The House republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) is going all in with media buys in the really small media market in the 121st Legislative District race. They not only do small town parades – according to the latest report from the Missouri Ethics Commission, they flood local cable and radio with ads to prop up incumbents. From the HRCC “8 Day Before General Election” campaign finance report filed yesterday:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe: HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE INC

ReportDate: 10/25/2010

B. ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100 AND ALL PAYMENTS TO CAMPAIGN WORKERS

Victory Enterprises Davenport, IA 10/13/2010 IE Radio Buy-Hoskins $21,098.74

Victory Enterprises Davenport, IA 10/13/2010 IE Media Buy-Hoskins $19,576.00

[emphasis added]

Yep, that’s over $40,000.00 in outside money.

Democratic Party challenger Courtney Cole filed her “8 Day Before General Election” campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on October 25th:

Detailed Summary of Committee Disclosure Report

Committe: COLE FOR HOUSE

1. TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THIS ELECTION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED $68,408.66

2. ALL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $7,735.00

9. TOTAL ALL RECEIPTS THIS ELECTION(SUM 1B + 7A – 8A) $76,643.66

15. TOTAL EXPENDITURES THIS ELECTION (SUM 10B + 14A) $64,387.99

28. MONEY ON HAND AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 25 + 26 – 27) $5,793.33

[emphasis added]

Think about that. The HRCC has propped up Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) with media buys alone that amount to more than half of the money raised by the Democratic Party challenger.

Let’s look at some of the latest contributions to Courtney Cole’s (D) campaign:

Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received

Committee: COLE FOR HOUSE

Report Date: 10/25/2010

Connie McGinness Maryville, MO Retired 10/01/2010 $25.00

Michael Bersin Warrensburg, MO UCM Professor 10/18/2010 $100.00

Jamie Aiken Warrensburg, MO Retired 10/14/2010 $20.00

Jim Jackson Warrensburg, MO Self-employed 10/09/2010 $200.00

Deleta Williams Warrensburg, MO Retired 10/19/2010 $50.00

[emphasis added]

Heh. Well, that’s a familiar name. There are a number of other individual contributions, contributions from organized labor (working people!), and a few contributions from Democratic Party office holders.

The expenditures:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe: COLE FOR HOUSE

ReportDate: 10/25/2010

A. EXPENDITURES OF $100 OR LESS BY CATEGORY

MO American Water $20.73

B. ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100 AND ALL PAYMENTS TO CAMPAIGN WORKERS

KOKO Warrensburg, MO 10/08/2010 Advertising $3,525.00

Jason Elkins Warrensburg, MO 10/08/2010 Building Lease $1,250.00

RGC  Kansas City, MO 10/10/2010 Printing $3,872.73

KCP&L  Kansas City, MO 10/12/2010 Electric Bill $177.03

RGC Kansas City, MO 10/12/2010 Printing $7,745.46

Charter Media Warrensburg, MO 10/13/2010 Advertising $2,385.10

Montserrat Vineyards Knob Noster, MO 10/19/2010 Supplies $332.06

RGC Kansas City, MO 10/19/2010 Printing $3,800.00

Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) filed his “8 Day Before General Election” campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on October 25th:

Detailed Summary of Committee Disclosure Report

Committe: CITIZENS FOR HOSKINS

1. TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THIS ELECTION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED $14,152.00

2. ALL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $10,090.00

9. TOTAL ALL RECEIPTS THIS ELECTION(SUM 1B + 7A – 8A) $25,192.78

15. TOTAL EXPENDITURES THIS ELECTION (SUM 10B + 14A) $24,079.64

28. MONEY ON HAND AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 25 + 26 – 27) $18,001.43

[emphasis added]

Like those for other republican candidates, this report reset the “previously reported” clock after the August primary.

Some of the contributions:

Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received

Committee: CITIZENS FOR HOSKINS

Report Date: 10/25/2010

MISSOURI SOCIETY OF CPAS ST. LOUIS, MO 10/12/2010 $2,500.00

CITIZENS FOR DIEHL TOWN AND COUNTRY, MO 10/15/2010 $1,000.00

[emphasis added]

There are PACs, other republican office holders, and a few individual contributions also in the mix.

