“….We have a new test. You must disagree with the president who nominates you. Let me say that again because we love common sense in Missouri and this defies common sense. You must vote against a nominee for the cabinet of the duly elected President of the United States because she agrees with the duly President of the United States…..”

Senator Claire McCaskill (D), yesterday, on the floor of the United States Senate:

The transcript:

Senator Claire McCaskill (D): Mister President, uh, briefly, this should be, um, a happy day for America. This should be a day that is circled in the calendar as another day as the, as the President of the Senate knows that this is about the American dream. This woman is the embodiment of the American dream in action. We should be celebrating her confirmation to the most important law enforcement position in the United states of America.

So why am I not happy? I am sad. I am depressed. Because what we are gonna witness in a few minutes is base politics at its ugliest. Doesn’t get any uglier than this. Because what we are saying today, what my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are saying today, it doesn’t matter if you’re qualified. It doesn’t matter if you’re one of the most qualified nominees for Attorney General in the history of our country. That makes no difference. We have a new test. You must disagree with the president who nominates you. Let me say that again because we love common sense in Missouri and this defies common sense. You must vote against a nominee for the cabinet of the duly elected President of the United States because she agrees with the duly President of the United States.

think of the consequences of that vote. Think what that means to the future of advise and consent in this Senate if we all adopt this base politics play to the cheap seat I can’t get elected President unless I’m against Loretta Lynch. If we all adopt that in the future how is any president elected in this country going to assemble a cabinet? Because it will be incumbent on all of us to be against cabinet members who have the nerve to agree with the president who has selected them for his team.

It is beyond depressing. It’s disgusting. She is so qualified, she has worked so hard all her life. She is a prosecutor’s prosecutor. She’s prosecuted more terrorists than almost anybody on the face of the planet. And the notion that this has occurred because she agrees with the man who selected her – I think everyone needs to understand what that means for the future if all of us embrace that kind of base politics in these decisions.

It is not a happy day. It is a very sad day. I am proud of who Loretta Lynch is. I am proud that she will be Attorney General of this country. I am sad that it will be such a close vote.

Thank you, Mr. President.

That’s our Claire.

The release from Senator McCaskill’s office:

McCaskill Highlights ‘depressing…base politics’ of Colleagues Opposing President’s Attorney General Nominee Because the Nominee Agrees With the President

During Senate floor speech, Senator blasts unprecedented opposition to first Attorney General nominee who’s ever prosecuted terrorists

Thursday, April 23, 2015

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill took to the Senate floor today and called out her Republican colleagues for their unprecedented opposition to Loretta Lynch’s 166 day-long nomination for the post of U.S. Attorney General.

Lynch-who has had to wait more than twice as long as the previous seven Attorneys General combined for a confirmation vote-will be the first Attorney General to have previously prosecuted terrorists.

[….]

“We should be celebrating her confirmation to the most important law enforcement position in the United States of America,” McCaskill said. “So why am I not happy? I am sad. I am depressed. Because what we are going to witness in a few minutes is base politics at its ugliest. Doesn’t get any uglier than this. Because what we are seeing today, what my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are saying today, is it doesn’t matter if you’re qualified. It doesn’t matter if you are one of the most qualified nominees for Attorney General in the history of our country. That makes no difference. We have a new test. You must disagree with the President who nominates you…we love common sense in Missouri and this defies common sense.”

When Lynch was nominated to be the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York in 2000, her nomination was approved by the Republican-led Judiciary Committee and confirmed unanimously by the Republican-led Senate. In 2010, when she was re-nominated to this post, Lynch was again approved by the Judiciary Committee and confirmed unanimously by the full Senate.

Lynch’s nomination today was narrowly approved by the Senate by a vote of 56-43, and she will replace Eric Holder as Attorney General.

###

“….Think what that means to the future of advise and consent in this Senate if we all adopt this base politics play to the cheap seat I can’t get elected President unless I’m against Loretta Lynch. If we all adopt that in the future how is any president elected in this country going to assemble a cabinet….?”

Uh, should we ask Senator Roy Blunt (r)?

Oh, there is a difference.

