The results, tonight, in the special election in New York’s heavily republican 26th Congressional District:

Hochul takes House seat in stunner

Updated: May 24, 2011, 10:30 PM

Kathleen Courtney Hochul, the Erie County clerk and longtime Democratic figure who defied political experts who had given her little chance of success, ground out a stunning and surprisingly comfortable victory Tuesday in the special election for the House seat in the predominantly Republican 26th Congressional District.

Hochul was leading Republican Jane L. Corwin, a Clarence assemblywoman, 48 to 42 percent, with 87 percent of election districts reporting, while the Tea Party’s Jack Davis mustered only 9 percent in his fourth try for the seat. Ian L. Murphy of the Green Party recorded 1 percent. In the 10 p.m. hour, Corwin conceded the race in a speech to supporters.

The results marked a stunning defeat for the GOP in a race that garnered significant national attention as the first competitive race following the Republican takeover of the House last November….

U.S. House – District 26 – Special General

May 24, 2011 – 10:25PM ET

New York – 543 of 627 Precincts Reporting – 87%

Name Vote %

Hochul , Kathy [D] 48%

Corwin , Jane [r] 42%

Davis , Jack [teabagger] 9%

Murphy , Ian 1%

[emphasis added]

Yep, the establishment republican candidate drank House Budget Chair Paul Ryan’s (r) End Medicare As We Know It Potion and that still wasn’t enough for the teabagger set. The Democratic candidate was relentless in pounding the republicans for their support of Ryan’s plan.

Do you think anyone in Missouri is paying attention?:

Will McCaskill choose the clear path to victory? (May 24, 2011)

Election day in the NY 26 (May 24, 2011)

Public Policy Polling: Missouri on Medicare and Social Security and Medicaid (May 23, 2011)

Just asking.

Sometimes things get complicated.

State Representative Ellen Brandom (r), one of the Missouri General Assembly’s greats when it comes to tobacco legislation, from Sikeston (the northern part of the city, in Scott County) isn’t term limited out in 2012 but her campaign finance reports indicate that she’s a candidate for the 27th Senate District seat:

COMMITTEE: MECID:C051162

FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM

OFFICE SOUGHT: STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 27

Date of Election:8/7/2012

Political Party:REPUBLICAN

The 27th Senate District seat is currently held by Senator Jason Crowell (r) who is term limited out in 2012:

COMMITTEE: MECID:C031110

MISSOURIANS FOR CROWELL

OFFICE SOUGHT: STATEWIDE OFFICE

Date of Election:8/5/2014

Political Party:REPUBLICAN

Statewide office? There is a dark side when it comes to term limits:

Lebisch: Is there a proper blessing… for the Tsar?

Rabbi: A blessing for the Tsar? Of course! May God bless and keep the Tsar… far away from us!

Why do we care? Okay, bad question. Why did we notice? Better question. It’s those 48 hour reports at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C051162 03/28/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM SEMO Leadership Committee 526 Tanglewood Sikeston MO 63801 3/28/2011 $14,172.00

C051162 03/30/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM Howard Wood 203 NE Main St Bonne Terre MO 63628 Cequel III 3/29/2011 $2,500.00

C051162 03/31/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM Missouri Health Care Association PAC 236 Metro Dr Jefferson City MO 65109 3/31/2011 $1,000.00

C051162 03/31/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM Randol York PO Box 827 Sikeston MO 63801 Retired 3/31/2011 $2,500.00

C051162 04/01/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM Mo Society of Anesthesiologists PO Box 1402 Jefferson City MO 65102 3/31/2011 $2,000.00

C051162 04/06/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM MO Ambulatory Surgery Ctr Assn PAC PO Box 6966 Lees Summit MO 64064 4/6/2011 $1,000.00

C051162 05/01/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM RightCHOICE Managed Care,Inc. PO Box 68086 Cincinnati OH 45206 4/30/2011 $1,000.00

C051162 05/19/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM James Buck 910 N Kingshighway Sikeston MO 63801 SEMO State University 5/19/2011 $1,000.00

