The National Black Caucus of State Legislators, led by Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence, met with President Barack Obama earlier this week and pledged to support him in efforts to avoid the "fiscal cliff" and help middle class families.

“We will join you in calling upon Congress to raise revenue by asking those who can afford it to pay a little more in taxes, and to cut spending in a way that is smart and sustainable in the short and long term,” Ballard said after meeting with Obama at the White House on Tuesday.

“Preventing cuts to programs that are helping people is the only way to continue the progress we’ve all made on the path to economic recovery," she said.

The NBCSL includes more than 650 legislators from 45 states.

Obama and Congress face a deadline in about three weeks to come up with a budget plan to avoid dramatic tax hikes and spending cuts.

Obama has called for higher taxes for households earning $250,000 per year or more, while Republican leaders have refused to raise tax rates.

Exit polls showed that Kansas voters by and large were out of the step with the national electorate during the presidential election, except in one area — independent voters.

Here is an analysis of the election by Bob Beatty, a political science professor at Washburn University.

"Since 1968 Kansas has gone for the Republican nominee for President, and 2012 was no different. By a wide 22 point margin (60%-38%), Mitt Romney defeated President Barack Obama in the Sunflower state, an increase of eight points over John McCain’s vote share in 2008. Nationally, Obama defeated Romney by 2.8% (50.6%-47.8%). Beyond the election results, presidential election years also offer an opportunity – by using exit poll data – to analyze any similarities and differences between group preferences in Kansas versus national group preferences. On whole, 2012 produced more differences than similarities.

"First, on election day, 48% of Kansas voters identified themselves as Republicans, the second highest percentage of Republicans voting (as a % of state voters) in any state except for Wyoming. 27% identified as Democrats and 24% as members of no party. Nationally, the numbers were 38% Democrat, 32% Republican, and 29% independent. One similarity is that nationally independent voters went for Romney 50% – 45% and in Kansas they went for Romney 51% - 43%.

"Looking at the numbers in terms of race, nationally, white voters made up 72% of all voters, and they went for Romney by 20 points (59%-39%), while in Kansas they were 87% of all voters and went for Romney by 31 points (64%-33%). White men went for Romney by 27 points nationally (62%-35%), but in Kansas 74% of all white men voted for Romney, giving him a 50 point advantage over Obama (74%-24%).

"One of the reasons that Obama was able to win a second term was the support he received from women, winning that group of voters nationally by 11 points, 55%-44%. In Kansas, however, Romney won the female vote by 4 points, 51%-47%, and won the male vote by a whopping 40 points, 69%-29%. Nationally Romney won men by much less, 7 points, 52%-45%. An interesting subset of the female vote that has received a lot of attention is unmarried women. In this category Kansas lies a bit closer to the national numbers, with Obama winning by a 19 point advantage in Kansas, 58%-39%. Nationally, he won unmarried women by 36 points, 67%-31%. Romney won married men by 22 points nationwide but by 46 points in Kansas.

"One very large divergence between Kansas and the nation in terms of the Obama vote lies in the different age categories. Across ages Romney significantly outperformed Obama in Kansas compared to the President’s national numbers. Among younger voters, aged 18-29, Romney won by 17 points, 54%-41%, while nationally Obama won those voters by a 23 point margin, 60%-37%; Among voters aged 30-44, in Kansas Romney won by 20 points (59%-39%) while nationally Obama won by 7 points (52%-45%); Among voters aged 45-64, in Kansas Romney won by a massive 27 points, while nationally he won that group by a much smaller 4 points; Among voters aged 65 and older, Romney won in Kansas by 22 points and won nationally by 12 points.

"Finally, in what should not be a big surprise given the actual results, the Kansas exit polls showed that the majority of voters here did not think too kindly of the president, while nationally, the opposite is true. In Kansas 60% of voters had an unfavorable opinion of President Obama while 39% had a favorable opinion, a 21 point negative margin. Nationally, 53% of voters thought of the president favorably while 46% thought of him unfavorably, a 7 point positive margin."

Gov. Sam Brownback says Kansas is staying put.

"Kansas is and will always remain a state in the United States of America," Brownback said.

As of this afternoon, more than 6,800 people had signed a petition urging that the state of Kansas withdraw from the United States and create its own government.

The online secession petitions from all 50 states were prompted by the re-election of President Barack Obama. The petitions appear on a White House website called "We the People," which the administration uses to hear from people on what policies they would like to see.

If a petition gets 25,000 signatures within a month the White House staff will review the issue. Legally, the U.S. Constitution doesn't allow states to secede.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, joked that maybe the petition started after Brownback refused to join the federal government to put together a health insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act.

House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said he didn't think much of the petitions. "I think we settled this issue back in the early 1860s. I don't think anyone in their right mind wants to have a secession debate," Davis said.

Now that the election is over, apparently a lot of people, including some in Kansas, want to secede from the United States.

As of Tuesday evening, nearly 4,600 people had signed a petition urging that the state of Kansas withdraw from the United States and create its own government.

The online secession petitions, which number about 20 so far, were prompted by the re-election of President Barack Obama. The petitions appear on a White House website called "We the People," which the administration uses to hear from people on what policies they would like to see.

If a petition gets 25,000 signatures within a month the White House staff will review the issue. Legally, the U.S. Constitution doesn't allow states to secede.