Our Senator Roy Blunt (r):

HuffPost College ‏@HuffPostCollege

Senator blames college students for borrowing [….] 12:39 PM – 21 Apr 2015

The article:

David Halperin

Senator Blunt Blames College Students for Borrowing

Posted: 04/21/2015 12:28 pm EDT

Parroting a familiar talking point by bad actors in the for-profit college industry, Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) appeared last week to blame students for their high student loan burdens. After questioning Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday about regulations aimed at for-profit colleges, Blunt, a member of the Senate GOP leadership, said (at the 1:38:00 mark in the linked video):

We ought to be talking about … the debt problem when you get out of school. How much of that related to the actual cost of going to school and how much it related to what you thought your living standards should be while you went to school, and I’m pretty confident over the years that the student expectations for their personal living standards in school have often increased where they would have been a few just years ago.

[….]

Secretary of State Jason Kander (D), who is challenging Senator Blunt (r) in 2016:

Jason Kander ‏@JasonKander

I want to help middle class Missourians send their kids to college. Shaming those kids won’t be my approach. 3:25 PM – 21 Apr 2015

Social media is so immediate:

Jeff Mazur ‏@jmaz

Can’t students just provide for their “living standards” with lavish lobbyist wedding gifts like normal people? 3:36 PM – 21 Apr 2015

Okay, that one left a mark.

June 17, 2004, in the Washington Post:

[….]

Gifts of Legislative Love

[….]

In the section of his report that is supposed to disclose gifts of more than $285, House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) pointed readers to attached correspondence concerning his wedding gifts. Blunt married Abigail Perlman, a lobbyist for Altria Corp., the parent company of Philip Morris, in October.

On Sept. 15, Blunt wrote to Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.), chairman of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, and noted his impending marriage. “I anticipate receiving wedding gifts in connection with this event and I would like to request a waiver of the limitations of the gift rule to allow me to accept gifts in connection with my wedding,” he wrote.

[….]

On Oct. 1, Blunt wrote Hefley requesting a reporting waiver “to prevent the paperwork of filing numerous disclosure forms for every gift my wife and I receive.”

Oct. 3, Hefley and Mollohan granted his request.

[….]

Must be nice.

A press release from Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster:

Attorney General’s Office to defend Senate in Sunshine lawsuit

Apr 20, 2015, 16:04 PM

Jefferson City, Mo. – The Attorney General’s Office released the following statement:

“Last week, the Missouri Senate, three of its legislative committees, and their chairpersons were sued under the Missouri Sunshine Law for acts related to the administration of official proceedings of the Senate. The Attorney General’s Office has communicated to Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey that the AGO will provide counsel to the General Assembly and vigorously defend the legislature in this matter.”

Because the Missouri Senate is a private club and the public has no business hearing about their business?

Because the Missouri Capitol News Association is another private club and they’ll know best which business to filter from the public view?

You know, this is the twenty-first century.

Previously:

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

Jason Kander’s (d) campaign released a video on the Trans-Pacific Partnership:

The transcript:

Jason Kander (D): Since I started my campaign for the Senate a lot of Missourians have asked me what I think about the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership. This is a bad deal for Missouri, which is why I oppose it. The Obama Administration is negotiating this deal in secret and asking Congress to fast track it before the final details are really known. It’s something so big it could be the biggest trade agreement since NAFTA and yet, the American public really hasn’t had an opportunity to examine it. So I don’t think that Congress should just rubber stamp a trade agenda when so much is at stake. The few details that we actually do know about the proposed TPP demonstrate that it’s likely that more American jobs could be shipped overseas than are actually created here at home. Why would we do that? Let me give you an example as to how it could hurt. Here in Missouri we’ve actually done a pretty tremendous job of revitalizing our auto industry thanks to GM, Ford, our outstanding auto workers, and the Missouri Manufacturing Jobs Act that I cosponsored as a member of the state House. By the end of this year it’s likely that we will have added nearly twenty thousand auto manufacturing or related jobs just in the last five years. So, there’s no reason at all for us to enter into a deal that could stop that progress right in its tracks. The American Automotive Policy Council says that between the years two thousand and twenty-twelve a hundred and eighty thousand vehicles were exported by our country to Japan while Japan sent to us sixteen point three million. Why would we do anything that can make that ratio worse? We should be doing everything that we can to help the American worker, not hurt them. and that’s one of many reasons why I oppose the Trans Pacific-Partnership.

