President Obama has informed his senior advisers of his Afghanistan war strategy decision and ordered his commanders on the ground there to begin carrying out the plan.
The Senate officially opened their health care debate.
Rex Sinquefield is on track to become this year's largest individual [...]
Rep. Brian Yates (R-Lee's Summitt) is officially resigning at noon tomorrow to work full time for QC Holdings. It's a payday loan company, with stores operating mostly as Quik Cash or National Quik Cash.
H'ray usury!
' [...]
Speaker Ron Richard (R-Joplin), the Most Powerful Man In Missouri, doesn't have any idea why Birther Rep. Tim Jones (R-Eureka) said he told the FBI to take their questions about Jones' sales tax bill to Richard and Majority Floor Leader Steve Tilley.
House Speaker Ron Richard (R, [...]
The Associated Press reports today that the FBI contacted Birther Rep. Tim Jones (R-Eureka) "about a month ago" to ask about Majority Leader Steve Tilley's blocking of legislation that would have resolved a sales tax issue for Missouri municipalities.
The FBI has been asking questions [...]
Jason Rosenbaum has a very interesting nugget in the Columbia Business Times blog today about UM System president Gary Forsee's decision to oppose federal climate legislation:
University of Missouri system president Gary Forsee’s letter opposing federal legislation aimed at reducing carbon emissions is still attracting attention several [...]
A new Washington Post poll shows that the Republican "rank and file" is generally united in its hatred of our unAmerican usurper president, but "also reveals deep dissatisfaction among GOP voters with the party's leadership as well as ideological and generational differences that may prove big obstacles to [...]
Update: Matthew Ygelsias has a powerful graph breaking down the findings of the study.
A new analysis by MIT economist Jonathan Gruber claims that the Senate health-reform bill will "make health insurance much more affordable for individuals facing purchase in' [...]
I usually don't pay much attention to the weekly "grades" awarded to the Governor by KY3's Dave Catanese (regardless of the grade), but this week's post warrants a mention. In yesterday's report card, he writes the following:
Nixon's plan to provide a one-time subsidy to encourage home purchases looks popular on' [...]
Happy Birthday to Samuel Langhorne Clemens, born 174 years ago today in Florida, Missouri.
His pen name comes a river term which means two fathoms or 12-feet when the depth of water for a boat is being sounded. "Mark twain" means it's safe to navigate.
In his' [...]
As noted Tuesday, University of Missouri System President Gary Forsee is publicly opposing the comprehensive energy legislation being debated in Congress despite his previous promises to be leader in new technologies, clean energy, and responsible environmental policies.
In addition to questions about why he's' [...]
Forsee's Opposition to Climate Legislation At Odds With Previous Calls To Action
Forsee's new position completely contradicts his previous commitments as a signatory to the the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.
Flashback: 'The Night The Clocks & Scoreboard Stood Still'
Six years [...]
Rush Limbaugh says he's made "a really gutsy and courageous move."
For more on Gary Forsee's surprising and disappointing change of heart on federal climate legislation, check out this rundown at Show Me Progress and the previous Fired Up! coverage.
[...]
Via St. Louis Pushes Back, an incredible (and true) advertisement for Ed Martin's Congressional campaign:
Just another day for mainstream Missouri Republicans...
[...]Wednesday afternoon, Lt. Governor Peter Kinder took to the twittersphere to express his outrage about the charging of Post-Dispatch reporter Jake Wagman for allegedly interfering with the police response to the scuffle outside the August 6 Russ Carnahan forum. @PeterKinder wrote: "YOU get charged but NOT the thugs [...]
Rep. Jason Kander's ethics reform op-ed. "If we want a system that creates sound policy, we can start with a sound system."
The Governor and First Lady helped unload 250 pounds [...]
The Beacon's Jo Mannies spoke with the office of Rep. Todd Akin (R-You Serious) about his Thanksgiving lecture series (first noted in this space yesterday). Apparently, the Congressman is quite serious when he says the Pilgrims can help us understand the horrors of Democratic health [...]
In addition to asking readers for their biggest "turkeys," we wanted to know about the leaders and organizations for whom you're most thankful. We had a lot of great nominations, and undoubtedly missed a lot of good folks out there. Here are a few name that stood' [...]
A new article in The New England Journal of Medicine makes a powerful argument for real change in our health care system to dramatically reduce the number of uninsured. Sadly, the House Republicans' health care plan would actually increase the number uninsured (while doing nothing to stop discrimination because' [...]