The Texas petition had reached more than 70,000 signatures but Texas Gov. Rick Perry said he doesn't support the petition.

In Kansas, Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, joked that maybe the petition started after Gov. Sam Brownback refused to join the federal government to put together a health insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act.

House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said he didn't think much of the petitions. "I think we settled this issue back in the early 1860s. I don't think anyone in their right mind wants to have a secession debate," Davis said.

About 75 people on Friday gathered outside the Statehouse, calling for Gov. Sam Brownback to support an expansion of Medicaid, the state and federally funded program that covers the cost of health care services for nearly 400,000 Kansans, mostly children, pregnant women and those with disabilities.

One of many signs at the rally in support of expanding Medicaid. by Scott Rothschild

Shot of part of the crowd of about 75 people at health care event. by Scott Rothschild

Jennifer Weishaar of Lawrence speaks at rally. by Scott Rothschild

Will Dale, a Kansas University junior from Topeka, speaks to rally-goers. by Scott Rothschild

The Rev. Joshua Longbottom of the Plymouth Congregational Church and Laura Murphy, chair of the mission board at the church, attend rally at Statehouse. by Scott Rothschild

Rev. Joshua Longbottom, of the Plymouth Congregational Church in Lawrence, was one of several speakers at the rally. He said Jesus would have supported the expansion.

"If Jesus was up in the Capitol, would he make a choice to keep 130,000 people without care," Longbottom asked. The crowd responded "No."

Under the Affordable Care Act, the state has the option to extend Medicaid coverage to include all children and adults under the age of 65 who live at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that is an annual income of $30,657 or less. Extending the Medicaid program in 2014 could help provide access to as many as 130,000 more Kansans, according to the Kansas Health Consumer Coalition.

The federal government would cover of the cost of the Medicaid expansion for the first three years and most of the cost after that.

Republicans and some Democrats have expressed concerns that because of federal budget problems, the federal government may not be able to carry through with its funding commitment.

And Brownback has been an ardent opponent of the Affordable Care Act. Yesterday he announced he would block an effort by Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger for a state-federal partnership in starting a health insurance exchange under the ACA. That means the federal government will have to do it.

Douglas County has sometimes been called an island of blue in a sea or red in Kansas, meaning it votes Democratic while most of the rest of the state votes Republican.

But the blue dot becomes even more noticeable in the Midwest when looking at a national map of county results. There is blue Douglas and Wyandotte, which went for President Barack Obama.

And then there is a sea of red — counties where Republican Mitt Romney secured a majority of votes — that includes all of Oklahoma, all of Nebraska, except for one county, and all of Missouri, except for three counties. Farther south, Texas is mostly red until Dallas County and Travis County and then a belt of blue in South Texas.

Here is a link to the New York Times presidential election map by counties. link text

President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said today that one of the first post-election orders of business is to reach a deal to reduce the nation's debt.

Boehner offered to pursue a deal with Obama, who won a second term on Tuesday, that would include higher revenues as part of a revamped tax code that reduced rates for all, according to The Associated Press.

U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Topeka, said as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, she was ready to work on overhauling the tax code.

"Tax reform will raise revenue, reduce the $1 trillion in spending through the tax code, make the code more fair, efficient, and easier to comply with, and encourage job creation," said Jenkins, who also won re-election last night to represent the district that includes all of Douglas County.

Some of the faces in the Kansas Legislature will change, but after all the campaigning, outside money, and unprecedented redistricting, last night's election kept Republican-Democratic margins the same as before: the House at 92-33 Republican and the Senate 32-8 Republican.

It's possible those numbers could change slightly after recounts.

Several longtime House members were defeated including Democrats Eber Phelps from Hays, Bill Feuerborn from Garnett, Geraldine Flaharty from Wichita, and Republicans Mike Burgess from Topeka and Brenda Landwehr from Wichita.

State Rep. Anthony Brown, R-Eudora, lost in his attempt to gain a Senate seat, and two Wyandotte County senators fell, Democrat Kelly Kultala and Republican Chris Steineger.

And while the Republican/Democratic numbers hold steady, conservative Republicans own a majority of the GOP caucus in the Senate after a slew of moderate Republicans were swept out in the August primary.

In the presidential race, Kansas went solidly for Republican Mitt Romney with only Douglas and Wyandotte counties giving majorities to President Barack Obama.

In the 2nd Congressional District race, U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Topeka, won a third term against Democrat Tobias Schlingensiepen 57 percent to 39 percent. But if the district comprised only its two largest counties — Shawnee and Douglas — Schlingensiepen would have won.

Schlingensiepen outpaced Jenkins in Douglas County 56 percent to 40 percent, and Shawnee County, 49 percent to 47 percent.

But the counties surrounding Douglas County went bigtime for Jenkins, as did the counties in southeast Kansas.

Now that the election is over, a major question for Gov. Sam Brownback is how Kansas will respond to a Nov. 16 deadline under the Affordable Care Act to decide whether the state will partner in running a health insurance exchange or leave it to the feds. Asked this morning, the governor's office said they would get an answer on that soon.

UPDATE: Governor's office didn't provide a statement by end of day, but Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, who has wanted the state to do its own exchange, issued this comment: “We will be reaching out to the governor to discuss choices about an exchange—whether it could go forward as a state/federal partnership or whether it could be a federal exchange. We look forward to having that discussion soon, since the deadline for the decision is set for Nov. 16.”