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe: CITIZENS FOR HOSKINS

ReportDate: 10/25/2010

A. EXPENDITURES OF $100 OR LESS BY CATEGORY

SUPPLIES – $72.40

FENCE POSTS – $79.14

B. ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100 AND ALL PAYMENTS TO CAMPAIGN WORKERS

HEATHER MYERS WARRENSBURG, MO 10/04/2010 CAMPAIGN WORK $500.00

WALMART WARRENSBURG, MO 10/8/2010 SUPPLIES $173.10

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY WARRENSBURG, MO 10/14/2010 CONTRIBUTION $100.00

DAILY STAR JOURNAL WARRENSBURG, MO 10/14/2010 ADVERTISING $100.00

KOKO WARRENSBURG, MO 10/14/2010 ADVERTISING $3,549.00

MAJORITY STRATEGIES PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL 10/19/2010 ADVERTISING $12,529.79

SAMS CLUB INDEPENDENCE, MO 10/19/2010 PARADE CANDY $169.08

Fence posts. It’s a set up! “When you’re driving down a country road and you see a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a post turtle. You know he didn’t get up there by himself. He doesn’t belong there; he can’t get anything done while he’s up there; and you just want to help the poor, dumb thing down.”

Why doesn’t anyone ever report an expense for “parade broccoli”? Just asking.

Wanna hear the Pledge of Allegiance the way the GOP says it?  Check it out on Think Progress.* While we’re on the topic of the Corporatocracy behind this version of the Pledge, what Missourian’s gonna owe bigtime? (Here’s a hint; his initials are R. B.) Kind of makes you think of Ronald Reagan’s description of the political life:

It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.

* I am not putting the ad here because there seems to be some kind of controversy about posting it – Think Progress had to take it down for a while earlier.

The republican challenger, Tom Schweich (r-rock star), has a very interesting campaign report filed today with the Missouri Ethics Commission:

Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received

Committee: SCHWEICH FOR AUDITOR

Report Date: 10/25/2010

11. TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED AT FUND-RAISERS AS REPORTED IN LINE 8 ON FORM CD 1A $0.00

12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $25 OR LESS $0.00

13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $0.00

14. TOTAL IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS (NOT COMMITTEES) GIVING $100 OR LESS $0.00

[emphasis added]

The smallest contribution listed was for $200.00. The largest (there were two at this amount) were for $100,000.00.

Here’s the thing. How can a statewide candidate running in Missouri not get any small dollar contributions? As in zero, zip, nothing, nada, nil. Can anyone even envision the statistical improbability of this occurring? What does Tom Schweich’s campaign do, send back any $10.00 contributions with a note saying, “Don’t bother, we’re not interested unless you can multiply that by ten thousand”? Just asking.

Schweich’s (r) report shows $2,091,579.45 in total receipts for the election with $1,613,386.79 in expenditures and $439,155.23 on hand at the end of the reporting period.

And the excess continues:

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C091153 SCHWEICH FOR AUDITOR [pdf] 10/25/2010

Gerald Cook

Ozark, MO

Loren Cook Co.

10/25/2010

$10,000.00

[emphasis added]

Contrast those reports with the one filed today with the Missouri Ethics Commission by State Auditor Susan Montee (D):

Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received

Committee: MONTEE FOR AUDITOR

Report Date: 10/25/2010

Edward E. Adams St. Louis, MO Retired/Retired 10/09/2010 $10.00

Jeffrey G. Alvarado Warrensburg, MO L3 Communication Vertex Aerospace CFT/Skin Mechanic 10/15/2010 $30.00

Glen L. Atkinson Lee’s Summit, MO Retired/Retired 10/05/2010 $25.00

Margaret L. Bardgett Kansas City, MO Retired 10/05/2010 $25.00

Jean Barnard Rogersville, MO Retired/Retired 10/05/2010 $25.00

Audrey Buzzard Shelbina, MO Shelby County Missouri/Elected Official 10/16/2010 $10.00

Leland D. Cook Road Bolivar, MO Retired/Retired 10/06/2010 $15.00

[emphasis added]

…and a lot more just like those.

