State Representative Jill Schupp (D-Creve Coeur) arranged for the Department of Corrections Director  George Lombardi to speak to a group of about 100 people last week at the Creve Coeur Community Center about what the department is doing by way of restorative justice programs.

I went with a question about the influence of private prison contracts, but I was fascinated with what Mr. Lombardi had to say on many other topics.

The whole idea behind the growing interest in restorative justice projects is to give offenders an opportunity to understand how their actions affect the whole community and to offer them a chance to give something back.  “The giving is in the getting,” as Mr. Lombardi says.  Not all offenders are reachable in terms of learning to feel compassion for others, but those who do go through the curriculum designed for this purpose say it is very powerful.

One of the most emotional classes during the program is a visit from parents of murdered children.  They share what their loss has meant to them and how they have to deal with that loss every day.  Mr. Lombardi said it is not uncommon to see the toughest of tough guys cry during one of these sessions.

Those who are able to complete the curriculum have several choices for giving back to the community.  Some inmates make the materials that are given to public school teachers through the Kids Smart program.  Several prisons have gardens and give huge quantities of produce to local food pantries.

At the Vandalia  prison for women, inmates train dogs to help disabled people as part of the CHANCE program.  The women have trained 50 dogs, mostly golden and Labrador retrievers, that are now out there living with people with disabilities.

A new program is one where dogs who are homeless but adoptable with some training are given basic socializing and time to adjust to people before being put up for adoption by local shelters.  Mr. Lombardi told the story of Sparky, a deaf dachshund at  the maximum security prison near Licking, Mo.  A deaf inmate suggested the dog be trained by stomping on the floor to get his attention, and it worked.  The dog was able to learn to respond to five different hand signals and was eventually given to the Fulton School for the Deaf as a gift.  Lombardi said that story made People Magazine and newspapers as far away as London.

A blind and deaf Australian shepherd was brought to the Southeast Correctional Center at age six and has 17 transition after their release.   This is not something we hear about on TV or read about in the newspapers.  And that’s too bad.  

Lombardi said that the DOC graduates the largest number of GED students in the state and has 17 different vocational certificates that offenders can earn so they are employable when they are released.    

When asked about the best way to keep young people from getting into the criminal culture, Lombardi was emphatic the quality early childhood education is the key.  The state could save a ton of money by providing the education small children need rather than waiting until young people end up in the prison system to start educating them.  This confirms what many social justice advocates have been saying for decades, but the message falls on deaf ears.  I wonder why we are able to train  deaf and blind dogs but not deaf and blind people !!

I knew Mr. Lombardi was the real deal when he said he sets aside time to go to a daycare center for low income families in Jefferson City to read to the 3-4 year olds.  We could all benefit from his example.

I did get to ask my question about the use of inmates for slave labor by private corporations. The federal prison system is notorious for doing that.  Lombardi said he is totally opposed to private prisons and a Missouri law was passed back in the 1970’s that prohibits using prisoners for private company profit.  (I’m surprised the Repugs currently in charge of the legislature haven’t repealed that law so their corporate sponsors can rake in even more profit.)

As much as I was impressed with Mr. Lombardi,  it was also encouraging to hear from the folks in the audience that day.  There are many, many wonderful groups working to help keep people out of the prison system, advocating for inmates with special needs and helping during the transition after their release.   This is not something we hear about on TV or read about in the newspapers.  And that’s too bad.  

Check out the Department of Corrections website for photos of the dogs and other interesting information.  www.doc.mo.gov  

From the White House:

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 20, 2011

Statement from President Obama on the Senate Vote on Teacher and First Responder Jobs

For the second time in two weeks, every single Republican in the United States Senate has chosen to obstruct a bill that would create jobs and get our economy going again.  That’s unacceptable. We must do what’s right for the country and pass the common-sense proposals in the American Jobs Act.  Every Senate Republican voted to block a bill that would help middle class families and keep hundreds of thousands of firefighters on the job, police officers on the streets, and teachers in the classroom when our kids need them most.

Those Americans deserve an explanation as to why they don’t deserve those jobs – and every American deserves an explanation as to why Republicans refuse to step up to the plate and do what’s necessary to create jobs and grow the economy right now.

We must rebuild the economy the American way and restore security for the middle class, based on the values of balance and fairness. Independent economists have said the American Jobs Act could create up to two million jobs next year.  So the choice is clear.  Our fight isn’t over.  We will keep working with Congress to bring up the American Jobs Act piece by piece, and give Republicans another chance to put country before party and help us put the American people back to work.

