On Monday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a story on how fewer candidates have filed at this time than in previous non-presidential election years. There was lots of handwringing in the article about the difficulty of running for office, and how only wealthy people or people with part connections who can help raise money are able to run for office, and the reporter cited higher numbers filing in 2006 and 2002 as evidence that more people are shying away from seeking office. Apparently Steve Tilley also thinks that people are very happy with the state government and so decline to run for office themselves.

The article was premature to say the least. As of this writing, there’s now 540 542 filed candidates for office in Missouri, only 8 less than in 2006. And we’re sure to see some last-minute filings yet today – last night I ran into someone who planned on making the drive to Jefferson City this morning to file to represent my district.

I can sympathize with the concerns about money and nepotism (like wives running to replace their termed-out husbands) but what worries me more is the fact that you have races like the Democratic primary for US Senate, where Carnahan has two primary challengers, and yet Blaine Luetkemeyer faces no opposition after the primary, when clearly one of Carnahan’s primary challengers lives in Luetkemeyer’s district! If he’s going to run a longshot candidacy, you would hope he would at least try one that serves to build the party and oppose someone further from his own views.

Of course, perhaps I’m writing this post too early, and we’ll see some more slots filled in those uncontested races later on today.

UPDATE: The count is now 560, 12 more than 4 years ago. Take that, Virginia Young!

…And speaking of uncontested races, not only does my district have a Republican challenger, it has a Republican primary. Wonders never cease.

Claire McCaskill on the Colbert Report last night, in case you missed it:

http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:268467

Update – the transcript:

Stephen Colbert: My guest tonight helped pass the health care bill. She better hope it covers nailing. Please welcome Senator Claire McCaskill. [applause][cheers] Oh!  Senator.

Senator Claire McCaskill: Hi Steve.

Stephen Colbert: You might want to wash that hand, I’ve been handling [crosstalk] raw chicken.

Senator McCaskill: Yeah. Chicken, eh.

Stephen Colbert: Now, uh, madam, I assume you are here tonight to gloat over the destruction of the American economy.

Senator McCaskill: No, no, no [crosstalk], no.

Stephen Colbert: Thanks to the selfish passing of health care regulation by the Democrats.

Senator McCaskill: No, no [crosstalk].

Stephen Colbert: Really?

Senator McCaskill: I’m, I’m [crosstalk]…

Stephen Colbert: Really?

Senator McCaskill: …here to educate you about that this is a good bill. [crosstalk]

Stephen Colbert: Is it really?

Senator McCaskill: Hard.  It’s a miracle that we did something very hard [crosstalk]…

Stephen Colbert: Um, hm.

Senator McCaskill: …in Washington.

Stephen Colbert: Yep.

Senator McCaskill: The subject matter [crosstalk]…

Stephen Colbert: It is hard to watch your country die. [laughter][audience laughter] Isn’t it?

Senator McCaskill: By the way [crosstalk]…

Stephen Colbert: Who were you doing this for? Who’s pocket are you in?

Senator McCaskill: The American people.

Stephen Colbert: Okay, you’re, oh, you’re in the pocket of big American. [applause]

Senator McCaskill: I’m in the pocket of the American people who want to be able to get health care and afford health care.

Stephen Colbert: Um, hm. Why, they should, well, le, nah ah. [audience laughter] Then why don’t they get jobs that provide health care?

Senator McCaskill: Because [crosstalk]…

Stephen Colbert: I’m just saying. [crosstalk]

Senator McCaskill: …because many jobs. [crosstalk]

Stephen Colbert: But the conservative position, the conservative position is you can get health care if you needed it.

Senator McCaskill: No. [audience laughter] Uh, you cannot. That’s the problem. Tens upon millions of people cannot get health care. They work for employers that don’t provide it, or they had the nerve, the absolute nerve to get sick before. And then the insurance companies won’t sell them health insurance.

Stephen Colbert: That’s the free market, madam.

Senator McCaskill: No. [audience laughter] That, that [crosstalk]…

Stephen Colbert: The free market. Right now do we have a health care free market?

Senator McCaskill: No.

Stephen Colbert: What do you mean?

Senator McCaskill: We don’t.

Stephen Colbert: They get to set any price they want. That’s the free part. [laughter][audience laughter] What part of that don’t you understand?

Senator McCaskill: What, what I understand is that most Americans know that health care is getting too expensive. In fact, for fifty years we’ve kind of been talking about how the care, health care system doesn’t really work. This is gonna make it better, not perfect. It’s not a perfect bill, but it’s gonna make it better. And you know what? The sky is not gonna fall. It’s gonna [crosstalk] be okay.

