Mike Parson (r) has switched from running for Governor to running for Lieutenant Governor.

His announcement on social media:

…After much conversation with my family, friends, and supporters, we have decided to redirect our campaign toward the office of Lieutenant Governor.

The race is not about me, but it’s about doing what is best for Missouri. It is clear there is more agreement than disagreement among the GOP candidates for Governor regarding the very important economic, social and freedom issues facing Missouri families and businesses. It is also clear that our message of “Positive Politics” would be lost among such a congested field discussing these issues.

I will work closely with the Governor and General Assembly on these issues if elected, but the reason I chose to run in the first place was to change the tone of Missouri politics. The office of Lieutenant Governor serves as the People’s Advocate, focusing on issues facing veterans, the elderly, rural economic development, and education. It is also the perfect platform to be the People’s Advocate for real ethics reform and making the Missouri political system worthy of the respect of Missouri’s citizens….

[emphasis in original]

Uh, his  current primary opponent had $902,767.87 cash on hand at the end of the second quarter. Mike Parson’s (r) $726,729.72 cash on hand for the same period does make this race a little more even match.

Previously:

Because asking politely for people to comply with the law always seems to work out so well (April 15, 2015)

Add another one to the list (May 4, 2015)

Campaign Finance: choosing (May 10, 2015)

Campaign Finance: taking some medicine (May 22, 2015)

Campaign Finance: Gee, that’s a familiar, round number… (May 22, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a little bit more (May 27, 2015)

Campaign Finance: An alternate hope? (May 29, 2015)

Campaign Finance: now that we’re clear on that (June 2, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a familiar name (June 10, 2015)

Campaign Finance: just a little bit more (June 10, 2015)

Campaign Finance: friends in all kinds of places (June 12, 2015)

Campaign Finance: running for Governor, may run for Governor, exploring a run for Governor (June 13, 2015)

Campaign Finance: running for Governor, may run for Governor, probably running for Governor (June 25, 2015)

Campaign Finance: nothing to sneeze at (June 27, 2015)

Campaign Finance: Paper or plastic? (July 6, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a familiar amount (July 8, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a managed choice (July 14, 2015)

Mike Parson (r) – July 2015 Campaign Finance Report (July 16, 2015)

This evening via social media:

Paul LeVota

To My Friends:

My conduct has been called into question relating to the intern program in the Missouri Senate and even though there has been no proof of any wrongdoing, the media attention is a distraction to doing the people’s work.

As I stated before, I did not engage in harassment of any intern in the Missouri Senate and an investigation found no proof of misconduct. However, I will not put my family, myself, or the senate through the process of dealing with the veracity of false allegations and character assassination against me.

In my entire time as a public official, I have focused on issues to help people like expanding health insurance, raising the minimum wage, and equal pay for all. If anything distracts from my ability to do that work for Missouri, I cannot be as effective as my constituents deserve. With the continuing focus of other issues, I find it difficult to be the best senator that the people elected me to be.

Today , I have tendered my resignation from the Missouri Senate to Senator Tom Dempsey effective August 23, 2015. It is important to finalize all issues in my office and to allow the governor the ability to immediately call for a special election to fill my seat.

It is doubly important as House District 29 is still vacant and needs to be filled. It is imperative that the people of the 11th Senatorial District and the 29th House District have representation in Jefferson City immediately.

I want to thank all of my supporters over my years in public service and I look forward to joining the ranks as a private individual and contribute to my community in that way.

Previously:

Uh, oh… (July 23, 2015)

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission for John Brunner’s (r) 2016 exploratory gubernatorial campaign:

C151077 07/24/2015 MISSOURIANS FOR JOHN BRUNNER August A Busch III 1 Mid Rivers Mall Drive Suite 210 Saint Peters MO 63376 Retired Retired 7/23/2015 $35,000.00

[emphasis added]

Curiously, other 2016 gubernatorial hopefuls (exploratory, declared, probable) have received campaign contributions from the same individual this year:

C031159 02/25/2015 MISSOURIANS FOR KOSTER August Busch III 1 Mid Rivers Mall Drive Suite 210 Saint Peters MO 63376 Retired Retired 2/23/2015 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

