Yesterday, Thelma had a busy day in Butler, Missouri.

Via Twitter:

Why, that’s Thelma in the foreground.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler ‏@RepHartzler

Enjoyed eating lunch with the wonderful senior citizens at Butler Senior Center! pic.twitter.com/tsuPuEaP 10:36 AM – 23 Oct 12

I don’t think Vicky Hartzler (r) knew who she was talking to.

Via facebook:

Why, that’s Thelma wearing a Teresa Hensley sticker.

Yep, that’s the same person. We received the following via e-mail:

Thelma…was the first president of the Bates County Democratic Women’s Club back in 1972. She told me that one of their first accomplishments was working for Ike Skelton. She’s currently 97 and just as avid a Democrat as ever.

There’s no doubt who is getting that vote.

You could probably bet money that Thelma knows who voted to end Medicare as we know it. Hint: her initials begin with Vicky Hartzler (r).

Today, republican State Treasurer candidate Cole McNary’s campaign benefited from the largesse of two related contributors. At the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C081190 10/24/2012 FRIENDS TO ELECT COLE MCNARY David Humphreys PO Box 4050 Joplin MO 64803 Tamko 10/22/2012 $100,000.00

C081190 10/24/2012 FRIENDS TO ELECT COLE MCNARY Ethylmae Humphreys 2505 E 11th Street Joplin MO 64801 Retired 10/22/2012 $25,000.00

[emphasis added]

Still, for now, they only get one vote apiece.

But wait, there’s more:

C081190 10/24/2012 FRIENDS TO ELECT COLE MCNARY Citizens for Diehl 2404 White Stable Rd Saint Louis MO 63131 10/22/2012 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

I don’t believe a campaign committee gets to vote in an election. The good thing for the candidate is that these contributions show a bit of geographic diversity. A bit.

An ad from the Obama campaign:

Narrator: Five hundred and thirty-seven. The number of votes that changed the course of American history.

Voice: Florida is too close to call.

Narrator: the difference between what was and what could have been.

So this year, if you’re thinking that your vote doesn’t count, that it won’t matter, well, back then there were probably at least five hundred thirty-seven people who felt the same way.

Make your voice heard. Vote.

President Obama (D): I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message.

You all know what to do. Especially if you don’t want to relive 2000. And 2001. And 2002. And 2003….

Previously: Campaign Finance: he’ll only waste it on more television commercials (October 18, 2012)

Gee, that’s $1,000,000.00 in little less than a week. Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C111205 10/24/2012 SPENCE FOR GOVERNOR David Spence 2021 S. Warson Rd. St Louis MO 63124 Self Businessman 10/22/2012 $500,000.00

[emphasis added]

The commercials remain, not worth it.

Today, the folks supporting Proposition B, the initiative to raise Missouri’s last in the nation tobacco tax, scored a significant amount of in state money. At the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C121042 10/24/2012 MISSOURIANS FOR HEALTH AND EDUCATION Health Care Foundation of Greater KC 2700 East 18th Street #220 Kansas City MO 64127 10/23/2012 $400,000.00

[emphasis added]

Fancy that.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: “such sheets of fire [cough, cough], such bursts of horrid thunder” (October 23, 2012)

Campaign Finance – October 2012 quarterly reports – cough, cough, hack, hack (October 15, 2012)

Signs (cough) of the times (October 3, 2012)

Campaign Finance: What’s up in (cough) Fenton? (October 2, 2012)

Campaign Finance: the empire strikes back (September 27, 2012)

Campaign Finance: not just blowin’ smoke (September 26, 2012)

Campaign Finance: put that in your pipe and smoke it (September 24, 2012)

Campaign Finance: in the old days everyone would notice (August 9, 2012)

Campaign Finance: take that (cough, cough, hack, hack) (June 15, 2012)

Campaign Finance: when the smoke clears (May 29, 2012)

Campaign Finance: stepping up to clear the air (May 25, 2012)

Campaign Finance: smoke gets in our eyes… (April 26, 2012)

Campaign Finance: up in a cloud of smoke (April 20, 2012)

Campaign Finance: cough, cough, hack, hack (April 10, 2012)

Campaign Finance: Initiative petitions on raising the tobacco tax (February 15, 2012)

Initiative petitions on raising the tobacco tax (February 14, 2012)

As we well know in Missouri, this is what we’ll all get if the republicans get the majority in the United States Senate. Imagine a Senate populated with more of the likes of Todd Akin (r) and Richard Mourdock (r), a teabagger darling in Indiana:

Richard Mourdock, republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Indiana: You know, this is that issue that every candidate for federal or even state office faces. And I, too, certainly stand for life. I know there are some who disagree and I respect their point of view, but I believe that life begins at conception. Uh, the only exception I have for, uh, to have an abortion is in that case of the life of the mother.  I, I just, I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize life is that gift from God. And I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape that it is, uh, something that God intended to happen….

[[emphasis added]

And this is the republican nominee for President, Mitt Romney, heartily endorsing Richard Mourdock for United States Senate:

Mitt Romney (r): This fall I’m supporting Richard Mourdock for Senate. As State Treasurer, Richard worked with Governor Daniels to balance the budget and make government more accountable. As senator, Richard will be the fifty-first vote to repeal and replace government run healthcare. Richard will help stop the liberal Reid Pelosi agenda. With so much at stake I hope you’ll join me in supporting Richard Mourdock for U.S. Senate.

