All these horrible ideas the Republicans in charge of North Carolina have tried to push through these last four years? A lot of them have already been implemented in Kansas, the land of my birth and the home of my kin. Kansas has always been a conservative place, but since Sam Brownback was elected governor, in 2010, Kansas has gone completely off the rails. In 2012, Brownback signed into law a massive tax cut for the rich and eliminated the corporate income tax for small businesses. He literally called it an “experiment” and said it would be a “shot of adrenaline” into the state’s economy.

Four years later, the state is broke. It’s borrowing money from its highway fund to pay its bills. It’s slashing funding for higher education. It has been funding public schools at unconstitutionally low levels. Kansas is, basically, on fire, and Brownback is now unpopular even within his own party.

There are very real discussions being had in Kansas about whether Sam Brownback is legitimately delusional.

Anyway, this man Brownback’s opinion is that Pat McCrory is the best guy to keep leading North Carolina. The News & Observer notes today that Brownback spoke before North Carolina’s delegates at the Republican National Convention yesterday. More:

[Brownback] brought up McCrory’s appearance in the national spotlight over the controversial LGBT law that, among other provisions, requires transgender people in government facilities to use the bathroom that corresponds with their birth certificate.

“He’s got caught up in the middle of the gender issue,” Brownback said of his North Carolina counterpart. “When you get in one of these social issues, boy, the long knives come out, and it gets mean. … The other side is just trying to butcher him up.”

Brownback said he supports McCrory’s decision to sign and defend HB2. “He’s out there trying to do the right thing,” he said.

Brownback argued that the North Carolina’s governor’s race will be one of the most crucial contests for Republicans this fall.

“We’ve got to have North Carolina,” he said. “We need you guys in this. We need my friend Pat McCrory back in as governor. He’s a fabulous guy.”

Then Brownback reiterated his support for Donald Trump. “This is the deal: he ran and he won, so we support him,” Brownback said.

Very inspiring stuff.