C151053 03/06/2015 GREITENS FOR MISSOURI August Busch III 1 Mid Rivers Mall Dr. Suite 210 St Louis MO 63376 Retired 3/5/2015 $50,000.00

 [emphasis added]

151077 04/02/2015 MISSOURIANS FOR JOHN BRUNNER August Busch III 1 Mid Rivers Mall Dr. Suite 210 St Peters MO 63376 Retired 4/1/2015 $15,172.00

[emphasis added]

C091145 05/29/2015 FRIENDS OF PETER KINDER August A Busch III ONE MID RIVERS MALL DR Suite 210 St Louis MO 63376 Retired 5/28/2015 $50,000.00

[emphasis added]

C141055 07/22/2015 HANAWAY FOR GOVERNOR, INC August Busch III One Busch Place St Louis MO 63118 Anhauser Busch Retired 7/22/2015 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

That almost covers everyone.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: You were expecting anything other than $5,001.00? (April 24, 2015)

John Brunner (r): something or another (April 28, 2015)

Campaign Finance: It’s a good thing yesterday was a slow news day… (May 14, 2015)

Campaign Finance: that’s a lot of exploration (May 16, 2015)

Campaign Finance: probably not the singer (June 8, 2015)

John Brunner (r) – July 2015 Quarterly Campaign Finance Report (July 15, 2015)

My introduction to the Tea Party involved a Town Hall meeting where several Tea Party seniors were waving signs inscribed “Save our Medicare.” They had been told – and believed – that the goal of Obamacare was to take their Medicare away from them to pay for healthcare for undeserving poor, probably black, folks. That was when I understood that this was not a movement that merited respect.

This impression has been borne out over the last few years as the GOP, which was the sole beneficiary of misinformed Tea Party ardor, has, sometimes subtly, sometimes blatantly, gone after Medicare while basking in the support of the predominantly middle- and senior-aged Tea Partiers. Although Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, for example, has never exactly been a Tea Party favorite, he gets their votes. This is the same Roy Blunt who has voted again and again for Republican budgets that would voucherize Medicare while shifting much of the cost onto the shoulders of the recipients. Almost all GOP members of the Missouri House delegation, overtly Tea Party or not, have also consistently voted to support Paul Ryan’s proposed budget plans, all of which seek to voucherize or otherwise decimate Medicare under the rubric of “reform.”

Now one of the leading GOP presidential candidates, Jeb Bush, has put the issue on the table front and foremost, proposing to “phase out” Medicare. How does he plan to sell this “phase out”? By persuading the gullible that the Medicare sky is falling. Medicare, he claims, is too expensive and will eventually run out of money. Bear in mind that Bush, as Governor of Florida, went all out to cut taxes for the wealthy. It’s no wonder that he can’t imagine that Medicare solvency could be addressed from the revenue side – that’s not the Republican way; instead GOPers all want to reform it out of existence.

Nor, as a Republican, can Bush acknowledge the fact that savings realized through Obamacare have added years to Medicare’s stability, ensuring that the program is financially secure through 2030 – and proving that there are better ways to address the future of the program than to destory it through privatization. Ironic isn’t it? Medicare-baiting was a major mechanism used to rile up Tea Party seniors against Obamacare; now it looks like Obamacare is adding years to Medicare’s solvency. The voice of the Tea Party, the Republican Party, won’t “Save our Medicare,” but Obamacare might help us reach that goal.

 

Yesterday:

Paul LeVota, Independence senator, accused of sexual harassment by intern in Jefferson City

Posted By Steve Vockrodt on Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 4:40 PM

A Missouri Senate investigation released on Wednesday outlines claims of sexual harassment by a student intern against Missouri Sen. Paul LeVota.

The long-awaited investigative report details allegations by a University of Central Missouri intern working in LeVota’s (D-Independence) office, accusing the senator of making sexually charged remarks and later retaliating against her when she rebuffed his advances.

LeVota denied her claims, and the investigative report draws no conclusions about the allegations….