[Jason Kander

U.S. Senate

Paid for by Missourians for Kander]        

Previously:

Jason Kander (D): for the U.S. Senate in 2016 (February 19, 2015)

Why we end up with politicians like Roy Blunt instead of Jason Kander (February 20, 2015)

Blunt is ready to torch DHS; Kander is readying the fire brigades (February 27, 2015)

Jason Kander (D) – Johnson County Kirkpatrick Dinner – March 28, 2015 (March 29, 2015)

Campaign Finance: It’s what you call “a really, really good start…” (April 6, 2015)

Missouri Secretary of State and U.S. Senate candidate Jason Kander (D) [2015 file photo].

From Jason Kander’s (D) U.S. Senate campaign:

April 6th, 2015, 1:30 pm

Jason Raises Over $780,000 in Less Than 6 Weeks

Jason Kander, Missouri’s Secretary of State and the Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate, today announced that he raised over $780,000 in just 41 days. He started his campaign on February 19.

Kander raised an average of over $133,000 per week during the fundraising quarter, which is more than Senator Roy Blunt averaged per week in 22 of his 24 quarters as a Senator and Senate candidate.

“On the first day of his campaign, Jason received more contributions from Missourians than Senator Blunt did in the entire last quarter, and the support never let up,” said Abe Rakov, Kander’s campaign manager. “Missourians are sending a very clear message that they’re tired of having a Senator that represents Washington instead of Missouri.”

Kander’s $783,465 raised in less than half of a quarter is more than Senator Blunt has raised in any full quarter since he became a Senator.

Kander launched his campaign on the same day then-Representative Blunt announced he would run for the U.S. Senate back in 2009. In the same number of days, Kander raised $220,000 more than Blunt despite the fact that Blunt had just stepped down as the Republican Whip in the U.S. House of Representatives and had endless Washington connections.

Uh, yep.

Previously:

Jason Kander (D): for the U.S. Senate in 2016 (February 19, 2015)

Why we end up with politicians like Roy Blunt instead of Jason Kander (February 20, 2015)

Blunt is ready to torch DHS; Kander is readying the fire brigades (February 27, 2015)

Jason Kander (D) – Johnson County Kirkpatrick Dinner – March 28, 2015 (March 29, 2015)

Secretary of State Jason Kander (D) was the keynote speaker at the Johnson County Democratic Committee’s Kirkpatrick dinner in Warrensburg last night.

Secretary of State Jason Kander (D) at the Johnson County Democratic Committee Kirkpatrick dinner in Warrensburg – March 28, 2015.

Update:

Video by Jerry Schmidt.

The transcript:

Secretary of State Jason Kander (D): ….so, speaking of the Senate, there is another Senate that I was gonna speak about tonight a little bit and that, that’s the U.S. Senate. But, before I get started I wanted to begin by sort of taking the temperature of the room, so to speak, a little bit. So, I recently read this article that said less than one in five people actually approve of the job that’s being done by Congress in D.C. So, I just thought, by a show of hands, uh, raise your hand if you approve of the work that’s being done [laughter] by the House and the Senate in D.C. Don’t, don’t be shy, it’s okay. [laughter] Okay, I , that’s interesting. Uh, I had a feeling that that fifteen percent approval rating thing was kind of an exaggeration. [laughter] Uh, and this, this proves it, so, so I appreciate it.

Um, so, you know, as you, as you may have heard, uh, I am, I am running for the United States Senate. Uh, and I [applause] …and so I thought I’d take just a few moments tonight and explain to you why I think things have gotten so bad in Washington, why I think I’m the right person to bring a little common sense out there. Now, uh, Democrats and Republicans and Independents all agree that the folks in Washington, they’re not representing us anymore. They stand up for each other, they stand up for special interests, for millionaires and huge corporations, they stand up for pretty much everybody other than the people who sent them there in the first place. And that’s why this election in twenty-sixteen is gonna come down to one pretty simple question. Do you like how things are going in Washington? Now, if you do then you might want to stick with the status quo. If you don’t, if you think that we can do better, well then, it’s time to give somebody else, somebody else a chance. And, I for one happen to be among the eighty-five percent of Americans who don’t approve of Congress and I intend to do something about it.

