FAFO Friday - Leaders aren’t leading

There’s a maturity and entitlement problem in the Kansas Legislature.

There’s an old adage (misattributed to Abraham Lincoln) that if you want to truly test a man’s character, give him power.

We are learning a lot about the character, and lack thereof, of the people that Kansas has entrusted with power. And it’s becoming clear that power, wielded by entitled, immature, and ugly-hearted people isn’t a very good look for Kansas.

On Feb. 20, Rep. Nick Hoheisel (R-Wichita), a member of the House majority leadership team, reportedly went over to Rep. Ford Carr (D-Wichita) on the House floor and spewed a series of accusatory profanities at him. It caused other members to interrupt floor debate and Republican leadership to take a 2-hour recess to cool tempers.

From the initial story on this matter…

“While I did not observe everything that occurred, I heard exactly what happened,” (Rep. John) Carmichael said. “The member strolled through the Democratic seats using profanity, and in my view, from what I heard, was attempting to incite a fight. And I ask that the member be admonished never to do that again.”

When I asked members who witnessed this on the floor, they said this is what happened - I’ll paraphrase it…

“During discussion on a bill, Ford got up and spoke about the racism in the building. Nick Hoheisel came over and got in Ford’s face, pointed his finger at him and said something along the lines of ‘that’s bullshit, you’re bullshit, and what you said is bullshit.’ ”

I visited with Rep. Carr. He confirmed the comments and added that Hoheisel also said, “Don’t you dare impugn the character of any of my members ever again,” as if questioning someone’s honesty and intentions is so much to bear, one must meet it with a threat.

Here’s a clip of the video from the House floor. It’s worth watching all the chatter and behavior of people after Carr’s remarks. The people seen are all of Hoheisel’s buddies in leadership.

You’ll also notice that the chair admonished the comment and reminded the body to not question or impugn any members motives. That was a sufficient response.

Carr told me the comment came because during floor debate the day prior, a House member had answered questions from other representatives, but refused to answer a single question from Rep. Carr. The only distinction between him and everyone else, Carr said, was that Carr is black.

Additionally Rep. Carr has a valid point - in the past several years, despite supermajorities that ensure they’ll win every debate and vote, Republicans seem to be very afraid to answer questions about their policies. They often decline to answer questions from the well, which is a violation of the spirit of democratic governance and insult to Kansans.

And here’s the video of Hoheisel walking over to the Democratic side of the House floor, speaking in what appears to be some level of agitation to other Democratic members, then making an active choice to go out of his way to confront Rep. Carr.

There’s an irony that the behavior, and lack of follow up disciplinary action, demonstrates Rep. Carr’s point that he is treated differently from other members.

Had Carr marched over to the Republican side of the House, pointed his finger at anyone and said anything even slightly harsh, he’d have been called to the carpet. He’d likely be facing a formal complaint right now that would end in his expulsion. He has been admonished and punished for less.

So far, all we have is a weak joint statement from Republican and Democratic leaders that says they plan to focus on their work. No one seems to be legitimately exploring any sort of formal action.

It’s also hilarious to me that the “F#@k Your Feelings” and “Own the Libs” crowd, and lawmakers who ceaselessly amuse themselves with their clever comments online so easily and deeply get their little feelings hurt.

Ope! I probably shouldn’t have said that. They’ll probably sick the justice department on me to send a tersely worded letter telling me I can’t be mean to all these big powerful men anymore.

This same dynamic came up in the last dust up on the House floor, when two members joked about gunning me down.

“We routinely hear members of the Republican caucus call points of order on Democratic members for benign, perceived slights because their feelings are hurt,” Rep. Alexis Simmons was quoted as saying.

In my view, what Hoheisel did is the behavior of a small man - in every sense of the word. The sort of person who, if you took away his position, title, or money, would have nothing of real substance to offer, and no real character. Yet, he is part of a small group of lawmakers who carry themselves with an undeserved sense of entitlement. Lobbyists court them, feed them lavish food, unlimited drinks - and that adds to their sense of importance.

But the sort of actions we’ve seen from them highlight their true insecurity. People like this will misuse the power they’re entrusted with and try to make others feel small. They can’t deal with someone like Rep. Carr who refuses to respect disrespectful people simply because they feel entitled to it.

There’s also good reason to suspect Hoheisel set his sights on Rep. Carr specifically because it’s well established that Carr will push back against efforts to intimidate him. And I could see a situation in the future where someone would again attempt to antagonize Rep. Carr, maybe in a less public setting, and then accuse him of being the offender. I can’t help but wonder if that’s part of the endgame here.

If there’s not formal punishment or statement of admonishment from Speaker Dan Hawkins, we should view that as his endorsement of such behavior from members of his leadership team. They are, after all, an extension of him. If you watch the video, you’ll see that, too.

This isn’t new behavior for Hoheisel, who along with Rep. Avery Anderson of Newton worked as behind-the-scene puppeteers on Kyler Sweeley’s campaign for the 102nd House seat in their roles as Chair and Vice Chair of the Republican House Campaign Committee. During the campaign - when his buddies got caught laughing on film and performing dumb frat boy mock sexual assault on an unconscious woman - he tried to intimidate and shame me through a series of texts and phone calls.

Here’s a voicemail he left on my phone at that time…

And this….

I remember questioning at the time if this was some sort of political drunk dial.

It’s telling to me that every time these sort of people get caught doing something stupid, abusive, or demeaning, they blame everyone else.

In their minds, I needed to explain myself for something I didn’t do and had nothing to do with. Not once have any of these people accepted responsibility for their actions. It’s always a joke. It’s always that someone else made an issue of it. When they joked about shelling me, they blamed the media for reporting it. When they actively start trouble with Rep. Carr, they blame him for saying something they don’t like.

