On the first Thursday of this frosty new year, Joe Biden named 20 recipients of the Presidential Citizens Medal, an honor for those “who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.”
Among them was a familiar name to Kansans of a certain age, a name that has only grown in power and importance to me over the years.
Former U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum.
The daughter of legendary Kansas governor and presidential candidate Alf Landon, Kassebaum created a political legacy in her own right. She served three terms in the U.S. Senate, proving that bipartisanship had a role to play deep into Bill Clinton’s presidency. (Yes, for those who may have forgotten, it was in dire straits even in the 1990s).
“The first woman to represent Kansas, Nancy Kassebaum was a force in the United States Senate,” the White House duly proclaimed. “From supporting a woman’s right to choose to reforming health care, she stood up for what she believed in even if it meant standing alone, and she reached across the aisle to do what she believed was right.”
That record makes her worthy of tribute. So does the fact she returned to Kansas after the death of her second husband, Tennessee Sen. Howard Baker.
So it pained me that most of the coverage of the presidential medal went to recipient Liz Cheney instead. Even stories from Kansas news media struck a few basic notes of the familiar melody — trailblazing Kansas senator — without digging deeper. As far as I could see, no one even reached out to ask what the former senator thought.
Kassebaum’s family told me that “Nancy was modest about receiving the recognition, and grateful to President Biden.”
In a statement, they speculated that “President Biden wanted to recognize his former U.S. Senate colleague who put people above party and was willing to work with colleagues across the aisle.”
The medal was accepted in the Washington, D.C., ceremony by Howard Baker’s daughter, Cynthia Baker. At age 92 and still living on her own in Kansas, Nancy Kassebaum doesn’t travel much.
During an appearance at the University of Kansas’ Dole Institute of Politics in 2022, the former senator made clear she still followed the national political scene.
“I know full well I could not be reelected today,” she told the audience. “It’s not that I’ve changed so much.”
She talked at length about bipartisanship and working together. Traditionally, voters wanted leaders who could forge agreements for the benefit of everyone. The rise of social media, the struggles of traditional news outlets and an omnipresent right-wing disinformation bubble has made such collaborative work difficult if not impossible. Kassebaum’s take on the situation included another legendary Kansas politician: Bob Dole.
“Today, if you ask who I would admire, it would be someone who was trying to reach across the aisle, both Republican or Democrat, and certainly Bob Dole was one who knew how important it was,” Kassebaum said. “He has said, I have heard him say, you cannot achieve significant legislation that will last without a compromise.”
“I think today we have forgotten. It doesn’t mean you give up something. It means you work together to get something even better and stronger,” she said.
