…or having a republican state representative who continually trips himself.

In yesterday’s Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal:

6/7/2010 1:38:00 PM

Star-Journal Newspaper of the Year

Kansas City – The Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal received the Newspaper of the Year Award from the Kansas City Press Club….

….Individual winners and their awards for The Star-Journal…

….Gold, Beat Reporting. This award for coverage of state government drew these comments from judges, “Great story on state rep owing taxes. Other stories also solid coverage of government.”

[….]

[emphasis added]

Oh, that story:

Denny Hoskins: Noun, Verb…CPA? (November 12, 2009)

I think I was way too nice to Denny Hoskins when I gave him the benefit of the doubt (November 13, 2009)

Denny Hoskins (r) in the 121st District: who is to to blame for all this misfortune? (November 16, 2009)

Denny Hoskins (r) in the 121st District: “You must have been misinformed.” (November 17, 2009)

Denny Hoskins (r) in the 121st District: unhappy constituents write letters to the editor (November 24, 2009)

Sincerely, congratulations to the folks at the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal. Even though we give them grief at times, we greatly appreciate their efforts and the vast improvement of their content and reporting since their previous management.  

Courtney Cole, the Democratic Party candidate in the 121st Legislative District, issued a press release on job creation yesterday:

Courtney Cole Calls for Special Session on Jobs Bill and Tax Credits

Urges Legislature to Pass Bi-Partisan Jobs Bill, Support the Ford Claycomo plant and quit playing politics with tax dollars

Warrensburg, MO — Democratic candidate for 121st District State Representative Courtney Cole is calling on the legislature to remove political agendas and agree to a special session to focus on passing a badly needed jobs bill to put Missourians back to work.

Cole’s request is after Governor Jay Nixon announced that he would be open to a special session if the legislature would guarantee it would be productive.

“Missouri has a 9.5 percent unemployment rate and small businesses are closing their doors every day. We cannot afford to lose more jobs.That is why today, I’m joining the bi-partisan call for the legislature to hold a special session focusing on a serious jobs bill that puts Missourians back to work and food on the table,” said Cole.

Cole is calling for the legislature to support incentives to keep the Ford Claycomo plant here in Missouri, incentives for manufacturing and small business growth in rural areas, and a serious review of the recent findings in an audit completed by State Auditor Susan Montee regarding tax handouts.

The audit, released in April, found that the legislature underestimated tax credit giveaways by over $1 billion dollars.

“The legislature must pass a plan to bring in long-term, good paying manufacturing, agricultural and small business jobs for Missouri families throughout the state,” said Cole. “We must remove politics out of who gets tax credits and allow Economic Development Director David Kerr to focus the necessary resources on attracting jobs. The partisan political games in Jefferson City have wasted millions of our hard earned tax dollars and kept too many people out of work. It’s time for it to end.”

And then there was this interpretation:

Mrs. Courtney Cole (D-Warrensburg)

May 25, 1:06 PM

Kansas City Religion & Politics Examiner Steven Fines

….Cole, who has increasingly close ties to the Missouri democratic establishment, is using Nixon’s Kansas City jobs speech to further the bond between her and the democratic minority. The Missouri Democratic Party is desperately trying to pick up seats in the Missouri House of Representatives after a dismal 2008.

However, in Cole’s August 3, 2009 candidacy announcement, she immediately highlighted job creation….

….Cole signaled early on that job creation is her number one priority.

“…Cole, who has increasingly close ties to the Missouri democratic establishment…”

Uh, Courtny Cole filed as the only Democratic Party candidate in the 121st Legislative District. She is an elected member of the Missouri State Democratic Committee. Now, would you mind telling us, good correspondent of the Kansas City Religion & Politics Examiner, how “increasingly close” worked into your story? Just asking.

“…The Missouri Democratic Party is desperately trying to pick up seats in the Missouri House of Representatives after a dismal 2008…”

Uh, if the Democratic Party picked up seats in the Missouri House in the 2008 election you’d think that it was the republican party that had a “dismal” year in 2008. You’d think.

And besides, Representative Denny Hoskins (r – noun, verb, CPA) really hasn’t had a very good 2010.  

Previously: Rep. Denny Hoskins (r): a short fuse on the floor of the House (May 15, 2010)

Representative Michael Frame (D):….And when looked up, when I turned up again he was almost nose to nose with me. And asking me if, if I had a, a problem, with some few other cuss words thrown in there as well, too. And, and do I have a problem, do I have problem. I told him he was, you know, to paraphrase, was, was way out of line. He really needs to step back…

“…with some few other cuss words thrown in there as well…”

The Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal printed the story in today’s edition, quoting Representative Tim Flook (r):

5/17/2010 1:26:00 PM

A Dust-Up for Denny?