Richard Mourdock (r): I’m Richard Mourdock and I approve this message.

The Romney (r) ad for Mourdock (r) was released on October 21, 2012. The question is, does Mitt Romney approve Richard Mourdock’s message? Any bets on the Romney campaign insisting that the Mourdock campaign pull the ad?

“…With so much at stake…”

Any questions about their agenda?

President Obama, today, in Dayton, Ohio:

Voice: Obama, we love you!

President Obama (D): ….You know, last night, Governor Romney looked you right in the eye, looked me in the eye, tried to pretend that he never said, let Detroit go bankrupt. Tried to pretend that he meant the same thing I did when we intervened and worked to make sure that management and workers got together to save the U.S. auto industry, pretended like somehow I had taken his advice. [laughter] The people don’t forget. The people of Dayton don’t forget. [voices: “No!”] The people of Ohio don’t forget. [voices: “No!”]

If Mitt Romney had been president when the auto industry was on the verge of collapse, we might not have an American auto industry today. We’d be buying cars from China instead of selling cars to China.  And you know how important that is to Ohio. The auto industry supports one in eight Ohio jobs. It’s a source of pride to this state.  It is a source of pride to our country. It’s a source of pride to generations of workers. I refused to walk away from those workers.I bet on those workers. I refused to walk away from those jobs. I understood that Americans can compete. I wasn’t about to let Detroit go bankrupt, or Toledo go bankrupt, or Lordstown go bankrupt. I bet on American workers. I bet on American manufacturing. I would do it again because that bet has paid off for Ohio and America in a big way. [cheers, applause]….

Take that, Mitt (r).

The folks opposed to raising Missouri’s last in the nation tobacco tax raked it from out of state today. At the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C000639 10/23/2012 MO PETROLEUM MARKETERS + CONVENIENCE STORE ASSOC PAC XCaliber International LTD One Tobacco Road Pryor OK 74361 10/23/2012 $125,000.00

C000639 10/23/2012 MO PETROLEUM MARKETERS + CONVENIENCE STORE ASSOC PAC Cheyenne International, LLC 701 South Battleground Ave Grover NC 28073 10/23/2012 $275,000.00

C000639 10/23/2012 MO PETROLEUM MARKETERS + CONVENIENCE STORE ASSOC PAC Amcon Distributing Company PO Box 641940 Omaha NE 68164 10/23/2012 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

Go figure.

Previously:

Campaign Finance – October 2012 quarterly reports – cough, cough, hack, hack (October 15, 2012)

Signs (cough) of the times (October 3, 2012)

Campaign Finance: What’s up in (cough) Fenton? (October 2, 2012)

Campaign Finance: the empire strikes back (September 27, 2012)

Campaign Finance: not just blowin’ smoke (September 26, 2012)

Campaign Finance: put that in your pipe and smoke it (September 24, 2012)

Campaign Finance: in the old days everyone would notice (August 9, 2012)

Campaign Finance: take that (cough, cough, hack, hack) (June 15, 2012)

Campaign Finance: when the smoke clears (May 29, 2012)

Campaign Finance: stepping up to clear the air (May 25, 2012)

Campaign Finance: smoke gets in our eyes… (April 26, 2012)

Campaign Finance: up in a cloud of smoke (April 20, 2012)

Campaign Finance: cough, cough, hack, hack (April 10, 2012)

Campaign Finance: Initiative petitions on raising the tobacco tax (February 15, 2012)

Initiative petitions on raising the tobacco tax (February 14, 2012)

What’s been going on with the price of gas in west central Missouri? It’s gone down:

The price of gas in west central Missouri in the afternoon on October 23, 2012.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration provides historical national retail gasoline price data from January 2000 to August 2012. The national price in August 2012?:

[$]3.722

Why, the retail price of gas has dropped significantly.

The cost of gas has been a republican complaint meme:

The past, the gas, and isms (September 24, 2012)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): let’s pass the gas – part 2 (June 6, 2012)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): let’s pass the gas (May 27, 2012)

You didn’t think we’d hear something from the republican gas price handwringers when it drops, did you?

So why was Romney nicer to Bob Schieffer than he was to Candy Crowley? No talking over the moderator tonight, no efforts to steam-roll everyone in earshot? The worst we got was lots of wandering, seemingly pointless, but, I have to admit, very high-speed yammering.

Could Romney’s earlier behavior been been due to the fact that Crowley’s a woman?  In my past life in management, I encountered lots of men who consistently tried to talk over female colleagues, and Romney seems to be the type. It was great watching Crowley shoot him down.

But, but, you stammer, he was just as rude to Jim Lehrer, another white male. But, of course, Lehrer is a retired (hence, non-threatening) broadcaster from PBS which Romney’s supporters revile as the lair of the liberal media they fantasize about interminably. Wipe the floor with Lehrer, they all cheer.

Speculation aside, I’m guessing Romney’s gentle stammering and pleading glances were simply an awkward effort to steal himself some undecided or wavering voters, particularly women. There are some indications that the mutual aggression on display in the last debate wasn’t going over well with that particular group. Too bad most of us are just as turned off by would-be leaders who give the impression they’re cringing in the corner while daddy tells them to take a time out and promise not to ever, ever fib again.