Sources close to Rep. Brian Yates (R-Lee's Summit) report that the four-term legislator is expected to resign his seat in the coming days. Yates is term-limited, and was previously thought to be in the hunt for the 8th District Senate seat, now held by [...]
We asked for your nominations for the Missouri political universe's biggest turkeys, and you responded! Thanks so much to everyone who participated.
Cynthia Davis
The Plum Line's Greg Sargent looks at some of the data from the new Washington Post-ABC News poll about global warming.
They show that only a bare majority of Republicans believe in global warming, and that GOPers are surprisingly out of step with the rest [...]
Perhaps responding to her energized challenges from the left and right, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson has set up a new leadership PAC called GOJO.
Leadership PACs provide a campaign bank account for candidate travel, and "allow politicians to donate dollars to (and collect favors from) [...]
Governor Nixon and Treasurer Zweifel announced a proposal to pay the first year of property taxes for income-eligible Missourians who buy a new or existing Missouri home after Jan. 1, 2010. The proposal will be presented to the MHDC at its December 18 meeting.
CD8 Candidate Tommy Sowers called [...]
University of Missouri System President Gary Forsee is opposing federal climate legislation to limit greenhouse gas emissions, citing concerns about how the bill might impact the system's energy budget.
While it's understandable that Forsee is concerned about the budget, universities should be leading the charge for [...]
For all my patriotic people...
The video for this dope track was produced by Dick Armey's FreedomWorks organization.
[...]
The Office of Congressional Ethics released a seven-page missive Tuesday refuting criticisms of its investigative process made by the House ethics committee in late October, and marking the public airing of tensions in the chamber’s two-tiered ethics process.
The Nov. 20 memorandum addresses the House [...]
Todd Akin must not have had a lot going on last week. Thursday, speaking in an empty House chamber, Akin delivered a 50+ minute lecture on the history of the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving. Uploaded in 10 parts to his official YouTube channel, he spoke at length about the Pilgrims'' [...]
Nothing says "We're not a part of the establishment!" quite like having the the president of the Ohio Coal Association as a top keynote speaker at your holiday "tea party."
Mike Carey (president of the coal trade group), the host of "The Jihadi' [...]
If you've been listening to much of the health care debate in Washington lately, it would be hard to miss complaints from Republicans about how the complicated health care bill happens to be pretty long when it's printed with big type and double spaced.
It's a pathetic' [...]
Missouri is going after big bucks to finance significant reform in education. 300 educators, business people, lawmakers, students, and others were in Jefferson City today to help develop the state's plan to reform schools and qualify for the funds.
The New York Times' "Prescriptions" blog breaks down a host of claims made by Senators in the health care debate this weekend. This statement from Sen. Kit Bond stands out:
“The government-run plan will have higher premiums, and the C.B.O. said it will drive up the cost' [...]
On a relatively slow news day, a hot topic of discussion seems to be David Lieb's analysis piece for the AP about the personal relationship between Gov. Jay Nixon and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder. There isn't a whole lot of new information in the articled, but I I' [...]
Six years ago yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a controversial and still-unfunded Medicare prescription-drug bill with an historic and extremely controversial early morning vote. At least three of Missouri's Representatives -- Roy Blunt, Jo Ann Emerson and Todd Akin -- played key roles in [...]
It looks like Ed Martin got a little ahead of himself when attacking the Obama Administration and stimulus program.
The new and improved Missouri Political News breaks it down.
[...]Kit Bond suggested last night on the Senate Floor and again this morning on Fox News Sunday that the Senate Health Care bill is like Bernie Madoff's criminal ponzi scheme. Does it make any sense? Of course not. But it sounds scary, and that's [...]
Lafayette Co. GOP Celebrates New Billboard: It May Be Time For "WAR"
The Lafayette County Republican Central Committee is proudly celebrating a new crazy billboard on I-70 near Grain Valley (in Jackson County). It calls for citizens to "starve the beast" and "vote out [...]
Governor Nixon struck the same deal with the state’s community colleges that he struck with the state’s four-year schools—if they freeze their tuitions for the 2010-11 school year, he will not recommend deep budget cuts.
A new poll of CD7 Republican voters shows Billy Long and Gary Nodler [...]
This is a real movie.
[...]
It's not a debate or healthy democratic process.
It's "war," writes former state representative/ lobbyist Carl Bearden, and "it's far from over."
If the leaders of the Imperial Congress thought that everyone would just go away they are delusional. Well ok, they are delusional but you know [...]