Tempers or politics flare in final hours of session

Jack Miles

Editor

….”All Denny did was walk over and say, ‘Hey, what’s the problem with the bill? He had his hands in his pockets,” Flook said, adding, “The whole thing was a joke.”

Well, that sounds totally innocent, doesn’t it?

Okay, the Star-Journal also quotes Representatives Frame (D), Burnett (D), and Skaggs (D), the latter relating the use of “curse words”.

Old media presents equal and opposing viewpoints. I suppose all we can do for them is hope that someone caught the confrontation on audio and/or video.

You’d think someone would ask Representative Flook (r), when you were actually interviewing him, about how he managed to get across the floor of the House to so closely and definitively witness the exchange on the Democratic side of the chamber and how he could characterize the incident so differently from those three Democratic representatives. You’d think.

It’s time to convene another panel on blogger ethics.

Update: Representative Denny Hoskins (r – noun, verb, CPA) via Facebook:

Wow, only in Warrensburg can two legislators disagree and it makes the news. Since my side of the story was not printed, I’ll elaborate more here. Rep. Frame and others were yelling, making noises and snide comments from the back of the House Chamber during my presentation of SCR 31. As I prefer to talk face-to-face… with someone versus shouting and hiding in the “peanut gallery”, I finished my closing remarks, went over to Rep. Frame and asked him if he had a problem with my bill as I could not help but hear shouting and yelling from the back of the chamber. Rep. Frame responded “Don’t you square up to me!” to which I responded, “I’ve got my hands in my pockets, I’m just asking you a question.” Rep. Skaggs and Rep. Burnett then jumped in and tried to escalate the situation by yelling remarks at me.

If Mr. Miles, Editor of the DSJ, was not friends with Rep. Skaggs this would have never even made the news.

I will continue to advocate for legislation important to my constituents and not be bullied by Rep. Frame or his accomplices.

[emphasis added]

A quote from the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal:

…Hoskins said, “I had a disagreement and didn’t appreciate some of the disrespectful comments from the peanut gallery…”

Maybe the paper doesn’t print some of the stuff it doesn’t find credible.

And using the term “peanut gallery” is respectful? Just asking.  

Yesterday, while in the side gallery of the House covering the close of the legislative session I was made aware of a confrontation on the floor of the House during the previous day between Representative Denny Hoskins (r – noun, verb, CPA) and Representative Michael Frame (D-105).

On Thursday the House was considering SCR 31 on international education. Representative Hoskins (r) was the handler for the bill. From the bill summary:

SCR 31 – This resolution encourages students and faculty in Missouri to promote international education as part of curricular and extracurricular life at Missouri’s colleges and universities.

This resolution is substantially similar to SCR 13 (2009) and to HCR 7 (2008).

[emphasis added]

Representative Michael Frame (D) at his desk on the floor of the House

on May 14, 2010 at the far side and back of the Democratic side of the aisle.

I interviewed Representative Frame yesterday:

Show Me Progress: Could you describe what happened with, Representative Hoskins on the floor yesterday?

Representative Michael Frame (D):  Sure…and, yesterday there was a, a House, a resolution, for international students or international studies. We spent a great deal of time on it, which I found a bit odd with this time of the year, spending so much time on a, on a, you know, for a non-binding resolution. When he finished, when he, when he closed he said that, this is a very good resolution and I turned to one of my, colleagues and said, it’s the best resolution in the universe, kind of making fun of what Representative [Bryan] Pratt [r] had claimed about the ethics bill, a day or two earlier. I didn’t intend for him to hear that, but I guess he had heard it and, and there’s a lot of this talking going on the floor. And while he was still on mic he said, come on over here and say that. Or something like that and, and I didn’t, I just kind of ignored his, his invitation and began to reach down, and actually, I was going to vote in favor of it. And as I was looking at, at my screen I heard my colleague Representative [Trent] Skaggs say, “He’s coming over here, he’s coming over here.” And I really didn’t know, you know, what he was referring to, I did hear him say those words. And when looked up, when I turned up again he was almost nose to nose with me. And asking me if, if I had a, a problem, with some few other cuss words thrown in there as well, too. And, and do I have a problem, do I have problem. I told him he was, you know, to paraphrase, was, was way out of line. He really needs to step back. And Representative Skaggs and Representative [John] Burnett physically got between the two of us. And again informed him you really need to return to your other side. Burnett, there was a bit of an exchange there, Burnett said you [inaudible], you, you charged over here in a very physical way that was, you know, a bit intimidating and, and a little bit threatening. And you just need to back off. And, and I didn’t see him charge over here, I’ll take their word for it he did. I was looking at my monitor. But, informing him he needed to back off, back off. At that point some of his Republican colleagues came over and, and encouraged him to return to his side of the aisle…

Representative Denny Hoskins (r) in conversation on the floor of the House on May 14, 2010.

