• About
  • The Poetry of Protest

Show Me Progress

~ covering government and politics in Missouri – since 2007

Show Me Progress

Monthly Archives: May 2008

Neighborhood Leaders: Missouri Getting Organized

31 Saturday May 2008

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

missouri, Neighborhood Leaders

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: Shall I write you a list?

31 Saturday May 2008

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Brett Penrose, dubya, Scott McClellan

Brett Penrose makes a list and checks it twice:

Friday Afternoon Open Thread

30 Friday May 2008

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

open thread.

What’s on your mind?

Our lives on the "D" list

30 Friday May 2008

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

blogging, credential, Denver, DNC, meta

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?

Missouri AFL-CIO endorsements

30 Friday May 2008

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

2008, AFL-CIO, endorsements, missouri

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.

"The Book on John McCain and Public Schools"

30 Friday May 2008

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

dubya, education, McSame

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…

Missouri Right to Life vs. Anti-Choice Senators

30 Friday May 2008

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

coerced abortions, John Griesheimer, Jolie Justus, Missouri Right to Life

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.

Robin for 5th Senate!

29 Thursday May 2008

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Hello Show Me Progress, this is Glenn Burleigh, Robin Wright-Jones’ campaign manager, and I wanted to open up a line of communication folks MO bloggers.  Our website isn’t quite up yet, but I figured I’d reach out to the intertubes anyway.

When it comes to the issues, Robin is far and away more progressive than our anti-public schools opponent, Rodney Hubbard.  We’ve recently received the endorsements of the Missouri AFL-CIO, ACORN, and the Women’s Political Caucus, and will be working hard to win the support of all of the Democratic stakeholder groups.  We are looking for your support and to spread the word about Robin.  Feel free to call the office at 314-776-1499, but if you don’t get anyone, that’s cause we’re knockin’ doors.

Hope everyone is having a good day.  See you at the victory party!

Bush-McCain Challenge in St. Louis-Updated

29 Thursday May 2008

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

( – promoted by Clark)

Updated to include this.

Yesterday, in conjunction with over 300 other cities, St. Louis’s MoveOn Council hosted a Bush-McCain Challenge table on the Delmar Loop.  I wasn’t sure what to expect (some people had expressed trepidation about the action being to “gimmicky”), but it turned out to be a really great event.  Volunteers and the public had a lot of fun with the challenge.  And people were really shocked when they heard things like “McCain received a zero percent rating from the league of conservation voters on his record last year”, or “McCain voted against a proposal to ban water boarding.”  I left wishing that we could do this event much more often.

(more below the fold)

Some of the more tangible measures of the events’ success:

We signed almost 20 people up to moveon.org’s email list in only 2 hours.  

About five of the people who volunteered said that they would be willing to be on the St. Louis MoveOn council, a group that meets a couple times a month to plan and host events.  

The public was very engaged.

We got some nice coverage from pubdef.net (see below).

Even though we didn’t get coverage from the mainstream media, we had an opportunity in our press calls and sending of releases to educate them about McCain, to keep planting (or maybe we’re at the watering stage) the seed that McCain‘s not quite the “maverick” he pretends to be.

I left wondering if we could get twenty people to sign up in only two hours, how many people could we get to sign up if we had a presence on the Loop five days a week?   The Loop is a place with pretty high traffic turnover, so I don’t think we’d see all the same people very often, even if we did the event over the course of months.   And how much of a difference would it make to be able to get hundreds of new people signed up for MoveOn’s lists?  

It feels like we’re at a place where we’re no longer swimming against the tide, and that the work we do pays pretty impressive dividends.  Hopefully, we can take advantage of this opportunity to make some permanent progress.

Also, I’d like to note that MoveOn.org makes it really easy to put on successful events.  If anyone in Springfield or Columbia is interested in helping to develop the councils in those areas, please contact me.  

Last but not least, here’s a nice video put together by pubdef.net; you can see their full coverage at http://www.pubdef.net/2008/05/…

cross-posted at dailykos.com and mydd

Claire and Present Danger

29 Thursday May 2008

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Claire McCaskill, Colbert Report, missouri, Stephen Colbert

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?

← Older posts

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007

Categories

  • campaign finance
  • Claire McCaskill
  • Congress
  • Democratic Party News
  • Eric Schmitt
  • Healthcare
  • Hillary Clinton
  • Interview
  • Jason Smith
  • Josh Hawley
  • Mark Alford
  • media criticism
  • meta
  • Missouri General Assembly
  • Missouri Governor
  • Missouri House
  • Missouri Senate
  • Resist
  • Roy Blunt
  • social media
  • Standing Rock
  • Town Hall
  • Uncategorized
  • US Senate

Meta

  • Log in

Blogroll

  • Balloon Juice
  • Crooks and Liars
  • Digby
  • I Spy With My Little Eye
  • Lawyers, Guns, and Money
  • No More Mister Nice Blog
  • The Great Orange Satan
  • Washington Monthly
  • Yael Abouhalkah

Donate to Show Me Progress via PayPal

Your modest support helps keep the lights on. Click on the button:

Blog Stats

  • 740,844 hits

Powered by WordPress.com.

 

Loading Comments...