…via Twitter message last night:

[@MBersin] Do you have a statement on AG Koster’s investigation of Planned Parenthood?

The reply from Senator Jill Schupp (D):

[@JillSchupp] Due to MO laws & questions raised, ok for AG to investigate. MO PP does not engage in practice-investigation should be swift & conclusive.

Previously:

On science (July 18, 2015)

Smarmy Ann Wagner point person in election year push against Planned Parenthood (July 18, 2015)

Savaging Planned Parenthood in Missouri (July 22, 2015)

Real Democrats – but not in Missouri (July 22, 2015)

We keep seeing that amount.

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission for Catherine Hanaway’s (r) 2016 gubernatorial campaign:

C141055 07/22/2015 HANAWAY FOR GOVERNOR, INC August Busch III One Busch Place St Louis MO 63118 Anhauser Busch Retired 7/22/2015 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

Apparently $10,000.00 is the one percent’s version of a $5.00 ticket to a campaign hog roast fundraiser. Without the hog.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: making a choice (October 15, 2014)

Every time Rex Sinquefield signs a check a twenty-something campaign consultant gets their wings… (October 22, 2014)

Campaign Finance: Oh, there is a difference… (February 20, 2015)

Campaign Finance: gone quiet (March 21, 2015)

Campaign Finance: back in business (April 5, 2015)

Campaign Finance: all in today (April 9, 2015)

Campaign Finance: trickling in (April 14, 2015)

Campaign Finance: still trickling in (April 20, 2015)

Campaign Finance: more than a trickle (May 8, 2015)

Campaign Finance: Did we call it, or what? (May 11, 2015)

Campaign Finance: inspiring confidence (May 26, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a Florida populist? (June 3, 2015)

Campaign Finance: $10,000.00 is a popular amount (June 4, 2015)

Campaign Finance: still awake (June 17, 2015)

Campaign Finance: they have the power… (June 19, 2015)

Catherine Hanaway (r) – July 2015 Campaign Finance Report (July 17, 2015)

I wrote earlier today about how necessary it is that Democrats stand up against Republican efforts to slime Planned Parenthood with a patently bogus video. Then, later, I read this:

Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) asked U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and California Attorney General Kamala Harris on Tuesday to review whether the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress broke state and federal laws when it created a fake human tissue procurement company in order to gain access to and secretly film Planned Parenthood staffers. The Huffington Post reported on Friday that the CMP may have also illegally deceived the IRS and its donors by posing as a biomedicine charity in 2013.

“I am deeply concerned about the allegations that federal and state laws were violated in an attempt to attack Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides critical health care services to more than three million men and women each year, and that the attack was coordinated by conservative activists who want to discredit Planned Parenthood and its work,” Clarke said in a statement. “I urge Attorney General Loretta Lynch and the Honorable Kamala Harris, Attorney General of California, to initiate a full investigation into this incident to determine if any fraud or other illegal activities were committed.”

The Center for Medical Progress, which has ties to the violent anti-abortion activists at Operation Rescue, has released two heavily edited undercover videos that purport to show Planned Parenthood employees discussing the sale of fetal tissue. Planned Parenthood said the videos actually show employees discussing the donation of fetal tissue to scientific research, which is legal, not-for-profit and done only with the permission of the woman seeking the abortion. FactCheck.org debunked the CMP’s claims, noting that Planned Parenthood cannot possibly profit from the donation of fetal tissue based on the small reimbursement costs the doctor was caught discussing.

Nobody from Missouri’s on that list of righteous Democats – right, Claire McCaskill? In Missouri they line up with the Republicans – am I telling the truth Chris Koster – or else they keep their mouths shut and hope nobody notices.

But, outside Missouri the news is getting out that as far as “scandal” goes, there’s no there there in the CMP video, As today’s New York Times writes in an excellent editorial:

The Center for Medical Progress video campaign is a dishonest attempt to make legal, voluntary and potentially lifesaving tissue donations appear nefarious and illegal. Lawmakers responding by promoting their own anti-choice agenda are rewarding deception and putting women’s health and their constitutionally protected rights at risk.