###

The vote, just to discuss the bill:

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 112th Congress – 1st Session

Vote Summary

Question: On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to S. 1723 )

Vote Number: 177 Vote Date: October 20, 2011, 09:55 PM

Required For Majority: 3/5 Vote Result: Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected

Measure Number: S. 1723

Measure Title: A bill to provide for teacher and first responder stabilization.

Vote Counts: YEAs 50

NAYs 50

Blunt (R-MO), Nay

McCaskill (D-MO), Yea

[emphasis added]

Is anyone surprised that Roy Blunt (r-lobbyists) turned out to be an obstructionist in the Senate and a protectionist for the privilege of the top one percent? Think about that the next time you’re waiting for police or fire personnel during an emergency.

State Treasurer Clint Zweifel (D) was in Warrensburg this afternoon and evening for a few events and interviews. We sat down with him for a conversation at a downtown coffee shop early in the afternoon.

State Treasurer Clint Zweifel (D) in Warrensburg.

The transcript:

Show Me Progress: As you get ready for the two thousand twelve campaign are people aware of what the state treasurer does and the impact that the state treasurer has for Missourians, especially in this kind of economy?

State Treasurer Clint Zweifel (D): I’m confident they are, Michael. And I, and I’m confident that is, that’s part of my goal from day one is to make sure that we bring this office closer to taxpayers, closer to citizens so there’s a real relationship there and understanding of what we’re doing each day. Uh, how we’re helping, uh, create a stronger economy, uh, how we’re creating a stronger entrepreneurial environment for small business and agriculture in the state, uh, what we’re doing to help families save for college and, and critically, what we’re doing to protect our state’s fiscal standing and its triple A credit rating…

…Show Me Progress: And, and part of that, I sometimes think that people don’t really understand that the, the state treasurer has to deal with a large amount of state money and you can basically use that state money in, in a fashion that, that helps the economy of the state. Can you go into some kind of detail about some of the things you’ve been able to do?

Treasurer Zweifel: Sure, I, I think the most important thing that we’ve done from the start is, is to protect the, uh, our fiscal state and keep our fiscal house in order. Because without that we can do none of the other positive things that we’ve been able to work on. So, that triple A credit rating is an important piece, Michael. But I think beyond that, uh, a small business loan program and agricultural loan program, when I came into office, was broken. Uh, it, it wasn’t lending to as many small businesses as it should be. Uh, banks, small community banks, um, and small businesses, and farms weren’t really using the program because it was burdensome, uh, it had a lot of red tape and bureaucracy. Loan approval times took too long. The program penalized businesses and farms that were succeeding as they were growing. So we sat down with Democrats and Republicans, uh, uh, toured the state, uh, talked to small business owners, uh, talked to community lenders, and talked to farmers and said, hey, here’s , here’s what we think we can do, but we gotta get the legislature willing to make some changes to it. Uh, we did that, uh, we had unanimous support on both sides of the aisle for those changes, and now we’ve tripled the number of banks that use the program from about a hundred to three hundred and fifty. Uh, we’ve done eight hundred million dollars in small business and farm loans since I took office. That’s touched about fifteen thousand jobs and farms. So it’s, it’s been a centerpiece of our strategy every day – how can we wake up and try to create a stronger economic environment for familes.

Show Me Progress: And that’s, that’s the benefit of it is that that helps employment in the state and, and helps the economy in general in this state.

Treasurer Zweifel: I think it helps [crosstalk].

Show Me Progress:  To be able to do that.

Treasurer Zweifel: Exactly. I think it helps businesses and employment and jobs here and now. And I think, more importantly, for, for Missouri’s long term perspective it’s another tool in our toolbox to create a more entrepreneurial environment. Uh, what we know is that job growth, especially in a recovery and especially in today’s economy, is gonna come from small businesses. And these businesses, Michael, sometimes are a hundred employees or ninety-nine employees, sometimes they’re five employees. Uh, but being able to get out and touch businesses, businesses that don’t get special sessions called for ’em, uh, businesses that really are underneath the radar screen, just who are making ends meet on a, on a day to day basis. Uh, but those are the growth businesses long term and, you know, not only do we need to recruit new business to come in to Missouri, that’s an important piece of this, but we have to acknowledge the investment existing businesses are already making and try to reward that and encourage them to grow organically here in the state.