Organizing for America is planning to begin airing this ad on national cable next week. It was picked from thousands of entries submitted from across the country, and was created by Eric Hurt.
A pretty powerful ad.
[...]
Today marks the two year anniversary of Ed Martin's replacement as chief of staff for former Gov. Matt Blunt.
Hours after his ceremonial pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey, Blunt was repeatedly asked to explain Martin's departure. Blunt refused to offer direct answers, and then finally said:
"If [...]
Though the the House ethics committee cleared Rep. Sam Graves last month of wrongdoing connected to an appearance by a friend last spring, the handling of Graves' matter has remained in the news. The House ethics committee and the new semiautonomous Office of Congressional Ethics' [...]
If you haven't sent in your submissions for our Thanksgiving-themed awards, please do so today!
As a refresher, we're accepting nominations for two broad categories of Turkey Day Awards:
Leaders and organizations for whom we are thankful The Turkeys in Missouri politicsSend us your thoughts here.
[...]From The Hill, in an article titled "Vote records can hamper member's [sic] political ambitions":
The last Republican running in a competitive state, Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), will be forced to fend off attacks that, as a former member of GOP leadership, he is a Washington insider. To drive this [...]
Investment staff at the state retirement system would not get bonuses in years when the system’s investments lost money under a plan that tentatively advanced today.
Public Policy Polling released the second part of their recent Missouri poll today. Regarding Gov. Nixon:
It's been a pretty successful first year for the state's new Governor. 42% of voters approve of the job he's doing to 25% disapproving. In a time when the popularity of [...]
Speaking at last night's term limits forum, Ed Martin let it slip that his "Term Limits for Missouri" organization isn't expected to gather enough signatures for the term limit initiative he filed last December.
"We could gather signatures. I don't know that we will," he said about his proposal [...]
The Lafayette County Republican Central Committee is proudly celebrating a new crazy billboard on I-70 near Grain Valley. It calls for citizens to "starve the beast" and "vote out incumbents" -- and if that doesn't work, "PREPARE FOR WAR."
Say what you will about Cynthia Davis' radical views on the role of schools and government agencies (we've said a lot, of course), but there is some consistency in her crazy ideas. Specifically, the government should't be doing... just about anything.
Via The Turner Report, Davis' [...]
Speaking last night about why he thinks term limits are a good idea, former Matt Blunt Chief of Staff/Congressional Candidate/MO GOP Chairman Emeritus/Serial Tax Waster Ed Martin said he supports limiting Members of U.S. House to four two-year terms, and would sponsor a Constitutional amendment in Congress to make that happen. [...]
The Daily Dunklin Democrat profiles Bob Parker today, a Republican challenger to Jo Ann Emerson in the 8th Congressional District. Like we've seen in numerous other races, Parker is staking his candidacy on tea party anger.
Parker said concerns over last fall's federal bailout of' [...]
In a headline story from Newsmax published earlier this week, we read:
[Sarah] Palin, who was a lightning rod for criticism during the presidential campaign, warned that America is in "a dangerous place economically" because Congress is debating healthcare reforms that would affect up to one-sixth of [...]
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy has released a new study arguing that MIssouri's state taxes hit poor and middle class Missourians far harder than the wealthy.
Low- and middle-income families in Missouri pay a far higher share of their income in state and local taxes than the richest families [...]
There's been a lot of hand-wringing and hyperventilating about Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to try some terrorist suspects in the US on criminal charges. Yesterday, for example, Kit Bond accused Holder of "taking the Department of Justice back to a pre-9-11 mentality," which tells you a lot about [...]
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has assembled a compromise health package that would expand coverage to more than 31 million Americans at a cost of $849 billion over the next decade, a senior leadership aide said late Wednesday.
The cost of the package would be more than made [...]
Sen. Harry Reid released a combined Senate health care bill and price tag today. The CBO says it will cost $849 billion over 10 years, cover 94% of the country’s population and reduce the deficit by $127 billion.
The Notebook: "The most glaring portion of the [PPP] poll is [...]
The editorial board at the Springfield News-Leader teased a new feature this morning, in which they hope to clear up some of the confusion about Congressional health care reform proposals. It certainly sounds like a good idea – Sens. Bond and McCaskill are both expected to participate – and I look [...]
Jason Rosenbaum captures a funny moment from a Nixon press conference about the agreement announced yesterday to freeze tuition at the state's four-year public colleges and universities.
[...]
