The Fever Swamps of Kansas.

• Author: Peterjohn, Karl
• Position: Letters - Letter to the Editor

Thomas Frank's book What's the Matter With Kansas? and Jesse Walker's review of it ("The Fever Swamps of Kansas," March) both miss the essence of this heartland state located in the middle of flyover country.

Frank misses how Democrats have actually won the Kansas governor's mansion 24 of the last 40 years but have not elected a U.S. senator since the 1930s.

For insight into Kansas politics, Michael Barone's latest Almanac of American Politics provides more incisive understanding of Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in a few pages than Frank does in his entire book. Sebelius has regularly violated her 2002 campaign promise not to raise taxes. Frank's book does not explain how Sebelius got elected, nor will it provide insight into why Sebelius is likely to be rejected next year by Kansas voters.

Frank parrots the conventional political wisdom in Kansas that there are three political factions in the state: Democrats, "moderate" or tax-and-spend Republicans, and out-of-power conservative Republicans. But Sebelius' nominally Democratic administration contains two cabinet members from her "moderate," tax-raising GOP predecessor's cabinet, including former GOP Gov. Mike Hayden. Her lieutenant...