…Show Me Progress: Do you think that this is a symptom, one of the symptoms of, maybe, the environment?

Representative Frame: Yes. And, I, I think he’s a frustrated legislator. I’m not sure about that. I, I’m not sure what it was. I don’t know if he was having a really bad day or, or why it was. I, I really didn’t think what I said, and again, it wasn’t directed at him, but I don’t know why he took such great offence to me calling his resolution the best resolution in the universe. I thought that would actually be a compliment, but, to tell you the truth, it wasn’t directed at him, it was really more directed at Representative Pratt. But wasn’t even talking with representative, I was actually talking with Representative Skaggs, but my comment was, was more directed at Pratt and just making a bit of fun. And he, he became very angry though and, and charged over at me. And like I said, when I looked up, it was nose to nose. I got to think that there was something else behind it. That it was a pretty, I won’t say innocent, but, but a very casual statement that I made. I don’t think it was any way majorly offensive enough that you would actually enter into some type of physical violence because of it.

Show Me Progress: All right, well thank you.

Representative Frame: Okay, thanks.

The vote on the bill, at the time of the incident (from the Journal of the House, May 13, 2010):

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS

           SCR 31, relating to international education, was again taken up by Representative Hoskins (121).

           On motion of Representative Hoskins (121), SCR 31 was adopted by the following vote:

AYES: 137

NOES: 012

Biermann

Bringer

Calloway

Frame

Hodges

Kuessner

LeVota

McClanahan

Newman

Quinn

Skaggs

Still

[emphasis added]

Maybe behavior on the floor can influence a few votes.

A non-binding resolution takes up a chunk of floor time on the House during the second to last day of the session. Does anyone think it’s possible that the majority leadership was throwing one of their members a public relations bone?

The 121st Legislative District has a three way race in November with no contested primaries:

State Representative – District 121

Democrat

COURTNEY COLE WARRENSBURG MO 166 2/23/2010

Republican

DENNY L HOSKINS WARRENSBURG MO 992 2/23/2010

Libertarian

BILL WAYNE WARRENSBURG MO 3/30/2010

Courtney Cole, the Democratic Party candidate in the 121st Legislative District, filed her first quarter campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission today:

Committe: COLE FOR HOUSE

ReportDate:

1. TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THIS ELECTION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED $23,414.73

2. ALL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $8,365.00

9. TOTAL ALL RECEIPTS THIS ELECTION(SUM 1B + 7A – 8A) $32,429.26

28. MONEY ON HAND AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 25 + 26 – 27) $25,457.29

35. TOTAL INDEBTEDNESS AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 29 + 30 + 31 – 32 – 33 – 34) $0.00

[emphasis added]

$8,365.00? That’s a good fundraising quarter. She has consistently had impressive fundraising quarters.

And where did the money come from?:

Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received

Committee: COLE FOR HOUSE

Report Date: 4/15/2010

Jefferson Countians for a Democratic Majority Arnold, MO 03/31/2010 $250.00

Conservative Democrats of Missouri Harrisonville, MO 03/30/2010 $500.00

Main Street Values Harrisonville, MO 03/21/2010 $100.00

Central Missouri Blue Collar Workers Kansas City, MO 02/17/2010 $500.00

LEPCI Kansas City, MO 03/17/2010 $100.00

IBEW Local 53 Kansas City, MO 01/21/2010 $350.00

IBEW Local 53 Kansas City, MO 03/23/2010 $350.00

Pipefitters Local 533 Kansas City, MO 02/16/2010 $1,000.00

Teamsters Local 600 Maryland Heights, MO 03/22/2010 $300.00

Friends of Shoemyer Paris, MO 02/23/2010 $50.00

Citizens to Elect Oxford Saint Louis, MO 02/22/2010 $30.00

Jake Hummel Campaign Fund  Saint Louis, MO 03/19/2010 $200.00

New Leadership for Missouri St. Louis, MO 02/27/2010 $250.00

IUPAT Washington, DC 01/11/2010 $500.00

Organized labor (working people!), a few office holders, and a ton of small dollar contributions from individuals – many as small as $10.00. Now, that’s grass roots.

And where did the money go?:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe: COLE FOR HOUSE

ReportDate: 4/15/2010

A. EXPENDITURES OF $100 OR LESS BY CATEGORY

USPS – Stamps $44.00

Java Junction – Refreshments $25.21

MO Democratic State Party – Filing fee $50.00

Johnson County Central Committee – Donation $45.00

Project Graduation Warrensburg – Donation $50.00

ActBlue – Fundraising $63.00

B. ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100 AND ALL PAYMENTS TO CAMPAIGN WORKERS

Lettercraft Printing Lee’s Summit, MO 02/05/2010 Printing $500.34

Beacon Press Lee’s Summit, MO 03/11/2010 Printing $111.90

Big Brothers Big Sisters Warrensburg, MO 03/11/2010 Donation $200.00

Fundraising and a few donations.

