Opinion: When did our politics get so cynical?

CAPTION: Publisher Michael Glenn

By Michael Glenn

How have we come so far?

In the past two weeks, we have seen a former president almost shot dead, calls for the current president to hang up his shoes for the candidacy and political turmoil happen all over the national news.

It may feel nice to shut off FOX News or MSNBC to get away from a problem that just seems like it could be only happening in Washington, D.C., or maybe Topeka at the closest.

It’s happening right here in Reno County.

This past Monday, a Tribune contractor and I witnessed our own Republican state senator, Mark Steffen, remove Kyler Sweely, a candidate for the 102nd house district, from speaking at the fairgrounds.

Sweely’s a Republican and won his candidacy case in which two Reno County Republicans argued that he did not faithfully live in Hutchinson, or even Reno County at all.

Now I’m not going to get into whether or not Sweely or his opponent, Tyson Thrall, is right or wrong in this instance. But a government official, without conjunction from any political party, sponsoring a forum and then picking and choosing who gets to say what seems ill-intended at best.

Steffen also went on radio and social media outlets saying he would not allow any registered Democrats into the event.

If you’re trying to get people to vote for you or even listen to you in this political climate, wouldn’t you want people who may agree or disagree with you at the forum? Isn’t that the purpose of a forum in the first place?

Steffen also would not speak to any reporter, including myself, at the event questioning why he kept Sweely from speaking. If you’re going to do something controversial, at least have the strength to answer why you did it.

Ty Masterson, a Wichita Republican and current President of the Senate, put Steffen’s demeanor best, in my opinion.

“I think they’re angry words from a gruntled person who is not coming back,” Masterson said, referring to Steffen’s objection to the Kansas Leglislature’s special session tax bill

This disappoints me severely. It’s incredibly easy to see why so many Americans, Kansans or people right here in Hutch are so disenchanted with the political process.

This is an incredible show of why we need to hold our elected officials accountable. We can’t allow this to happen in our county. It’s unbearable. National divides get in the way of our state and local governments who are trying to make good decisions for their constituents.

We have got to do better as a county. This seemingly endless amount of political divide and nonsense cannot exist anymore.

Michael Glenn is the publisher of The Hutchinson Tribune and can be reached at mglenn@hutchtribune.com