The contrast is jarring.

Susan Montee’s (D) report shows $1,172,376.92 total receipts for the election with $1,070,153.00 in expenditures and $97,244.40 on hand at the end of the reporting period.

Anyone want to buy a republican State Auditor? It ain’t cheap.

There have been numerous rumblings about possible voter caging exercises on the part of the GOP this election season – Clark, for instance, speculated about the possibility last September in a post here at SMP. Now that early voting is underway in several states, actual reports of possible voter intimidation efforts are beginning to surface. Additionally, TPM is reporting that in order to justify aggressive poll “monitoring,” groups like the Republican National Lawyers Association are attempting to scare the GOP kiddies with spurious claims that an ACORN  zombie has emerged from the grave just to trick-or-treat this election right out of their grubby little hands:

The community-organizing group ACORN has “absolutely” re-emerged since it was disbanded in the spring and there could be an “epidemic” of voter fraud problems this year to change the outcome of the midterm elections

Since Missouri does not have early voting, it is too early to know if we will see efforts to intimidate voters at the poll. We do know, however, that Ed Martin, who is running against Russ Carnahan for the 3rd district House seat, has attempted to ride the ACORN hobby horse in the past. At a How to Take Back America Conference workshop on “Voter Fraud, the Census, and ACORN,” held in St. Louis in September, 2009:

Martin bragged about taking on ACORN as chair of the St. Louis City Board of Elections and argued that voter fraud next year could be financed by federal stimulus money. One solution he offered was to get “tea party” activists to sign up as poll workers.

Federal stimulus money! What kind of idiots were at this workshop anyway? But I can just imagine that some of the belligerent, bellowing folks I have seen at Tea Party rallies would really relish the chance to throw their weight around at a polling site. One can only hope that the Missouri Democratic party has prepared for such eventualities – especially since the GOP scammers are about as bare-faced as they could possibly be about what they really want to accomplish with their monitoring activities. (And, let me be clear, I have no problem with legitimate monitoring activities as opposed to intimidation efforts.)

Of course, there is more going on here than possible intimidation of voters in the 2010 midterms. TPM quotes Slate’s Dave Weigel who posits more far-reaching effects:

Let’s say that no actual election fraud is captured, and no voters are scared away by aggressive Tea Partiers. The benefit of this sort of election-watching is enormous anyway, because it was exactly this — a videoblogger for the little-known Election Journal — that produced 23 months of scandal over two idiots from the New Black Panther Party skulking outside of a Philadelphia polling booth,” Weigel writes. “Expect numerous stories of “union thugs” or otherwise scary activists defrauding the vote on November 2; expect a new Republican Congress to investigate them.

And just like that, self-serving fantasy becomes the real story, unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud become the established narrative, and we have to dig ourselves out of another imaginary pit.  

I received two e-mails that epitomize the difference between Russ Carnahan and Ed Martin.

The first was a press release from Carnahan’s office:

Yet another Social Security privatization group is lining up behind Ed Martin in thanks for his support to eliminate this critical safety net for Missouri seniors.  The 60 Plus Association, a national group known for promoting risky Social Security privatization schemes, has just begun spending significant campaign cash to elect a sure vote for their extreme agenda: Ed Martin.

You can bet your booty that Russ Carnahan won’t abandon Social Security. He’s the other kind of politician, the kind who will actually work to protect us–who will, for example, take time out from fending off Ed Martin’s lunacy to deal with an environmental issue that concerns the drinking water of hundreds of thousands of St. Louisans. He has jumped into the fray about West Lake Landfill.

The backstory on that landfill is that Kay Drey, who has been an activist about nuclear waste issues for decades, has, for two and a half years now, been kicking up a fuss over the decision by Region 7 of the EPA in Kansas City. The last director there ruled that it would be sufficient to cover up–oh, pardon me, I meant to say cover over a landfill site full of extremely hot radiation.

I don’t know strontium this from thorium that from polonium the other. But people who do, tell me that the nuclear waste that Mallinckrodt Chemical Works illegally dumped at the West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton in 1973 is the kind you don’t want to put on a floodplain. Eight miles upstream from the water treatment plant for all of North St. Louis County. With no liner or cap. And a levee that’s no higher than the one that the flood of ’93 breached in Chesterfield.

Rea Beck, working with Drey, tells me that:

Mayors of nearby cities and the St. Louis County Council have urged the original decision be overturned and a better solution be found. The Missouri Division of Natural Resources Director, Mark Templeton, weighed in with Region 7 (which has a new Director) and asked them to reconsider the original decision. So far, except for the reconsideration, no action has been accomplished. I recently talked with Rep. Russ Carnahan and he has graciously sent the following letter to the EPA in Washington DC.

The Honorable Lisa Jackson

Administrator

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Ariel Rios Building

1200 Pennsylvania Ave N.W.

Washington,D.C.2001

Oct.8th,2010

Dear Administrator,

I’m writing to discuss the radiologically contaminated West Lake Landfill Site,Operable Unit 1, located in Bridgeton,Mo.(CERCLIS ID Number: MODO79900932). As you know,this landfill became RADIOLOGICALLY CONTAMINATED IN 1973 WHEN SOILS MIXED WITH URANIUM ORE PROCESSING were USED AS DAILY cover in a Landfilling operation. While this Landfill is not in my District,it does sit on the Eastern edge of the Missouri River flood plain and could potentially affect my District and the drinking water of St.Louis area residents.

While I understand a Record of decision for Operable Unit 1 was signed in May 2008, I would like to ask for answers to the following questions,

1. The selected remedy calls for installation of an engendered landfill cover and implementation of a long term monitoring program. In light of the location being in the Missouri River floodplain, what effect would a levee failure have on this location?

2. The Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has cleaned up a number of radiologically contaminated locations in the area. What reasons does EPA have for not transferring control of this site from the EPA to the Corps in order to remediate the contaminated waste?

3. Does EPA consider consider this location to be permanent or temporary storage for this radioactive waste?

4. Even if there is a cap to stop water from entering the fill, what is there to stop the radioactive particulate from seeping into groundwater, given that there is no protective layering below the fill?

Thank you for your attention to this important matter . Should you have any questions,please do not hesitate to contact me directly or Ken Reidy at (202)-225-2671 or Ken.reidy@mail.house.gov.

Sincerely

Russ Carnahan

Member of Congress

“Member of Congress” indeed. Someone who will ask those pertinent questions, that’s the kind of person we need as a member of Congress. Can you even imagine Ed Martin caring about something like safe drinking water? He’d find a way to turn such concern into a socialist plot.

I’ve been away from my computer for a few days and was mightily amused when I returned today and learned (via the St. Louis Activist Hub) that when news of NPR’s firing of Juan Williams broke last week, Tea Partier Dana Loesch immediately joined the swelling right-wing chorus and tweeted her opinion that this is a First Amendment issue:

Sorry, but when you’re a force-funded station and you routinely smear conservatives and fire people for speech … #DefundNPR

In firing Williams, NPR had simply, if somewhat belatedly, invoked their long-standing policy of requiring their news analysts to maintain a neutral public stance on issues that they might have to cover. Adherence to this policy is a contractual obligation, and since Williams had already been warned about past violations, his firing shouldn’t have come as a surprise. The NPR policy is also non-partisan – NPR employees have been, for example, prohibited from attending Jon Stewart’s Sanity Rally in their personal capacity. The requirement that news personnel maintain a neutral public persona is a subtle but important distinction and, since it involves an effort to eliminate a perception of bias, one that could be expected to go over the heads of those who consider Fox News “fair and balanced.”