Incumbent Denny Hoskins (r – noun, verb, CPA) also filed his campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission today:

Detailed Summary of Committee Disclosure Report

Committe: CITIZENS FOR HOSKINS

ReportDate:

1. TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THIS ELECTION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED $19,612.64

2. ALL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $7,175.30

5. SUBTOTAL MONETARY RECEIPTS THIS PERIOD ( SUM 2A + 3A + 4A ) $7,175.30

6. IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $5,900.00

7. TOTAL ALL RECEIPTS THIS PERIOD (SUM 5A + 6A) $13,075.30

9. TOTAL ALL RECEIPTS THIS ELECTION(SUM 1B + 7A – 8A) $32,687.94

28. MONEY ON HAND AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 25 + 26 – 27) $21,006.70

35. TOTAL INDEBTEDNESS AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 29 + 30 + 31 – 32 – 33 – 34) $2,000.00

[emphasis added]

That’s a lot of in-kind contributions. Let’s see where the money (and in-kind) came from:

Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received

Committee: CITIZENS FOR HOSKINS

Report Date: 3/31/2010

Denny Hoskins 2008 Warrensburg, MO 03/01/2010 $4,900.00 In-Kind

MO Assessors Association New London, MO 02/02/2010 $300.00

12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $25 OR LESS $250.30

13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $1,725.00

[emphasis added]

Okay, a candidate giving their campaign $4,900.00 in-kind. What’s with that?

Yep, that in-kind stuff doesn’t exactly help with the cash on hand total, does it?

Let’s take a look at expenditures:

Committe: CITIZENS FOR HOSKINS

ReportDate: 3/31/2010

A. EXPENDITURES OF $100 OR LESS BY CATEGORY

Advertisement – $62.00

Supplies – $60.62

Advertisement – $75.00

Supplies – $50.00

Donation – $100.00

Supplies – $58.21

B. ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100 AND ALL PAYMENTS TO CAMPAIGN WORKERS

OFFICE DEPOT WARRENSBURG, MO 01/25/2010 ENVELOPES, STAMPS, SUPPLIES $330.38

HEATHER MYERS WARRENSBURG, MO 02/03/2010 CAMPAIGN WORK $400.00

HEATHER MYERS WARRENSBURG,MO 03/02/2010 CAMPAIGN WORK $400.00

Postmaster Warrensburg, MO 03/05/2010 Stamps $176.00

Postmaster Warrensburg, MO 03/22/2010 Stamps $220.00

Midland Printing Warrensburg, MO 03/18/2010 Envelopes $239.86

Fundraising and a campaign worker.

Libertarian Bill Wayne filed a waiver [pdf] with the Missouri Ethics Commission on April 13, 2010 stating that he will neither raise nor spend $500.00 for the campaign cycle.

In a tribute to irony and also the spirit of participatory Democracy, he had a letter to the editor published in the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal on April 14th complaining that the paper was ignoring third party candidates:

4/14/2010 12:22:00 PM

Libertarian wants public to hear he is running, too

Letter to the Editor

Bill Wayne

Libertarian candidate, Warrensburg

Your list of legislative candidates was incomplete. I filed as the Libertarian Party candidate for 121st District State Representative. Neighboring districts that serve much of Johnson County, the 120th and 122nd, are both contested by the Constitution Party….

….The Daily Star-Journal should not pre-determine which parties and candidates are viable….

Mr. Wayne, I applaud your civic mindedness in writing that letter to the paper and your commitment to American ideals expressed by filing for office. But spending less than $500.00 on your race ain’t gonna get you elected unless lightning strikes. Twice. Aren’t there other like minded Libertarians out there who’d be willing to contribute to your campaign?

Previously:

Campaign Tracker: the worst job in politics and you still have to wear a suit (March 17, 2010)

Representative Denny Hoskins (r): tracker, what tracker? (March 22, 2010)

Representative Denny Hoskins (r): a clueless pilgrim in the land of republican false equivalence (March 27, 2010)

Representative Denny Hoskins (r): appropriate legal remedy? (March 31, 2010)

Courtney Cole, the Democratic Party candidate challenging Denny Hoskins (r – noun, verb, CPA) in the 121st Legislative District, had a letter to the editor published in today’s edition of the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal:

4/6/2010 1:37:00 PM

Opposes political theater

Letter to the Editor

Courtney Cole

Candidate, 121st State Representative District

Now that candidate filing is over, I am truly honored to be officially running for state representative. I have been listening to the concerns of the people around the district, and I am convinced now, more than ever, it is time for a change.