Show Me Progress:  As you go out across the state in various places are you, and you talk to people, voters, uh, what are you hearing, uh, about their views about the economy and government and what do they want? What do they want under their statewide office holders?

Treasurer Zweifel: Well, I think a couple of things. I mean, first, I think what’s happening in Washington is a real frustration for voters on both sides of the aisle. And, and they’re sick and tired of seeing people arguing, uh, and not find ways to get common ground to focus on jobs and the economy as a, as a number one priority. So, and everywhere I go, I was in southeast Missouri just a couple weeks ago, uh, here in, in Warrensburg  today, in Kansas City tonight, St. Louis yesterday, Hannibal recently, you know, those comments I get throughout the state everywhere we go is that, you know, they’re sick and tired of people, uh, fighting and not being able to get things done.

Show Me Progress:  Uh, so, ultimately what people want out of their government is, they want competence.

Treasurer Zweifel: I think they want, I think they want competence. They want to see, uh, elected officials who are willing to stand up and take risks and be honest with voters. Uh, they want elected officials who are willing to, uh, be able to identify where there can be compromise and what we can succeed with, you know, in a, in an environment where we have Republicans and Democrats sharing power. Well, let’s strategically identify ways where we can work together to get some things done. Uh, and I think small business and college savings for me are, were ideal situations where, you know, we said, hey, let’s, let’s work on some things that we all agree on first and foremost. And that’s what we’ve done.

Show Me Progress:  And, and in the, in the present environment, uh, that’s kind of unique isn’t it that, that this was able to happen?

Treasurer Zweifel: Well, I, I think it doesn’t have to be. Uh, you know, you know, people ask how, you know, how we were able to get things done, but I think the key is you build relationships and you, you talk honestly and seriously with, with individuals. And, you know, we, we sat down and, and made both Democrats and Republicans part of this sort of idea early on. Um, so there was real, really a mutual ownership and a mutual responsibility for governance when it came to actually passing it. And I think when you, when you’re willing to give up a little bit of, uh, uh, control and, at least, be inclusive and make sure that both sides, you know, have a piece of, uh, of investment in, in an idea and a concept you get a lot farther.

Show Me Progress:  You know, even I, you know, I don’t know, you know, we can’t speak, you know, about the, the process nationally ’cause, you know, we’re not intimately involved in it. Uh, but, you know, we read about what’s going on, we, we see that, that there are people who are adults at the table, that they try to bring what you just talked about to the table and be inclusive with people. And yet in some instances we find that there are people that in, in the position that can make those decisions, aren’t willing to take that step. And, and, it’s sort of curious, it’s like, do they want, is it because they don’t want a label of success bestowed upon everybody or, or somebody else? And, uh, that becomes problem
atic and if the voters, uh, really want things to get done, you know, the blame game for things not getting done becomes sort of a complex part of the mix in, in creating the problem. And, and I guess the question is, you know, you were able to, to a good part of that, you know, get past that. And, and I wonder why others can’t or haven’t been able to.

Treasurer Zweifel: Well, I think, I mean, I think a lot of that is, is coming from Washington and it’s hard for me to speak to the dysfunction that exists there other than [crosstalk]…

Show Me Progress:  Yeah, because we’re not there, we’re, yeah [crosstalk]….

The final portion of the transcript will appear in a subsequent post.

State Treasurer Clint Zweifel (D) talking with voters at a coffee shop in downtown Warrensburg.

An Occupy Wall Street commercial (think about that for a moment):

I want to see more serious political conversation starting to happen.

I want corporations out of the government and I want people back in.

I want peace rather than militarization.

I want the top wealthiest Americans to be taxed higher and that money to go to education.

I want economic justice.

I want to be able to speak my voice without jeopardizing my job.

I want a greater regulation of the banks and the markets.

I want my kids to have a job and health care.

I want true Democracy for the ninety-nine percent of us who don’t have it anymore.

[OccupyWallStreet

http://www.occupywallst.org]

Why, that’s mainstream America:

Topline Results of Oct. 9-10, 2011, TIME Poll

TIME MAGAZINE/ABT SRBI – October 9- 10, 2011 Survey

BASE=1,001 Adults Except Where Noted

….Q12. DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THAT POSITION?

B. THE GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR IN THE UNITED STATES HAS GROWN TOO LARGE

BASE: FAMILIAR WITH PROTESTS (787)

AGREE 79%

DISAGREE 17%

NO ANSWER/DON’T KNOW 3%

Q12. DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THAT POSITION?

