Kobach, Brownback and post-truth Kansas

To prepare for life in post-truth America, just study the example of Kansas politics since 2010, when Gov. Sam Brownback and Secretary of State Kris Kobach were elected.

What is post-truth? The Oxford English Dictionary declares it the word of the year, with this definition: Relating or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.

Actual truth requires rigorous analysis and factual verification, while post-truth claims are evaluated based on whether or not they fit with one’s political ideology. Hence the explosion of “fake news” sites this year, which post entirely fabricated stories on social media, always pushing emotional buttons and frequently forwarded to thousands of people without being verified.

Kansans know all about post-truth. Consider President-elect Donald Trump’s recent Tweet stating that the 2016 elections featured “millions of fraudulent votes.” Kobach agrees with the claim, citing a study that he is taking out of context.

Scholars and policymakers have combed through evidence of possible voter fraud for years, finding virtually no confirmed cases. We also have major concerns about the way laws meant to combat this fraud have the actual effect of removing tens of thousands of people from the voting rolls in Kansas alone.

Yet to fact-check Trump’s and Kobach’s claims is to live in the past. Under post-truth, the claim sounds right to their supporters, so it’s true.

Brownback’s economic policies exemplify post-truth policymaking. At his behest, the state has drained long-held trust funds and has had its bond rating downgraded several times. The state has gotten hauled into court over school funding.

Brownback supporters responded with a truly post-truth approach: Instead of fixing the budget’s gaping wound, they tried to remove the judges who are ruling against them.

Meanwhile, the promised economic growth from tax cuts has never materialized. Perhaps this is why Brownback’s approval ratings are last out of 50 U.S. governors.

Brownback’s reaction? In a post-election interview with Associated Press, he said the voters gave him “good, high marks” because Republicans still have large majorities in the Legislature. In so doing, he ignored not only the seats lost to Democrats, but also the moderate surge in this summer’s Republican primaries. Many of these successful “mods” explicitly ran against Brownback’s agenda.

Yet to Brownback, the election feels like a mandate, so it must be one.

This story was originally published December 3, 2016 at 5:04 AM with the headline "Kobach, Brownback and post-truth Kansas."