C051162 05/19/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM Scott Matthews Jr PO Box 506 Sikeston MO 63801 Dentist 5/19/2011 $1,000.00

C051162 05/23/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM Flaire Ferrell 111 Wickerwood Sikeston MO 63801 Retired 5/22/2011 $1,000.00

C051162 05/24/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM David Strom 80 N Ridge Rd Sikeston MO 63801 Self-employed Real Estate 5/24/2011 $1,000.00

C051162 05/24/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM Raymond Glaus Jr 112 Greenbrier Dr Sikeston MO 63801 Sonny’s Solid Waste Owner 5/24/2011 $1,000.00

C051162 05/24/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM Janice Matthews 1 Cotton Trace St Sikeston MO 63801 Self-employed Investments 5/24/2011 $1,000.00

C051162 05/24/2011 FRIENDS OF ELLEN BRANDOM Fred Schuerenberg 1009 Westview Dr Sikeston MO 63801 Land Owner 5/24/2011 $1,000.00

[emphasis added]

That’s a lot of fundraising.

The complication? Redistricting.

The “Initial Senate District Map” in the current redistricting process places Sikeston (the northern part of the city, in Scott County) in the 18th Senate District.

Tevye: As the good book says, when a poor man eats a chicken, one of them is sick.

Mendel: Where does the book say that?

Tevye: Well, it doesn’t say that exactly, but somewhere there is something about a chicken.

Ham or chicken, it’s still complicated.

Adam at the St. Louis Activist Hub points out that the stars are perfectly aligned for Democrats who can see their way clear to stand up for Social Security and Medicare. He thinks the implications for Claire McCaskill are also clear:

… if 77% of Missourians oppose cuts to Medicare, and Todd Akin helped craft a budget that tries to get rid of Medicare, it seems pretty clear to me which message Senator McCaskill should be pushing.

You’d think so too, right?

Well, keep that conviction in the back of your mind and read TPM’s report about how Steny Hooyer is signaling that the Democratic leadership is willing to oh-so-politely hand over their advantage on the Medicare issue:

At his weekly Capitol briefing with reporters Tuesday, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) confirmed what aides in both parties have been telling reporters: Cuts to Medicare will be on the table in deficit and debt limit negotiations, led by Vice President Joe Biden

TPM’s Brian Beutler continues:

… there are any number of ways to cut Medicare spending without “fixing” the Medicare debt problem — from means testing, to raising the retirement age, to reducing reimbursement rates, and so on. Not all of them constitute benefit cuts, but many of them do.

Remember McCaskill’s deficit demagoguery? The McCaskill-Corker spending cuts that she’s championed would necessitate massive cuts to both programs. She’s going to have a hard time attacking Todd Akin on his votes to cut Medicare while she’s waving that particular fiscally responsible flag. Also, I remember that earlier this spring, at a meeting of what is now the Missouri Progressive Action Group (MOPAG), McCaskill, while affirming that she was against cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits, indicated that she was quite willing to cut Social Security benefits indirectly by raising the retirement age.    

None of this bodes well for McCaskill or the Democratic party.  One can only hope that McCaskill, at least, will step back and reassess the political landscape in a realistic fashion. As Greg Sargent argues, the GOP is already on the offensive, trying to run the same campaign they did in 2010 when they falsely accused Democrats of voting to cut Medicare:

Republicans are already pursuing this strategy. In the special House election in New York’s 26th district, where the GOP candidate is in trouble over her support for Paul Ryan’s plan to end Medicare as we know it, Republicans are fighting back by accusing the Democrat of wanting Medicare cuts because she said Medicare should be on the table.

Surely McCaskill isn’t befuddled enough to bring the ammunition to the GOP firing squad and docilely back up to the wall, is she?

Any redistricting is a complex process. Drawing 163 districts is an even more complex process. That is the challenge for the House Redistricting Commission. The Commission of 18 members meet today at Pierson Auditorium at UMKC today to take testimony about the drawing of districts.