C. EXECUTIVES OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FINANCIAL MELTDOWN IN 2008 SHOULD BE PROSECUTED

BASE: FAMILIAR WITH PROTESTS (787)

AGREE 71%

DISAGREE 23%

NO ANSWER/DON’T KNOW 6%

Q12. DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THAT POSITION?

D. THE RICH SHOULD PAY MORE TAXES

BASE: FAMILIAR WITH PROTESTS (787)

AGREE 68%

DISAGREE 28%

NO ANSWER/DON’T KNOW 4%

….

The media emphasis in the conversation has certainly changed from a few months ago. It used to be deficit scolds around the clock, now we’re talking about how they broke the economy and the people who benefited from that redistribution of the wealth upward in the last decade.

It’s a start.

The October 2011 quarterly campaign finance reports are showing up at the Missouri Ethics Commission. The active Lieutenant Governor campaign committees:

Since former State Auditor Susan Montee (D) just formed her campaign committee there isn’t a quarterly report:

Date Established: 10/3/2011

COMMITTEE: MECID:C111177

MONTEE FOR MISSOURI

JEFFERSON CITY MO 65102

CANDIDATE: SUSAN MONTEE

JEFFERSON CITY MO 65109

OFFICE SOUGHT: LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

Date of Election:8/7/2012

Political Party:DEMOCRAT

Paper Filed Reports (Scanned)

Amended Statement of Committee Organization 10/03/2011 2011 [pdf]

[emphasis added]

Becky Plattner (D) filed her quarterly report on October 10th:

REPORT SUMMARY

PLATTNER FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR [pdf] 10/10/2011

2. All Monetary Contributions Received This Period $250.00

10. Expenditures made by cash or check this period $1,767.30

27. Money On Hand at the close of this reporting period $14,444.89

34. Total Indebtedness at the Close of This Reporting Period $20,000.00

[emphasis added]

That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the campaign plan.

There is one republican and an all too familiar representative of the lunatic fringe in the race now representing the Constitution Party:

REPORT SUMMARY

ELECT CYNTHIA DAVIS [pdf] 10/12/2011

2. All Monetary Contributions Received This Period $995.40

10. Expenditures made by cash or check this period $636.97

27. Money On Hand at the close of this reporting period $983.17

34. Total Indebtedness at the Close of This Reporting Period $30,000.00

[emphasis added]

You, too, can run for Lieutenant Governor if you have $30,000.00 in campaign debt. This is priceless:

EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS MADE

ELECT CYNTHIA DAVIS [pdf] 10/12/2011

B. Itemized Expenditures All Over $100

State of Missouri Ethics Commision [sic] Jefferson City MO 65102 8/17/2011 Late filing fee $150.00

[emphasis added]

This inspires confidence in the campaign, no?

And, finally, the big money, for Steve Tilley (r) who filed his report on October 17th:

REPORT SUMMARY

FRIENDS OF TILLEY [pdf] 10/17/2011

2. All Monetary Contributions Received This Period $575,940.00

10. Expenditures made by cash or check this period $96,959.94

27. Money On Hand at the close of this reporting period $1,544,024.01

34. Total Indebtedness at the Close of This Reporting Period $0.00

[emphasis added]

$1,544,024.01 cash on hand. That ain’t no typo. It is good to be the Speaker.

Let’s take a look at the expenditures:

EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS MADE

FRIENDS OF TILLEY [pdf] 10/17/2011

CHASE PARK PLAZA ST LOUIS MO 63108 7/5/2011 TRAVEL $189.31

CHASE PARK PLAZA ST LOUIS MO 63108 7/11/2011 TRAVEL $161.68

CHASE PARK PLAZA ST LOUIS MO 63108 7/11/2011 TRAVEL $195.04

CHASE PARK PLAZA ST LOUIS MO 63108 7/18/2011 TRAVEL $362.43

ST LOUIS BASEBALL ST LOUIS MO 63102 7/7/2011 MEALS & ENTERTAINMENT $685.08

ST LOUIS BASEBALL ST LOUIS MO 63102 7/11/2011 MEALS & ENTERTAINMENT $635.35

ST LOUIS BASEBALL ST LOUIS MO 63102 7/11/2011 MEALS & ENTERTAINMENT $1,361.45

PERKINS RESTAURANT POPLAR BLUFF MO 63901 7/12/2011 MEALS & ENTERTAINMENT $1,184.45

12 WEST BAR & GRILL FARMINGTON MO 63640 7/14/2011 MEALS & ENTERTAINMENT $195.10

HILTON HOTELS ST LOUIS MO 63103 8/2/2011 TRAVEL $1,180.38

MORGAN STREET BREWERY ST LOUIS MO 63102 8/22/2011 MEALS & ENTERTAINMENT $124.62

CHASE PARK PLAZA ST LOUIS MO 63108 8/22/2011 TRAVEL $495.02

SUNSET COUNTRY CLUB ST LOUIS MO 63127 8/25/2011 MEALS & ENTERTAINMENT $2,310.52

J. BUCKS ST LOUIS MO 63102 8/26/2011 MEALS & ENTERTAINMENT $108.21

ST LOUIS BASEBALL ST LOUIS MO 63102 9/12/2011 MEALS & ENTERTAINMENT $315.75

BUFFALO WILD WINGS FARMINGTON MO 63640 9/23/2011 MEALS & ENTERTAINMENT $478.41

[emphasis added]

And on and on…

A lot of lodging, dining out, and baseball(!).

Slate’s David Weigel seems to have just discovered St. Louis’ Dana Loesch whom he designates his temporary, “accidental nemesis.” Today he is taken by the alacrity with which the right-wing St. Louis scold has jumped on the trumped-up claims of anti-Semitism in the Occupy movement that are currently being worked up by the right.

Weigel’s point, which is that all new social movements attract a few looney-tunes,  is illustrated with a video of David Duke endorsing the Tea Party. I admit that I’m still not convinced that a healthy dose of Duke’s KKK-type philosophy does not animate at least some segments of Tea Partydom. This opinion was reinforced after I read Colin Woodard’s recent article in the Washington Monthly on the geographic distribution of the Tea Party, which notes that its area of greatest strength corresponds to what we traditionally think of as the South – where the conflict over issues of race may be more hidden than in the past, but arguably still run very deep.

Be that as it may, I think Weigel misses the real silliness of Loesch’s comment:

They have the blessing of Nancy Pelosi. They’re also endorsed by the Nazi Party of the United States. They’re also endorsed by Communists. These are things that we did not see with the tea party movement.

Weigel deals very effectively with the Nazi and Communist endorsements, but he ignores the presence of Nancy Pelosi on this list. Dana Loesch is evidently either so ignorant or so blinded by right-wing rhetoric that she thinks that Nancy Pelosi’s support for Occupy Wall Street is the equivalent of a lot of hot air from Nazis. We’re talking about the Nancy Pelosi who is the House Minority Leader, the first female Speaker of the House, and a respected California politician who was elected to office over and over again during the past 24 years. If you ask me, Loesch is trying to hit two birds with one  stone, both the Occupy movement and Nancy Pelosi, an outspoken and proud progressive.

Bear in mind that Loesch is paid by CNN to express her opinions in a public forum. Does this fact leave you feeling as embarrassed about the state of public discourse as I do right now?  

The October 2011 quarterly campaign finance reports are showing up at the Missouri Ethics Commission. The active Secretary of State campaign committees:

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (D) has announced that she is not running for reelection.

Jason Kander (D) filed his filed his filed his quarterly report on October 17th:

REPORT SUMMARY

KANDER FOR MISSOURI [pdf] 10/17/2011

2. All Monetary Contributions Received This Period $65,015.00

10. Expenditures made by cash or check this period $2,195.56

27. Money On Hand at the close of this reporting period $232,888.45

34. Total Indebtedness at the Close of This Reporting Period $0.00

[emphasis added]

That’s a healthy cash on hand. And that does not include:

Campaign Finance: Jason Kander (D) continues…part 3 (October 13, 2011)

….A total of $80,406.00 since September 30th. And that’s just the big dollar contributions (over $5000.00) that must be reported within 48 hours.

There are two republican candidates.

Scott Rupp (r) filed his filed his quarterly report on October 17th:

REPORT SUMMARY

RUPP FOR MISSOURI [pdf] 10/17/2011

2. All Monetary Contributions Received This Period $85,700.00

10. Expenditures made by cash or check this period $16,759.94

27. Money On Hand at the close of this reporting period $96,210.60

34. Total Indebtedness at the Close of This Reporting Period $0.00

[emphasis added]

That’s a relatively paltry cash on hand.

