United States Constitution

Article VI

…but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

Wow, just, wow. Via Twitter:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler ‏@RepHartzler

The democrats have insulted God and Israel: they removed all references to God in their platform and took out Jerusalem as Israel’s Capitol. 5:57 AM – 5 Sep 12

Heh. She wrote “democrats”. We write “republicans” all the time. But then, we’re sarcastic bloggers and not members of Congress.

As if anyone actually reads the party platforms, including republican [See, we did it again!] presidential candidates?:

Republican vs. Republican

by Philip Gourevitch

September 3, 2012

….When word got out that the Republican platform called for the criminalization of abortion without reference to exceptions, the Republican National Committee chairman, Reince Priebus, declined to bow to the candidate. “This is the platform of the Republican Party,” he told MSNBC. “It is not the platform of Mitt Romney….”

So…

September 04, 2012 4:21 PM

Does God Need a Shout-Out in the Democratic Platform?

….Aside from making the rather idiotic assumption that this was a conscious act (in a purely political document why would a throwaway adjective that would offend almost no one be deleted?), Brody does not note that the platform has a whole section on “faith,” which reads:

Faith has always been a central part of the American story, and it has been a driving force of progress and justice throughout our history. We know that our nation, our communities, and our lives are made vastly stronger and richer by faith and the countless acts of justice and mercy it inspires. Faithbased organizations will always be critical allies in meeting the challenges that face our nation and our world – from domestic and global poverty, to climate change and human trafficking. People of faith and religious organizations do amazing work in communities across this country and the world, and we believe in lifting up and valuing that good work, and finding ways to support it where possible. We believe in constitutionally sound, evidence-based partnerships with faith-based and other non-profit organizations to serve those in need and advance our shared interests. There is no conflict between supporting faith-based institutions and respecting our Constitution, and a full commitment to both principles is essential for the continued flourishing of both faith and country.

So God wasn’t exactly expelled from the platform, it seems….

….As a believer myself, I dislike in particular the attribution to God of various secular ideas of “rights,” which are intended, frankly, to divinize political ideologies. I would, in fact, call that idolatry….

Kirk: What does God need with a starship?

As for Israel, they’ll get over it.

Previously:

The irony impaired opponent of the “Missouri Court Plan” (January 31, 2008)

The irony impaired opponent of the “Missouri Court Plan” – part 2 (May 13, 2009)

Campaign Finance: Who would want to politicize the judiciary? (August 30, 2012)

This has been going on for a while. Right wingnuts never give up.

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C121379 09/05/2012 MISSOURIANS FOR BETTER COURTS Missourians for Open and Accountable Judicial Selection d/b/a Better Courts for Missouri P O Box 1524 Jefferson City MO 65102 9/4/2012 $80,000.00

[emphasis added]

Who? They call themselves “Missourians for Open and Accountable…” with no sense of irony. So, who is actually writing the check?

C121379: Missourians For Better Courts

131 North Mulberry Drive Suite 200 Committee Type: Campaign

Kansas City Mo 64116

(816) 584-9393 Established Date: 07/13/2012

[….]

Ballot Measure History

Constitutional Amendment #3 11/06/2012 Shall The Missouri Constitution Be Amended To Change The Current Nonpartisam Selection Of Supreme Court And Court Of Appeals Judges Support

[emphasis added]

Also, today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission, from those opposed to gutting the Missouri Court Plan:

C121294 09/05/2012 MISSOURIANS FOR FAIR AND IMPARTIAL COURTS COMMITTEE Bartimus, Frickleton, Robertson & Gorny 11150 Overbrook Rd Suite 200 Leawood KS 66211 9/4/2012 $10,000.00

C121294 09/05/2012 MISSOURIANS FOR FAIR AND IMPARTIAL COURTS COMMITTEE Dollar, Burns, & Becker, L.C. 1100 Main Street Suite 2600 Kansas City MO 64105 9/4/2012 $10,000.00

C121294 09/05/2012 MISSOURIANS FOR FAIR AND IMPARTIAL COURTS COMMITTEE Dollar, Burns, & Becker, L.C. 1100 Main Street Suite 2600 Kansas City MO 64105 9/4/2012 $10,000.00

C121294 09/05/2012 MISSOURIANS FOR FAIR AND IMPARTIAL COURTS COMMITTEE Davis, Bethune & Jones, LLC 1100 Main Street Suite 2930 Kansas City MO 64105 9/4/2012 $20,000.00

C121294 09/05/2012 MISSOURIANS FOR FAIR AND IMPARTIAL COURTS COMMITTEE Walters, Bender, Strohbehn & Vaughan 2500 City Center Square 1100 Main Street P.O. Box 26188 Kansas City MO 64196 9/4/2012 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

Uh, yep, we know who’s writing the checks for this second group.