Before they got to testimony, Chairman Joe Maxwell noted that the Skaggs-Davis Map (which gets referred to throughout testimony) was a map of Trent Skaggs and Marlene Davis and not of the commission. Maxwell also noted that both 7th district members were unable to attend. Commissioner Nick Myers lost his business in the Joplin Tornado and Commissioner Todd Patterson lost his home in the Joplin Tornado.

As for the testimony, here is a quick summary of the points made by the State Representatives and other residents of the Kansas City area to the commission.

Representative Mike Talboy (House Democratic Floor Leader, Kansas City) spoke about the Skaggs-Davis Map as a good start. He suggested preserving the history of the KCMO districts along with suggesting the 18th and Vine area be in a majority African-American district and that the Westside/Westport/Downtown area remain in one district. He was asked about a Hispanic majority/plurality district in KCMO and noted that it was important and that the predominantly Hispanic areas were in Northeast KC and around Southwest Trafficway in western KC.

Senator Kiki Curls (D-Kansas City) also spoke of the Skaggs-Davis map as a good starting point and was questioned about if the current map was just as good for the Eastern Kansas City area.

Rob Willard, an attorney/Republican committeeman from Platte County spoke of his concerns with the Skaggs-Davis Map, such as the number of all-Platte County districts in that map or any map. He also voiced concern over the South KC/Grandview area on the map and voiced support for sticking to the Constitution and Communities of Interest in the map.

Represenative Myron Neth (R-Liberty) noted that the Skaggs-Davis Map splits Liberty and spoke about how his district was 50/50 and the important of communities of interest.

Representative John Rizzo (D-Kansas City) spoke about keeping Northeast KC together, keeping the City Market in his district, and not wanting to dilute the district too much in the expansion. He noted that his district is an Immigrant district, but if it had to expand, it could go west or south. Commissioner JoAnn Karll asked Rizzo if his father was Henry Rizzo (who Karll served in the House with in the 1990s) and indeed he was. I’m unsure if the “I thought she was going to ask how old I was” / Birth Certificate Joke will make the official record though.

Representative Kevin McManus (D-Kansas City) spoke about getting letters from constituents about the redistricting. He noted parts of thhe letter that spoke about wanting Grandview to be in one district, and noted that putting Redbridge KCMO with Greenwood, MO was not too workable of an idea. He cited the Grandview School District as a starting point for a district in the area.

Represenative Jason Holsman (D-Kansas City) expanded on the McManus testimony, submitted a map for that area of Kansas City, and talked about having the Center School District and most of the Hickman Mills School District in a district post-redistricting.

Shirley Smith, Joan Englesfield, and Kevin Quarlo (Carlow?) went back to back to back about Gladstone and having Gladstone be in one district.

Nola Wood, a Republican candidate in 2010 (and 2011 v. Kiki Curls) talked about moving the 45th to take in the surplus from the 46th.

Representative Gary Cross (R-Lee’s Summit) spoke about working with representatives in other districts on the matter of redistricting to try and achieve some sort of reasonable idea about what to do in that part of the county.

Represenative Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City) mentioned that Raytown was split between multiple districts and how they could be in their own district. Also spoke about trying to get 4200 people for her district and how getting the Center School District on the Skaggs-Davis Map wasn’t exactly ideal.

Kyle Yarber, a Gladstone-area State House candidate, added to the chorus of people not wanting to split up Gladstone. Ann Fowler of South KCMO spoke of keeping the districts intact.

Representative Brent Lasater (R-Independence) spoke of his happiness with the 2001 map and suggested moving surplus from his district to the 51st district.

RJ McGather (McGarther?) of 42nd/Prospect spoke about his concern that KCMO would lose a representative in the redistricting.

Former State Representative and State Senator Bob Johnson (R-Lee’s Summit) had the longest testimony of the morning. Johnson represents a group called “Let Missourians Decide” (no word on if they bought that name from a previous group). Johnson spoke of his concern with the lack of competitive districts, noted that 95 of 163 districts had one candidate win over 2/3rds of the vote. He presented a KC area map that his group put together that was meant to both be competitive and represent communities of interest. He voiced displeasure with the Skaggs-Davis Map in Jackson County and that it wasn’t a good starting point for Eastern Jackson County. He mentioned competitive districts are around 55-45. Then the entire thing kind of dragged a bit when the members of the committee found that the Clay and Platte districts are exclusively based on competitiveness and Johnson noted that another team member worked on those districts. Also a discussion over what the 2008 data entailed for his map and their own data ensued.