So, when I look at this race, I’ll tell you, uh, what I see is a problem in D.C. generally with the politicians, frankly, on both sides of the aisle. You know, we, we look at the politicians out there and it’s not that, uh, the senators out there are, are bad people. It’s just that, uh, they’ve lost touch with the people who sent them there in the first place, right? When, when a politician has been in Washington for ten, fifteen, twenty years and served in both the House and in the Senate Washington becomes their home. That’s where they make their lives, that’s where they send their kids to school, it’s, it’s where they, it’s where they live and it becomes their home. And, you know, frankly when you had over a hundred flights on corporate jets then probably the free live TV on Southwest flights is not as exciting for you [laughter] as it is for the rest of us, right? And when you live in a multimillion dollar mansion in Washington, D.C. , then I could see where it could be hard to leave sometimes, right? The truth is, that there’s all these different reasons why these members of Congress, uh, forget where they came from, how, how easy it is for them to forget where they came from in the first place. Uh, but that doesn’t make it right. It doesn’t make it right for them to forget where they came from. We don’t send senators to Washington so that they can vote with their political party nearly ninety percent of the time. We send them there so they can vote with Missouri a hundred percent of the time. [applause] And you don’t send senators to Washington so they can get rich. We send them there so they can fight to help middle class Missourians provide for their families and make ends meet.  And we don’t send senators to Washington so they can climb the leadership ladder of their political party as fast as possible. We send them there to take on their party bosses when they need to. That’s why we send them there. [applause]

So, we deserve an independent minded senator who put Missouri first every minute of every day. Senator Blunt has been in Washington so long he just can’t do that anymore. Washington has become his home and lobbyists and his political party have become his constituents. That doesn’t make him a bad person, but it doesn’t make him a good senator, either. Senator Blunt votes with his party more than the average Republican and he misses more votes than the average senator. And Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington called him one of the most corrupt members of Congress. Is that what we sent him to Washington to do? Is that what we want in our senator?

The folks out in D.C., they’re not doing a good job right now. And so it is time for the next generation to step up and take the lead in shaping the direction of our state and nation. And that is exactly what I hope to do as your Unites States Senator. [applause]

My parents taught me from a very early age the importance of public service. My mom was a juvenile probation officer and my dad was a police officer. So, in our house we did not get away with anything at all, in this case. [laughter] And when I was very young my parents took in kids whose own families where struggling and, and these boys they became my unofficial brothers. And we learned a lot from my parents. There was no conversation about whether or not that would happen, it was just what they did ’cause it was the right thing to do. And so I grew up in a house where my folks taught us the importance of public service, they taught us that doing the right thing is what you have to do every time. You don’t, you don’t just do what’s easy. But, that’s what courage is. They, they taught us the meaning of duty. We all understood it.

And so that’s why when I saw the planes hit the twin towers on nine-eleven I knew that I was gonna join the Army. The recruiters told me that I should wait and become an Army lawyer, but I figured the Army probably had enough lawyers and that I could make a greater impact as a soldier. So, I, I ignored their advice. And after a few years in uniform I volunteered to be deployed in Afghanistan. And so in October of two thousand six I went over to Afghanistan and I, I conducted, uh, investigations of groups and individuals that were suspected of corruption and espionage, drug trafficking, and facilitating Al Qaeda and the Taliban. I investigated corruption at the highest levels of the Afghan government. And I advised my superior officers about when to consider removing corrupt government officials. In civilian terms it was my job to figure out which bad guys would be [inaudible] good guys and posed a threat to Afghan democracy. And I took pride in my work. And so it meant a lot to me when of my senior officers in an evaluation quoted an Afghan commander who said that my work directly resulted in arresting enemies and saving lives.