C121294: Missourians For Fair And Impartial Courts Committee

Po Box 1072 Committee Type: Campaign

Jefferson City Mo 65102

(573) 636-2822 Established Date: 05/11/2012

[….]

Ballot Measure History

Court Plan 11/06/2012 Court Plan, State Of Missouri Oppose

[emphasis added]

Chris Rock ‏@chrisrockoz

Ann Romney is throwing dishes at the TV right now and screaming. #AreYouBetterOff #DNC 9:52 PM – 4 Sep 12

Ken Rudin Ken Rudin ‏@kenrudin

We could do worse than a presidential campaign between Michelle Obama and Ann Romney. 9:56 PM – 4 Sep 12

Your point of view must depend on whether or not you’re an inside the beltway pundit.

It must be nice to have out of state supporters with an apparently endless supply of checks. Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C121090 09/04/2012 CITIZENS FOR ED EMERY Sarah Atkins 4713 Rock Spring Road Arlington VA 22207 Consultant 9/4/2012 $25,000.00

[emphasis added]

This is not a new thing for this republican candidate and one other. Since the beginning of the year:

C091011 04/02/2012 CITIZENS FOR BRAD LAGER Sarah Atkins 4713 Rock Springs Rd Arlington VA 22207 Requested Requested 3/31/2012 $100,000.00

C121090 07/16/2012 CITIZENS FOR ED EMERY Sarah Atkins 4713 Rock Spring Rd Arlington VA 22207 Self Employed 7/16/2012 $50,000.00

[emphasis added]

Whoa. That’s getting into Sinquefieldian territory.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: throwing down the crazy gauntlet (April 23, 2012)

Campaign Finance: throwing down the crazy gauntlet – the prequel (April 24, 2012)

Campaign Finance: sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t really have a choice (June 16, 2012)

Signs: sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t really have a choice (June 20, 2012)

Campaign Finance: print more signs! (July 3, 2012)

Campaign Finance: a sign on every lawn (July 16, 2012)

Campaign Finance: global thermonuclear war – republican primary – 31st Senate District (August 1, 2012)

Democracy is so much more efficient when you don’t have to ask a thousand people for $25.00 (August 25, 2012)

Talking Points Memo, which seems totally captivated by Todd Akin – Brother Todd’s potential for generating a laugh is no longer a local secret –  today reports that he thinks that not only has he not harmed the Republican party, but that:

…  the race in Missouri has changed and that, at least according to his view, his bid for the Senate now has more appeal from independent voters who look down upon establishment figures such as “party bosses.”

In other words, Akin thinks that among the so-called independents there are voters so disgusted with the top-down structure of political parties – a structure, incidentally, that caused him little or no problem for over ten years – that they’re willing to vote for any batcrap crazy wingnut who’s got nothing to lose by defying party leadership.

On the surface this seems absurd. However, I actually heard someone interviewed on the radio yesterday who claimed that he voted for Obama in 2008, but was disappointed by the lack of “hope and change” and was considering Romney this time around. This indicates to me that there are at least some people out there who aren’t capable of actually understanding the overwhelming philosophical and policy differences between the two parties right now.

Because Obama didn’t kiss the boo-boo and make it go away right away, they’ll take whatever else is on offer, even the guy who wants to take us right back to the bad old Bush days. They seem to have forgotten just what change it was we were hoping for. Nor do they understand that change takes work and persistence over time, especially when you’re dealing with a world-class mess while fighting the obstructionism of the dead-enders who created the mess in the first place.

Would these same folks not really worry about what Akin stands for as long as he rails against the establishment? And does this mean that there really are people who vote for slogans, not substance? If so, who’s to say that Brother Todd’s strategy, railing against “party bosses,” might not lend itself to some telling one liners.  

Today, via the Missouri Ethics Commission, there’s some fundraising going on in the Attorney General race:

C121046 09/03/2012 MISSOURIANS FOR ED MARTIN Herzog Contracting Corp PO Box 1089 St Joseph MO 64502 9/3/2012 $25,000.00

[emphasis added]

Not a surprise.

Previously: Campaign Finance: FEC 48 Hour Notice – Vicky Hartzler (r) – 4th Congressional District (September 3, 2012)

We thought we’d take a look at Federal Election Commission 48 Hour Notices (FEC Form 6) in the 4th Congressional District race over the last few weeks (since the last quarterly report).

For Teresa Hensley (r):

07/24/2012 09 : 16 Image# 12952588785

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY & MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES P E O P L E 1625 L STREET NW WASHINGTON DC 20036 Transaction ID : C5304269 07/23/2012 [$]1000.00

Jack L. Campbell 6318 Morningside Dr Kansas City 64113-2309 Transaction ID : C5304308 Polsinelli Shugart Attorney 07/23/2012 [$]1000.00

[emphasis added]

Organized Labor – that’s working people!

07/26/2012 10 : 39 Image# 12952592288

Joyce A. Aboussie 76 Overhills Dr Saint Louis MO 63124-1532 Transaction ID : C5321135 Aboussie & Associates CEO 07/25/2012 [$]1000.00

[emphasis added]

07/27/2012 14 : 42 Image# 12952599114

Anita Porte Robb 5500 Ward Pkwy Kansas City MO 64113-1118 Transaction ID : C5321714 Robb and Robb LLC Attorney 07/26/2012 [$]1500.00

Gary C. Robb 5500 Ward Pkwy Kansas City MO 64113-1118 Transaction ID : C5321717 Robb and Robb LLC Attorney 07/26/2012 [$]2500.00

[emphasis added]

07/29/2012 22 : 01 Image# 12952599794

AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION – COPE 5025 WISCONSIN AVENUE N.W. WASHINGTON DC 20016 Transaction ID : C5322389 07/27/2012 [$]2500.00

Greg Graves 9400 Ward Pkwy Kansas City MO 64114-3319 Transaction ID : C5322387 Burns & McDonnell President and CEO 07/27/2012 [$]1000.00

Transport Workers Union 501 THIRD ST. NW 9TH FLOOR WASHINGTON DC 20001 Transaction ID : C5322394 Transport Workers Union 07/27/2012 [$]2000.00

[emphasis added]

Organized Labor – that’s working people!

08/01/2012 08 : 56 Image# 12952602396

United Association of Plumbers & Pipefitters THREE PARK PLACE ANNAPOLIS MD 21401 Transaction ID : C5332443 United Association of Plumbers & Pipef 07/31/2012 [$]5000.00

[emphasis added]

Organized Labor – that’s working people!

08/02/2012 16 : 25 Image# 12971838581

Ironworkers Political Action League 1750 New York Avenue, N.W. Washington DC 20006 Transaction ID : C5334292 08/01/2012 [$]4000.00

[emphasis added]

Organized Labor – that’s working people!

08/04/2012 12 : 26 Image# 12952616597

Grant L. Davis 5020 W 67th St Prairie Village KS 66208-1402 Transaction ID : C5337205 Davis Bethune Attorney 08/03/2012 [$]1000.00

[emphasis added]

There is a difference.

Oh, and the “trial attorney” vapors that are sure to emanate from right wingnuts is laughable.

I grew up on the romance of the the early labor movement. My father was a full-on supporter of unions and I knew what solidarity meant before I was old enough to go to school. Today, we talk about the need to defend FDR’s New Deal, which many of us consider the single most important factor in the creation of today’s  strong though embattled middle class. The New Deal, however, and programs like Social Security, would have been impossible without the fifty to sixty years of labor ferment, often violent, that preceded the Great Depression, and the sacrifices of the individuals who fought in the name of solidarity. So, in honor of that history, I’ve put up a song that reflects the union spirit:

And here’s a song about the archetypal union man:

Some more suggestions for celebrating Labor Day: Get a copy of Labor’s Untold Story: The Adventure Story of the Battles, Betrayals and Victories of American Working Men and Women by Richard Boyer and Herbert Morals, and begin reading it. John Dos Passos’ U.S.A. Trilogy is also a great, if pessimistic, mix of fiction, news clippings and biographical sketches that present the social ferment of the 1920 and 30s. It’s not just history, but one of the greatest literary achievements of the 20th century. For those who prefer movies, my favorites are the 1999 film, Cradle will Rock, and, of course, John Sales’ Matewan.

*1st paragraph slightly edited.  

We thought we’d take a look at Federal Election Commission 48 Hour Notices (FEC Form 6) in the 4th Congressional District race over the last few weeks (since the last quarterly report).

For Vicky Hartzler (r):

07/20/2012 16 : 44 Image# 12952568639

Billy Long For Congress 1675 E Seminole St Ste F Springfield MO 65804-2454 Transaction ID : 20720.C10070 07/20/2012 [$]1000.00

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of KC PAC 2301 Main Street Kansas City MO 64108 Transaction ID : 20719.C10067 07/19/2012 [$]2000.00

Elloine Clark 3838 Oak Lawn Ave. Suite 911 Dallas TX 75219 Transaction ID : 20720.C10068 Retired 07/20/2012 [$]2500.00

Gerald Chip Cook 2015 E Dale St Springfield MO 65803-4637 Transaction ID : 20720.C10069 Loren Cook Company Chairman 07/20/2012 [$]1000.00

Mark Sutherland 4000 Main St Kansas City MO 64111-2313 Transaction ID : 20719.C10066 Sutherland Lumber Co. Owner 07/19/2012 [$]1000.00

[emphasis added]

07/26/2012 14 : 24 Image# 12971833881

Barry Corona 1124 Tamaron Place St Louis MO 63131 Transaction ID : 20725.C10090 Production Products President 07/25/2012 [$]2500.00

Friends of Joe Pitts PO Box 775 Unionville PA 19375 Transaction ID : 20726.C10092 07/25/2012 [$]1000.00

Daniel Gaffney 16823 Chesterfield Bluff Cir. Chesterfield MO 63005 Transaction ID : 20725.C10089 Production Products Vice President 07/25/2012 [$]2500.00

Jeffrey Sutton 23908 E 355th St Archie MO 64725 Transaction ID : 20725.C10088 Sutton Trucking, Inc. Owner 07/25/2012 [$]1000.00

Thoroughbred PAC PO Box 65116 Washington DC 20035 Transaction ID : 20726.C10091 07/25/2012 [$]2000.00

[emphasis added]

Thoroughbred PAC? That would be Congressman Ed Whitfield (r):

Imperial President?

by U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (KY-01)

Jun 21, 2012

I’m beginning to think that President Barack Obama believes he is an “Imperial President,” that he has to answer to no one else, and that there are no other branches of government.  

The campaign critic of extending executive power has now issued more than 100 Executive Orders….

That could explain this.

The FEC reports continue:

07/30/2012 16 : 51 Image# 12952600121

Jerry Schnelle 613 Route V V Golden City MO 64747 Transaction ID : 20730.C10134 Self-employed Farmer 07/28/2012 [$]2000.00

[emphasis added]

08/01/2012 15 : 38 Image# 12952603006

Dealers Election Action Committee 8400 Westpark Drive McLean VA 22102 Transaction ID : 20801.C10136 07/31/2012 [$]2500.00

Judy Wood 17701 South Timber Ridge Road Belton MO 64012 Transaction ID : 20801.C10135 Homemaker 07/30/2012 [$]2500.00

[emphasis added]

08/03/2012 12 : 45 Image# 12952612402

Glen Dieckmann PO Box 95 Levasy MO 64066-0095 Transaction ID : 20803.C10156 Lafayette Truck & Trailer Owner 08/03/2012 [$]1000.00

Lone Star Leadership Pac 7315 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda MD 20814 Transaction ID : 20803.C10153 PAC 08/02/2012 [$]1000.00

Edward Jones Pac 12555 Manchester Road St Louis MO 63131 Transaction ID : 20803.C10155 08/02/2012 [$]2500.00

Pete Sessions for Congress PO Box 823047 Dallas TX 75382 Transaction ID : 20803.C10154 08/02/2012 [$]2000.00

[emphasis added]

Lone Star leadership PAC? That would be Congressman Michael Burgess (r) [from 2011]:

GOP Rep: Obama Impeachment ‘Needs To Happen’

By Tanya Somanader on Aug 9, 2011 at 11:20 am

At a town hall meeting yesterday, a Tea Party member urged Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) to bring impeachment proceedings against President Obama in the House. Burgess replied, “It needs to happen, and I agree with you it would tie things up…No question about that.” When asked to clarify, Burgess said he wasn’t sure what the proper charges to bring against Obama would be, but reiterated his support for such a move. “We need to tie things up,” he said. “The longer we allow the damage to continue unchecked, the worse things are going to be for us.” Burgess joins numerous House Republicans in their impeachment-saber rattling.

That Congressman Pete Sessions (r)? [from 2008]:

PACs put the fun in fundraising

by Steve Henn

Marketplace for Tuesday, July 22, 2008

[….]

Sessions: That’s right, we do a Las Vegas fundraiser every year and not only raise money, but see Las Vegas. It’s a beautiful town.

Henn: Forty Deuce is a strip club.

Sessions: You know, I’ve never seen that. It is what I would call a burlesque show where there’s a woman who comes out and has a dress on… Uh, she never get’s naked. There’s no nudity, there’s no nudity in there.

[….]

And here we all thought PAC money was raised at local bake sales. Evidently not. The local and bake sale parts, that is.

Yesterday, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C111205 09/02/2012 SPENCE FOR GOVERNOR Samuel Hamacher 948 Kingscove Ct. St Louis MO 63017 Harbour Group President 8/31/2012 $10,000.00

C111205 09/02/2012 SPENCE FOR GOVERNOR William Koman One Forest Ridge Place St Louis MO 63105 The Koman Group President & CEO 8/31/2012 $25,000.00

Gee, we’re used to seeing much larger amounts.