We need better Senate candidates to serve Kansas, not this president | Opinion
The United States of America is at a crossroads. Throughout our history, we have been a bulwark against tyranny, standing against nations whose foreign policy amounts to “might makes right.” We have made mistakes in pursuit of our nation’s principles, but the goal was always well-intentioned.
I served in the U.S. military for more than three decades and throughout that time, I never lost faith that we were “the good guys,” despite many an error in policy and execution. But now, we are losing that position of noble intent. Put more simply, it is not clear that we remain “the good guys.” And to make matters worse, Congress has largely ceded its constitutional authority to push back on the executive branch and its reckless decisions.
Embodying the ineffectiveness of Congress is Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, who has tied himself to every administration policy position while forsaking his constituents. Those currently in Congress like Marshall are unlikely to change. They have had ample opportunity to take a stand against unjustified and unjust policies, and have cynically decided that maintaining the president’s favor is more important than doing the job for which they were elected.
Marshall is up for reelection this year, and we need a senator who is not afraid to take a position that risks upsetting some portion of the electorate — or the status quo will remain. Unfortunately, not everyone running against Marshall seems to be an improvement on this front. The best example of a Senate candidate who seems too passive for this moment in time is the Rev. Adam Hamilton, who recently announced his exploratory committee.
The reverend’s Facebook page and his exploratory committee webpage are devoid of policy positions, but full of platitudes that the real problem facing America is a lack of “civility, kindness, compassion, humanity.” Those are undoubtedly shortfalls in America today, but senators are not mediators who can view both sides of a policy as equally valid in a vain attempt at bipartisanship. Senators are leaders who must make hard decisions, putting their own self-interest aside for the betterment of their state, nation and its people.
Although Hamilton says he’s considering a run as an independent, he has been a registered Republican for the last six years, and is working closely with noted Republican operative Stephanie Sharp to “explore” his campaign for Senate. Hamilton has stated his supporters are “roughly equal parts Republican, Democrat and independent.” He is so averse to criticizing one side or the other that, three weeks into his statewide discernment tour, he lamented: “At times, rather than solving problems, Washington has inadvertently created problems for Americans.” Those are the words of a senator who would not make waves and allow the ongoing executive overreach to continue, not a senator who would seize his constitutional authorities and bring the nation back to the founders’ intent.
The stakes for Kansas’ next senator couldn’t be higher: We are currently in conflict with Iran — an evil regime to be sure. But what of the 93 million people who suffer under that harsh authority, and have no say in their country’s atrocities? We threaten Iran’s electrical power infrastructure and water desalination plants, whose destruction would overwhelmingly be felt by the oppressed population and not leadership or the Iranian Republican Guard.
The news cycle seems to have already forgotten our military operations into Venezuela and the extrajudicial killing of suspected drug traffickers. Tens of thousands of competent federal workers were unceremoniously dismissed, negatively impacting critical programs that serve our most vulnerable citizens. Long Transportation Security Administration lines and high prices at the gas pump have become almost normalized, with administration leadership and pundits quipping, “Freedom isn’t free,” as if that is an adequate explanation. And this Congress has done nothing about any of it.
The U.S. military is the most powerful fighting force the world has ever seen — but it must remain a force for good in the world, and not a power for destruction at the whims of one man. We need leaders who will stand up to the executive and flex their constitutional powers to stop questionable, immoral and possibly illegal policy decisions. Someone who is willing to do what is right, not simply what is easy. Roger Marshall and the Rev. Adam Hamilton are not that candidate.
Overland Park resident Scott Curtis served as a U.S. Navy captain for more than 30 years and recently retired after serving as chief of staff for FEMA Region 7, overseeing disaster assistance in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska.