parties, and Kansans know what they get with Marshall in the Senate.

Kansans should know what they will get with Hamilton, too, and it’s not what is being portrayed in his advertising. Hamilton will serve as a liberal Democrat taking his orders from Chuck Schumer and not from the people of Kansas.

His main job would be to convince the people of Kansas that his platform of restricting beef consumption, apologizing for white privilege, special treatment for trans athletes and restricting Christian values are good for the country as a whole.

Marshall has been a reliable vote for Kansas farmers and was endorsed by the Kansas Farm Bureau. He was also endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters including the Topeka chapter 696 for Marshall’s co-sponsorship of pro-labor bills like the Railway Safety Act and the Warehouse Worker Protection Act.

Marshall’s common-sense approach would be lost in the Senate and replaced by a far-left voice who may believe that boys competing against girls is divinely inspired, but his interpretations of both scripture and the public leave much to be desired.

Kansas needs a voice that champions the rural lifestyle, not an urban preacher who has abandoned Christian values and replaced them with partisan discipleship.

Trust in government is one thing. Faith in government as a form of worship is something else entirely, and Kansans cannot gamble with this crucial seat in the Senate. 

While the idea of change is appealing when listening to the claims of “We can do better,” the reality is Hamilton would not be better for Kansas. Our lifestyle and our commitment to the pioneering spirit are not served by a metropolitan preacher selling snake oil on the Kansas Turnpike trying to convince farmers and ranchers they are the problem, and he is the solution. 

The choice comes down to this — Hamilton will expand Washington’s control in Kansas while Marshall will fight to keep Washington out of Kansas.

The choice is clear. Kansas is better served without Washington overpowering states like Kansas, and we cannot risk sending a vote for socialist policies over a voice for Constitutional limits.

We believe Marshall is the right choice for Kansas.