The Missouri Democratic Party is doing the right thing about organizing statewide. It has launched what it calls a Neighborhood Leader program, which it hopes will expand exponentially in the next few months–from the 400 participants already enlisted as of the state convention three weeks ago to 1,000 participants as of June 1st (we’re looking that date in the face on Sunday) to 3,000 participants by September 1st and 5,000 participants by October 1st.

Neighborhood Leaders will be  given a list of fifty Democrats in their immediate area to call and invite to a community gathering. At that gathering, a representative from the state party will speak, urging those who have shown up to consider becoming a leader themselves.

Leaders will also be given a list of 100 voters in their vicinity and asked to knock on those doors and ID the party preference of the residents.  

This kind of organization should, ideally, have been going on for years, but at least Democrats are finally catching on. If the party reaches that 5,000 goal and most of the leaders do their job, a lot of good things will happen for Democratic candidates.

The information from the Missouri database that results from all that doorknocking will be available to any candidate not in a contested primary or to any incumbent. It will save candidates money by helping them target their mailings. They won’t waste money on mailers to strong Republicans, and they’ll send little or no mail to yellow dog Democrats.

The information can be used to get out the vote and after the election, as well, to organize grassroots pushes to influence legislators.

This kind of program is the way politics should be done: the trust relationship between neighbors and friends is more powerful than TV ads–not to mention cheaper. And the less money we’re required to spend, the less our candidates are likely to be beholden to corporate largess.

The DNC has its own organizing tool, as I wrote last February, and as far as I can see, there’s going to be some overlap–and thus some wasted effort. The DNC tool will be available only to candidates for federal office, but the same voter ID info would be useful both for state and federal candidates. In future, let’s hope for more coordination.

Anyway, the state party is doing what it needs to, and if you want to help, here’s where to go.

Brett Penrose makes a list and checks it twice:

What’s on your mind?

Losers!

We tried, but they didn’t want us.

I hate blogging meta.

When we started this clean, well lit place previous experience showed us all how to deal with it (you know, meta).

But, just so you (our dear readers) know that we all aren’t a bunch of slackers you should be aware that we did apply in January for blogger credentials to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. We filed all the required and requested paperwork in a timely manner. In case you haven’t noticed we have yet to post a triumphant diary with a headline screaming “We’re going to Denver, nyah, nyah, nyah!” That’s because we didn’t get any credentials. Twice.

And here’s what they told us on On May 29th (the second time):

Hi there.  I’m writing regarding your application to the 2008 Democratic National Convention’s General Blogger Pool.

As you may know, we’ve had overwhelming interest in the credentialed blogger program this year. Several hundred great blogs submitted applications. But we have very limited space. Unfortunately, your blog will not be credentialed at 2008 Democratic National Convention…

Rough translation: “Losers!” And what’s with “Hi there?” I’d much prefer “Dear loser ‘D’ lister”.

I think it’s probably because our coverage of the Missouri State Democratic Convention wasn’t up to the scope or standards of the other bloggers who covered it…oh wait…

Democrats, Unite!

Heh.

Rumor has it that a dead trees media political reporter was asked why they didn’t bother to attend and cover the Missouri Democratic Convention. The alleged answer?: “There was no news to cover.”

Oh yeah?

Ike Skelton at the Missouri State Democratic Convention

Claire McCaskill at the Missouri State Democratic Convention

Wanted: More Trippes

We’re all having a lot of fun and doing something we all believe in. There’s far too much political news for us to cover in Missouri and the Show Me Progress corporate headquarters cloning project can’t keep up with the demand.

Heh.

Don’t count us out for anything. Collectively and individually, we’re devious.

Did I mention that I hate blogging meta?

There are some happy candidates and campaigns today:

…The Missouri AFL-CIO Executive Board met in Jefferson City yesterday to vote on candidate endorsements for the November ’08 election.

Board members unanimously voted to endorse Jay Nixon (the current Missouri state attorney general) for governor of Missouri…

…Other candidates the board voted to endorse included: Sam Page for lieutenant governor, Robin Carnahan for secretary of state and Clint Zweifel for state treasurer. Candidates for state representative, state Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives also were endorsed by the board.