My deployment wasn’t easy. I learned a lot, but it wasn’t easy. There were times when I was dressed in street clothes, gathering intel, just two or three other soldiers or alone in an unarmored SUV with just a translator and no backup. But being a soldier is the best job that I’ve ever had. And leading American soldiers is greatest professional honor of my life. [applause]

And of all the missions that I took part in when I was in Afghanistan there is one that always stands out to me when I think about the meaning of public service and duty. I worked with the Afghan Army to escort a newly elected member of the Afghan Parliament from the capital to her home. And she lived under a constant threat of death, not because she had made radical statements or had pushed an agenda that would, that would have elicited violence. It was simply because she was a woman. And I have often imagined what it must have been like when she went to take a so-called difficult vote in the Afghan Parliament. And I sincerely doubt that she gave a lot of thought to what some lobbyist was asking her to do or what her party, uh, supposedly required of her. I think that with everything that she was risking to be there she just did what she thought was right. And we use this term all the time in American politics – political courage. But I have seen a politician who had to have real courage just to get up go to work. And I remain inspired every day by her service. It inspires me to stand up and do what’s right. And it’s why, when I came home, she was one of the reasons that I, I was even more committed to my country and to the Army than when I left.

And so, I served in the Army National Guard at Fort Leonard Wood and I trained hundreds of new Army officers to lead troops in combat. From my first day as a cadet to my last day as a Captain my time in uniform totaled a little over eight years. And it played a substantial role in shaping my life, my values, and my perspective on the world. And it’s that perspective that led me to give my time to victims of domestic violence, during school, or to leave my job doing corporate legal defense work to represent people like a family farmer who was scammed out of his life savings, or union rail workers who were hurt on the job. It’s that perspective that led me to go to Afghanistan in the first place and train those hundreds of soldiers when I came home.  And it’s why I’m running for the United States Senate.

I’m running to be Missouri’s senator. I’m running because we deserve a senator who stands up for the middle class, not millionaires, huge corporations, and lobbyists. I’m running because we need a senator who tells the folks in D.C. that compromise is a part of Democracy, not the enemy of it. And I’m running because we deserve a senator who leads by example, not one that becomes a part of the problem. [applause]

I’m a fifth generation Missourian and I promise I will never forget where I came from. And if you don’t believe me, if you feel like a lot of politicians say that, I figure I’m gonna end this speech by offering you a little bit of proof.

I actually went to college out in Washington, D.C. before my wife Diana joined me out there for law school. We graduated on a Sunday and the next morning we got in our jeep and we drove home to Missouri. We were so excited to move back to Kansas City that we drove through the night for eighteen hours. So, I can promise you that if you elect me as Missouri’s next senator you’ll never lose me to Washington. Thank you very much. [applause]

Previously:

Sen. Harold Caskey (D) – Johnson County Kirkpatrick Dinner – March 28, 2015 (March 29, 2015)

“…We are witnessing a fundamental test of Republicans’ ability to govern…”

Uh, we got that from January 2001 to January 2009.

Democratic Minority Leader, Senator Harry Reid:

[….]

….there are various reports about how this unprecedented letter to the leaders of the Iranian regime originated.

There are news accounts reporting that this was intended as a big joke. A big joke. Others say Republicans say that it was a political organizing exercise after they have been hammered so hard with their non-funding of homeland security. Others say that it was simply designed to sabotage negotiations. Pick which of the three you want, but whatever the reasons, one thing is clear – this is not a joke. This is not an organizing exercise. This is about preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

I am so disappointed that so many of my Republican colleagues are destroying the long tradition of bipartisanship in defending Israel and stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. I am heartened that a few Republican Senators – seven to be exact – did not sign this letter. That’s nice. Seven out of 54. Certainly seven is better than nothing. Some of the seven have said they agree with Democrats that this letter was not appropriate.

We are witnessing a fundamental test of Republicans’ ability to govern. They are treating nuclear negotiations as a chance to play games….

[….]

“…A big joke…”

We’ve come to expect that from Senator Roy Blunt (r).