Sally Miller, a former Republican candidate in the 44th district, followed that up by suggesting that the 44th lose the Southeastern areas and move north.

Chris Medina and former State Rep. Paul Rojas closed by mentioning they liked the Skaggs-Davis Map in Northeastern KC but they disliked the West Side Kansas City mapping there.

All in all, a productive meeting. Lots of use of the phrases “good starting point” and “communities of interest”. The Republican map is still lurking somewhere in the Missouri River. The Democrats are praising the Skaggs-Davis Map but noting areas that will need to be changed. The commission plans to try and get a lot of stuff online in a digital form by June or July. They also note that maps have to be approved by August 18th.

I left and missed out on the Senate hearing, but when I see a transcript, i’ll go over it and note anything of interest there.

So it’s the Redistricting Summer in Missouri. Feel the excitement.

Progressive Change Campaign Committee/Democracy for America/Credo Action/MoveOn commissioned a series of polls in Missouri, Ohio, Minnesota, and Montana. The Missouri poll interviews were from May 13-16 and included 1,050 Missouri voters. The margin of error is 3%:

PCCC/DFA/Credo/MoveOn poll — Budget issues in swing states

QUESTION: In order to reduce the national debt, would you support or oppose cutting spending on Social Security, which is the retirement program for the elderly?

Missouri 17% support 76% oppose

QUESTION: In order to reduce the national debt, would you support or oppose cutting spending on Medicare, which is the government health insurance program for the elderly?

Missouri 19% support 77% oppose

QUESTION: In order to reduce the national debt, would you support or oppose cutting spending on Medicaid, which is the government health insurance program for the poor, disabled, and children?

Missouri 32% support 63% oppose

It’d be nice to get a look at the demographics.

What’s interesting is that the right has done such a great job of vilifying Medicaid that significantly more respondents are into cutting off the “poor, disabled, and children” from access to health care. So much for altruism.

Senator Claire McCaskill (D) at about the same PPP had their poll in the field:

Truman Days 2011: Senator Claire McCaskill (D) (May 15, 2011)

Senator Claire McCaskill (D): ….So how are we gonna get through the next decade and maintain our priorities and values? This will be a challenge. And I want to make sure no one leaves this room without me saying very clearly how serious the problem is. It is impossible to find a country in the world that has had economic growth when their debt equaled their GDP. When the debt in a country had equaled their gross domestic production countries don’t grow. Now, we are gonna be there in less than ten years. We will be there. So, if we don’t want to get there we all have to be honest and realistic about what has to happen. Does it have to be the way [Republican Congressman] Paul Ryan wants it to be? No, of course not. it does not have to be the way Paul Ryan. Do we have to end Medicare? No, we do not and we will not end Medicare, [applause, cheers] not on my watch. But we have a fight to in the future. And we have to have targeted investments in infrastructure, in innovation, and of course, in education. But we also have to realize that the footprint of the federal government is gonna have to shrink. And we do have to have a tax code that is less tilted towards the very, very, very, very wealthy in this country. [applause]….

If the poll is any indication the response to republicans shouldn’t just be no, it should be hell no. And that response shouldn’t just be for the benefit of the Democratic base, but to everyone.

If Democrats don’t incessantly club the republicans over the head with Medicare in 2012 they deserve to lose everything.  

From the White House:

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

May 23, 2011

Statement by the President on the Tornado in Missouri and the Severe Storms Across the Midwest

Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the tornadoes and severe weather that struck Joplin, Missouri as well as communities across the Midwest today.  We commend the heroic efforts by those who have responded and who are working to help their friends and neighbors at this very difficult time. At my direction, FEMA is working with the affected areas’ state and local officials to support response and recovery efforts, and the federal government stands ready to help our fellow Americans as needed.

