Perhaps our favorite image to date from among all of the 2022 republican primary campaign mailings in Missouri:
We’ve received several mail pieces paid for by a right wingnut Federal Super PAC that attack Rick Brattin (r). Not that we’re complaining. This is today’s edition:
Blah, blah, blah, RINO. Blah, blah, China, blach, blah, America last.
Blah, blah, Never-Trumper. Blah, blah, China. Blah, blah, Chinese Communist Companies. There’s an oxymoron for you – Communist Corporatist Capitalists.
Former newsreader Mark Alford (r) is one of a sea of right wingnut republicans running in the republican primary for the open seat in Missouri’s 4th congressional District.
Burn pits, anyone? Universal access to affordable healthcare? Gun violence? Death penalty? If Mark Alord (r) wins the primary will the election be “secure”? If he loses the primary will it be “stolen”? Just asking.
As opposed to “the liberals on the right”?
Try “Whip Inflation Now”. That worked out so very well.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An official at the United States Postal Service confirmed Friday that four mail-processing machines have been removed at its Kansas City, Missouri, facility.
The removal of machines comes as part of changes made by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, according to a report from CNN.
The USPS official said that in addition to the four machines removed in Kansas City, the USPS had removed two machines in Springfield and one in Wichita “for efficiency and lower mail volume.”
[….]
“We are seeing the destruction of the postal service,” U.S. Rep Emanuel Cleaver II, a Missouri Democrat who represents KCMO, said. “I don’t think there are any questions about it.”
[….]
The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported Friday that Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft was notified in late July that the USPS may not be able to return all mail-in ballots to election authorities by the Nov. 3 election.
That delay could invalidate some ballots for the general election, when the country will elect a president and Missouri will elect a governor, among other races.
[….]
That was then, this is now.
A campaign piece, from Uniting Missouri, the PAC propping up Governor Mike Parson (r), arrived in our mail yesterday:
“Officials say you should return your mail or absentee ballot now to ensure it is received and counted in time.”
No shit, Sherlock. Who’s responsible for this state of affairs?
Wait a minute. In Donald Trump’s (r) world aren’t mail-in ballots rife with fraud?
This right wingnut mail piece is just oozing cognitive dissonance and gaslighting. Not that their target audience would notice.
Senator Claire McCaskill (D) [October 2018 file photo].
There’s an election in less than two weeks.
Talk to your family, friends and neighbors. Get them to commit to voting. Drag them to the polls if you have to.
Vote.
And it’s time for the right wingnut, dark money funded, astroturf (fake grassroots) attack mail pieces to start arriving. Sure enough, in today’s mail:
Dudes, there are no vacancies on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Americans for Prosperity? Yeah, them, a super PAC, using a Jefferson City PO box as a return address:
…Americans for Prosperity, the sprawling Koch political network, announced Monday the launch of a new super PAC arm as the organization gears up for the final stretch of the 2018 midterms.
The new super PAC was described as “a new tool to build broad policy coalitions in Congress to help advance AFP’s vision,” which “will advocate for candidates who share our commitment to breaking internal and external barriers that prevent people from realizing their full potential.”
The super PAC, called “AFP Action,” will operate independently of the network’s preexisting 501(c)(4) nonprofit and with some key advantages.
Per campaign finance laws, the new group will be able to spend unlimited sums on election activities while being subject to some loose disclosure requirements, The nonprofit arm, however, is subject to even looser disclosure requirements but must dedicate a portion of their spending to “social welfare” activities that cannot explicitly target elections.
[….]
“…the new group will be able to spend unlimited sums on election activities while being subject to some loose disclosure requirements…”
Right wingnut transparency is an oxymoron. You know, like “jumbo shrimp”, or “honest thief”…
This makes me want to drop by my local coordinated campaign office and make some GOTV calls right after I finish dinner. So, I will.
If you voted “No” on Proposition A in August you vote for Renee Hoagenson (D) in the 4th Congressional District in November.
Finish the job. Otherwise, you’ll be facing “right to get paid less” again in the near future.
The results in August, defeating Proposition A, which would have imposed “Right to Work” in Missouri:
Proposition A
3228 of 3228 Precincts Reported
YES 453,283 32.534%
NO 939,973 67.466%
Total Votes: 1,393,256
And, of course, on the wrong side of Missouri voters:
Cosponsors: H.R.785 — 115th Congress (2017-2018)
[….]
Rep. Hartzler, Vicky [R-MO-4] 10/26/2017
[….]
Introduced in House (02/01/2017) National Right-to-Work Act
This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers or labor organizations, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
We received campaign mail from Renee Hoagenson (D) today:
We got astroturf (fake grassroots) campaign mail yesterday:
Right wingnut financed “astroturf” (fake grassroots) campaign mail – October 2018.
Who is paying for this?
That’s it?
Wait, hasn’t Senator Claire McCaskill (D) traveled across the state holding over fifty open public town halls? What a great way to remind everyone of that fact. Josh Hawley (r) does have a flatbed truck.
Donald Trump (r) and the republican controlled Congress gave a massive tax break to the top 1%, increasing the national debt by over a trillion dollars. They’ll be coming after Medicare and Social Security next. Hint: If you’re a billionaire you won’t ever need Medicare or Social Security. Raise your hand right now if you’re a billionaire.