Previously:

Sen. Roy Blunt (r): Next! (March 9, 2015)

Is Roy Blunt a “traitor,” “reckless and feckless,” or simply an embarrassment? (March 10, 2015)

Well, that went over like a lead balloon (March 10, 2015)

…this could be considered irrefutable proof of a deity with a sense of humor. Or that she’s really pissed. That would depend on the outcome.

Former Representative Todd Akin (r) [2012 file photo].

Via Twitter:

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

#RunToddRun 4:23 PM – 25 Feb 2015

Close your eyes and make a wish:

February 25, 2015, 05:14 pm

The return of Todd Akin?

By Jonathan Easley

Todd Akin is considering a primary challenge to Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) in 2016.

“I have not ruled anything out,” the former congressman and 2012 GOP Senate nominee told The Hill in a phone interview on Wednesday….

Oh, this could get really interesting.

Today, from Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander (D):

Jason Kander (D): Eight years ago I was here, at the Kansas City airport. I hugged my wife and parents, said good bye, and left on a journey that would change my life.

I’m Jason Kander and I was an Army intelligence officer at U.S. Central Command’s Intelligence Division. But they needed more soldiers in Afghanistan, so I volunteered to go. Today, I’m Missouri’s Secretary of State. But back then, in two thousand six, I was a soldier just trying to do my part.

The story really begins a lot earlier. My grandfather served in World War Two, and my great grandfather in World War One. They passed on to their children the belief that we all have a purpose, a calling. For my parents it was serving as juvenile probation officers. And at night dad worked as a police officer. They believed every young life had potential and even opened the doors of our home to kids from troubled families who needed a place to stay. Some of them stayed for years and became a part of our family.

For me, I learned my calling on nine eleven when I was in college. After the planes hit the towers I knew I had to do something and it led me to enlist.

In Afghanistan one of my duties was rooting out corruption at the highest levels of the Afghan government. That meant spending time off the base on the streets of Kabul, sometimes volunteering to be an extra gun in a convoy of unarmored SUVs.

I’ll never forget one day in Kabul when a group of children wanted to be my bodyguards and walk me home to the safety of my base. They thought if they were surrounding me the Taliban wouldn’t hurt me. I, of course, couldn’t let them do that, but their courage has inspired me ever since.

When I came home I was elected to the state legislature where I worked to root out corruption in state government, passing the first major ethics reform in twenty years. And I worked with representatives in both parties to help create jobs, eliminate wasteful spending, and balance the budget without raising taxes.

Then as Secretary of State I’ve continued my efforts to reform state government and ban special interest money in gifts to politicians. I’ve also worked with Democrats and Republicans to keep the addresses of domestic violence survivors confidential, to combat human trafficking in Missouri, to help businesses rebuild and stay in Ferguson, and to insure that every citizen can vote without fear of intimidation.

All of this is possible because in Missouri we’ve brought Democrats and republicans together to solve real problems. That’s not happening in Washington. For years, even with our economy suffering at home and our national security threatened abroad too many politicians in both political parties have been more concerned with scoring political points than doing what’s right for our country. And it’s hurt all of us.

It’s why I decided to run for the United States Senate. And I hope you’ll join this campaign.

Missouri has a senator who’s been in Washington for nearly twenty years and has been running for one political office or another for over forty years. For too long he’s been a part of the problem, voting to shut down the Senate, block economic progress, block good ideas just because they come from someone in the other party.

We can’t change Washington if we don’t change the people we send there. I believe it’s time for a new generation of leaders who have come of age at a time of unprecedented challenges and threats to our country and who are committed to bringing people together and doing what’s right no matter what the personal cost.

I’ve learned so much from my family, from my grandfather’s service, to my parents’ generosity and love for others. Now, my wife, Diana, and I have a young son. When I look at him I think back to those brave young children in Kabul who reached out and wanted to surround me with friendship and see me safely home. Washington can learn from their example. And when I’m in the Senate they will.

Thank you. God bless Missouri and God bless our country.

VoteVets, a PAC, wasted no time in endorsing Jason Kander:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FEB 19 2015

[….]