Stephen Colbert: Oh, really? Oh, really? Because John Boehner said. [crosstalk]

Senator McCaskill: Also has a tan.

Stephen Colbert: Yes, he does. [crosstalk]

Senator McCaskill: By the way. [laughter][audience laughter]

Stephen Colbert: He has a. [applause][cheers] He looks like he tried to replace the core of a nuclear reactor, actually. [laughter][audience laughter]

Senator McCaskill: A little orange.

Stephen Colbert: Now, John Boehner got up there, on the floor of the House and said, he spoke the hard truth that if this bill passes we’ll be facing the apocalypse. His word, apocalypse. Now, I’m down here in the Colbert bunker [audience laughter], six hundred feet burrowed into Manhattan’s bedrock, so I don’t know what’s going on up there. [audience laughter] When you came down the tube, uh, to do the show tonight [audience laughter] were there half-man half-wolves devouring people? [audience laughter]

Senator McCaskill: No, no.

Stephen Colbert: Is the world coming to an end?

Senator McCaskill: No, it’s not. In fact, I think, uh, they’ve a little overstated the case. Um, I think that [crosstalk]…

Stephen Colbert: We shall see.

Senator McCaskill: …my friends, my friends have overstated, uh, the problems in this bill. Most Americans, frankly, have not yet figured out everything in the bill that’s good. They’ve heard a lot of bad things, but they haven’t heard, like, for example [crosstalk]…

Stephen Colbert: The cornhusker kickback.

Senator McCaskill: Gone. [crosstalk] Took it out.

Stephen Colbert: Uh, huh. The Louisiana purchase.

Senator McCaskill: Took it out. Not really a Louisiana purchase.

Stephen Colbert: Oh, but it’s really in there.

Senator McCaskill: It applies, it applies [crosstalk] to other states. [crosstalk] That was, that was a [inaudible].

Stephen Colbert: Right? Hundred million dollars. Hundred million dollars for [crosstalk] Mary Landrieu. For not, did you get a hundred million dollars for Missouri?

Senator McCaskill: You know what I got for Missouri, I hope?

Stephen Colbert: What?

Senator McCaskill: Affordable accessible insurance for everybody who wants it.

Stephen Colbert: Mary Landrieu got that [audience cheers] and, and, Mary Landrieu got that and a hundred million dollars. [laughter] Don’t you seem like a cheap date now? [laughter][audience laughter]

Senator McCaskill: Now, now. Be nice, now, now you can’t talk that way about [inaudible].

Stephen Colbert: But what should I be nice to a Democrat when Democrats are inciting violence?

Senator McCaskill: [audience laughter] No, not so much.

Stephen Colbert: Yes, they are. Karl Rove said when you discuss the fact that you’ve been threatened you encourage more threats.  [audience laughter] Isn’t it best if you are threatened by someone to just never tell anyone? [audience laughter]

Senator McCaskill: I don’t think that’s probably a [crosstalk] good idea.

Stephen Colbert: That’s what he said.

Senator McCaskill: But, there, you know, there’s been a lot of name calling and going back and forth and, frankly, um. [crosstalk]

Stephen Colbert: What name calling back and forth? Democrats do all the name calling.

Senator McCaskill: Well, no, not so much.

Stephen Colbert: Yes.

Senator McCaskill: No, not so [crosstalk] much. [crosstalk] No, you’re wrong about that.

Stephen Colbert: They called Republicans [crosstalk] obstructionist. They called republicans obstructionist. That’s hurtful. [audience laughter]

Senator McCaskill: No. No, they wear that like a peacock with feathers, the obstructionist [crosstalk] label.

Stephen Colbert: Now you’re calling them peacocks. [audience laughter]

Senator McCaskill: That, too. [laughter] That, too.

Stephen Colbert: Um, your, your, your state, Missouri, is also the, am I pronouncing that correctly? Missourah?

Senator McCaskill: Or Missouri, you [crosstalk] can get away with either one.

Stephen Colbert: Or Missouri, either one? ‘Cause I, when I say Missouri I often get threatened by Missourians. [audience laughter] You’re also, uh, the original home to Rush Limbaugh.

Senator McCaskill: That’s true.

Stephen Colbert: And he said that if this passed.

Senator McCaskill: Yes.

Stephen Colbert: That he would move to Costa Rica. So I’m putting, uh, uh, a, uh, a little wish you were here video [crosstalk]…

Senator McCaskill: Okay.

