Congressman Roy Blunt (r – lobbyists) and former Missouri State Treasurer Sarah Steelman (r) wrote competing teabagger Twitter posts. First Sarah Steelman:

Looking forward to speaking at the Tea Party in Camdenton this evening! Power to the People! 7:30 AM Apr 15th from web

Speaking at the tea party in Camdenton was great fun last night! Lots of freedom loving peole who care about this country. 2:03 PM Apr 16th from mobile web

Roy Blunt:

I issued a statement today about the outrageous Homeland Security report. 11:53 AM Apr 15th from mobile web

I hope this report encourages more participation in the Tea Parties. 11:54 AM Apr 15th from mobile web

What, nothing about outrageous cigarette taxes in New York City as a spark for populist outrage? Power to the People!

On Friday April 17th the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary for March 2009:

REGIONAL AND STATE EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT:  MARCH 2009

Regional and state unemployment rates were nearly all higher in March.  Forty-six states recorded over-the-month unemployment rate increases, North Dakota and the District of Columbia registered rate decreases, and 3 states had no change in their rate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Over the year, jobless rates were up in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The national unemployment rate rose from 8.1 percent in February to 8.5 percent in March, which was 3.4 percentage points higher than in March 2008…

Missouri employment numbers:

Table C.  States with statistically significant employment changes from February 2009 to March 2009, seasonally adjusted

Missouri

Feb 2009:   2,747,900

March 2009 (preliminary):  2,736,800

Over-the-month change (preliminary): -11,100

Table D.  States with statistically significant employment changes from March 2008 to March 2009, seasonally adjusted

Missouri

March 2008:   2,794,600

March 2009 (preliminary):  2,736,800

Over-the-month change (preliminary): -57,800

On Friday night at a dinner event in Warrenburg the Johnson County Democratic Committee presented Missouri Secretary of State (and announced candidate for the open United States Senate seat in 2010) Robin Carnahan (D) with the James Kirkpatrick Heritage Award for her exemplary record of public service.

Chuck Owings, Centerview, with Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan.

Introductory speakers included former state representative Deleta Williams (D – Warrensburg), Deputy Missouri Attorney General Joe Dandurand, and Mike Carey, Warrensburg, a former staffer for Robin Carnahan’s 2008 campaign.

Approximately 200 people attended the Johnson County Democratic Committee dinner.

Robin Carnahan and Courtney Cole (right), Warrensburg, a member of the Missouri State Democratic Committee.

Irish music performed by the Schoolhouse Pickers, a local folk group.

Excerpts from Robin Carnahan’s remarks:

…Many days I’m in the James C. Kirkpatrick office building. When I walk in the door the first picture I see is Jimmy Kirkpatrick. And the work ethic that he imbued in that office lives on today…and it’s such a wonderful thing to go into a place where folks understand that their job is to provide terrific service. Jim so much knew that government was about getting things done for folks. And the folks that work in that office understand that even today. It’s really fun for me, because there are employees that have worked there for thirty years, forty years, really incredible. And they’ll come up and tell me stories about Kirkpatrick…

…And I think Jimmy would be proud about some of the things that we’ve been able to do. To continue that legacy of great service, to be efficient in what we do in government, and to just get the job done…

…another terrific public servant, of course, was Tom Eagleton…and he said something that has always stuck with me, just as Jim’s commitment to great public service. And that is, he said, you know, “Politics is the art of self government. And if good people don’t study it, and learn it, and practice it, then government will be abandoned to those of lesser motive.” That’s really true, isn’t it. If good people don’t stand up and say, “I’ll take this time to serve my community,” then we get others who serve for other reasons.

And I’ll tell you, that’s one of the reasons I decided to jump in and run for this senate seat. When Senator Bond made his announcement, the opportunity to serve in this unique time in our history is something that I’ve never seen. I think none of us have really seen that. Because there are so many things going on that I think, in our life times, we’ve seen nothing quite like it…

…It’s not about partisan bickering, it’s about getting stuff done. That’s what we need. We need a lot less of this partisan nonsense and a lot more of folks focused on solutions…

…At the top of my list is getting this economy going again, and going in a way that works for everyone…

…I don’t accept that we can’t do better at providing health care for everyone. I don’t accept that we can’t figure out ways to have alternative fuels so that we’re not dependent on foreign oil…And I’m not convinced that we can’t have an education system that rivals any place on earth…

…To do things that are at least as good as our people. We’ve had too much of the other side. And so now we have the opportunity, and I know it seems like a long way away, it’s eighteen months. And we’ve just gotten through this long, long campaign. And we’re all kinda tired. But eighteen months is a short period of time for what we have to do. And I wish that I could tell you that this was gonna be easy…It’s gonna be a fight…

..It’s not just about me winning or losing an election. I know both sides of that. And I’m gonna have a happy life no matter what. This is about the future direction of our country. And to be able to consolidate and to continue with the agenda that needs to be pushed. We all know that. We all know that. And guess what folks? Working together we can all do it…

Doris Kirkpatrick presents Robin Carnahan with the James Kirkpatrick Heritage Award.