Public Policy Polling has released topline data from their recent statewide poll of 763 Missouri voters. Since their previous poll in January, the prospective matchup between Robin Carnahan and Roy Blunt remains stable. However, the survey does indicant real unease about Blunt's record in Washington.
When PPP polled the Missouri [...]
The Washington Post's Dana Millbank lays into Senate Republicans like Kit Bond this morning.
Ten of the Senate's 40 Republicans, attempting some measure of consistency, parted ways with Sessions and voted with Democrats in a resounding 70 to 29 vote to break the filibuster. But the [...]
A new CNN poll indicates that half of the GOP voters want "ideologically pure" Republican candidates, consequences be damned.
A new national poll suggests that the Democrats may be the party of pragmatism and Republicans may be the party of ideological purity…
The poll indicates that a slight majority, 51 percent, [...]
Sen. Kit Bond voted this afternoon to continue the Republican filibuster of David Hamilton's nomination to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Bond failed his in efforts, however; Democrats and Republicans joined together to move the nomination along with a 70-29 vote, and Hamilton will receive an up-or-down' [...]
Gov. Nixon announced a deal to cut higher education funding but freeze tuition for most students. Under the arrangement reached with university leaders, higher-ed funding for the 2010-11 budget year would be cut a relatively modest 5.2 percent -- about $42 million -- and tuition would be held steady [...]
You can tell by the Christmas music on soft rock radio stations that it's almost Thanksgiving. In anticipation, we are now accepting nominations for two broad categories of Turkey Day Awards:
Leaders and organizations for whom we are thankful The Turkeys in Missouri politicsLet us know what' [...]
It's a Tuesday, which means it's a great day for a Republican to call for sweeping tax cuts. Ed Martin takes his turn today:
If a one-time $600 tax break per person boosted economic growth over 3% – during a recession! — just imagine what our economy [...]
Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling teases a bit more today about the fresh Missouri Senate poll they'll release tomorrow. Roy Blunt's head-to-head numbers against Chuck Purgason were certainly surprising, but Blunt's possible race against Robin Carnahan is still tight, as expected.
The favoraibilty numbers released today are' [...]
OK, not exactly.
But with a base that hates even the whiff of a tax increase, it is somewhat interesting that the Missouri Republican Party's new political director is fresh off a campaign to pass a tax levy for St. Joseph schools. Chris Roepe was the manager for the successful [...]
Via JohnCombest.com, National Geographic has a pretty cool new project featuring 'state maps' as drawn by U.S. Senators. Senators were asked to to "draw a map of their home state from memory and to label at least three important places." Here's Sen. McCaskill's:
It doesn't [...]
Friday, Roy Blunt defended his support of the Cash for Clunkers stimulus program at an event celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Fulton Sun:
Blunt said he supported the Cash for Clunkers program because it was one part of the federal spending stimulus package [...]
The state’s unemployment rate fell by two-tenths of a percent to 9.3 percent in October.
Oprah talked to Sarah. And fewer than 3 in 10 Americans think that Palin is qualified to be president.
Blaine Luetkemeyer's staff says he's never, ever, ever used lobbyist provided language before getting [...]
Thursday, Rep. Cynthia Davis (R-O'Fallon) said Americans "should not ignore the obvious" fact that Islam is a violent faith, and said mainstream Muslims "may be unaware of what their faith teaches."
Saturday, Dave McArthur, a top leader in Ed Martin's Congressional campaign, screamed about Barack Obama how is "let[ting] these' [...]
Happy to spar with Roy Blunt about their "Stain" ad, the League of Conservation Voters launched a new radio ad today titled "Forgot." Listen:
With the new spot, the LCV also breaks down Blunt's opposition to meaningful climate legislation in Congress:
Contrary to Rep. Blunt’s claims, the American Clean Energy & Security [...]
KY3 and The Star have flagged early data from a new Public Policy Polling poll showing Rep. Roy Blunt still struggling to consolidate support in his primary contest against Sen. Chuck Purgason. Saturday, PPP tweeted:
interesting finding on our Mo. poll so far- Blunt struggling to crack 50 [...]
Speaking with KSPR and KY3 last week week, Roy Blunt expressed grave concern with a recent ad from the League of Conservation Voters criticizing his ties to big oil and energy interests and opposition to the clean energy legislation before Congress this year. [...]
Rep. Mary Still (D-Columbia) is hosting a "district hearing" at the Columbia Public Library tonight for public and expert input on the abuses of payday loan companies. Still sponsored legislation this year to restrict interest rates on payday loans, but Speaker Ron Richard refused [...]
