At the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C001135 11/04/2011 JAY NIXON FOR MISSOURI Michael Ketchmark 15454 Ironhorse Circle Leawood KS 66224 Davis, Ketchmark & McCreight Attorney 11/2/2011 $25,000.00

C001135 11/04/2011 JAY NIXON FOR MISSOURI FEAPAC of Missouri 11880 College Blvd. Ste 120 Overland Park KS 66210 11/2/2011 $10,000.00

C001135 11/04/2011 JAY NIXON FOR MISSOURI David Johnson 104 Armour Rd North Kansas City MO 64116 Maxus Properties Chairman 11/2/2011 $10,000.00

C001135 11/04/2011 JAY NIXON FOR MISSOURI United Steelworkers District 11 2929 University Avenue, SE Suite 150 Minneapolis MN 55414 11/2/2011 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

For Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder (r), not so much.

@sarah_steelman Sarah Steelman

To @clairecmc the word compromise is French for increase spending, raise taxes. bit.ly/uiBjNq #mosen #badidea 19 hours ago

French? What does that have to do with anything, other than being a dog whistle for the right wingnut base?

Previously:

Is Dave Spence a new GOP contender for governor? (October 23, 2011)

Campaign Finance: what’s this? (October 24, 2011):

C091145 10/24/2011 FRIENDS OF PETER KINDER Davis Spence 2021 S. Warson Road St Louis MO 63124 Alpha Packaging President 10/24/2011 $5,500.00

[emphasis added]

And now this:

Businessman May Take on Kinder in GOP Race for Governor

November 4, 2011 4:00 AM

ST. LOUIS-(KMOX)-Peter Kinder may soon have another Republican nipping at his heels in the GOP primary for Governor.

Businessman Dave Spence, the President and CEO of Alpha Packaging,  in St. Louis County, says he is “strongly considering” a run for governor – whether or not Kinder runs…..

What changed in a little over a week’s time?

Meanwhile, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C001135 11/02/2011 JAY NIXON FOR MISSOURI Burns & McDonnell PO Box 419173 Kansas City MO 64141 10/31/2011 $25,000.00

C001135 11/02/2011 JAY NIXON FOR MISSOURI Richard DeStefane 9200 Watson Road Suite 201 Saint Louis MO 63126 Reliant Care Management President 10/31/2011 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

Pass the popcorn.

Because absolutely no one is concerned about unemployment.

Previously: Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): antidisestablishmentarian (October 31, 2011)

….The next thing you know Congress will be wasting its time reaffirming that “In God We Trust” is a motto. Oh, wait…

The important work must take precedence over everything else:

FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 816

     H CON RES 13      2/3 YEA-AND-NAY      1-Nov-2011      6:55 PM

     QUESTION:  On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree

     BILL TITLE: Reaffirming “In God We Trust” as the official motto of the United States and supporting and encouraging the public display of the national motto in all public buildings, public schools, and other government institutions

—- YEAS    396 —

Carnahan

Clay

Emerson

Graves (MO)

Hartzler

Long

Luetkemeyer

—- NAYS    9 —

Cleaver

—- ANSWERED “PRESENT”    2 —

—- NOT VOTING    26 —

Akin

[emphasis added]

This resolution was so useless that an ordained minister voted against it. There were only eight other profiles in courage out of four hundred thirty-three, no others from Missouri.

Previously: Should Democrat Tracy McCreery run as an Independent? (October 7, 2011)

There’s a special election for the 83rd Legislative District seat on November 8th. At the Missouri Ethics Commission for Jeff O’Connell (D), the nominee of the legislative district Democratic Committee:

REPORT SUMMARY

FRIENDS TO ELECT JEFF OCONNELL [pdf] 10/31/2011

1. Total Receipts For This Election Previously Reported $3,875.00

2. All Monetary Contributions Received This Period $23,353.00

10. Expenditures made by cash or check this period $13,165.49

27. Money On Hand at the close of this reporting period $13,264.46

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

[emphasis added]

For Tracy McCreery (D), who is not the nominee of the legislative district Democratic committee:

REPORT SUMMARY

MCCREERY FOR MISSOURI [pdf] 10/31/2011

1. Total Receipts For This Election Previously Reported $25,892.00

2. All Monetary Contributions Received This Period $10,678.00

10. Expenditures made by cash or check this period $4,604.94

27. Money On Hand at the close of this reporting period $24,147.81

34. Total Indebtedness at the Close of This Reporting Period $5,000.00

[emphasis added]

Well, that’s a rough parity, or mutually assured destruction, depending on how you look at it.