Now just tell me how we go about getting some good, stand-up Democrats in Missouri to get that message out there.

In an earlier post I noted that the efforts to gin up outrage over a heavily edited video purporting to catch Planned Parenthood officials out was likely part of a strategy to help insulate Republicans from Democrataic war-on-women rhetoric while they go after reproductive health rights. Missouri politicians wasted no time proving me right. And, as is often the case, Missouri Democrats are lending a helping hand.

Although Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Springfield, which is the sole Planned Parenthood abortion provider in Missouri, has pointed out that, in accordance with Missouri State Law, they do not participate in the organ donation program, rendering questions about the heavily edited video “moot,”  droves of Republican pols have jumped on the bandwagon, calling for investigations of imagined “atrocities.” Just to make sure that everyone knows what’s going on, State Rep. Sue Allen (R-100) is even sending her constituents via e-mail a copy of the misleading video earlier distributed in the same way by Rep. Ann Wagner (R-2). Way to whip those ponies into a lather!

This angsty GOP urgency is escalating in spite of the fact that the unedited, three hour version of the video is easily available and, according to reputable sources who have viewed it, fails to substantiate the claims of illegal activity made by the extreme anti-abortion group responsible for the tape. It seems that one of the two videos released explicitly mentions St. Louis Planned Parenthood as an offender. But would  you trust fanatics with a track record of dishonest harrassment of Planned Parenthood? Consider the source.

However, the real news isn’t the entirely predictable behavior of Republicans, but the haste of our ostensibly Democratic Attorney General to get in on the investigation circus, thus making the faux-scandal big-time – or at least as big-time as Missouri can get. AG Kris Koster is joining with the baying Republican hounds in the legislature who have decided to, in the words of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jordan Shapiro, “propel Missouri into the forefront of a national uproar caused by the video.”

Koster’s decision to investigate resulted in a front page article in the Post-Dispatch today – and, doubtless, lots more publicity for a bogus video for a lot longer than would have been generated by the frothings of the usual suspects alone. In effect, Koster has endorsed what the evidence indicates rather conclusively to be a put-up job, endowing it with the pseudo-legitimacy of an “investigation.”  

It’ll be interesting to see how other state Democrats come down on this issue. So far as I can tell legislative Democrats are huddling in terrified silence; no one seems to have what it takes to publicly point out the obvious fraudulence of the entire episode – including the genteel “horror”generated by the frank discussion of what doctors actually do when they try to preserve donated tissue so that it can be effectively utilized. So far nothing from senatorial candidate Jason Kander. Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill is commenting, though at this juncture she is sounding fairly neutral, ready to jump to either side:

I’m sure that there will be many hearings about it, and I’ll continue to try to be engaged and involved in understanding exactly what occurred. Obviously, if they’ve broken the law, that’s a problem. But the law says they cannot sell any tissue for profit and they’re assuring the public they have not done that.”

What our Democrats do right now is important. Remember Acorn? Remember when Claire McCaskill, along with other Democrats fearful of the power of disinformation, basically endorsed an equally obviously manufactured video? Remember what happened to Acorn? We can’t afford to let that happen to Planned Parenthood. What can we do? Write Koster – say shame, shame on you. Write your state and federal representatives and our senators. Let them know we don’t want to watch this charade any longer. And right about now might be a good time to send a donation to Planned Parenthood. They need our support.

A committee supporting an initiative for campaign contribution limits (via the Missouri Ethics Commission):

C141592: Returning Government To The People

  Committee Type: Campaign

231 S Bemiston Ave Ste 800

St Louis Mo 63105 Established Date: 12/19/2014

[….]

Ballot Measures Election Date Subject Support/Oppose

Missouri Campaign Contribution Reform Initiative 11/08/2016 Campaign Contribution Limits, Statewide Support

[emphasis added]

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C141592 07/21/2015 RETURNING GOVERNMENT TO THE PEOPLE Fred N Sauer 454 Hammersmith Road St Louis MO 63141 Orion Investment Company 7/21/2015 $50,000.00

[emphasis added]

Think about that for a second or two.