The Missouri AFL-CIO has held several political training and meetings on health care this spring to get its members mobilized for the 2008 election. Unions and other affiliates represented at the meeting included: AFGE, AFSCME, ATU, Building and Construction Trades Department, CLUW, IBEW, SEIU, SMWIA, UA, UFCW and USW. Central labor council presidents for Kansas City and St. Louis were present as well as the Missouri legislative chair, Missouri AFL-CIO president and the secretary-treasurer.

There were no endorsements in the Attorney General primary or in the 9th Congressional District primary.

Missouri AFL-CIO’s list of endorsed candidates

AFL officials say they have not yet endorsed a candidate for 9th District

By Amelia Waters

Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 2:23 p.m.

Missouri’s American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization (AFL-CIO) held a press conference Wednesday morning at their Jefferson City office…

…Typically the AFL supports democratic candidates but Johnson said that the organization supports any and all supporters of the AFL, “There are a number of republicans that we have endorsed. And the reason, I can show on the records that we keep on our core issues, issues that cater to working people they voted with us.”

Candidates who received the endorsement in my geographic area include (for the Missouri House):

120 Kristi Kenney (D)

121 Jim Jackson (D)

122 Mike McGhee (R)*

123 Juan Alonzo (D)

124 Luke Scavuzzo (D)*

125 Carla Keough (D)

And for the Missouri Senate:

31 Chris Benjamin (D)

There’s quite a long list. And yes, there are a hand full of republicans on it.

Photo of George W. Bush and John McCain from Progressive Media USA. This photo is used in the recent National Education Association mailer: “The Book on John McCain and Public Schools”

I’m a member of two unions and proud of both of them. Today I received a mailer from the National Education Association (NEA), of which I am a member, titled “The Book on John McCain and Public Schools”. This piece alone was worth my yearly membership dues – I know the NEA isn’t afraid to try and make a difference in this presidential election. My union isn’t afraid to speak out. That makes me very proud of them.

The NEA web site has a comparison of the positions of the current active presidential candidates. There’s an interesting disclaimer, a footnote really, on John McCain:

All three Presidential candidates were asked to complete an NEA presidential candidate questionnaire. Senators Clinton and Obama completed the questionnaire but Senator McCain did not.

Back to the NEA mailer. Underneath the photo (above) is a quote:

“Competition is the key to success in education in America. That means charter schools, that means homeschooling, it means vouchers…” – John McCain, Republican Presidential Debate, 12/9/07

Vouchers? Not in Missouri.

Missouri Constitution

Article I

BILL OF RIGHTS

Section 6

Practice and support of religion not compulsory–contracts therefor enforceable.

Section 6. That no person can be compelled to erect, support or attend any place or system of worship, or to maintain or support any priest, minister, preacher or teacher of any sect, church, creed or denomination of religion; but if any person shall voluntarily make a contract for any such object, he shall be held to the performance of the same.

Missouri Constitution

Article IX

EDUCATION

Section 8

Prohibition of public aid for religious purposes and institutions.

Section 8. Neither the general assembly, nor any county, city, town, township, school district or other municipal corporation, shall ever make an appropriation or pay from any public fund whatever, anything in aid of any religious creed, church or sectarian purpose, or to help to support or sustain any private or public school, academy, seminary, college, university, or other institution of learning controlled by any religious creed, church or sectarian denomination whatever; nor shall any grant or donation of personal property or real estate ever be made by the state, or any county, city, town, or other municipal corporation, for any religious creed, church, or sectarian purpose whatever.

In two places of the Missouri Constitution, no less.