Stephen Colbert: …for Rush. [audience laughter] ‘Cause I know he’s left the country ’cause a man, he’s a man of his word. Is there anything [audience laughter] that you would like [audience laughter] , is there anything that you would like to say to Rush, uh, down in his, uh, Central American home?

Senator McCaskill: Uh, ah, well, you know, how you likin’ that single payer government run health care in Costa Rica? [audience laughter] [cheers]

Stephen Colbert: Rush [applause][cheers], stay strong. Senator Claire McCaskill.

Senator McCaskill: Thank you.

Stephen Colbert: Thank you so much. [applause][cheers] Senator Claire McCaskill, one of the Democrats destroying America. [laughter]

(Not in the habit of promoting first-time diarists to the front page, but I do have a soft spot for puppehs. – promoted by Clark)

Editor’s note: It’s been brought to my attention that HSUS is one of the most strident animal rights groups in US, going so far as to oppose all hunting. Without going to the ins and outs of how I feel about human interaction with the animal word (I’m pro-hunting for example), let me just say that I agree with their stance on puppy mills. Other front pagers might disagree, and you might, too. -Clark

The most reactionary agribusiness groups falsely claim The Humane Society of the United States is extreme, even though the reforms we work for in animal agribusiness relate almost exclusively to giving animals a modest amount of increased space during production and providing more humane handling during transport and slaughter. Those are just common sense principles, and we continue to have success in our campaigns through the ballot initiative process or in our dealings with major food retailers because average Americans consider the reforms to be sound and sensible. All the public attitude surveys I’ve seen, including those commissioned by the American Farm Bureau Federation, reveal that Americans demand the humane treatment of all animals, including those raised for food.

It’s actually these agribusiness groups acting like extremists. And there’s no better example than what’s going on in Missouri right now. There, The HSUS, the ASPCA, the Humane Society of Missouri, and the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation are the four organizational sponsors of a ballot measure, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, to set higher welfare standards in dog breeding. It’s an attempt to crack down on the excesses in Missouri, which accounts for more than a third of all puppy production in the country. The ballot measure-which will qualify for the November 2010 election if enough Missouri voters sign the petition-would impose standards that dogs must be fed and watered, protected from extremes of heat and cold, housed in enclosures other than stacked wire cages, provided with space for exercise, and guaranteed at least one annual check-up from a licensed veterinarian. The measure would not apply to any commercial breeder with 10 or fewer reproductively intact animals, and it would not allow a single dog breeding operation to have more than 50 intact animals-which would still allow a single operator to sell upwards of 200 dogs a year.

As Matt Campbell reported yesterday in the Kansas City Star, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Missouri Farm Bureau, and the Missouri Pork Association are in a froth over the ballot measure to combat puppy mills, even though the measure has absolutely nothing to do with animal agriculture or their industries. They oppose it because it could lead, they are arguing, to future reforms in the realm of livestock agribusiness. The fact is, enacting a measure to crack down on puppy mills does nothing, one way or the other, to affect future legislation on any animal welfare topic, including reforms in the livestock industry.

It’s déjà-vu in Missouri for me. About 12 years ago, we worked with local partners in Missouri on a ballot initiative to outlaw the barbaric practice of cockfighting. The livestock groups trotted out the same false arguments then and opposed that measure, too, because they said it would be a slippery slope to banning all animal agriculture and hunting. Well, voters approved that measure in a landslide vote in November 1998, and there have been no hunting or factory farming ballot measures in Missouri advanced by The HSUS or anyone else since that time. Their claims were false, and the evidence is there to prove it.

So here’s the question: With animal agribusiness trade groups effectively working to block legislation to outlaw cockfighting and puppy mills-and in the past, they have also fought the enactment of even the most basic anti-cruelty legislation-should we really have confidence that they are a force for animal welfare within their industry? If they have no problem with staged animal fights, or if they have no problems with the rampant cruelty we’ve documented time and again at puppy mills, do they really merit the public’s faith in either their judgment or their own animal welfare standards and practices? With certain factory farming producers also defending the lifelong confinement of animals in cages and crates barely larger than the animals’ bodies, the strangling of animals on the farm, and the dragging of sick and lame animals unable to walk into slaughterhouses, I’ll let you answer that for yourself. For me, it hardly inspires my trust.

Wayne Pacelle is president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. This post originally appeared on Pacelle’s blog, A Humane Nation.