These are tough times for all of us, and we need tough, serious-minded people representing our needs. I will fight to bring jobs and continued prosperity to Johnson County, instead of engaging in the negative political theater that is so common today. We deserve better than that.

As I travel all over Johnson County during this campaign I look forward to meeting everyone and sharing our views. I am energized and ready to earn the honor of serving the great people of Johnson County. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about our district.

Contrast that with:

….Did I whine and cry to the media when this happened to me? NO! It’s a free country, I will always protect Freedom of Speech and our freedoms to be on PUBLIC land.

If she doesn’t like having her picture taken, then maybe being an elected official is not a good fit for her. – HOW IRONIC!

There might be a little irony in there somewhere, just not in the way some think.

Previously:

Campaign Tracker: the worst job in politics and you still have to wear a suit (March 17, 2010)

Representative Denny Hoskins (r): tracker, what tracker? (March 22, 2010)

Representative Denny Hoskins (r): a clueless pilgrim in the land of republican false equivalence (March 27, 2010)

There was a curious letter to the editor from Representative Denny Hoskins (r – noun, verb, CPA) in yesterday’s edition of the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal addressing the issue of election tracker(s) and one of his challengers, Courtney Cole, the Democratic candidate (Bill Wayne, a Libertarian, filed yesterday).

The letter in the Warrensburg paper ended with:

…I call on Ms. Cole to either substantiate each of her slanderous attacks or correct her record. Otherwise I will seek the appropriate legal remedy to address the slander she has introduced into this campaign.

Slander in a campaign? Legal remedy? If there were legal remedies for what gets said or printed between political rivals Bill Clinton would be wealthier than Bill Gates and the republican party would be (monetarily) bankrupt.

Does Representative Hoskins (r) recall what the Missouri Republican State Committee did in October 2008?

Also in the letter to the editor:

…A common, but perhaps unfortunate fact in politics today is that political parties use videographers, or “trackers,” to record the political activities of candidates for offices…

If it’s common in politics and someone says politicians do it is that defamatory? Just asking.

Well, let’s take a look at a bit of American history. New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964):

….Thus, we consider this case against the background of a profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials. See Terminiello v. Chicago, 337 U.S. 1, 4; De Jonge v. Oregon, 299 U.S. 353, [p271] 365…..

….Authoritative interpretations of the First Amendment guarantees have consistently refused to recognize an exception for any test of truth — whether administered by judges, juries, or administrative officials — and especially one that puts the burden of proving truth on the speaker. Cf. Speiser v. Randall, 357 U.S. 513, 525-526. The constitutional protection does not turn upon “the truth, popularity, or social utility of the ideas and beliefs which are offered.” NAACP v. Button, 371 U.S. 415, 445. As Madison said, “Some degree of abuse is inseparable from the proper use of every thing, and in no instance is this more true than in that of the press.”….

….Injury to official reputation affords no more warrant for repressing speech that would otherwise be free than does factual error….

….If neither factual error nor defamatory content suffices to remove the constitutional shield from criticism of official conduct, the combination of the two elements is no less inadequate….

….A rule compelling the critic of official conduct to guarantee the truth of all his factual assertions — and to do so on pain of libel judgments virtually unlimited in amount — leads to a comparable “self-censorship.” Allowance of the defense of truth, with the burden of proving it on the defendant, does not mean that only false speech will be deterred. [n19] Even courts accepting this defense as an adequate safeguard have recognized the difficulties of adducing legal proofs that the alleged libel was true in all its factual particulars. See, e.g., Post Publishing Co. v. Hallam, 59 F. 530, 540 (C.A. 6th Cir. 1893); see also Noel, Defamation of Public Officers and Candidates, 49 Col.L.Rev. 875, 892 (1949). Under such a rule, would-be critics of official conduct may be deterred from voicing their criticism, even though it is believed to be true and even though it is, in fact, true, because of doubt whether it can be proved in court or fear of the expense of having to do so. They tend to make only statements which “steer far wider of the unlawful zone.” Speiser v. Randall, supra, 357 U.S. at 526. The rule thus dampens the vigor and limits the variety of public debate. It is inconsistent with the First and Fourteenth Amendments…..

Stare decisis.

With this tracker stuff out in front of the public does that mean we won’t be seeing any darkly lit shaky videos or grainy photographs along with shock headlines and disturbing music in cable television commercials in the 121st District before the November election? Just asking.

Ah, a process story. Meta, even.

It appears that Representative Denny Hoskins (r – noun, verb, CPA) is a clueless pilgrim in the land of republican false equivalence. Here’s a recent Facebook post from our intrepid pilgrim, taking on the corporate media powerhouse which is Show Me Progress:

Denny Hoskins  IRONIC – I guess that is the best word I can use to describe my opponent. Her Treasurer’s husband is a blogger for a Pro-Dem Ultra Liberal website and likes to follow me around and takes pictures and record my speeches. Numerous people at the County Courthouse also state that a young lady has been going through my personal and business financial records/history at the courthouse.