Last week, Senator McCaskill held one of her Kitchen Table Talks at St. Charles Community College. This week, Representatives Todd Akin and Blaine Leutkemeyer held a town hall on the same campus. The different formats told a tale. Although the senator’s crowd was, understandably, larger (it filled a gym), Claire let it all hang out. She drew questions from a fish bowl and answered them rapid fire. The two Republican representatives are wound a lot tighter, so the event was choreographed. I was discouraged from, though not forbidden to tape. The moderator chose the questions, and they–can you imagine the coincidence of it?–exactly fitted the topics the two men had announced in advance that they wanted to talk about.

The invitation had been to small businessmen, so the audience of nearly 200 consisted mostly of businessmen and juco students. We were treated, before the Q & A, to an impassioned rant from a Union, MO, electrical contractor–a Fox News junkie, who believes that Citigroup and GM should be allowed to fail. I was flashing back to the Tea Party at Kiener Plaza the night before. The man has no sense of history. If the banking system and one of our largest employers (plus all of its suppliers) were to simultaneously nosedive, it would be 1931 again. And his electrical contracting business might well go under in the depression that would result.

But after the gentleman was escorted from the room, the Republicans said whatever they pleased without contradiction.

• We won the Iraq war (?!) in spite of the fact that no one knew how hard it would be to control all those “Arab factions”. I knew before we went in there. Did you? We must be among the damned liberal ivory tower academics that W didn’t trust.
• Akin gave a lengthy treatise on the reason that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae caused this country’s financial meltdown. As if.

The Q & A focused on convincing small businessmen that Obama’s policies will ruin them. Cap and trade, according to Akin, is “cap and tax.” It will raise energy costs 40-65 percent in Missouri, he said, and cost each family $3100 extra dollars a year. And all of this wasted money to “solve a problem that sound science says may not even be a problem.” He averred that it is not clear that rising CO2 levels are causing warming. That’s why scientists have been forced to abandon the term “global warming” in favor of “climate change.”

Instead of talking about constructive ways to deal with energy issues, Akin scared the bejeebers out of the businessmen and hapless students in the audience by saying that if we don’t let coal-fired power plants  continue to be built in the U.S.,  American coal will be shipped to China where they are building 250 coal power plants this year alone.  (Never mind the fact that China has most of the world’s coal.)

Oh, and he took time to empathize with beleaguered businessmen who are buried under environmental restrictions and regs. But, sigh, he thought there was little hope of any easing in that problem with Democrats in charge.

I’m embarrassed for Akin and for the Missourians who’ve kept him in office. He ignores energy and environmental issues by using the same sandpile where George Bush used to bury his head. If we don’t wean ourselves off coal and start reducing CO2 levels, the cost of energy will be a moot point, sir. Your grandchildren won’t have to pay for any of the money Democrats are spending now; the climate will kill them. Excuse me while I try to save your grandchildren’s lives.

The two representatives also tackled the pressing problem of immigration. (I haven’t quoted Leutkemeyer yet because he echoes Akin so much that Susan Cunningham suggests we save a congressional salary by naming one of them Akemeyer and sending him to D.C. with the authority to vote twice on everything.) The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that Missouri has 35,000 to 65,000 illegal immigrants out of the 5.75 million residents. Say the Pew Hispanic Center is wrong and the figure is twice that. So? I don’t say we shouldn’t insist that employers e-verify new hires, but this issue is a dead horse. Put down the whip.

As for health care problems, those can basically be solved, says Akin, if we have “portability,” the right to take our health insurance with us when we change jobs. See how easy that was?

As Susan observed, “this is what passes for public discourse in the Land of Oz. Heaven help us.”

Vice President Joe Biden addresses the audience at the ABB plant in Jefferson City, Missouri.

This afternoon Vice President Joe Biden toured the ABB plant in Jefferson City and then addressed an audience of approximately 350 employees and guests. The ABB plant employs 650 people “…and manufactures transformers that are used to increase voltage to transmit power onto the grid, or decrease voltage to serve a residential neighborhood…”

…Lost Creek is a wind energy project located in DeKalb County [Missouri] being developed by Wind Capital Group. The $300 million project will be capable of generating 150 MW of power when it is completed and will utilize transformers manufactured by ABB at the Jefferson City plant by UAW labor…Lost Creek is a beneficiary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and will create hundreds of local construction jobs.

[emphasis added]

It’s all about promoting the practical results of the economic stimulus package as they kick in.

Missouri Secretary of State (and announced candidate for the open United States Senate seat in 2010) Robin Carnahan (D).

