Monthly Archives: October 2016

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The post that made Blue Girl burst with pride and pass the baton

15 Saturday Oct 2016

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By @emmocupcakes

My name is Zoe Anne, and I am 12 years old. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but I am who you’re busting your butts for, because I’m going to inherit this mess.

I won’t be able to cast my first ballot until the 2022 midterms, but you can bet I will vote in every election that season, and every election thereafter. I always kinda-sorta knew I would be leftish. I’m being raised in a Redemptorist, Liberation Theology Catholic family, church, and school.

Yesterday I attended a rally for Jason Kander with Senator Elizabeth Warren at the College Basketball Experience at the Sprint Center downtown. After yesterday, I’m a liberal in my own right, not just because of how I’m being raised.

When my grandma said she wanted to take me to a rally on my day off from school I wasn’t thrilled, I honestly thought it was going to be really boring. When the first state representative started talking about her time with Jason Kander I was actually really interested by what she was saying. All throughout I was listening and I actually learned a few things. The main thing that I remember was when Robin Smith, who is running for Secretary of State, started talking about how many real cases of voter impersonation there have been (31 out of a BILLION ballots cast) and all the other laws that are trying to be passed to strip certain people of their rights really made me think. How many hoops am I going to have to jump through to register to vote in a few years if these guys get their way and keep taking more and more rights away?

I didn’t know who Elizabeth Warren was until two days ago when my grandma told me about her and the CEO of Wells Fargo, but when I saw her I was so excited. Everything she said was really inspiring and sometimes very thought provoking. I’m actually quite hopeful for some of this year’s politicians and I hope that they live up to the expectations we have for them.

Jason Kander said several times his generation would fix things. I hope those weren’t just words, because my generation is counting on them.

This post was written by my 12-year-old granddaughter after her first rally. Apples, trees, yadda yadda… Blue Girl

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Campaign Finance: with impunity, because they can

15 Saturday Oct 2016

Posted by in campaign finance

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This is insanity, even in a state with no campaign contribution limits. Who benefits? Not the voters.

If past behavior is any indicator:

Eric Greitens (r) [2016 file photo].

Eric Greitens (r) [2016 file photo].

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission to a state pass through PAC from a Washington, D.C. republican PAC:

C161011 10/15/2016 REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION – MISSOURI REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION 1747 PENNSYLVANIA AVE. STE. 250 WASHINGTON DC 20006 10/13/2016 $4,000,000.00

[emphasis added]

$4,000,000.00. Ponder that for just a second. Then, with a straight face, try to tell anyone that Democracy isn’t for sale.

And we still don’t know who wrote the check(s) to raise that money. So much for transparencey, eh?

They deserve to lose for this obscenity.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: You were expecting something else? (October 14, 2016)

Campaign Finance: attempting to follow the money…

15 Saturday Oct 2016

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…with very little success.

Eric Greitens (r) [2016 file photo].

Eric Greitens (r) [2016 file photo].

On Eric Greitens’ (r) now legendary transparency, a press release from Chris Koster’s (D) 2016 gubernatorial campaign:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15th, 2016
[….]

Statement: Eric Greitens’ “SEALs For Truth” is Funded By Dark Money Organization

St. Louis – Today, SEALs For Truth, a mysterious organization, and Eric Greitens’ largest donor, disclosed their list of “donors” to the public. Instead of a list of individuals, the organization was completely funded by a single organization called the “American Policy Coalition”. It is just one anonymous group funneling money to another anonymous group – a Russian nesting doll of campaign finance.

In the Republican Primary, Greitens claimed the donors behind SEALs For Truth were “Naval special warfare, Navy SEALs, and special warfare combatant crewmen who were also part of Naval Special Warfare, who saw what was happening in [his] campaign.” MEC filings show that was a lie.  

David Turner, spokesman for the Koster campaign, delivered the following statement:

“Eric Greitens lied to the people of Missouri. He is running a campaign with no regard for ethics or integrity. This FEC disclosure further proves his only interest is furthering his own political ambitions. With more than 70% of his donations outside of Missouri, and more obscured through legal entities and dark money groups, his pledge to clean up corruption is a complete and utter joke. What’s worse is that he continues to mislead Missourians by refusing to release his tax returns. I have one word to describe Eric Greitens on ethics: pathetic.”

###

Eric Greiten’s (r) received a single campaign contribution of $1,975,000.00 from “SEALs for Truth” on July 18, 2016.

The American Policy Coalition? “SEALs for Truth” and the “American Policy Coalition” don’t show up in any searches at the Missouri Ethics Commission.

