The early morning Governor’s Ham Breakfast in the second week of the State Fair in Sedalia is the largest annual one day gathering of ostrich skin boots, tailored jeans, and silver decorated leather belts in the State of Missouri.

We’re talking menswear.

It’s an opportunity for us to photograph and (rarely, if ever) talk to a number of Missouri politicians, all in one place at the same time.

This year a number of office holders either skipped the event or managed to avoid the entrance gauntlet. Others made their way through it.

A journalist:

On a break of sorts, though he hasn’t stopped tweeting. We knew Eli way back when…

State Auditor and recently announced gubernatorial candidate Nicole Galloway (D):

After covering the breakfast under the tent for 1000 people we ventured on to the State Fair grounds.

An encounter on the main drag:

A blue ribbon in the Home Economics Building:

Getting ready to judge pies:

Judging rabbits in the Poultry/Rabbit Building. Poultry during the first week of the fair, rabbits during the second week:

Various political parties have tents on the main drag promoting their candidates and ideology.

The folks at the Democratic Party tent have noted a consistent number of people this year passing by calling out and yelling “Socialists!” (among other things) at them. Yeah, sure, everyone’s a rabid capitalist until their party leader imposes tariffs to engage in a trade war and then has Congress bail out agricultural interests. We didn’t ask the occupants of the Republican tent if people were consistently yelling “Fascists!” at them. We probably should have.

We noted at yesterday morning’s Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair that a number of republican candidates and office holders (along with some campaign’s supporters) were outfitted in informal campaign wear. Not so much for the Democratic Party candidates and office holders we ran into.

This candidate was just making sure everyone knows where he stands:

We understand where, too:

Sen. Will Kraus (r): warming up the crowd about urban schools at the Santorum rally (February 4, 2012)

An oxymoron?:

Who?:

And, of course, a few candidates had their campaign volunteers outfitted in their latest campaign t-shirt fashions:

There’s a juvenile joke in their somewhere. We’re not above laughing at it.

That logo appears to be splitting the state in two.

Previously:

Unintentionally ironic… (August 20, 2015)

Missouri State Fair – Governor’s Ham Breakfast – August 20, 2015 (August 20, 2015)

This morning we attended the largest annual single gathering of politicians in Missouri, outside of the General Assembly, at the Governor’s Ham Breakfast on the grounds of the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. It makes for an interesting juxtaposition – potential political opponents for statewide and legislative office milling around and greeting each other, breakfast attendees, and the media.

It’s also an opportunity for us to get photographs of a number of public officials and political candidates in one place. Some of those results:  

Attorney General Chris Koster (D), a (probable) candidate for Governor in 2016.

Campaign Finance: inexorable (July 7, 2015)

Campaign Finance: I’ll see your managed care and raise you a home health service… (July 14, 2015)

Chris Koster (D) – July 2015 Campaign Finance Report (July 18, 2015)

Campaign Finance: no surprise here (July 21, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a different constituency (July 29, 2015)

Campaign Finance: no rest (August 3, 2015)

PPP Missouri Poll: 2016 U.S. Senate and Governor – August 11, 2015 (August 11, 2015)

Campaign Finance: rolling in (August 15, 2015)

Former Cass County Prosecutor Teresa Hensley (D), a candidate for Attorney General in 2016.

Teresa Hensley (D) announces 2016 run for Attorney General (July 30, 2015)

Former Missouri House Speaker and U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway (r), a candidate for Governor in 2016.

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

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

Campaign Finance: still awake (June 17, 2015)

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

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

Campaign Finance: a familiar amount (July 22, 2015)

Bev Randles (r), a candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 2016.

Campaign Finance: Oh, hell, just buy the state already (December 8, 2014)

Campaign Finance: Exploring something. (January 13, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a December to really remember (January 18, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a sense of proportion (April 22, 2015)

Bev Randles (r): officially in the 2016 Lieutenant Governor race (July 1, 2015)

Lieutenant Governor – July 2015 Campaign Finance Reports (July 19, 2015)

Jay Ashcroft (r), a candidate for Secretary of State in 2016.

The legacy will continue to try (January 14, 2015)

Campaign Finance: enabling the legacy (May 8, 2015)

The legacy demonstrates difficulty understanding concepts taught on a children’s television show (May 20, 2015)

Family ties (May 27, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a fistful of silver dollars (July 2, 2015)

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r), a candidate for reelection in the 4th Congressional District in 2016.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): has a SCOTUScare! sad (June 25, 2015)

Rep Vicky Hartzler (r): has another U.S. Supreme Court sad – today it’s marriage equality (June 26, 2015)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): on the Iran nuclear deal – Harrisonville, MO – August 14, 2015 (August 15, 2015)

Previously:

Missouri State Fair – the Governor’s Ham Breakfast – photos (August 16, 2012)

The Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair – 2013 (August 15, 2013)

Tomorrow morning’s Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the State Fair is gonna be really interesting (August 13, 2014)

Gov. Jay Nixon will be in the St. Louis area today, not at the State Fair (August 14, 2014)

What if you had a ham breakfast and the Governor couldn’t be there? (August 14, 2015)

Unintentionally ironic… (August 20, 2015)

…on so many levels.