For the republican nominee, Patrick Brennan:

REPORT SUMMARY

VOTE BRENNAN [pdf] 10/31/2011

1. Total Receipts For This Election Previously Reported $0.00

2. All Monetary Contributions Received This Period $2,132.70

10. Expenditures made by cash or check this period $908.53

27. Money On Hand at the close of this reporting period $1,324.17

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

[emphasis added]

It would be ironic indeed if the republican in this race won with those kind of fundraising and expenditure numbers.

Where did some of the money come from?:

CONTRIBUTIONS AND LOANS RECEIVED

FRIENDS TO ELECT JEFF OCONNELL [pdf] 10/31/2011

11. TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED AT FUND-RAISERS AS REPORTED INLINE 8 ON FORM CD1A $58.00

12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSON GIVING $25 OR LESS $50.00

13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $2,145.00

Eastern Missouri Laborers Educatioal & Benevolent Fund Bridgeton MO 63044 10/4/2011 $500.00

PAC of Laborers Local 42 Voluntary Fund St Louis MO 63108 10/5/2011 $1,000.00

Heat and Frost Insulators & Allied Wkrs. Local #1 Political Fund Account #1 Bridgeton MO 63044 10/6/2011 $250.00

Bricklayer Union #1 of Missouri Truth Committee St Louis MO 63103 10/6/2011 $100.00

Sprinklefitters Local 268 Political Ed. and Legislative Committee St Louis MO 63104 10/6/2011 $100.00

Internation Union of Elevators Constructors Local #3 PAC Fund St Louis MO 63110 10/6/2011 $350.00

St. Louis AFL-CIO Project 2000 Bridgeton MO 63044 10/11/2011 $250.00

Aerospace Lodge 837 IAMAW State PAC Hazelwood MO 63042 10/13/2011 $100.00

Labores Int. of North America Local 53 PAC Bridgeton MO 63044 10/13/2011 $100.00

North County Labor Legislative Club St Louis MO 63121 10/13/2011 $300.00

Friends for Tim Green Ballwin MO 63021 10/13/2011 $400.00

Citizens for Jake Zimmerman Olivette MO 63132 10/21/2011 $250.00

Union Labor Life Silver Springs MD 20910 10/24/2011 $5,000.00

Missouri Democratic State Committee Jefferson City MO 65102 10/21/2011 $5,878.58

Maria Chapelle-Nadal St Louis MO 63101 State Senator 10/26/2011 $864.67

[emphasis added]

Organized labor (working people!) and the Democratic Party establishment.

CONTRIBUTIONS AND LOANS RECEIVED

MCCREERY FOR MISSOURI [pdf] 10/31/2011

Heidi Miller Saint Louis MO 63105 Family Care Health Centers — Doctor 10/7/2011 $50.00

Barbara Woodruff O’Fallon MO 63368 None — Retired 10/7/2011 $25.00

Michael Cole St Louis MO 63116 Thompson Coburn LLP — Attorney 10/7/2011 $50.00

David Margolis Brooklyn NY 11201 Handel Architects LLP — Architect 10/7/2011 $100.00

Gayle Hammer Solon OH 44139 University School — teacher 10/7/2011 $50.00

Arlene Zarembka 7500 Trenton Avenue St. Louis MO 63130 Self — Attorney 10/7/2011 $100.00

Rebecca Cook Cape Girardeau MO 63701 self — lawyer 10/7/2011 $200.00

Lynn Lyss St Louis MO 63105 none 10/7/2011 $50.00

Wendy Knudsen Defiance MO 63341 Cequel III LLC — Lawyer 10/7/2011 $150.00

Jamie Spencer St. Louis MO 63131 St. Louis Comm. College — Professor of English 10/8/2011 $50.00

Marilyn and Bill Morton St. Louis MO 63122 retired — teacher 10/23/2011 $25.00

Missouri NEA-PAC Jefferson City MO 65101 10/21/2011 $325.00

NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri PAC 1210 S. Vandeventer St. Louis MO 63110 10/27/2011 $250.00

[emphasis added]

A lot of small dollar contributors.

And the republican candidate?:

CONTRIBUTIONS AND LOANS RECEIVED

VOTE BRENNAN [pdf] 10/31/2011

Replican Central Committee Of St. Louis st louis MO 63144 10/13/2011 $300.00

11. TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED AT FUND-RAISERS AS REPORTED INLINE 8 ON FORM CD1A $288.94

12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSON GIVING $25 OR LESS $191.06

13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $1,352.70

That’s frightening.

