Kansas’ new lieutenant governor is maybe kind of a birther
Sam Brownback is no longer the governor of Kansas. He is now the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, which in the Trump Administration probably means he travels to third-world countries and explains the Old Testament to warlords and murderous dictators while brokering arms deals. Brownback’s lieutenant governor, Jeff Colyer, has replaced him. Colyer is a plastic surgeon from Johnson County, and he has lately been putting political points on the board simply by not being as horrible and dumb as his predecessor. Kansas was incredibly secretive under Brownback, and Colyer has made transparency a priority. To applaud Colyer for this would be like throwing a party for me when I pay my electricity bill on time. But Kansas is starved for good news from its government. So OK.
On Tuesday night, Colyer — who will face a crowded primary in his run for governor this year — announced his new lieutenant governor. His name is Tracey Mann, and he lives in Salina and works for a commercial real estate company based in the Kansas City area. He’ll be sworn in on Wednesday.
In 2010, Mann ran for U.S. Congress and lost in the Republican primary to Tim Huelskamp. During that race, Mann said some weird and vile shit.
*At a candidate’s forum, Mann said that President Obama “should show his birth certificate” to “resolve it one way or another.”
*Speaking to a Sedalia radio station, Mann said, “I think the president of the United States needs to come forth with his papers and show everyone that he’s an American citizen and put this issue to bed once and for all.”
*Mann also, according to the Wichita Eagle, suggested that Americans should “let God handle global warming.”
Asked about his birther comments on Tuesday, Mann told the Eagle: “You know, I had a football coach one time that says when you make a mistake, you don’t make excuses and you move on. And I made some mistakes in that race, but I’ve moved on.”
Not exactly a retraction of those 2010 comments. Until Mann states otherwise, then, it’s safe to assume the new lieutenant governor of Kansas is a birther.