VOTEVETS PAC BACKS KANDER FOR SENATE

“From fighting terrorists to fighting corrupting special interests, Jason’s commitment to service would be a breath of fresh air, in the Senate. There is no doubt that Jason Kander will immediately take on Washington’s broken ways.”

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – On behalf of its over 400,000 supporters, a national veterans organization, VoteVets.org PAC, is today announcing its endorsement of Secretary of State Jason Kander for US Senate. Kander announced his candidacy, earlier today.  

“Jason’s service to our nation in uniform is only rivaled by his service to Missouri, and his commitment to making government work, against great odds,” said Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran, and Chairman of VoteVets.org PAC.  “His election to the Senate would immediately signal to Washington that Missouri wants government that works for them.  From fighting terrorists to fighting corrupting special interests, Jason’s commitment to service would be a breath of fresh air, in the Senate.  There is no doubt that Jason Kander will immediately take on Washington’s broken ways.”

According to his biography, Kander is a fifth-generation Missourian, husband, father, and former Army Captain who served in Afghanistan.  His parents were both juvenile probation officers, with his dad working as a police officer at night. They taught him right from wrong and to always fight for what he believes in no matter what. The values instilled in him by his parents are why he felt a calling to military service following 9/11.  

Jason served as a military intelligence officer in Afghanistan, investigating groups and individuals suspected of corruption, espionage, drug trafficking, and facilitating Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Jason’s commanders described him as an “outstanding leader” and the Afghan Intelligence Watch Commander said Jason’s “hard work directly resulted in arresting enemies and saving lives.”

As a state legislator who represented Jackson County, Jason took on both parties to pass the first major ethics reform in almost 20 years. He also helped turn Missouri’s once weak human trafficking laws into among the country’s strongest.

Jason won election to Secretary of State in 2012.  As Missouri’s Secretary of State, Jason cut his own budget by over $1 million, while providing more services than the office ever has before. He cut red tape and fees to help small businesses hire and thrive, protected our right to vote, and got tens of millions of dollars for Missouri taxpayers when he took on the Wall Street firms that helped cause the 2008 financial crisis. And he’s led the fight to clean up Missouri’s worst-in-the-nation campaign finance and ethics laws.

Founded in 2006, the mission of VoteVets.org Political Action Committee is to elect Veterans to public office, with a focus on Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and hold public officials accountable for their words and actions that impact America’s 21st century troops and veterans. Though VoteVets.org PAC is non-partisan, candidates it backs must support VoteVets.org’s core mission and beliefs.  Since its inception, in 2006, VoteVets PAC has raised about $250,000 for its endorsed candidates.

###

Please note, while the good folks at Progress Missouri are our friends, we’re completely different entities. Oh, and by the way, we agree with them on this.

A letter from Sean Nicholson at Progress Missouri, sent to the powers that be in the Missouri Senate:

Progress Missouri

February 10, 2015

The Honorable Senator Michael Kehoe

Missouri Senate

201 W Capitol Ave., Rm. 429

Jefferson City, Missouri 65101

Re:Videotaping Senate Commerce Committee Meeting

Dear Senator Kehoe:

I am writing regarding videotaping of Senate Commerce Committee meetings. You stated on February 3, 2015 that videotaping of these meetings is only allowed for “member[s] of the Missouri press corps” with previous permission. This restriction violates Missouri’s Sunshine Law. In addition, to the extent the Committee is making membership in a private organization, such as the Missouri Press Association, a condition of videotaping these meetings, this restriction violates the First Amendment and our free speech rights under the Missouri Constitution.

On February 2, 2015, a representative of Progress Missouri sent a courtesy email to you, to notify you of our intent to videotape the next Senate Commerce Committee meeting. The e-mail cited Section 610.020, R.S.Mo., which states that a “public body shall allow for the recording by…videotape…of any open meeting.” The e-mail also requested any guidelines for recording the meeting to minimize disruptions.

On February 3, 2015, Adam Gresham telephoned us and stated that we would not be able to collect video at the meeting. He did not explain how he thought our efforts to videotape the meeting could possibly be disruptive. Nor did he offer any steps we could take to minimize any possible disruptions.