Did I whine and cry to the media when this happened to me? NO! It’s a free country, I will always protect Freedom of Speech and our freedoms to be on PUBLIC land.

If she doesn’t like having her picture taken, then maybe being an elected official is not a good fit for her. – HOW IRONIC!

He’s also had a rough couple of weeks:

Uh, Representative Hoskins (r), you didn’t send the Senate a “balanced budget” (March 27, 2010)

There’s no accounting for such a legislative pummeling (March 25, 2010)

Representative Denny Hoskins (r): tracker, what tracker? (March 22, 2010)

Campaign Tracker: the worst job in politics and you still have to wear a suit (March 17, 2010)

Back to the Facebook post. Where to start?

Using all caps is the Internets equivalent of shouting.

You’ve got to be paying way too much for shoddy opposition research (or maybe it’s free). Your information is out of date.

I don’t necessarily like or dislike covering Denny Hoskins at public events, that just goes with the turf of blogging. I will say that it can sometimes be interesting. That’s what we do, we cover politics and government in Missouri. We’ve been granted media credentials at campaign, political, presidential, and vice-presidential events.

“…Numerous people at the County Courthouse also state that a young lady has been going through my personal and business financial records/history at the courthouse…”

We didn’t ask for the records that broke that story. Thanks for the suggestion, though, we’ll file it for future reference. That’s why they’re called public records. Is Denny Hoskins saying that he’s never been apprised of the public records concerning Jim Jackson or Courtney Cole? Just asking.

“…Did I whine and cry to the media when this happened to me?…”

Really, did you want to go so boldly on the record with that statement? Just asking.

To recap:

At Show Me Progress we cover campaign, public, and government events. We sometimes cover fundraisers when we get an invitation to do so. We either wear ID in the form of a photo credential or we present a business card with our contact information, clearly identifying our affiliation with this blog. Our identification informs those at the events that we cover that what they say to us is on the record. We utilize the public record, the Missouri Sunshine Law, as well as other public resources to access public information. Further, there’s nothing keeping Representative Hoskins from signing up on this blog and participating consistent with our user guidelines.  

A tracker, on the other hand, is a paid political operative who may or may not identify his or her associations/affiliations.

Show Me Progress: How are you doing?

Tracker: Hello. How are you?

SMP: Good, good. So, are you a tracker or something?

Tracker: Uh, you could say that I guess.

SMP: Yeah. I’m with Show Me Progress. [I handed him my business card. He took it.]

Tracker: Oh!

SMP: Yeah. So, so, where are you from?

Tracker: Uh, I’d rather not say.

SMP: Oh, okay, that’s cool. [sound of camera shutter]

Tracker: You like the license plate? [In response to me photographing the back of the car.]

SMP: Actually? Interesting.

Tracker: Um, hm.

SMP: Yeah, so, uh, so have you been doing this for long or working in, in politics and stuff like that? [crosstalk]

Tracker: Uh, yeah, I’ve been working in politics for a while. [crosstalk]

SMP: Yeah. Good, good. Uh, where are you from, just in, are you from Missouri or just?

Tracker: I’d rather not say.

SMP: Okay, that’s cool. Well, listen, have a good evening, all right?

Clear enough for you now? Or is that irony definition thing still a little fuzzy for you?

Besides, Missouri republican political blogs that aren’t a part and parcel to the top down hierarchical republican political establishment are a dime a dozen…oh, wait, sorry about that. My mistake.

Previously: Campaign Tracker: the worst job in politics and you still have to wear a suit (March 17, 2010)

Representative Denny Hoskins (r – noun, verb, CPA) was on the radio today complaining about mean people, or something:

….Representative Denny Hoskins: Well, one of the other things I wanted to talk about was just the, uh, article in last Friday’s paper…

Marion Woods, KOKO radio: I saw that.

Representative Hoskins: …talking about trackers.

Marion Woods: I saw that.

Representative Hoskins: Yes, yes, and, uh…

Marion Woods: Where did that come from anyway?

Representative Hoskins: I don’t know.  I, uh, think some people have active imaginations.

Marion Woods: [laughter]

Representative Hoskins: Is it [inaudible][crosstalk]…

Marion Woods: You have no tracker, do you?

Representative Hoskins: No, I, I have not hired any tracker. My campaign has not hired any tracker. [crosstalk]

Marion Woods: I didn’t know there was such a thing as a tracker.