Bill Stouffer (r) filed his filed his filed his filed his quarterly report on October 17th:

REPORT SUMMARY

FRIENDS OF BILL STOUFFER [pdf] 10/17/2011

2. All Monetary Contributions Received This Period $28,805.00

3. All Loans Received This Period $150,000.00

10. Expenditures made by cash or check this period $19,095.14

27. Money On Hand at the close of this reporting period $170,614.39

34. Total Indebtedness at the Close of This Reporting Period $150,000.00

[emphasis added]

That’s a decent cash on hand, but most of it is from a loan:

SUPPLEMENTAL LOAN INFORMATION

FRIENDS OF BILL STOUFFER [pdf] 10/17/2011

1. NAME AND ADDRESS OF LENDER

WILLIAM H STOUFFER

NAPTON MO 65340

4. DATE OF LOAN 9/30/2011

5. AMOUNT OF LOAN $150,000.00

6. ANNUAL RATE OF INTEREST 6%

7. TIME PERIOD OF LOAN 1 YEAR

[emphasis added]

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (D), while not running for reelection, has not terminated her committee yet and must still file a quarterly report (and did so on October 15th):

REPORT SUMMARY

ROBIN CARNAHAN FOR MISSOURI [pdf] 10/15/2011

2. All Monetary Contributions Received This Period $3.00

10. Expenditures made by cash or check this period $7,841.14

27. Money On Hand at the close of this reporting period $203,002.39

34. Total Indebtedness at the Close of This Reporting Period $0.00

[emphasis added]

That’s a significant cash on hand.

Slate’s David Weigel seems surprised (here and here) that St. Louis’ Dana Loesch, an editor at Big Journalism and a CNN commentator, has gotten her knickers in a twist because advocacy journalists like Dylan Ratigan and Matt Taibbi, who demonstrably make no bones about their sympathies, are allowed to practice – what? – advocacy journalism. He makes the point that, as far as their roles as advocates go they are, despite her denials, just like Loesch – although I’m not sure that if he knew as much as about Loesch as those of us in St. Louis do, he would qualify her advocacy with the word “journalism.”

In case you don’t know what I’m talking about because you haven’t followed Ms. Loesch’s career, Adam Shriver of the St. Louis Activist Hub, seems to have a post every week documenting her sensationalist and fact-free approach to advocacy. If you want to learn more, page through his posts – or, for a real laugh, take a look at her posts on Big Journalism.    

Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

A111115 10/18/2011 ONE ZOO FOR ALL Friends of the Zoo Inc of Kansas City Missouri 6800 Zoo Drive Kansas City MO 64132 10/18/2011 $125,000.00

[emphasis added]

…but, given the circumstances, you could understand the initial assumption.

Finally, we get a glimpse of what GOP senatorial primary contender, John Brunner, actually thinks about some of the issues that Missourians are concerned about. So far, his approach to public campaigning has been like that of a burlesque fan dancer, tantalizing the audience with hints about what’s behind the fan while revealing almost nothing of interest.

Recently, though, Brunner lowered the fan for a tiny peak at what he’s got to offer. No tax hikes for sure – but we didn’t really expect him to endorse the popular desire to have the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share. He’s running for the nomination in today’s Republican Tea Party after all. Otherwise, he identifies problems he says he would address – like keeping jobs in the country – but seems unable or, perhaps, hesitant to let us know just how he would address them.

Most interesting is trying to figure out how Brunner reconciles his stated desire to “protect” seniors with his subsequent comment that the Ryan plan, which would privatize Social Security and decimate the Medicare, offers a “a fantastic step in the right direction.” To be fair, he adds that he would like to see a Democratic plan as well – seemingly unaware that it’s been on offer for some time. But, of course, financial stimulus to stabilize the economy, raising the cap on Social Security income, and endorsing those parts of ObamaCares that would slow the growth of health care and concomitant Medicare costs are all solutions that run afoul of GOP orthodoxy, and I suspect that Mr. Brunner would find them anathema.

I don’t know about you, but if this is all that Brunner’s got to show, it doesn’t strike me as particularly edifying. Nor does it deviate in any interesting way from what the other two candidates, Sarah Steelman and Todd Akin, have put on display. I hope he thinks that sinking a big chunk of his considerable fortune into the effort of getting himself to Washington so he can read from the same Republican playbook the other candidates have in hand is worth the price.

Photo by Michael Albov from Wikimedia commons