On March 21, my Congressman, Emanuel Cleaver II, was spit on and derided for his race as he walked toward the capitol, and I am still furious about it. The man is the founder of the Civility Caucus, fercryinoutloud, and they chose him to spit on. Talk about stuff you can’t make up…

On March 27th, he held one of his Saturday morning constituent meetings, known as Coffee with Cleaver, at the Crossroads coffeehouse. It was very well attended by supporters, and while a couple of teabaggers showed up, they didn’t hang around, choosing to get back to whichever suburb they ventured into the inner city from, because if there is one group of people that they will openly admit they hate, it is the dirty fucking hippies, and the Crossroads is absolutely lousy with ’em. Art majors, organic gardeners, loft dwellers, urban hikers…All that peacemongering and patchouli was just more than they could abide, and they split within minutes.

It’s amazing what coming home a winner will do for you. One thing is for damn sure – It isn’t August anymore, as Nancy reminded them right before the recess when she gathered the caucus for a pep talk before they headed back to their districts.

After passing the final piece of health care reform Thursday night, members of the House adjourned and headed home. They aren’t scheduled to return until April 12. It’s a “critical time to go on offense,” the speaker’s office told members in a memo obtained by TPMDC.

“Members were eager to get out of here, go back to their districts and start talking about this thing,” Rep. Chris Van Hollen’s spokesman Doug Thornell told TPMDC in an interview Friday.

Leadership is telling members to reach out to local chapters of the hundreds of national organizations that endorsed the health care legislation to help organize events in town. Instead of just holding a town hall, members are advised to find constituents who would be helped — a child with preexisting conditions who can now get health insurance, or a small business that will benefit from new tax credits — and host events with them showcasing how the bill reforms the health care system.

Members were given several-inch thick binders filled with statistics for how many people in their districts would benefit from each specific provision in the health care bill. Capitol Hill aides admit that one reason things went south so quickly last summer is that members were not prepared. (The Senate is partially to blame for that, since there wasn’t actually a bill to campaign on yet. The House had finished its committee work but hadn’t rallied behind a final plan, either. A delay in the Senate Finance Committee had a lot to do with the uncertainty House members faced back home.)

“Convey the immediate benefits of health reform to your constituents,” leadership recommended. “Tell your constituents how all this was done in a fiscally responsible, open, and transparent way.”

The Senate side isn’t any different, according to Majority Leader Harry Reid’s spokesman Jim Manley. “We are telling them to talk about health care as much as possible,” Manley told TPMDC.

I watched Claire McCaskill last August as she tried to explain to a group of teabaggers that she couldn’t very well read a bill that didn’t exist yet, that was still being hammered out, only to have them crow “she hasn’t read the bill!”

I knew then that we were up against an opposition that was, frankly, insane.

The only thing to do is run on the success of passing it, and repeat long and loud what it actuially does, especially the parts that will kick in come September, several weeks  before the election.

Remember, Bill Krystal told the republicans during the Clinton healthcare debate that if Democrats delivered healthcare reform and universal coverage, they would lose the middle class for at least a generation.

This is the only thing that Billy the K has ever been right about. Ever.

And still, the republicans weren’t smart enough to look around when they had both chambers and the White House, and say “Hey! Why don’t WE do health care and grab the middle class for a generation or more?” (Maybe someone did and was told that they didn’t need to bother because they would always have gay marriage, and that didn’t cost a lot of money.)

Now the Democrats have done it, and the republicans appear to have peaked in January with the election of Scott “Cosmo” Brown. The Democrats seemed to come out swinging on January 20, and they still haven’t let up.

And now they are home in their districts and they got to come home winners, having just passed the largest piece of social legislation that we have seen in two generations.

Yes. Two generations have grown up and a third one has been born since the last time we tackled any reform or an expansion of federal benefits opening access to our healthcare system.

Case in point: I was a toddler when Medicare became law, and I am a grandmother now.

Every day, opposition lessens and support increases as the facts about healthcare reform penetrate the veil of lies and propaganda and facts take the place of wild hyperbole about “death panels” and “socialism.”

Again, Todd Akin makes our state look like it’s inhabited by retards.

Democratic House members walked out of a bipartisan prayer breakfast Thursday morning, after Republicans invited Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas) to speak. Given that Neugebauer had just shouted “baby killer” during the House debate on health care, Dems were disgusted. In a letter to Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), Dem representatives wrote, “Your last minute invitation to Rep. Randy Neugebauer to address our group at this morning’s breakfast was not only irresponsible, but politically tone-deaf.”