These are the same people who go on and on about personal responsibility, yet abstain from any kind of self-reflection. These are acts that if we - as ordinary citizens of Kansas - had done, we’d face punishment, and perhaps criminal action for. But they use their entitlement to blame others and skirt consequence.

The fact that Hoheisel thought that I needed to apologize for the videos reveals his character. I wasn’t in the room. I didn’t do the thing that was recorded. When they learned the videos were out in the wild, they flailed around looking for anyone to blame - except the people who actually performed the act and recorded it. Yet, someone in their inner circle was concerned enough by it all that they felt it was important to share the information with the public.

It’s not the media’s fault that they reported on it - it’s the fault of these immature children who did it and recorded it. But that didn’t stop Hawkins’ staff from threatening reporters if they dared to do their jobs and report about the behavior of these “children” as she called them.

I’d encourage you to read what I wrote about it at the time.

The reason I didn’t return his calls, by the way, was twofold.

First, I was busy running a campaign against Sweely, Avery, Hoheisel, Dan Hawkins, Chris Croft, Kris Kobach, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Americans for Prosperity, Kansas Family Voice, and about a dozen other dark money groups that have so well hidden themselves I can’t find anything about who is behind them. And I had to do all of that while working a job. (As a quick aside, Sweely has submitted a blank statement of substantial interest to the state, meaning we do not know who pays his bills for him or where he gets any of his money).

Secondly, I was furious that people I had once considered friends had behaved so poorly. I felt answering those calls were a sort of trap - designed to get me to say something in anger that could be used against me. And, I didn’t trust myself not to say something out of anger.

So the tactical decision I made was to not engage, which I consider wise. At least, more wise than leaving profanity laden early morning voicemail messages on the phone of the person you have recently attacked and slandered for months and months.

What we’re witnessing in the Kansas legislature this year is what happens when small men are tasked with big responsibilities and can’t properly handle the weight of their duties.

Many of the men and women who serve in the Kansas legislature are good people who are working in good faith for the benefit of their communities and their state. Even when I disagree with them, I can respect the fact that they genuinely care about the gravity of their position. They, perhaps most of all, should push back against such behavior because it taints the entire institution and diminishes Kansans’ faith in public service - and that harms everyone.

Some, however, view it all as a game. Something to fill their otherwise empty souls. They see people as pawns and they pervert our institutions by turning them into tools to serve their own interests. These sorts of people find humor in taking their clever statements on social media and bringing them to a real life stage - until they meet real life resistance. They see power not as a tool to shield people from harm, but as a weapon to threaten, harm, and control anyone who dares to challenge their supposed authority.

That is not power. That is not character. It is not the behavior of men who are confident in themselves.

It’s the behavior of spoiled children used to getting whatever they want without resistance. They will kick and scream if anyone ever dares to tell them that they’re being spoiled brats and they need to go sit in time out for while.

Addendum

I can anticipate that one of the counters to this would be that Rep. Ford Carr has behaved similarly, and I’m seemingly giving him a pass. I will admit that Carr’s style is different than mine. He’s more comfortable being directly confrontational, and saying quickly and plainly what is on his mind than I am. My experience with Rep. Carr is that he has never threatened, or joked about threatening, anyone from the House floor. He has said some things that have made people uncomfortable, but he makes smart, strong, and relevant arguments from the floor that reflect the concern of his constituents.

Rep. Carr represents a predominantly minority district in Wichita. It’s an area that has been ignored, disregarded, and mistreated by corporations and policy makers for years. It’s where Evergy decided they could put Big Ass Poles in people’s front yards - prompting the late Rep. Gail Finney to push back with passion and force. And Rep. Carr has been equally forceful in trying to address long term water pollution in his community - which is at the center of the altercation earlier this session between Carr and Wichita city council member Brandon Johnson.

The legislature is largely harmful to poor people and minority communities. It passes millions upon millions of dollars in business incentives and tax credits that enrich people who already have loads of wealth, while taking food away from poor children. It’s also a place that is built around traditional power dynamics of control, compliance, and punishment.

What I saw every year in office was that leadership controls members through threats and coercion, particularly in the majority party. Any chair who dares to challenge leadership, or not vote in line with the party, would likely be removed from any leadership position or have community projects stripped from the budget. I once had a very well respected Republican lawmaker tell me that he didn’t like a particular bill, but that he’d “see how I get to vote” - an acknowledgment that he would have to do what leadership wanted or risk losing his chairmanship.

I’m not going to speak for Rep. Carr or pretend that I understand his experiences. But I will offer my perspective.

I don’t respond well to threats or bullying, regardless of where they come from. If someone wants to work with me to solve a problem, have a discussion, learn, and understand, I’m here for it all day. If you tell me that I’m going to suffer or that my life will be made harder if I don’t comply with your demands, I’m going to resist with every tool I have.

I imagine if you’re a black man who has been told this your entire life, who has seen this forced compliance lived out in generations of your family, in your community, and among all the people you know and love, that feeling is even more visceral.

When we talk about racism, I think we tend to focus on the words and phrases that we use - and that’s important. But I think one of the most racist things we can do is to tell a black person that their comfort, success, and wellbeing depend on their willingness to yield to a white man’s power over them, and to comply without complaint to their demands. I imagine with that lived experience, in a place that is built on that exact sort of power dynamic, does lead Rep. Carr to see racism in ways the rest of us can’t.

If the majority party is offended by Carr’s naming it aloud offends them, maybe they can find a measure of comfort in remembering how much power they have at their disposal - and work to deploy it more responsibly and judicially.

Because I certainly don’t care if it hurts their delicate feelings.