Representative Hoskins: Yes, you know, until I got into politics I didn’t realize that there was, either. But, you know, back in two thousand eight when, um, you know, you had Ike Skelton running and, and you had, you know, other people.  Now, even, you know if I’m at event with, uh, state Senator Stoufer or, or Vicky Hartzler…

Marion Woods: Um, hm.

Representative Hoskins: …I mean there will be a tracker there. Uh.

Marion Woods: There will be.

Representative Hoskins: Yes, usually there’ll be a tracker there videotaping them and taking pictures of, of everything they say. Um, you know, same thing goes for Ike Skelton. When he’s around lots of times there’s a, there’s a tracker there. When Roy Blunt came through on his job’s tour…

Marion Woods: Uh, huh.

Representative Hoskins: …and was down at Heroes [Warrensburg restaurant] there was a tracker there that was recording and, and taking pictures.

Marion Woods: Is now, is that tracker from the other party from where you are?

Representative Hoskins: Lot.

Marion Woods: Is that the way that works?

Representative Hoskins:  Lots of times. Lots of times it’s from the other party. But, I have not hired any tracker to, to, I, I could, you know, care less about where Courtney is going [Woods: laughter] or when she’s in Excelsior Springs and when she’s here and…

Marion Woods: Yuh.

Representative Hoskins:   So it, you know, it’s one of my least priorities I guess I should say…

Marion Woods: [laughter]

[….]

Representative Hoskins:   So, when, you know, articles come out in the paper and, you know, Courtney’s says that I’ve stooped to some, having, following her, she’s lying.

Marion Woods: Yeah.

Representative Hoskins:   I’ll call a spade a spade, she’s lying. I’m not having anybody follow her…

[….]

Marion Woods: I, I, I never have understood that why, why, uh, why we have to have the dirt slinging and things like that that goes on. Uh, that doesn’t.

Representative Hoskins:  No it doesn’t, it doesn’t serve any purpose. But like I’ve said before, you know, this hundred twenty-first district has been a swing district. [crosstalk]

Marion Woods: Yuh.

Representative Hoskins:   And we’ve been honorably represented by Republicans and Democrats. And it’s the number one, um, due to that fact and, and the fact that I won by a hundred twenty-two votes this past time….

“…I don’t know. I, uh, think some people have active imaginations…”

Uh, we were there. There was a tracker. We asked him. We photgraphed him.

SMP: …So, are you a tracker or something?

Tracker: Uh, you could say that I guess…

In fact, he has a unique license plate:

…Tracker: You like the license plate? [In response to me photographing the back of the car.]

SMP: Actually? Interesting…

So, I suppose there must be some way to track that down. And if we did, we could check that identity against campaign payments to individuals to see who might be paying him. I mean, the tracker must at least be getting mileage, right? He did say he worked in politics:

…Tracker: Uh, yeah, I’ve been working in politics for a while…

And who is virtuous?

“…I, I, I never have understood that why, why, uh, why we have to have the dirt slinging and things like that that goes on. Uh, that doesn’t….”

“…No it doesn’t, it doesn’t serve any purpose…”

Dirt slinging in politics? You think for some people it depends on the truth? Or who is doing it? Does anyone remember candidate Denny Hoskins complaining about this lie?:

Denny Hoskins (r) in the 121st Legislative District: attack piece ignores the NRA (October 17, 2008)

The Missouri republican State Committee is hurling an outrageous amount of money on behalf of Denny Hoskins (r – noun, verb, CPA) in his quest to take the open seat race in the 121st Legislative District over Jim Jackson (D).

The typical republican campaign startegery – throw lots of money at their problems

The problem for Hoskins and the Missouri republican State Committee is that they’re so desperate to attack a Democrat on guns that they neglected to check with the National Rifle Association before they created their attack piece. Either that, or they can’t read. Which brings up the issue of the total lack of republican support for education. But, I digress.

The republican way – when in doubt, attack and damn the facts

Uh, you forgot to check in with the NRA:

Well, it looks like they got the same rating. Here’s a word problem for all you logic whizzes: If Jim Jackson and Denny Hoskins have the same “A” rating from the NRA, and “Missouri gun owners can’t trust Jim Jackson to defend our gun rights”, doesn’t that mean that “Missouri gun owners can’t trust Denny Hoskins to defend our gun rights”? Just asking….

Or did Denny Hoskins complain about this?:

Meet your Missouri GOP: an unholy alliance with Missouri Right to Life (October 27, 2008)

I get it, *IOKIYAR.