A Roy Blunt (r) U.S. Senate campaign sign crew at the back of a mini rally before

the start of the Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia – August 20, 2015.

Probably.

Previously:

Our world in three Tweets (April 21, 2015)

PPP polling results in Missouri: social media hints (August 11, 2015)

PPP Missouri Poll: 2016 U.S. Senate and Governor – August 11, 2015 (August 11, 2015)

Video by Jerry Schmidt.

Previously:

Tomorrow morning’s Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the State Fair is gonna be really interesting (August 13, 2014)

Gov. Jay Nixon will be in the St. Louis area today, not at the State Fair (August 14, 2014)

This morning’s Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the State Fair in Sedalia took place without Governor Jay Nixon. Governor Nixon was in Ferguson, Missouri as was/is Senator Claire McCaskill. No statewide Democratic Party office holders were in attendance at the breakfast.

Senator Roy Blunt (r), Representative Vicky Hartzler (r), Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer (r), State Auditor Tom Schweich (r), House Speaker Tim Jones (r), and former Speaker Catherine Hanaway (r) were at the State Fair. We also covered a republican press conference at the Farm Bureau building going after the EPA on water regulation. Senator Blunt, Representative Hartzler and Representative Luetkemeyer spoke. Not a word about Ferguson, but the were all pleased about the “right to farm” amendment.

Serenading folks in the Home Economics Building.

The band also performed in the big tent for the ham breakfast crowd. They were quite good.

Senator Roy Blunt (r).

Politicians weren’t the only ones on display and being judged.

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r).

The Democratic Party tent at the Missouri State Fair.

They were open and active long before the republican tent opened up.

Former House Speaker Catherine Hanaway (r).

State Auditor Tom Schweich (r).

Judging pie.

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r).

Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer at the republican press conference in the Farm Bureau Building.

Interestingly, all three purported republican candidates for Governor in 2016 attended the breakfast. There was no tear gas.

On Twitter tonight:

Kevin Horrigan ‏@OldSport

If @GovJayNixon does tomorrow’s state fair ham breakfast and doesn’t get some smarter policing in #Ferguson, could be a new low. 9:10 PM – 13 Aug 2014

Tony Wyche ‏@tonywyche

Gov Nixon, NOW is the time to step up. In the absence of leadership we get chaos. National aspirations or not, here’s your chance. #Ferguson 9:42 PM – 13 Aug 2014

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

Every ounce of leadership legacy earned by @GovJayNixon after #Joplin tornado is being sucked away by the #Ferguson vortex. Engage dammit. 9:46 PM – 13 Aug 2014

Philip Rucker ‏@PhilipRucker

Gov. Jay Nixon had been itching to expand his national profile, even eyeing 2016 run. His being AWOL tonight prob won’t help. #Ferguson 9:40 PM – 13 Aug 2014

Jay Rosen ‏@jayrosen_nyu

Where is the governor of Missouri? @GovJayNixon.10:00 PM – 13 Aug 2014

Joy Reid @JoyAnnReid

You can’t just suspend the constitution in an American city. Who’s in charge in #Ferguson?? 9:48 PM – 13 Aug 2014

Oh, my.

We received this email last night:

from: [….]

to: info@showmeprogress.com

date: Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 7:12 PM

subject: the clown

I’m sure all the liberals were as upset when Bush was called a killer, Hitler,vile names, had his head put on a stick and a movie made about him being murdered. I guess Obama is not all that  upset since he hasn’t said anything, I am sure he is smart enough to figure out that every president has been mocked and they roll with it, if they are man enough.  if he did come out and cry about it he would look like a wimp. .why is it that liberals are so thin skinned and can dish it out but can’t take it…oh, yes, I know why, i used to be one…very predictable. get over it, cry babies, and get a life. you over played it and now you look like fools. at least Obama didn’t fall for it. The clown  looks like the victim now, and the people that wanted their 15 minutes of fame look like little Rats..pathetic

[raises hand] Point of order. Does this mean we can invoke Godwin’s law? Just asking.

Somebody put somebody’s head on a stick? Really?

This one appears to have all the right wingnut talking points in it.

“…I guess Obama is not all that  upset since he hasn’t said anything…”

“…why is it that liberals are so thin skinned and can dish it out but can’t take…”

“…i used to be one…”

So, as a former liberal you’re saying that Obama isn’t a liberal? Just asking.

We’re totally flummoxed by the incoherence. We won’t be able to post anything here for weeks. Rats.

Previously:

Ye shall know them by their fruits (August 19, 2013)

“Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries. “ (August 20, 2013)

Late last night Bob Yates received another email from a rodeo clown enabler:

From: [….]

Date: Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 10:43 PM

Subject: Fw: Phony Scandal: Rodeo Clown Disses Real Thing

To: [….]

Mr. Yates:

Just read the attached article and after looking at your credentials and seeing that you are from the Chicago area, I can confirm you to are a hypocrite.  Do you not remember the Bush rodeo clown?, do you remember all the negative things that were said about Bush then and still today.  I am forwarding this article to everybody I know, I hope you and Perry Beam can live with yourselves,  you guys are classless hypocrites.

Family friendly choice of vocabulary, we think.

We can confirm you to are illiterate.

Previously:

Ye shall know them by their fruits (August 19, 2013)