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Comment by dunnevens | Hacker News Reader

I live in Kansas. We currently have a Democratic governor who is quite progressive by this state's standards. She's in her job because the voters rejected another 4 years of Brownback-style austerity. Brownback ended his term with ~21 percent approval. Currently, the state still doesn't have the ACA Medicaid expansion, but we're very close to having enough votes in the legislature. I'm cautiously optimistic about next year's legislative session.

The voters do respond, eventually. But the ship is slow to turn. With the wave of rural Kansas hospital closures, farmers going out of business due to the tariffs, and stories like the one linked, Medicaid expansion is very popular with the voters. The pressure is only going to grow.

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Medicaid as it exists denies a lot of people for various reasons. It has poor coverage and providers aren't obligated to take it so many do not. Simply closing the AHCA/Medicaid gap in the red states who refused to do so years ago isn't going to change much overall and is quite a hollow "victory" for those states.

I read back some of your history. I hope the dark clouds break in your life and you get some much needed warm rays of hope. It’s sad what happens to people in this country stuck in the kafkaesque twilight of our medical system. And then to be rejected by friends and family...

“Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?”

Thank you for your kindness, but it won't happen. It's not happened in all these years and the need and issues are worse now. If I had been born in the first world with a proper social safety net I would have had help rebuilding from the start of this, and support to survive were that not possible. I've known people in my shoes who have that safety and live because of it. In this country its all about profits and if you aren't a producer of profits you don't get the privilege of life. I have to accept its over. All resisting that and fighting does it take more away and make the end worse and take away more agency. I can't stand anymore "Praying to Jesus changed my life" or "just do this hard and unstable job that even a young healthy person struggles with" advices, and seeing how many people respond with arguments about how "the market" is the right answer without caring that human life is involved. I am sick of all of it.

I'd love to hear what you think of KS-Sen race if you have been keeping up?

I have kept up a little. The GOP establishment is scrambling to keep Kris Kobach out of the race, but he's popular with the sort of voter who shows up in droves to the Republican primaries. So, he's the front runner. Considering his loss in the 2018 gubernatorial race, KS Democrats are hoping he'll win the primary. He's as unpopular with general election voters as Brownback now is.

Democratic side is full of candidates who would be moderate Republicans in any other state. None of them are particularly exciting. Though the most recent entry in the race on the Democratic side is a woman who was a leader in the state legislature as a Republican. She changed parties last year due to both Trump and Brownback. Changing parties in a very red state like this is an act of courage, or a foolish act, or the act of someone who knows what the long term trends are. She's the most interesting so far.

Glad you like Boller - or minimally think she is interesting / courageous ;)

I think there's a struggle to motivate national $$ with a moderate message/candidate. But I think we all might be surprised that the truth, the honest personal story, (and the insider electability politics) might be even more valuable than some liberal issue crusader.

Bollier seems alright. Have a feeling she'll be the nominee. She's already gotten one person to drop out. And I don't mind her. I'm personally to her left but, then again, I'm to the left of almost every politician in this state. I accept that as one the prices I pay for living in Kansas and not California. :)

She is courageous to a certain degree. But, her move might be accepted more here than in other red states. Kansas is one of the last red states where truly moderate Republicans can still be found in the wild. The moderates have been willing to endorse Democrats from time to time. Laura Kelly was the beneficiary of such in 2018. Many of them will probably endorse Bollier next year.

2020 should be an interesting election year. Kansas waffles between Trump being above or below water in approval. Kansas is also one of the leading states hit by farmer bankruptcies thanks to the tariffs. On top of that, Kelley has decent approval ratings and has been doing a good job. All this combined might make more people than usual willing to "hold their nose" and vote for a Democrat. Trump is almost certain to win, but the state races could be wild.

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