President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, during his visit to Dublin, Ireland, May 23, 2011. The President and Gov. Nixon discussed the deadly tornado that touched down in Joplin, Mo., Sunday night. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) release:

FEMA AND FEDERAL PARTNERS SUPPORT MISSOURI, MIDWEST STATES IN RESPONSE TO TORNADOES AND SEVERE STORMS

FEMA Administrator, Deputy Administrator Heading to Joplin, Missouri; Tornado Survivors in Joplin Can Now Apply for Federal Disaster Assistance

WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its federal partners are working closely with state and local officials in Missouri and the other states impacted by the deadly tornadoes and severe storms that struck the Midwest on Saturday and Sunday.  At the direction of President Obama, FEMA this morning added the two Missouri counties impacted by tornadoes, Jasper and Newton, to an ongoing disaster declaration the state received for recent storms, which means that tornado survivors in those counties can now apply for disaster assistance with FEMA.

FEMA has already deployed staff on the ground in Missouri to help state officials with coordination and other needs as they continue their response. Earlier this morning, President Obama and Secretary Napolitano both called Missouri Governor Jay Nixon to express that all of the families of Joplin affected by the severe tornadoes are in their thoughts and prayers and reiterate this administration’s commitment to assisting the state and Missouri residents.

At the President’s request, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate will travel to Missouri to ensure that the state has all the support it needs, and today FEMA Deputy Administrator Rich Serino will also travel to Joplin to tour the damages and meet with state and local officials. More details on Fugate’s trip will be released later today.

“What happened over the weekend in Missouri, Minnesota and Kansas, is simply heartbreaking, and all of us are thinking of and praying for the families and communities devastated by these deadly storms,” said Administrator Fugate.  “As President Obama and Secretary Napolitano told Governor Nixon over the past day, the entire federal family is ready to support the impacted states in any way needed. We thank the first responders, volunteers and good Samaritans who have been working heroically, around the clock, to save lives and conduct search and rescue efforts. We urge all survivors of these storms in Jasper and Newton counties to contact FEMA about applying for federal disaster aid by visiting http://www.disasterassistance.gov or m.fema.gov.”

This morning, FEMA added Jasper and Newton counties to a pre-existing disaster declaration Missouri had received for recent storms, which was the quickest way to approve disaster aid for individuals and communities. Specifically, the counties were approved for individual assistance to help survivors repair or replace damaged properties and other personal losses, and public assistance to help with debris removal and other emergency response needs.  Individuals in these counties can apply for aid three ways: by calling FEMA at (800) 621-3362 / TTY (800) 462-7585; online at http://www.disasterassistance.gov; or directly on their mobile phones at m.fema.gov.

Since the tornadoes struck, FEMA, through its regional offices in offices in Kansas City, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois, has been in constant contact and coordination with officials in Missouri, Minnesota and Kansas.  At the request of the state, FEMA has already deployed staff to Missouri’s emergency operations center to help with coordination needs, and deployed special teams to support the state as response efforts continue.

Specifically, last night FEMA deployed a Mobile Emergency Response Team to Missouri to provide self-sustaining telecommunications, logistics and operations support. In anticipation of requests from the state, FEMA has also sent an Incident Management Assistance Team to Joplin to coordinate with state and local officials; this team is currently en route.

Also last night, FEMA activated the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate hospital medical needs and patient evacuations with the state of Missouri, if needed.  HHS has the lead federal role in supporting the state for public health and medical services needs during disasters.

Last week, as part of the federal government’s National Level Exercise 2011, which simulated a catastrophic earthquake hitting Missouri and other states in the central U.S., Administrator Fugate spent time in Missouri with state and local officials, including Governor Nixon. Missouri was one of several states that participated in the exercise, along with federal agencies, the private sector and other organizations….

Taxation is the price we pay for civilization.

Sometimes something happens that smacks me up-side the head with reality’s baseball bat.

Last night it was a couple of sentences on the local news, when the anchor mentioned that police in Joplin were “operating in little islands” because they couldn’t communicate, their comms system was down.