What else did the NEA say about McSame in their mailer?:

We need to turn the page on George Bush’s failed policies, but John McCain is more of the same…

…John McCain supports Bush’s No Child Left Behind but voted to kill efforts to fully fund mandates in the law (CNN, 11/3/05; Associated Press, 4/13/07; H. Con. Res. 95, Vote #114, 4/28/05; S. Con. Res. 18, Vote #68, 3/17/05)

John McCain voted against five billion dollars in public school funding while voting for Bush’s seventy billion dollars in tax cuts for millionaires (FY 2006 Budget Resolution; H. Con. Res. 95, Vote #114, 4/28/05; S. Con. Res. 18, Vote #68, 3/17/05)…

Yep, those priorities just get you right here. He’d starve public education of funding and then transfer revenue to private schools through vouchers. That ‘s some education agenda, eh?

A public school teacher who votes for John McCain is voting to make their job a lot harder and their life more miserable. If you’ve liked the last 8 years, you’re gonna love the next 100…

Uh-oh. Your organization’s got trouble when an anti-choice senator says this about you:

“I wouldn’t spit on Missouri Right to Life if they were on fire,” the usually affable Griesheimer said. “They are a bunch of liars who don’t care about anything but themselves.”

Hello. What’s going on? I mean, aside from the fact that abortion isn’t the obsession it used to be with some voters before the economy tanked.

What’s going on is that Missouri Right to Life overplayed its hand. E-v-e-r-y  y-e-a-r, Pam Fichter’s bunch tells the legislature what new restrictions to pass, and e-v-e-r-y  y-e-a-r, the Missouri Supreme Court throws out a good deal of it as unconstitutional. Even if you’re anti-abortion, it gets to be embarrassing to keep voting for this crap.

Sen. Jolie Justus, a Kansas City Democrat who led efforts to tone down the abortion restrictions proposed this year, said she detected an emerging attitude that lawmakers have restricted abortion about as much as they can.

“There is a feeling that now it’s becoming a political game,” Justus said. “Several pro-life senators told me, ‘What’s the next thing? Are they going to want us to restrict three-legged blue people from having abortions on Tuesdays?'”

The small rift between the Senate “Griesheimers” and Missouri Right to Life suffered a seismic shift about 7.0 on the Richter Scale last year. Fichter’s group opposed funding for new science buildings in KC and Columbia because–who knows?–somebody might someday do some stem cell research in one of them.

Some anti-choice senators voted for the funding anyway–and saw their ratings from the group tank. Meanwhile, some pro-choice senators voted against the funding because it was taking money from MOHELA.  Those senators got higher scores than the “Griesheimers.”

Color the anti-choice senators irate.

And then this year, the give-the-finger-to-the-constitution anti-choicers saddled their side with a proposal that banned “coerced abortions.” It would have made it illegal for a husband or boyfriend to try to persuade his significant other to have an abortion.

Umm, the first amendment lets people talk to each other, particularly about maybe doing something that’s … legal.

Another of the “Griesheimers”, Mike Gibbons, pointed out that the law would let a woman decide, years after the fact, that she regretted having an abortion and let her then allege that a crime had occurred. How could such an allegation be proven?

So legislation that passed resoundingly (113-33) in the House died in the Senate–where cooler heads sometimes manage to prevail in regards to rotten bills.

All that was left of this year’s debacle was for Sarah Steelman to try making some political hay by calling for a Special Session to pass the bill. Oh, and while they’re at it, she wanted the legislators to make sex-selective abortions illegal. That Steelman, she loves playing to the balconies. She took her 13 year old son to buy a gun and talked about how much she loves the second amendment. (Not the first amendment, mind you, only the second. I call that amendment-selective aborting of the Constitution.)

Update: While I’m on the subject of abortion, let’s just make sure everybody knows that McCain wants Roe v. Wade overturned.

SPARTANBURG, South Carolina (AP) – Republican presidential candidate John McCain, looking to improve his standing with the party’s conservative voters, said the law that legalized abortion should be overturned.

“I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned,” the Arizona senator on Sunday told about 800 people in South Carolina, one of the early voting states.

More than half of women voters think McCain is pro-choice. Wrong.

Our Senator Claire McCaskill was on the Colbert Report last night:

http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/video_player/view/default/swf.jhtml

She was the rare guest who both held her own and managed to be funny. The Missouri flag was a nice touch, too, what with the number one threat to America gracing it. What do you think?