Saturday in Sedalia, Sen. Chuck Purgason (R-Caulfield) and Rep. Jim Guest (R-King City) spoke to a regional meeting of the Campaign for Liberty -- folks who "stand for free markets, low taxes and a non interventionist foreign policy." At the event, Purgason delivered his [...]
If you've been busy tweeting from your deer stand this weekend, you've probably missed a bit of the back-and-forth in the GOP contest to challenge Auditor Susan Montee next year. Sadly, Lt. Governor @PeterKinder has refrained from posting any updates to his live Twitter [...]
The New York Times reports today that Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer published a statement in his own name that was actually written by lobbyists for the biotech company Genentech.
Statements by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by Washington lobbyists working [...]
As far as I know, Rep. Tim Jones (R-Eureka) is still an unapologetic plaintiff in an insane, dishonest, absurd lawsuit accusing Barack Obama of being an illegal alien and usurping the presidency.
So.... why should we care what he thinks about health care -- or [...]
Kinder: "I Was The First To Tweet It!"
Thankfully, no one was actually hostage this week in Jefferson City, and local law enforcement agencies had a chance to practice their craft. We also got to see how Peter Kinder leads -- or fails to lead -- [...]
Missouri ProVote hosted their annual awards dinner last night to celebrate key leaders and organizations in Missouri's progressive community. They included:
Outstanding Progressive Legislator: Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford (D-St. Louis) Outstanding Community Organization: The Missouri Women’sRoy Blunt wants to make sure insurance companies can keep discriminating based pre-existing conditions.
Allen Icet promises to serve a full term if elected Auditor, and ripped Thomas Schweich (rhymes with "bike") for short-sighted, selfish thinking and empty threats.
Roy Blunt and Kit Bond want people to know [...]
Sen. Gary Nodler (R-Joplin) announced yesterday that he'll step down from his Chairmanship of the Senate Budget Committee before the 2010 legislation session to "avoid any appearance of conflicts of interest" while he raises money for his bid for Congress.
I am leaving the committee' [...]
What in the world is this all about?
So nine months before Thomas Schweich wins the GOP Auditor primary – to say nothing of actually knocking off Susan Montee -- he can't commit to KY3's Dave Catanese that he'll serve his entire term because he might need to [...]
The Beacon's Jo Mannies reports that Roy Blunt experienced an "aggressive grilling" in Chesterfield last night. To be sure, these folks hate the libruls, but this doesn't sound like a group that's excited with their establishment's candidate for Senate (emphasis added).
For 90 minutes, U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt -- the' [...]
The early word out of tonight's West County Republican Organization (WCRO) meeting in Chesterfield is that Roy Blunt is being publicly challenged about his record of wasteful spending in Washington.
Blunt is the featured speaker at tonight's public meting. We'll post more updates as they're available.
[...]Ignore the whining from Republicans about bipartisanship in the health care reform debate.
AG Koster is warning consumers against a scam involving bogus warranties for cars.
Ed Martin is holding a $1k-per-person fundraiser tonight in Clayton, closed to the press.
The "Save Our Secret Ballot" organization survived a legal challenge to [...]
Well this is odd: less than 24 hours after blaming deadbeat tenants and the bad economy for his $20,316 overdue tax bill, Rep. Denny Hoskins paid off his entire debt.
It's unclear how Hoskins, a professional accountant, came up with the money so quickly. [...]
Watching the second of two interview clips posted today by KY3's Dave Catanese, I was completely taken aback by Roy Blunt's condescending, completely inaccurate response to a question about his leading the nation in lobbyist money received during the first sixth months of this year.
Watch the clip, keeping [...]
Dr. Elaine Kamarck, former Clinton administration official, Harvard Kennedy School lecturer, and co-founder of the US Climate Task Force has been in St. Louis yesterday and today to push for clean energy legislation in Congress. An expert on energy and climate policy, Kamark was also scheduled [...]
The Conservative Club of Missouri, formerly known as the St Charles County Republican Club, is not happy with the "the current crop of Republicans in office at all levels." In a message posted on their website from Club President Lyn Schipper, the organization calls for "new and fresh faces," [...]
Repower America began a new ad on national cable yesterday to highlight the national security concerns of veterans and national security leaders about destabilizing climate change.
The ad features Iraq War veterans alongside General Brent Scowcroft and General Wesley Clark.
General Scowcroft was U.S. National Security Advisor under Presidents Gerald [...]
.Sean, Tom the Turkey, Sherman Potter, General Content, penrose, Jane Whitesides