Some of the expenditures:

EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS MADE

FRIENDS TO ELECT JEFF OCONNELL [pdf] 10/31/2011

A. Expenditures of $100 or Less by Category

Map and cd from St. Louis County Election Board $60.00

ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100

SEIU St Louis MO 63105 10/12/2011 Phone Bank $520.00

Mad Dog Mail Fernandina Beach FL 32034 10/13/2011 Mailings/Literature $10,000.00

Mueller Signs St Louis MO 63310 10/17/2011 Signs $1,500.03

Janet Dietrich Overland MO 63114 10/27/2011 Ink, walk supplies $149.31

[emphasis added]

Phones, mail, signs, and door to door.

EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS MADE

MCCREERY FOR MISSOURI [pdf] 10/31/2011

Mueller Sign Sho
p Saint Louis MO 63110 10/12/2011 signs $1,026.48

Specialty Mailing Saint Louis MO 63110 10/21/2011 mailing $2,295.17

[emphasis added]

Mail and signs and $24,147.81 cash on hand. You think someone is planning on hitting the mail and phones hard in the last week?

And the republican candidate’s expenditures?:

EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS MADE

VOTE BRENNAN [pdf] 10/31/2011

A. Expenditures of $100 or Less by Category

Supplies $558.53

B. Itemized Expenditures All Over $100

Yard Signs Orlando FL 32803 10/19/2011 Yard Signs For Campaign $350.00

Signs, sigh.

Given the resources and the expenditures, this race is between the two Democrats.  

Previously:

Campaign Finance: republicans will always have the money they need (October 25, 2011)

Chrissy Sommer: all talk, no walk (October 26, 2011)

There’s a special election for the vacated 15th Legislative District seat on November 8th. At the Missouri Ethics Commission for the Democratic Party candidate, Paul Woody:

REPORT SUMMARY

CITIZENS FOR PAUL WOODY [pdf] 10/31/2011

1. Total Receipts For This Election Previously Reported $27,423.54

2. All Monetary Contributions Received This Period $4,905.00

10. Expenditures made by cash or check this period $17,118.44

27. Money On Hand at the close of this reporting period $11,485.74

34. Total Indebtedness at the Close of This Reporting Period $2,079.54

[emphasis added]

The republican candidate, Chrissy Sommer:

REPORT SUMMARY

CITIZENS FOR SOMMER [pdf] 10/31/2011

1. Total Receipts For This Election Previously Reported $17,424.14

2. All Monetary Contributions Received This Period $1,745.00

10. Expenditures made by cash or check this period $5,728.10

11. In-Kind Expenditures made this period $19,031.00

27. Money On Hand at the close of this reporting period $7,623.78

34. Total Indebtedness at the Close of This Reporting Period $500.00

[emphasis added]

The Libertarian candidate, Bill Slantz, filed an Exemption Statement of Limited Activity.

Let’s see where some of the money has gone:

EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS MADE

CITIZENS FOR PAUL WOODY [pdf] 10/31/2011

A. Expenditures of $100 or Less by Category

Office Supplies $60.14

Office Utilities $89.79

B. Itemized Expenditures All Over $100

Missouri Democratic Party Jefferson City MO 65102 10/10/2011 Mailers $13,083.00

SEIU Missouri State Council St Louis MO 63112 10/13/2011 Phone Calls $240.00

Minuteman Press St Charles MO 63301 10/14/2011 Print Materials $169.00

Minuteman Press St Charles MO 63301 St Charles MO 63301 10/19/2011 Print Materials. 601.72

AT&T Aurora IL 60572 10/24/2011 Telephone and Internet Service $980.17

[emphasis added]

Uh, that mailer money is an expenditure. mail and phones. Mail and phones. And probably some serious door knocking, too.

EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS MADE

CITIZENS FOR SOMMER [pdf] 10/29/2011

B. Itemized Expenditures All Over $100

SURVEY SAINT LOUIS SAINT CHARLES MO 63302 10/19/2011 PUSHCARDS/MAILERS/DESIGN/PRINT/POSTAGE $5,512.16

18. If Committee Made Any In-Kind Expenditures This Period, List Amount $19,031.00

C. Contributions Made (Regardless of Amount)

BAHR FOR STATE REP OFALLON MO 63368 10/21/2011 $20.00

[emphasis added]

Well, you can certainly spring for those $20 contributions if the HRCC is paying for a big chunk of your campaign.