This particular piece was paid for by “Americans for Prosperity Action”, a super PAC, using a Jefferson City PO box as a return address:
…Americans for Prosperity, the sprawling Koch political network, announced Monday the launch of a new super PAC arm as the organization gears up for the final stretch of the 2018 midterms.
The new super PAC was described as “a new tool to build broad policy coalitions in Congress to help advance AFP’s vision,” which “will advocate for candidates who share our commitment to breaking internal and external barriers that prevent people from realizing their full potential.”
The super PAC, called “AFP Action,” will operate independently of the network’s preexisting 501(c)(4) nonprofit and with some key advantages.
Per campaign finance laws, the new group will be able to spend unlimited sums on election activities while being subject to some loose disclosure requirements, The nonprofit arm, however, is subject to even looser disclosure requirements but must dedicate a portion of their spending to “social welfare” activities that cannot explicitly target elections.
[….]
“…the new group will be able to spend unlimited sums on election activities while being subject to some loose disclosure requirements…”
So much for transparency.
Anyone think the Koch brothers will ever hold open public town halls in Missouri? Nah, me neither.
We’re talking black helicopter territory here. A mail piece from a paranoid right wingnut gun advocacy group (no, not that one) arrived in our mailbox yesterday:
Hey, wait a minute, who is that guy on the mailer?
Doesn’t look like quite the same as the person we photographed in Iowa this summer:
Why, he looks like he’s having a good time.
Then there’s this, from the second presidential debate this week (excerpt from a rush transcript):
….Candy Crowley: Governor, if I could, the question was about these assault weapons that once were banned and are no longer banned. I know that you signed an assault weapons ban when you were in Massachusetts. Obviously with this question you no longer do support that. Why is that, given the kind of violence that we see sometimes with these mass killings? Why is it that you’ve changed your mind?
Mitt Romney (r): Well, Candy, actually in my state, the pro-gun folks and the anti-gun folks came together and put together a piece of legislation, and it’s referred to as an assault weapon ban, but it had, at the signing of the bill, both the pro-gun and the anti-gun people came together because it provided opportunities that both wanted. There were hunting opportunities that hadn’t previously been available. It was a mutually agreed upon piece of legislation. That’s what we need more of, Candy. What we have now in Washington is a place that’s gridlocked.
Candy Crowley: If you could get people to agree to it, you would be for it?
Mitt Romney (r): We haven’t worked on a bipartisan basis. I was able to do that in my state and bring these two together.
Candy Crowley: Mr. President?
President Obama (D):First of all, I think Governor Romney was for an assault weapons ban before he was against it. He said the reason he changed his mind was in part because he was seeking the endorsement of the National Rifle Association. So that’s on the record. But I think that one area we agree on is the importance of parents and the importance of schools because I do believe that if our young people have opportunity, then they’re less likely to engage in these kind of violent acts. We’re not going to eliminate everybody who is mentally disturbed, and we’ve got to make sure they don’t get weapons, but we can make a difference in terms of ensuring that every young person in America, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, have a chance to succeed. And, Candy, we haven’t had a chance to talk about education much, but I think it is very important to understand that the reforms we put in place working with 46 governors around the country are seeing schools that are some of the ones that are the toughest for kids starting to succeed. We’re starting to see gains in math and science. When it comes to community colleges, we are setting up programs including with NASSAU community college to retrain workers, including young people who may have dropped out of school but now are getting another chance, training them for the jobs that exist right now, and in fact employers are looking for skilled workers, and so we’re matching them up. Giving them access to higher education. As I said, we have made sure that millions of young people are able to get an education that they weren’t able to get before….
[emphasis added]
Mitt Romney (r) was for an assault weapons ban before he was against it? Oopsie, it looks like somebody backed the wrong presidential candidate.
The Missouri Democratic Party paid for a mail piece on behalf of John Bullard (D) in the open seat race in the 54th Legislative District – pointing out that Jeanie Lauer (r) had a tax payment problem.
Oh, look, happy yuppies who won’t ever have to worry about driving into St. Louis or Kansas City when there are no public services because all the shopping, cultural, sporting, and governmental venues will be shut down anyway! Awesome!
Uh, try, let the person with the fattest checkbook decide.
Let’s have a little logic lesson. The mail piece states:
…Yes on A lets voters decide if they want to prohibit new local earnings taxes in their cities and towns.
Under existing state law, new local earnings taxes could be imposed in other Missouri cities and towns. A Yes vote on Prop A prohibits the politicians from imposing any new local earnings taxes on working people and businesses in Missouri…
Uh, what’s a politician? Does this mean that unelected people in politics, you know, people running for office but not yet elected get to decide? Just asking. Or, is that elected officials who were, you know, elected by the voters in their jurisdiction? Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?
“…Yes on A lets voters decide if they want to prohibit new local earnings taxes in their cities and towns…”
Bullshit. This initiative lets other voters across the state decide what cities and towns across the state can do when it comes to an earnings tax. There is a difference.
These folks think Missouri voters are stoopid. And if we let them get away with this we are.