My husband saw the flash in my eyes and braced himself for the fifteen minute rant.

The comms link is always the first one to break. Always.

Every. Fucking. Time.

I know that of which I speak.

It has claimed the lives of my colleagues and it damned near got me once…Two helicopters, one helipad and incompatible radios. We missed one another by less than ten feet and only avoided catastrophe because both pilots made the right split-second call.

I have been bitching about the comms link from just about my first day on the job, but fifteen minutes after the patient we were transporting was stabilized, I was in the office screaming at my boss about the need for compatible radios. My bitching got louder and constant after that.

That was in the mid-nineties. A couple of years later, I moved  to Kansas City, where my husband was born and raised, to assure my children a contiguous high school experience.

I got here just in time to be right in the middle of an emergency-radio fiasco that literally cost some emergency personnel their lives when it didn’t work properly; there were random “dead spots” scattered all over the city. It really got the community fired up and involved when a policeman was shot and calling for help into a dead radio that had worked just five feet from where he fell.

Then the company that installed the system, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars stopped making replacement parts, and the city was forced to scramble for equipment, sometimes even buying parts off eBay.

And I haven’t even mentioned the members of the NYFD who were killed on September 11 because they didn’t hear the warnings from the police department that the second tower was going to come down because their radios were incompatible.

During Hurricane Katrina, emergency personnel were forced to resort to running hand-written notes to communicate with one another.

The dirty little secret is, an emergency responder lose his or her life somewhere in this country because of faulty communications equipment several times every year.

And god-damnit, once is too damned often for the people who step up to serve and protect in exchange for a hard-earned, barely-middle-class lifestyle.

And fixing it would be pretty damned easy, but it would cost money and it would interfere with the crony-capitalism model of running government for the benefit of a few politically connected folks at the expense of the taxpayers.

This is wholly unacceptable.

The overall challenge is extremely complex and getting moreso every day that it is delayed. It touches on questions of financing, in an era of “HULK SAY TAXES ALWAYS BAAADDD!” And then there are the broadcast spectrum fights as technological innovations chip away at the available bandwidths. And I would certainly be remiss if I didn’t mention the pissing contests that go on between local politicians and public safety agencies.

Enough already. While people who will never be endangered by any of this crap piss and moan and point fingers, my colleagues die, and I am god-damned sick of it, so one more time, with feeling, I am going to tell the powers that be how to solve this problem.

It starts with Homeland Security asking the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers to establish interoperability parameters. They are non-political and have proven themselves capable of establishing industry standards. Then, when the IEEE has done their job and standards are established, implement them. Allocate the money, and use the Hammer of God — i.e. the supremacy of the federal government — to squelch the chin music of the local authorities who always have a constituent or crony who benefits from the status quo.

That’s the way the world works. Let’s drop the pretence and accept that the status quo is getting good people killed and show claws and fangs to anyone who resists the necessary change. Their resistance kills the people who are there to save your ass should the unthinkable happen.  

There’s a new kid on the block, the St. Louis Democratic block, that is. Last fall, Rea Kleeman, a local activist started a group that she hoped would help local Democrats strengthen ties with the state Democratic party and help that entity put out a more effective message. That goal may yet materialize, but in the meantime we are not sitting on our duffs. We’re on the move. We have decided to target vulnerable Republican incumbents in the metro area–and perhaps even a traitorous Democrat or two.

The group has a brand spanking new name that gives us a lot to live up to: Missouri Progressive Action Group (MOPAG). We began taking action by contacting local unions. At a meeting this week of representatives from the thirteen Metro area Teamsters Unions, MOPAG member, Bob Burns, laid out the case for working together. He told them what they already know, of course, that education is key, that we have to let voters know what Republicans are doing to pummel the working guy while giving every multimillionaire the cash he needs to buy a vacation home at Martha’s Vineyard and an extra Lamborghini. Burns said that Democrats have got to start figuring out how to come up with a plan of action, and he promised them that our members would be there to help them in any way we could.