The audience from the media “cut riser”.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon (D) (left).

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.

An ABB employee introduces the Vice President.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

April 16, 2009

Vice President Biden Outlines Funding for Smart Grid Initiatives

Announces plans for nearly $4 billion in technology deployment, monitoring and viability

Washington, DC – Vice President Joe Biden, on a visit to Jefferson City, Missouri, today with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, detailed plans by the Department of Energy to develop a smart, strong and secure electrical grid, which will create new jobs and help deliver reliable power more effectively with less impact on the environment to customers across the nation. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Vice President outlined plans to distribute more than $3.3 billion in smart grid technology development grants and an additional $615 million for smart grid storage, monitoring and technology viability.

“We need an upgraded electrical grid to take full advantage of the vast renewable resources in this country – to take the wind from the Midwest and the sun from the Southwest and power areas across the country,” said Vice President Biden.  “By investing in updating the grid now, we will lower utility bills for American families and businesses, lessen our dependence on foreign oil and create good jobs that will drive our economic recovery – a strong return on our investment.”

On the visit to Jefferson City today, Secretary Locke also announced plans for a Smart Grid meeting in Washington, D.C. that he will chair with Energy Secretary Steven Chu. The event, which will take place in early May, will bring together leaders from key stakeholders’ organizations, largely from private industry, to begin a critical discussion about developing industry-wide standards that will enable the Smart Grid to become a reality.   Additionally, industry leaders at the meeting will be expected to pledge to harmonize industry standards critical to developing the smart grid, commit to a timetable to reach a standards agreement and abide by the standards devised.

The meeting will provide a forum for industry leaders to move toward an industry standards agreement critical to developing the Smart Grid.  Additional meetings of industry staff on May 19-20 are planned to make further progress on a standards agreement.

“A smart electricity grid will revolutionize the way we use energy, but we need standards in place to ensure that all this new technology is compatible and operating at the highest cybersecurity standards to protect the smart grid from hackers and natural disasters,” Locke said. “The Recovery Act will fund the development of those standards so the exciting technology can finally take off.”

Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is responsible for assisting with the development of a framework for standards associated with Smart Grid systems and devices.  

As part of Vice President Biden’s announcement, the Department of Energy released a Notice of Intent (NOI) for the DOE Smart Grid Investment Grant Program, as well as a draft Funding Opportunity Announcement from the Department for a smart grid regional demonstration initiative. Together these efforts will help implement technologies aimed at transforming how electricity providers operate their systems, offer options for increased energy storage and accelerate the integration of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power with the electrical grid.

“A modernized electrical grid will provide the necessary tools for system operators to analyze and resolve problems quickly,” Chu said. “It will also expedite how we deliver renewable power to consumers, thus reducing the environmental impacts of generating electricity.”

These investments will help implement the necessary digital upgrades in the home and on the electric grid, enabling it to be more efficient, resilient, and secure.  They will also help make the grid capable to effectively integrate renewable supplies, plug in electric and hybrid vehicles, and energy management technologies, ultimately reducing energy infrastructure requirements and our dependence on foreign oil.

Vice President Biden is an animated public speaker.

At the conclusion
of his remarks the Vice President greets Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and Congressman Ike Skelton (D).

Speaking with the audience on the “rope line”.

Employees, guests, and the media exit the building after the Vice President’s motorcade has departed the area.

If the wind doesn’t shift and the creek don’t rise the transcription elves at Show Me Progress corporate headquarters might make an attempt to post a transcript of the speech(es) before the contents therein lose their shelf life. You’ll know if and when we post ’em.

Update: Enjoy John Oliver of the Daily Show interviewing Tea Party participants and showing them that there’s no real comparison between the British tyranny of 1773 and their perceived tyranny of Obama.

The St. Louis tax day Tea Party was well attended (having been well organized by Republican operatives) had great turnout. Some estimates ran as high as 10,000, but more realistically, it was probably five or six thousand. People had put an impressive amount of effort into signs:

I saw several signs characterizing our side as fascists. I don’t see it personally, but I believed it about the Bushies.

There were lots of Ron Paul fans there wanting the Fed audited.

photo courtesy of Jaelithe Judy at Momocrats

also courtesy of Jaelithe

I can identify with this woman’s frustration. Well, not the elitist part, but I did feel for eight years that I was dealing with people who wanted to be dictators.

“Don’t tread on me t-shirts and flags were everywhere. Another picture showed Obama with a red line drawn through him and these sentiments: “Re-defeat communism 2012.” Still another said: “Teabag Carnahan. Hang him for treason.”

Now let me see if I have this straight. We’re stupid, elitist socialists, communists, fascists, dictators, and traitors. For a group of people with a lot of anger, most of the folks in the crowd were cheerful and normal. Even this fella: