Roberts’ harshly partisan tone contrasts with Dole’s

When former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole campaigned Monday in Dodge City for current Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, the two statesmen struck different tones, according to an Associated Press report: “Dole hearkened back to his collaboration with the late Democratic Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan to ensure that Social Security remains solvent through 2027, recalling how they agreed: ‘We can’t let this fail. There are 30 million Americans who rely on Social Security.’ By contrast, Roberts argued that only a Republican majority could fix the Senate’s impasse and referred to Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid as ‘a dictator.’” Roberts’ harshly partisan rhetoric worked well in his tough GOP primary against a tea partier, and is consistent with the public comments of his new campaign manager. But he shouldn’t underestimate Kansans’ hunger for a Dole-style Congress that seeks compromise and therefore works, which is surely part of why Roberts is trailing independent Greg Orman in several opinion polls. – Rhonda Holman

This story was originally published September 23, 2014 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Roberts’ harshly partisan tone contrasts with Dole’s."