We’re only 85 members strong right now, but we expect that number to grow. And some of our members will be out there when the unions distribute flyers about labor issues at Busch Stadium June 3rd. They’ll also stand by union people at similar events later in the summer. The flyer that union people will hand out will lay out in clear terms some of the double dealing dirty work Republicans have been up to. It explains, for starters, that Republicans tried to revoke what we voters passed on minimum wage (DID YOU ACTUALLY THINK THAT YOUR VOTE COUNTED?) and describes Jane Cunningham’s ham handed attempt to revoke child labor laws (CHINA, TAIWAN, INDIA, BANGLADESH, “MISSOURI“?)

By the same token, if and when we pick vulnerable Republicans to target and start doing lit drops in their districts, those union members may want to come out and help us do that. Suppose we were to target, for example, a state senator who filibustered against extending unemployment from 79 to 99 weeks and accused people in that fix of not being willing “to get off their backsides and get a job”. Union workers might take offense at such a senator’s aspersions on working people and think that going after him was a dandy idea. Since neither Lembke nor Nieves has lifted a pinkie to create jobs for the three hundred thou unemployed in this state, could someone tell us and the Teamsters why those senators deserve to keep their own jobs?

Bob Burns is a union guy through and through, and he was warmly received. I’m glad I tagged along to the meeting, because I learned a lot. For one thing, a lawyer for the union educated us about the upcoming legal battle in this state over forcing municipalities to allow  workers to form a union.

Any St. Louis area progressive wanting in on the action can do two things. The first would be to call Rea Kleeman (314-727-7374) and ask to be put on the mailing list. The second is to attend the next monthly meeting of the group on Saturday, June 4th, at 1:30 p.m. at the Mid-County (Clayton) branch of the St. Louis County Library at 7821 Maryland Ave. We’ll be discussing how to boot out of office some of these haters of public schools, puppies, and poor people.

Oh, and there’s one more thing you could do: offer to help pass out those union flyers on June 3rd. Call Teamsters Local 682 at 314-647-4768.

According to PoliticMo, Todd Akin kicked off his campaigning today by drawing comparisons between “two Americas”:

“One of the things that propelled me to take a look at running for the United States Senate was predominantly that question of what America we’re going to have, and I believe 2012 was a hinge,” he said. “One is what you see now. We have steered a course that is going to take us to something like Greece.”

The other, Akin said, “is limited government so people can get jobs, and more American energy … less federal government, [so] there would be more freedom.”

Never mind that the U.S. situation isn’t remotely like that of Greece  – or the even more obscure question of what kind of “hinge” 2012 represents – I think that Akin should be wary of the two Americas imagery which was most notably used by John Edwards. By bringing it up, he also suggests the most appealing aspect of Edwards populist appeal.

No matter what you might think of Edwards, he played the two Americas trope like a master when he introduced it during his stint as John Kerry’s vice-presidential running mate and later during his aborted 2008 campaign. Compare Edwards imagery to Akin’s verbally awkward and logically incoherent formulations above:

I have spent my life fighting for the kind of people I grew up with. For two decades, I stood with kids and families against big HMOs and big insurance companies. When I got to the Senate, I fought those same fights against the Washington lobbyists and for causes like the Patients’ Bill of Rights. I stand here tonight ready to work with you and John [Kerry] to make America stronger. And we have much work to do, because the truth is, we still live in a country where there are two different Americas… [applause] one, for all of those people who have lived the American dream and don’t have to worry, and another for most Americans, everybody else who struggle to make ends meet every single day. It doesn’t have to be that way…

I know which conception of the “two Americas” stirs me the most, and I bet that I know which resonates most with lots of middle and working class voters. Edwards may have been a fool in his personal life, but he expressed a generous and courageous view of public life when he spoke of the two Americas.  If Akin, however, continues to play on the theme in the ham-fisted way above, it’ll do little but emphasize the mean-mindedness of the ideology he serves and the dishonest way that he does so. Akin just doesn’t have the intellectual or verbal skills to appropriate Edwards masterful imagery, but is only capable of besmirching its shine.

Last sentence edited for clarity.