Loesch’s invocation of free speech does, however, suggest additional considerations. Remember when the trad media (egged on by many right wingers) piled on Helen Thomas after she called for Israelis to “get the hell out of Palestine”? An offensive remark, perhaps,  but so were William’s ramblings, and, just to be clear, unlike Williams, Thomas was an opinion columnist who was not only permitted but paid to opine. I don’t remember that Loesch, or any other conservative for that matter, sprang to the defense of Thomas’ free speech rights.  I may be mistaken about this – I can’t say that I actually follow Loesch’s utterances – but if I’m wrong about this specific issue, there are plenty of other examples of the right-wing’s skewed concern over speech issues – the firing of Octavia Nasr by CNN also comes to mind and there are plenty of similar cases.

All of which leads one to an uncomfortable conclusion. If right-wing defenders of the First Amendment like la Loesch can’t be bothered to defend the actual free speech rights of people like Thomas, but get get royally bent out of shape when Juan Williams reaps the quite foreseeable consequences of violating his contractual obligations, it suggests that it is actually the specific target of the featured bigot du jour that determines whether or not our right-wing brethren and sistren will bring their impressive capacity for manufactured outrage into play.

I’m guessing that I’m coming in somewhat after the fact here, and that this brouhaha may have already been shouted to death in and out of fringeland while I was out of contact. I still, however, think that it will be important to remember just who in our vicinity has attempted to dress the sanctioned bigotry of the day in the constitution if or when some of the more volatile Tea Partiers get out of hand in regard to those scary Muslims who so frighten poor Juan Williams. Recollect, if you will, that we have already seen acts of anti-Muslim vandalism in St. Louis.

Update. Glenn Greenwald sees the wingers blathering about free speech the same way – but says it better.

Update 2.  Yesterday I warned about legitimizing the fantasies of the crazies – and today NPR has received a bomb threat that “timing suggests” may be liked to firing of Muslim-bashing Williams.

…from different quarters.

Missouri is an interesting place when it comes to politics on the ground. It’s home to Libertarians, tilting at windmills, with no political infrastructure to speak of:

And then there are the right wingnut voters willing to carry water for the top one percent in exchange for a little rhetorical lip service when it comes to few wedge issues:

Where was this sign from January 2001 to January 2009? Just asking. * IOKIYAR

* it’s okay if you’re a republican.

Pro life? Does that mean you’re against war?

Reward hard work? So, what about people who inherit money?

Fair tax? So, you’re against regressive sales taxes?

No debt? Um, what happened to the national debt when George W. Bush was in office? And where were you? Just asking.

Here’s a hint:

Common sense? Nope. It’s either cognitive dissonance or stupidity, take your pick.

The Kansas City Star revealed a few endorsements for Missouri General Assembly races in the Kansas City metro area:

DISTRICT 30

Of the two lawyers running to succeed the term-limited Jason Brown in this Northland district, Democrat Lexi Norris of Kansas City is the choice over Nick Marshall of Parkville. Norris has an impressive record of leadership and community service and she is a strong voice for higher education.

[emphasis in original]

Some of our previous coverage:

Lexi Norris (D) in the 30th Legislative District: television ad (October 22, 2010)

30th Legislative District: republican attack mail (October 20, 2010)

30th Legislative District: October 2010 campaign finance reports (October 16, 2010)

DISTRICT 54

Two strong candidates are competing for this eastern Jackson County seat. Democrat John Bullard Jr. of Buckner, a detective with the Independence Police Department, has strong leadership credentials and is a good choice to replace Gary Dusenberg, a veteran of the Missouri Highway Patrol. His Republican opponent is Blue Springs City Council member Jeanie Lauer.

[emphasis in original]

Some of our previous coverage:

What is it with republicans and their inability to pay the taxes they owe? (October 21, 2010)

DISTRICT 124

Democrat Luke Scavuzzo of Harrisonville, the incumbent, is an advocate for public schools and an able representative for his district. The former owner of a family grocery business has earned a third term over Republican opponent Rick Brattin and Kent Cogan of the Constitution Party

[emphasis in original]

Some of our previous coverage:

124th Legislative District: October 2010 campaign finance reports (October 15, 2010)

Representative Luke Scavuzzo: Jefferson City, May 14, 2009 (May 14, 2010)