Of all the state legislatures controlled by Republicans, the Kansas state legislature has been the most racist and the most pointed about acting on that racism.
This is the state that enacted a law to defund the entire court system if the Kansas Supreme Court didn't rule in favor of Governor Brownback on the school funding question. It's the state that limited TANF withdrawals to $25 per day, and banned recipients from using ATMs on cruise ships, because moochers.
As usual, they also don't like it when an uppity African-American female lawmaker calls them out for their racist behavior.
An African-American lawmaker in Kansas could be expelled from the statehouse for accusing supporters of legislation that eliminated tuition breaks for undocumented immigrants of being racist. State Rep. Valdenia Winn (D) of Kansas City will face a special investigative committee in a hearing June 26 that will weigh possible sanctions against the lawmaker for the remarks.
During a March committee meeting considering the legislation, which would have repealed in-state tuition rates for undocumented immigrants, Winn called the proposal "a racist, sexist, fear-mongering bill," according to the Lawrence Journal-World.
"I want to apologize to the students and parents whose lives are being hijacked by the racist bigots who support this bill, because this bill is an act," she said, before being interrupted by Rep. John Barker (R).
"She just referred to this committee as racist," he objected.
She was just calling it like she saw it, but again, Republicans' fee-fees were hurt, and so they must get vengeance. And she did continue, much to their chagrin.
She insisted she had said, "supporters," and went on, "I am not saying anything, but you know what, you can do anything you want, but I am going to say what I have to say because if the shoe fits, if the shoe fits, it fits. But this is an example of institutional racism, not individual racist, institutional racism because it deals with societal structural changes."
Fee-fees were hurt, you see.
"The difference is this is slander," Barton told TPM. “She slandered me personally. I am a sponsor of the bill and slander is far different than just making a controversial statement, and I take that personally.”
He said he will leave it up to the committee as to whether to recommend a punishment, but said, "It really concerns me that this happened and if something isn’t done, I guarantee you something like this will happen in the future."
[...]
“Valdenia has, I would say, she has a 'get me'-type attitude. She is a very nice person when she is away from the Capitol, just to converse with," Bradford said. “But when she comes into the Capitol she puts on this front like she is there to insult me. That day she flew off the handle like I had never seen her do before.”
Nobody hurts GOP feelings in Kansas. She must PAY.
Seriously, this state has a real problem with their politics and their legislature. It's hard to imagine Kansas recovering anytime in the distant future from this.
Here she is defending what she said, as reported by Fox4KC the day she said it.