Notwithstanding the statement by your Chief of Staff, we attended the Commerce Committee meeting on February 3, 2015. At the start, you announced a “housekeeping” matter. At this time, we were videotaping the proceedings. You stated:

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“The policy of the Senate, certainly the policy I’m going to adopt, is that if you’re a member of the Missouri Press Corps you can get with our office before the meetings start. Certainly, Adam will work with you to allow videotaping. If you need something other that you’re welcome to get with Senate Communications given to you certainly and you’re welcome to attend any meeting that you want to. But videotaping is only allowed for press corps members with previous permission and Senate Communications. That will be the policy.”

Your statement was a direction to us to stop videotaping. We are not members of the Missouri Press Association, which is a private organization of reporters. Accordingly, we ceased videotaping the meeting. Members of the Missouri Press Association may have continued to record the proceedings, but we do not have access to their recordings.

Per Missouri’s Sunshine Law, it is the public policy of the state that “meetings, records, votes, actions and deliberations of public governmental bodies be open to the public unless otherwise provided by law.” Section 610.011.1, R.S.Mo. The law is to be liberally construed.

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The Sunshine Law gives a broad right to record public meetings, and these rights are not limited to reporters. Missouri’s Sunshine Law is absolutely clear on this issue.

Section 610.020 of Missouri’s Sunshine Law states: “A public body shall allow for the recording by audiotape, videotape, or other electronic means of any open meeting. A public body may establish guidelines regarding the manner in which such recording is conducted so as to minimize disruption to the meeting.”

The Senate Commerce Committee is a “public body,” as defined by Missouri’s Sunshine Law. In addition, the meeting on February 3 was a “public meeting” as defined by the Law. At no time was our videotaping disruptive. We were quiet and respectful. We did not block or obstruct anyone’s access or views and did not interfere with the proceedings. We conducted ourselves in the same manner as we have conducted ourselves at other committee meetings, which we have videotaped without issue. We also conducted ourselves in the same manner as members of the press corps have conducted themselves in videotaping committee meetings. Nothing about our efforts to record the meeting could be considered disruptive or would cause a reasonable person to believe that our conduct would cause any disruption.

In the past, Senators have cited Senate Rule 96, which purportedly requires the permission of a Chairman to videotape a committee meeting. But, the Senate cannot draft a rule, which is not a law enacted by the General Assembly, to escape its obligations under the Sunshine Law. While

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the Senate may establish neutral guidelines to minimize disruptions at meetings, it cannot create guidelines that completely defeat the law. A rule giving the Chairman blanket discretion to withhold permission to record is also arbitrary and unlawful, and could be used to suppress disfavored views for political reasons. Moreover, our efforts to videotape did not cause and will not cause a disruption.

I also note that courts in other states have held that citizens and businesses have the right to videotape public meetings, even if they are not members of the press.  See Tarus v. Borough of Pine Hill, 916 A.2d 1036 (N.J. 2005) (actions of mayor were arbitrary when it created restrictions to block citizen from videotaping a public meeting); Pinellas County School Board v. Suncam, Inc., 829 So.2d 989 (Fl. Ct. App. 2002) (business has right to videotape public meeting).

We hope this letter resolves this matter. We will continue to send emails to your staff regarding our attendance at meetings as a courtesy, when possible.

If you intend to prevent us from videotaping Committee meetings, please inform us with your basis for doing so. We reserve the right to take legal action, including seeking an injunction. In case of legal action, we will consider your actions to be “knowing” and “purposeful” violations for purposes of the Sunshine Law, and will seek costs and attorneys’ fees incurred in protecting the public’s right to videotape Committee meetings.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. I look forward to hearing your response.

Sincerely,

s/

Sean Soendker Nicholson

Progress Missouri

Cc:

Senator Tom Dempsey, President Pro Tem of the Senate

Senator Ron Richard, Majority Floor Leader

Senator Joseph Keaveny, Minority Floor Leader

Chris Koster, Missouri Attorney General

Chris Grant, Schuchat, Cook & Werner

What is the Missouri Senate afraid of?

It’s gonna be a bright, bright, bright sun shiny day.