In my few years on the periphery of Kansas political life, I had the opportunity to work on a governor’s staff, to be a legislative assistant to the speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives and to lobby for a major professional organization. As a political groupie of the old days, like Slim Pickens in “Dr. Strangelove,” I’ll probably ride the bomb to oblivion.
There is widespread dissatisfaction with the three branches of our government, at all levels — federal, state, even local. There are nasty school board meetings where parents yell at board members. How do teachers teach the yeller’s kids if the yellers are role models?
Moreover, state and local governments used to be that part of government where a semblance of normalcy existed, where personalities were important. Wackos with conspiracy theories were pushed to the side door of state and local politics.
Eventually there was a push and a return shove. Hayden and Robertson grabbed each other by the lapels and yelled they were going to ‘take it outside.’ Members of the House leaped to their feet, yelling at the Speaker to ‘do something!’
Local groups determined whether politicians kept their jobs. However, only 4% of adults believe our political system is working well. According to Pew, 63% have no confidence at all in the future of the U. S. political system. Neither party is liked, and most people are not impressed with their political views. Nor are the candidates spewing the views impressive.
But we Kansans have always seemed to be able to come back to the middle. In the good old days, Republicans and Democrats disagreed with each other, but cooperated.
In 1976, the Democrats took narrow control of the Kansas House for the first time since Teddy Roosevelt unleashed his Bull Moosers on us in 1912. Even super Dem FDR was unable to help Kansas Democrats take control in Topeka during drought and dust-stricken Kansas Depression. Not until 1976 and Jerry Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon — and a strong campaign by Jimmy Carter in Kansas — did Kansas Dems muster a House majority. For the 1977 session, John Carlin served as speaker.
That year, the House was graced by extraordinary personalities in both parties. Two of them were Roger Robertson, a Democratic teacher and former national debate champion who helped lead 65 Dems, and Mike Hayden, who, along with Wendell Lady, led the 60 Republicans.
Robertson chaired the House Education Committee and Hayden was a farmer, a nuts-and-bolts fiscal guy whose voice resembled a Marine Corps drill instructor — which was appropriate. In 1969, Lt. Mike Hayden led an infantry company in combat in Vietnam.
As expected, the Republicans tested the new Democratic committee chairs at every turn.
The Republicans wanted the Education Committee to report the annual school finance bill to the floor to debate. School finance debates usually resembled a large group of big pigs around a small trough, fighting over the allocation of K-12 money.
To force the issue, on March 31, Hayden moved that the rules be suspended, and the school bill come to the House floor for debate and roll call.
That upset the Dems. Their education committee wasn’t yet ready to put the school finance bill on the floor reflecting party priorities. But under the rules, the motion having been made, the school finance bill had to be placed at the top of the agenda the next day and debated.
That next morning, Carlin presided from the Speaker’s dais. Robertson and Hayden began debating. Their voices got stronger and louder.
They began elbowing each other away from a two-microphone lectern to get better speaking advantages. Personal verbal potshots were taken at each other. The loudspeakers in the chamber got … loud.