The October quarterly filing [pdf] for “SEALs for Truth” with the Federal Election Commission lists a single $2,000,000.00 contribution from the “American Policy Coalition, Inc.” in Washington, D.C.:

SCHEDULE A
ITEMIZED RECEIPTS
All Listed Line Numbers
Committee: SEALS FOR TRUTH
Contributor’s Name Contributor’s Address Employer/Occupation Memo/Description Memo Text Date Amount ($) Aggregate ($) Limits
American Policy Coalition, Inc. P.O. Box 26445 Washington, DC 20001 07/18/2016 2000000.00 2000000.00

[emphasis added]

That’s it. One $2,000,000.00 contribution, of which all but $25,000.00 was passed through to Eric Greitens’ (r) 2016 gubernatorial campaign.

The disbursements for “SEALs for Truth” filed with the Federal Election Commission:

SCHEDULE B
ITEMIZED DISBURSEMENTS
All Listed Line Numbers
Committee: SEALS FOR TRUTH Disbursement To Address Election Type Date of Disbursement Extra Description Amount This Period Text Memo
Clark Hill PLC 601 Pennsylvania Ave NW Suite 1000 N. Bldg Washington, DC 20004 07/25/2016 Legal fees 3295.50

Clark Hill PLC 601 Pennsylvania Ave NW Suite 1000 N. Bldg Washington, DC 20004 09/01/2016 Legal fees 3010.00

Jackson-Alvarez Group 7777 Leesburg Pike Suite 407N Falls Church, Virginia 22043 09/28/2016 Research consulting services 5000.00

Greitens for Missouri 4579 LACLEDE AVE #138 St. Louis, Missouri 63108 07/18/2016 Contribution 1975000.00

[emphasis added]

Nope. Still no idea who wrote the check(s). So much for campaign finance transparency.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: Oh, like they couldn’t come up with another $25,000.00? (July 18, 2016)

Campaign Finance: not exactly a paragon of transparency (August 11, 2016)

Campaign Finance: just passing through (August 26, 2016)

Campaign Finance: Who’s that for? (September 17, 2016)

Campaign Finance: Oh, like anyone is surprised? (September 19, 2016)

Campaign Finance: maybe it all depends on what your definition of “grassroots” is (September 30, 2016)

Campaign Finance: let’s go for the record (October 4, 2016)

Campaign Finance: the journey continues, one $1,000,000.00 check at a time (October 6, 2016)

Campaign Finance: Who benefits? (October 9, 2016)

Campaign Finance: You were expecting something else? (October 14, 2016)

Campaign Finance: You were expecting something else?

14 Friday Oct 2016

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You get the antithesis of grassroots populism.

Eric Greitens (r) [2016 file photo].

Eric Greitens (r) [2016 file photo].

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission for Eric Greitens’ (r) 2016 gubernatorial campaign:

C151053 10/14/2016 GREITENS FOR MISSOURI Republican Governors Association – Missouri 1747 Penn. Ave. NW Suite 250 Washington DC 20006 10/14/2016 $1,000,000.00

[emphasis added]

Transparency be damned. That’s a total of $7,000,000.00 from one entity for one candidate. We don’t have any idea about the real source(s) of all that cash.

C151053 08/11/2016 GREITENS FOR MISSOURI Republican Governors Association – Missouri 1747 Penn. Ave. NW Suite 250 Washington DC 20006 8/11/2016 $1,000,000.00

C151053 08/26/2016 GREITENS FOR MISSOURI Republican Governors Association – Missouri 1747 Penn. Ave. NW Suite 250 Washington DC 20006 8/26/2016 $2,500,000.00

C151053 09/19/2016 GREITENS FOR MISSOURI Republican Governors Association – Missouri 1747 Penn. Ave. NW Suite 250 Washington DC 20006 9/19/2016 $750,000.00

C151053 09/30/2016 GREITENS FOR MISSOURI Republican Governors Association – Missouri 1747 Penn. Ave. NW Suite 250 Washington DC 20006 9/30/2016 $750,000.00

C151053 10/06/2016 GREITENS FOR MISSOURI Republican Governors Association – Missouri 1747 Penn. Ave. NW Suite 250 Washington DC 20006 10/6/2016 $1,000,000.00

C151053 10/14/2016 GREITENS FOR MISSOURI Republican Governors Association – Missouri 1747 Penn. Ave. NW Suite 250 Washington DC 20006 10/14/2016 $1,000,000.00

That’s what you get when there are no limits.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: Oh, like they couldn’t come up with another $25,000.00? (July 18, 2016)

Campaign Finance: not exactly a paragon of transparency (August 11, 2016)

Campaign Finance: just passing through (August 26, 2016)

Campaign Finance: Who’s that for? (September 17, 2016)

Campaign Finance: Oh, like anyone is surprised? (September 19, 2016)

Campaign Finance: maybe it all depends on what your definition of “grassroots” is (September 30, 2016)

Campaign Finance: let’s go for the record (October 4, 2016)

Campaign Finance: the journey continues, one $1,000,000.00 check at a time (October 6, 2016)

Campaign Finance: Who benefits? (October 9, 2016)

Campaign Finance: more from working people

14 Friday Oct 2016

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Chris Koster (D) [2016 file photo].

Chris Koster (D) [2016 file photo].

Yesterday at the Missouri Ethics Commission for Chris Koster’s (D) 2016 gubernatorial campaign:

C031159 10/13/2016 KOSTER FOR MISSOURI UA Political Education Committee 3 Park Place Annapolis MD 21401 10/12/2016 $100,000.00

C031159 10/13/2016 KOSTER FOR MISSOURI United Food and Commercial Workers International Union 1775 K St NW Washington DC 20006 10/13/2016 $100,000.00

[emphasis added]

Every little bit helps.

Campaign Finance: a transparent difference

13 Thursday Oct 2016

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Teresa Hensley (D) [2016 file photo].

Teresa Hensley (D) [2016 file photo].

Yesterday at the Missouri Ethics Commission for Teresa Hensley’s (D) 2016 campaign for Attorney General:

C151147 10/12/2016 TERESA HENSLEY FOR MISSOURI Democratic Attorneys General Association – Missouri 600 Washington Ave Saint Louis MO 63101 10/12/2016 $300,000.00

C151147 10/12/2016 TERESA HENSLEY FOR MISSOURI Davis, Bethune & Jones LLC 1100 Main St Kansas City MO 64105 10/12/2016 $10,000.00

C151147 10/12/2016 TERESA HENSLEY FOR MISSOURI Engineers Political Education Committee 1125 17th St NW Washington DC 20036 10/12/2016 $50,000.00

[emphasis added]

We do know where the Democratic Attorneys General Association gets their money. Unlike the republican PAC based in Washington, this group is actually transparent:

C091291 10/07/2016 DEMOCRATIC ATTORNEYS GENERAL ASSOCIATION – MISSOURI National DRIVE Committee (Teamsters) 25 Louisiana Avenue NW Washington DC 20001 10/7/2016 $50,000.00

C091291 10/07/2016 DEMOCRATIC ATTORNEYS GENERAL ASSOCIATION – MISSOURI Troutman Sanders 1001 Haxall Point PO Box 1122 Richmond VA 23219 10/7/2016 $25,000.00

C091291 10/07/2016 DEMOCRATIC ATTORNEYS GENERAL ASSOCIATION – MISSOURI Grant & Eisenhofer PA 123 Justison St Wilmington DE 19801 10/7/2016 $50,000.00

C091291 10/07/2016 DEMOCRATIC ATTORNEYS GENERAL ASSOCIATION – MISSOURI Tim Gill 191 University Blvd Suite 266 Denver CO 80206 Founder Gill Foundation 10/7/2016 $15,000.00

C091291 10/08/2016 DEMOCRATIC ATTORNEYS GENERAL ASSOCIATION – MISSOURI Intuit 2700 Coast Ave Mountain View CA 94043 10/7/2016 $25,000.00

C091291 10/08/2016 DEMOCRATIC ATTORNEYS GENERAL ASSOCIATION – MISSOURI Google 1101 New York Ave. NW Washington DC 20005 10/7/2016 $50,000.00

C091291 10/11/2016 DEMOCRATIC ATTORNEYS GENERAL ASSOCIATION – MISSOURI Aaron’s, Inc. 1015 Cobbs Place Blvd. P.O. Box 100039 Kennesaw GA 30156 10/11/2016 $50,000.00

[emphasis added]

That’s a significant difference.

Campaign Finance: schooling

12 Wednesday Oct 2016

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Chris Koster (D) [2016 file photo]

Chris Koster (D) [2016 file photo]

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission for Chris Koster’s (D) 2016 gubernatorial campaign:

C031159 10/12/2016 KOSTER FOR MISSOURI NEA Fund for Children and Public Education 1810 East Elm St Jefferson City MO 65101 10/12/2016 $250,000.00

[emphasis added]

It’s probably this committee:

C161334: Nea Fund For Children & Public Education-Non Federal Unitemized Account – Missouri
Committee Type: Political Action
1810 East Elm Street
Jefferson City Mo 65101
Established Date: 09/08/2016
[….]

Public education and organized labor. What’s not to like?

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): Oh, for those heady days of September…

12 Wednesday Oct 2016

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…when the world was a much brighter place.

Back in September, via Vicky Hartzler’s (r) campaign Twitter account:

vickyhartzler091316

Vicky Hartzler ‏@VickyH4Congress
I was honored to be a Special Guest of Donald Trump to hear his plan to help families balance work and families.
[….]
8:21 PM – 13 Sep 2016

Because whatever Donald Trump (r) said before then was coherent? Right…

Previously:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): [….] (October 8, 2016)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): all in with Donald Trump (r) (October 8, 2016)

Gordon Christensen (D) on Vicky Hartzler (r) and Donald Trump (r) (October 9, 2016)