*it’s okay of you’re a republican

Representative Denny Hoskins (r – noun, verb, CPA) issued his latest legislative update video (something that Fired Up! has been reveling in) and in it he took time to lament being the target of an [our word] “alleged” push poll:

…one of the other things that we’ve had a lot of, um, ethics bills in, in the Ethics Committee and Government Accountability Committee this week. Um, with one of the things that I’ve think we should propose is a legislation on, um, ethical push polling. Recently in my home district this week the Democrats launched a push poll. And what a push poll is, uh, I’ve had several constituents call and, uh, tell me about the push poll as far as what they ask is, yes, would you vote to re-elect Representative Hoskins, and when my constituents ask yes, they provide, uh, some false and misleading and untrue statements about myself or my family. And then after they provide that information then they say, well, would you still vote for Representative Hoskins knowing these other things that we’ve told you. When several of my constituents asked who was paying for the poll, uh, the polling company, uh, did not, would not disclose that. And I think that that’s something, and, you know, ethically that our voters and constituents should know who is paying for the polling and so they can determine themselves if it’s a biased poll or not…

Representative Hoskins also put the same story in the written version of his January 28, 2010 “Capitol Report”:

….The House Committee on Governmental Accountability and Ethics Reform met again this week to hear testimony on several ethics reform bills.  One ethical reform the legislature should address is proper disclosure for campaign rhetoric. I was the subject of a prime example of campaign rhetoric just this week.  Disguised as a “survey,” a company called Liberty Polling conducted a biased telephone “push-poll” in my district. When asked who paid for the “survey,” Liberty Polling would not answer the question.  The issue here is not that there was a poll, but that it was veiled and not actually a survey at all.  In the name of good ethics and transparency, whoever is paying for the “survey” should be disclosed, especially when the recipient of the call requests that information.  I appreciated hearing from a number of constituents that you did not welcome this call. I won’t commit space here to go into details about what I was told about the calls, but I’d be happy to discuss it further if you would like….

This is amusing on so many levels. There’s the republican propensity to join the “cult of the victim.” And there’s the “isn’t that mean when they say something untrue about me”, but it’s okay when the republicans demonstrably do that to somebody else on your behalf. And, finally, there’s the basic misunderstanding of polling.

The American Association for Public Opinion Research has a lot of useful information on polling practices:

Fraudulent Polls  vs. Message Testing

The fact that a poll contains negative information about one or more candidates does NOT in and of itself make it a ‘push poll.’ Political campaigns routinely sponsor legitimate “message-testing” surveys that are used by campaign consultants to test out the effectiveness of various possible campaign messages or campaign ad content, often including negative messages. Political message-testing surveys may sometimes be confused with fake polling, but they are very different. One way to tell is that message-testing surveys exhibit the characteristics of a legitimate survey, such as:

At the beginning of the call, the interviewer clearly identifies the call center actually making the calls. (However, legitimate political polling firms will often choose not to identify the client who is sponsoring the research, be it a candidate or a political party, since that could bias the survey results.)

The interview contains more than a few questions.

The questions usually ask about more than one candidate or mention both sides of an issue.

Questions, usually near the end of the interview, ask respondents to report demographic characteristics such as age, education level, and party identification.

The survey is based on a random sample of voters.

The number of respondents falls within the range of legitimate surveys, typically between 400 and 1500 interviews.

AAPOR stresses that these criteria apply most of the time, but exceptions will arise. Journalists and members of the public are encouraged to investigate allegations of “push polling” to ascertain whether or not the calling activity was carried out for legitimate research purposes….

….Issues in Message Testing

Despite their legitimacy of purpose, message-testing surveys occasionally generate vigorous complaint. They are sometimes the subject of public controversy in political campaigns, and may appear in press stories about dubious campaign practices. AAPOR recognizes that message tests may need to communicate positive or negative information in strongly political terms, in a tone similar to campaign advertisements. Still, these surveys should be judged by the same ethical standards as any other poll of the public: Do they include any false or misleading statements? Do they treat the respondent with fairness and respect…?

[emphasis added]

People are caught off guard when they get a random sample poll, because, well, they were selected at random. The odds of any one person getting called are pretty steep and so most people who are called don’t tend to record the actual conversation with the poll interviewer (as if they’re sitting around waiting with a recording device or pencil and paper). And since it can be a unique experience (that random sample thing again) people who are called might not get all of the details of the conversation committed to memory, especially if they aren’t very aware of what to look for (see the AAPOR information above).

Absent a recording of an interview I’m not willing to call anything a “push poll.” In the past I’ve seen legitimate polls (I was interviewed for one) with candidate contrast questions characterized as a “push poll” in the local paper by a few outraged recipients. Testing the unpleasant (to the individual) facts in a candidate’s or politician’s record does not necessarily make that phone call part of a “push poll.”

It is not a given that Democrats, as Representative Hoskins stated in his video, sponsored the poll. It’s entirely possible that republicans, worried about Denny Hoskins’ numerous missteps are testing his (and their) vulnerability. Now that’s a possibility that should really make him nervous. If it were an independent republican expenditure Denny Hoskins wouldn’t have been told about it.