Where did the money come from?:

CONTRIBUTIONS AND LOANS RECEIVED

CITIZENS FOR PAUL WOODY [pdf] 10/31/2011

12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSON GIVING $25 OR LESS $250.00

David Malecki Edwards MO 65326 Retired 10/2/2011 $100.00

Missouri NEA-PAC Jefferson City MO 65101 10/20/2011 $325.00

Beverly Whorton Trenton MO 64683 Retired 10/26/2011 $50.00

The Schlueter Law Firm P.C. St. Louis MO 63119 10/20/2011 $250.00

[emphasis added]

Retired people, Attorneys, and organized labor (working people!).

CONTRIBUTIONS AND LOANS RECEIVED

CITIZENS FOR SOMMER [pdf] 10/29/2011

12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSON GIVING $25 OR LESS $20.00

13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $225.00

14. TOTAL IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS (NOT COMMITTEES) GIVING $100 OR LESS $50.00

CITIZENS FOR GARY CROSS LEES SUMMITT MO 64043 10/19/2011 $250.00

FRIENDS OF MICHAEL BERNSKOETTER  JEFFERSON CITY MO 65101 10/19/2011 $300.00

BAHR FOR STATE REP OFALLON MO 63368 10/21/2011 $100.00

CITIZENS FOR McCAHERTY HIGH RIDGE MO 63049 10/26/2011 $250.00

FRIENDS OF ANDREW KOENIG WINCHESTER MO 63021 10/27/2011 $100.00

M&J PROPERTIES, LLC WENTZVILLE MO 63385 10/10/2011 $200.00

FREE GOVERNMENT REQUIRES ACTIVE CITIZENS PAC LAKE SAINT LOUIS MO 63367 10/27/2011 $300.00

HOUSE REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE, INC. JEFFERSON CITY MO 65102 10/24/2011 $18,981.00

[emphasis added]

I dunno, it doesn’t appear to be very grassrootsie…

Darcy Wood:

Albert Lowe:

Today, Sarah Jo posted a short, heartfelt diary asking anyone, everyone to do what they can to get their Senators to vote against U.S. Senate Bill 1751. This bill would weaken the EPA’s ability to regulate toxic coal ash generated as waste by coal-burning electric power plants.

This bill hits close to home for some Missourians in Franklin County. Last week Sarah Jo wrote about the final defeat of the long struggle to keep Ameren from building a coal ash landfill next to its Labadie power plant, which is smack dab in the midst of a floodplain. Declaring that she didn’t “know whether to scream or cry,” she pointed out once again, the absurdity of situating a toxic dump at this site which, she noted, was surrounded by water as recently as the 1993 flood.

Yesterday, as if to underline the nature of the risk we’re running just so power companies like Ameren can satisfy their shareholders, tons of coal ash, used in Michigan to fill in a ravine in the 1950s, slid into Lake Michigan when a bluff overlooking the lake collapsed. Coal ash, in case you’ve forgotten, is chock full of of cancer-causing goodies such as mercury, cadmium and arsenic.

But there’s no need for Michiganders – and by extension Missourians faced with a coal ash landfill in a floodplain – to worry. We Energies, the company that is responsible for the unregulated “reuse” of coal ash – sparing the state the expense and trouble of finding landfill space for the noxious stuff – has flatly stated that “coal ash is not hazardous material. It is unlikely there will be any health impacts at all from this event.”  

Whew! If I hadn’t read that reassuring statement, I might have been worried by those EPA scientists who tell us that, “without proper protections, these contaminants can leach into groundwater and can migrate to drinking water sources, posing significant health public concerns.” Or, even worse, I might have taken seriously those scare-mongering environmentalists in the Sierra Club, who responded to the Michigan disaster by claiming*:

The EPA has been trying to enact national protections to stop this kind of disastrous spill from happening again, ever since the TVA disaster in 2008, and our Congress has been blocking them every step of the way,” said Mary Anne Hitt, director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. “As a result, communities across the nation remain at risk and unprotected. This spill in the Great Lakes is a tragic reminder of why the status quo is not good enough. As long as Congress interferes, spills like this are going to happen, and dozens of communities are at risk. Congress needs to back off and allow the EPA to finalize strong protections.”

Sheesh! Who’s going to believe scientists and environmentalists when we’ve got a bottom-line businessman telling us we’ve got nothing to worry about.

*Sentence edited slightly for clarity.

Fred Lee speaking at the Occupy Kansas City rally in Ilus Davis Park: