Wow. Just, wow.

Tony Messenger, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, via Twitter:

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

Since @keithenglishmo cast the deciding vote to give @rexsinquefield his tax-cut win in session, guess who his biggest donor is? King Rex. 2:41 PM – 5 Aug 2014

Representative Keith English responded:

Rep. Keith English ‏@keithenglishmo

@tonymess @rexsinquefield wrong!.. 2:43 PM – 5 Aug 2014

Yes, that Representative Keith English.

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

@keithenglishmo @rexsinquefield You do know that the Missouri Ethics Commission records are public, right, Keith? 2:46 PM – 5 Aug 2014

The conversation continued:

Rep. Keith English ‏@keithenglishmo

@tonymess @rexsinquefield Tony! We did our homework and sent check back! Thanks for acknowledging that happened! 2:52 PM – 5 Aug 2014

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

@keithenglishmo @rexsinquefield so a random committee randomly sent you money? When did you send it back? Before or after you typed ‘wrong!’ 2:53 PM – 5 Aug 2014

Okay, that left a mark.

Following the money:

MISSOURI ETHICS COMMISSION

CONTRIBUTIONS MADE – SUPPLEMENTAL FORM

MISSOURIANS FOR EXCELLENCE IN GOVERNMENT [pdf] 7/28/2014

Citizens for Keith English 755 Pelican Lane Florissant MO 63031 7/22/2014 $4,500.00

[emphasis added]

According to the Missouri Ethics Commission web site the closing date for the 8 day before the election report is July 24th. It’s possible that the check was still in the mail.

The contributions listed in Representative English’s July 28th campaign finance report:

MISSOURI ETHICS COMMISSION

CONTRIBUTIONS AND LOANS RECEIVED

CITIZENS FOR KEITH ENGLISH [pdf] 7/28/2014

12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSON GIVING $25 OR LESS $0.00

13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $0.00

Clifton Ehlen 19335 Primrose Ridge Warrenton MO 63383 Retired 7/11/2014 $35.00

FEAPAC of Missouri 11880 College Blvd Overland Park KS 66210 7/11/2014 $1,000.00

Liberty Mutual Insurance co 1101 14th St. NW Boston MA 02117 7/11/2014 $1,000.00

Right Choice Managed Care, INC PO Box 68086 Cincinnati OH 45206 7/11/2014 $500.00

Shelter Insurance 1817 W. Broadway Columbia MO 65218 7/11/2014 $500.00

MBA River Heritage Region 207 East Capitol Jefferson City MO 65101 7/11/2014 $1,000.00

Bank of America 1100 North King Street Wilmington DE 19884 7/11/2014 $300.00

The Traverlers Indemnity Co PO BOX 11 New Castle DE 19720 7/11/2014 $1,000.00

Comcast Financial Agency 1701 JFK Blvd Philadelphia PA 19103 7/11/2014 $500.00

MOSFA INC 121 Madison St Jefferson City MO 65101 7/11/2014 $1,000.00

American Family Insurance PO BOX 1925 Jefferson City MO 65102 7/11/2014 $300.00

The Doe Run Company 1801 Park 270 Drive St Louis MO 63146 7/11/2014 $500.00

[emphasis added]

Delaware?

The Twitter conversation continued:

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

Re: @keithenglishmo claim he returned @rexsinquefield check? ‘To date I have not received any correspondence’ from him says @DwyerRice 3:32 PM – 5 Aug 2014

Chris McDaniel ‏@csmcdaniel

@tonymess @keithenglishmo @rexsinquefield @DwyerRice Also, the PAC calculated its current cash on hand w/ assumption check had been cashed.3:34 PM – 5 Aug 2014

And, finally:

Rep. Keith English ‏@keithenglishmo

@csmcdaniel as stated by my campaign committee, returned to sender! 3:37 PM – 5 Aug 2014

We’ll find out when at the time the 30 day after the election report is filed (by September 4th).

Previously:

New Missouri Rule: if the governor governs right of center you can’t call him a “liberal” (July 1, 2013)

Bill signing Kabuki (July 12, 2013)

Rep. Chris Kelly (D): HB 253 – “I’d like to know what your opinion is.” (July 19, 2013)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r): probably not gonna sustain the Governor’s veto of HB 253 (August 19, 2013)

Sec. of State Jason Kander (D) to Texas Gov. Rick Perry (r): You forgot about that Medicaid thing? (August 23, 2013)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) to UCM on HB 253: I don’t care, I’d rather be the new Speaker Pro Tem (August 24, 2013)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r): your constituents know what you’re doing to them (August 26, 2013)

HB 253: Because those dissolute leeches at the public trough should shut up, that’s why! (August 28, 2013)

Missouri Democratic Party on HB 253: Yes, yes, let’s talk about Texas Gov. Rick Perry (r)…. (August 28, 2013)

AG Chris Koster (D) to Speaker Jones (r) on HB 253: you all certainly made a mess of things… (August 29, 2013)

Speaker Tim Jones (r) and HB 253: hone your legal analytical skills litigating birth certificates (August 30, 2013)

HB 253: any way you slice it (September 11, 2013)

HB 253: Watch out – It’ll be baaaaaaaaaack (September 11, 2013)

SB 509: once more, with feeling (April 17, 2014)

SB 509: “….We’d like to think that most of them are not simpletons….” (April 18, 2014)

SB 509: Governor Jay Nixon (D) strikes back (April 22, 2014)

SB 509: dueling on Twitter (April 22, 2014)

SB 509: Would you like some whine with your bill? (April 23, 2014)

SB 509: strange gyrations (April 23, 2014)

The Missouri GOP, Evel Knievel and political stuntsmanship (April 24, 2014)

SB 509: the folks back home ain’t buying what they’re selling (April 24, 2014)

SB 509: in a wingnutshell (April 28, 2014)

SB 509: the folks back home ain’t buying what they’re selling – part 2 (April 29, 2014)

SB 509: thank the FSM (or the deity of your choice) for Kansas (May 1, 2014)

SB 509: veto it is (May 1, 2014)

SB 509: Governor Jay Nixon’s (D) Veto (May 2, 2014)

SB 509: That’s a mighty interesting legal citation you got there… (May 2, 2014)

SB 509: “Brawndo! It’s got electrolytes!” (May 3, 2014)

SB 509: You were expecting anything else? (May 5, 2014)

SB 509: not so much these days (May 6, 2014)

The face of shame (May 6, 2014)

SB 509: the moment when all hope for the future of Missouri died (May 6, 2014)

Dude, you’ve got bigger problems than an out of the way blog with dozens of readers (May 6, 2014)

The day Missouri went down the toilet (May 7, 2014)

Dude, you’ve got bigger problems than an out of the way blog with dozens of readers – part 2 (May 8, 2014)

…and now you know the rest of the story (May 8, 2014)

This won’t be the last story on SB 509  (May 8, 2014)

Today, via Twitter:

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

Every day @EdMartin4MO and @ToddAkin are in the news is a bad day for the @missourigop. 2:35 PM – 10 Jul 2014

Today, via Twitter:

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

The #moleg scorecard: Cut taxes for rich. Check. Raise taxes on poor. Check. Take $$ from public schools. Check. Kill ethics reform. Check. 2:02 PM – 14 May 2014

My reply:

Michael Bersin ‏@MBersin

@tonymess Purveyors of seersucker clothing remain pleased. 4:17 PM – 14 May 2014

Yesterday, via Twitter and Facebook, from Senator Brian Nieves (r):

briannieves ‏@briannieves

Why does Tony Messenger live in Wildwood instead of the Near North Side? Why is he enjoying a $10 Breakfast and not working a Soup Kitchen? 9:34 AM – 18 Jan 2014

Brian Nieves

OK – Serious question… Is it monumentally hypocritical for someone like Tony Messenger, who always writes about the plight of the poor, the plundering of the rich, and the glory of STL City, to live in a fairly affluent area – far disconnected from the Urban Core – and be at a mild to moderately high priced breakfast place on a Saturday morning instead of serving the poor at a Soup kitchen?

Now look – I’m a million miles away from perfect and I’m sure there is much to be said about stupid things I’ve done but how about asking the Extremist Leftist Liberals in the press to at least pretend to LIVE what they Preach! Your thoughts?

Yesterday at 7:56am

One of the responses:

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

For the record, my daughter enjoyed her “mild to moderately high priced” chocolate chip dinosaur pancakes this morning. Cc: @briannieves 1:28 PM – 18 Jan 2014

Snark:

Sean Nicholson ‏@ssnich

@tonymess What’s for breakfast? 6:42 AM – 19 Jan 2014

Update:

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

Someone stole my paper this morning. Neighborhood has really gone down since they let the fully indoctrinated Marxist liberals in. #subtweet 8:22 AM – 19 Jan 2014

Via Twitter:

Me ‏@Taunia_Adams

“You can either be for public education or for House Bill 253, but you can’t be both.” #HB253Deserters get it and we thank them. #HB253 3:18 PM – 16 Aug 13

Speaker Timothy Jones (r) is not having a good day.

Speaker Timothy Jones (r), working the crowd yesterday at the Missouri State Fair.

Also today, via Twitter:

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

Every time @SpeakerTimJones types “FACT”, what he means is, “I don’t have the votes.” #moleg #hb253 2:29 PM – 16 Aug 13

And:

Yael T. Abouhalkah ‏@YaelTAbouhalkah 1h

@tonymess @SpeakerTimJones And I’m still waiting for links to those facts. 2:38 PM – 16 Aug 13

The St. Louis Post Dispatch and the Kansas City Star don’t appear to be particularly convinced.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: how astroturf (the fake grassroots) works (August 1, 2013)

Campaign Finance: En passant (July 31, 2013)

New Missouri Rule: if the governor governs right of center you can’t call him a “liberal” (July 1, 2013)

Governor Nixon saves Missouri from GOP anti-tax true believers’ leap of faith (June 6, 2013)

Today, via Twitter:

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

Says Speaker Tim Jones in a news release: “A strong ethics reform package will be a priority this year.” #moleg 4:16 PM – 29 Nov 12

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

Who had Jay Nixon endorsing Medicaid expansion and Tim Jones endorsing ethics reform on the same post-election day in the office pool? 4:25 PM – 29 Nov 12

Richard Martin @partmax

@tonymess and you buy it? Meals? Campaign limits? Consulting practice of public official? What exactly? 4:36 PM – 29 Nov 12

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

@partmax He’s endorsing the Jay Barnes proposal, which is a good start. Reducing money laundering. Not enough. But it’s progress. 4:41 PM – 29 Nov 12

Michael Bersin ‏@MBersin

@tonymess The devil is in the details, not the labels. 4:42 PM – 29 Nov 12

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

@partmax @mbersin The Dem proposal is clearly more comprehensive. But I take Jones’ flip on the issue as a positive sign. That’s my point. 4:43 PM – 29 Nov 12

Michael Bersin ‏@MBersin

@tonymess No one in politics ever voluntarily gives up an advantage. Unless they perceive a more substantive gain elsewhere. Find the latter 4:51 PM – 29 Nov 12

Tony Messenger @tonymess

@MBersin Of course. But what’s your point? Just stop rooting for ethics reform? I want to see it and it won’t happen if Jones doesn’t budge. 4:53 PM – 29 Nov 12

Michael Bersin @MBersin

@tonymess Slap a label on it and it’s done? There is a difference between hype and substance. We’re all from Missouri, let them show us. 4:58 PM – 29 Nov 12

Indeed. Given past behavior we’re not holding our breath.

Previously:

HCS #2 for SB 844: the republican majority in Jefferson City lays an egg on ethics reform (May 11, 2010)

Rep. Paul LeVota (D): republican ethics reform bill a “sham” (May 6, 2010)

Ethics Reform Legislation in Jefferson City: well, that didn’t go very well (April 27, 2010)

Lucy yanks the football…again, part 2 (April 26, 2010)

The Missouri General Assembly opens the 2010 legislative session, part 2 (January 6, 2010)

Kander (D) and Flook (r): ethics reform legislation in Jefferson City (December 14, 2009)

Kander (D) and Flook (r): ethics reform legislation in Jefferson City, part 2 (December 15, 2009)

Kander (D) and Flook (r): ethics reform legislation in Jefferson City, part 3 (December 16, 2009)

Kander (D) and Flook (r): ethics reform legislation in Jefferson City, part 4 (December 22, 2009)

High Broderism – Also frequently seen as merely “Broderism.” A fetishistic attachment to bipartisanship for bipartisanship’s sake; reflexive adherence to false equivalencies, regardless of whether what one side says is patently insane. The result of forty years of believing that Dirty Fucking Hippies may be hiding under your bed. Whereby a center-right pundit, often Broder himself, decrees that bipartisanship is a good thing and can be achieved if only everyone would agree with the center-right pundit. For the last ten years or so, High Broderism has been the shorter version of virtually every op-ed from David Broder.

Because the conventional wisdom evidently always thinks cutting revenue to the benefit of the top quintile is a good idea:

From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. [pdf]

From a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities [CBPP] report released yesterday:

Pulling Apart: A State-by-State Analysis of Income Trends

By Elizabeth McNichol, Douglas Hall, David Cooper, and Vincent Palacios

November 15, 2012

A state-by-state examination finds that income inequality has grown in most parts of the country since the late 1970s.  Over the past three business cycles prior to 2007, the incomes of the country’s highest-income households climbed substantially, while middle- and lower-income households saw only modest increases.

During the recession of 2007 through 2009, households at all income levels, including the wealthiest, saw declines in real income due to widespread job losses and the loss of realized capital gains.  But the incomes of the richest households have begun to grow again while the incomes of those at the bottom and middle continue to stagnate and wide gaps remain between high-income households and poor and middle-income households….

Today, from Tony Messenger of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

Former Sen. Kit Bond (R) and Gov. Bob Holden (D) kick off a bipartisan “Fix the Debt” campaign in Missouri on Monday. http://www.fixthedebt.org 3:14 PM – 16 Nov 12

A response:

Michael Bersin ‏@MBersin

@tonymess Seriously? Kit Bond? The guy who voted for Bush II era economic policies and two wars “off the books” is now suddenly concerned? 4:24 PM – 16 Nov 12

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

@MBersin Michael, we’re all concerned. The time to play partisan politics is gone. It’s good news that Ds and Rs are standing together. 4:25 PM – 16 Nov 12

Was that good advice in January 2009, too? It’s just too bad for everyone else that republicans then had no intent of following it.

Michael Bersin ‏@MBersin

@tonymess Really concerned about the debt? Hope Congress does nothing. Sequestration and expiration of Bush II revenue cuts would cut debt. 4:29 PM – 16 Nov 12

Michael Bersin ‏@MBersin

@tonymess But it’s not about cutting the debt. They just want to diminish or remove the social contract. 4:32 PM – 16 Nov 12

Michael Bersin@MBersin

@tonymess It’s interesting who isn’t included in the “fix the debt” group. No one from labor, eh? 4:34 PM – 16 Nov 12

Michael Bersin ‏@MBersin

@tonymess Pete Peterson Foundation? Uh, they’re into gutting Social Security. has nothing to do with the debt. 4:40 PM – 16 Nov 12

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

@MBersin Clint Zweifel, who is pretty darn close to labor, is on Missouri’s Fix the Debt group. 4:42 PM – 16 Nov 12

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

@MBersin I just fundamentally disagree with you. I think that both sides see a real need and opportunity to come to a deal. 4:43 PM – 16 Nov 12

Michael Bersin ‏@MBersin

@tonymess And, I was referring to the web link which you provided. Any labor there? 7:22 PM – 16 Nov 12

Michael Bersin ‏@MBersin

@tonymess And that deal is on who’s terms? Continuation of a documented redistribution of wealth upward? CEOs at the table. Why not workers? 7:25 PM – 16 Nov 12

Michael Bersin ‏@MBersin

@tonymess I’m curious. Do you believe that Social Security contributes to the national debt? 7:28 PM – 16 Nov 12

From the same CBPP report:

[….]

Causes of Rising Inequality

Government policies.  Government actions – and, in some cases, inaction – have contributed to the increase in wage and income inequality in most states.  Examples include deregulation and trade liberalization, the weakening of the safety net, the lack of effective laws concerning the right to collective bargaining, and the declining real value of the minimum wage.  In addition, changes in federal, state, and local tax structures and benefit programs have, in many cases, accelerated the trend toward growing inequality emerging from the labor market.

Expansion of investment income.  Forms of income such as dividends, rent, interest, and capital gains, which primarily accrue to those at the top of the income structure, rose substantially as a share of total income during the 1990s.  (Our analysis captures only a part of this growth, as we are not able to include capital gains income due to data limitations.)   The large increase in corporate profits during the economic recovery after the 2001 recession also widened inequality by boosting investors’ incomes.

[….]

States Can Mitigate the Growth in Inequality

Make state tax systems more progressive.  The federal income tax system is progressive – that is, it narrows income inequalities – but has become less so over the past two decades as a result of changes such as the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.  Nearly all state tax systems, in contrast, are regressive.  This is because states rely more on sales taxes and user fees, which hit low-income households especially hard, than on progressive income taxes.  (The income inequality data in this report reflect the effects of federal taxes but not state taxes.)

[….]

The current debt High Broderism wants to perpetuate the world of Bush II. And the rest of us will get to live in their very real dystopia.

Yesterday, on republican Affordable Care Act hypocrisy, via Twitter:

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

Watching the spinning on @ToddAkin once supporting individual mandate is funny. Of course he did. So did nearly all Rs. It was their idea! 9:36 PM – 7 Jul 12

Only it’s not funny. They think everyone else is too stupid to notice.

A conversation today via Twitter – it started with this:

No Labels ‏ @NoLabelsOrg

36% of Americans identify as independents, but politicians keep moving toward the extremes. 12:15 PM – 12 Mar 12

Retweeted by Tony Messenger

[emphasis added]

Michael Bersin ‏ @MBersin

@tonymess Uh, you might want to check out the connections between No Labels and Americans Elect. Astroturf 501c4 1:59 PM – 12 Mar 12

Tony Messenger ‏ @tonymess

@MBersin Both organizations have a place in the political conversation, in my opinion, though I wish all the funding was transparent. 2:06 PM – 12 Mar 12

“…I wish all the funding was transparent.”

I’m hoping that was intended irony.

The connections between No Labels and Americans Elect, bastions of High Broderism:

No Labels and Americans Elect: A List of Known Connections

Jim Cook 7/28/2011

Americans Elect is a 501c4 corporation founded last year and headquartered inside the Washington DC beltway that does not disclose the identity of the people who are funding it.

No Labels is also a 501c4 corporation founded last year and headquartered inside the Washington DC beltway that does not disclose the identity of the people who are funding it.

A major goal of Americans Elect is to run its own candidate for President of the United States in 2012. A major goal announced by No Labels at its launch is to organize in all 435 congressional districts and spend money to influence campaigns for Congress in 2012….

Go, read the whole thing.

Back to the Twitter conversation:

Michael Bersin ‏ @MBersin

@tonymess Both organizations are almost one and the same. Transparency? Heh. That’ll be the day. And the myth of the political independent. 2:17 PM – 12 Mar 12

Tony Messenger ‏ @tonymess

@MBersin Myth of the political independent? So I don’t exist? 2:23 PM – 12 Mar 12

Michael Bersin ‏ @MBersin

@tonymess Anecdote does not equal data. 2:25 PM – 12 Mar 12

Tony Messenger ‏ @tonymess

@MBersin Perhaps we need more than 140 characters. Are you saying there’s no such thing as a political independent? 2:26 PM – 12 Mar 12

Michael Bersin ‏ @MBersin

@tonymess More than 140 is a good idea. True independents exist, just not in the numbers groups like No Labels and “conv wisdom” promote. 2:29 PM – 12 Mar 12

Not old media conventional wisdom:

Setting the Record Straight: Correcting Myths About Independent Voters

Alan I. Abramowitz, Senior Columnist July 7th, 2011

….It’s true that independents are a diverse group. But that’s mostly because the large majority of independents are independents in name only. Research by political scientists on the American electorate has consistently found that the large majority of self-identified independents are “closet partisans” who think and vote much like other partisans. Independent Democrats and independent Republicans have little in common. Moreover, independents with no party preference have a lower rate of turnout than those who lean toward a party and typically make up less than 10% of the electorate. Finally, independents don’t necessarily determine the outcomes of presidential elections; in fact, in all three closely contested presidential elections since 1972, the candidate backed by most independent voters lost….

More on the Twitter conversation:

Tony Messenger ‏ @tonymess

@MBersin Well, I am one. And unless the political scientists and pollsters are all being duped, they think they exist, too. 2:32 PM – 12 Mar 12

Michael Bersin ‏ @MBersin

@tonymess Yes they do, just not in the numbers or with the political effect that conventional wisdom bestows upon them. Overton Window, too. 2:34 PM – 12 Mar 12

Thus endeth the conversation. Though, Tony Messenger is always welcome to comment around these here parts.

The Overton Window:

….The current location of the Overton Window is so far to the right of any objective political spectrum, that what are now considered Extreme Left Positions are really not extreme at all….

That is, the Overton Window has been pulled so far to the right that the republican politicians in the past who supported family planning, contraception, a health insurance mandate, investment in public infrastructure, a somewhat responsible budget view that included increasing revenue (and on and on) are considered heretics by today’s republican Party. And a handful of progressive bloggers in Missouri are considered a den of radical leftists.

Go figure.  

Oh, boy. Pass the popcorn. It looks like Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich (r) probably won’t assimilate this lesson.

@tonymess Tony Messenger

Post-Dispatch: Editorial: Auditor’s lawsuit values his budget over victims of Joplin tornado bit.ly/pVskRn 7 hours ago

Evidently the State Auditor doesn’t understand the optics. In today’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Editorial: Auditor’s lawsuit values his budget over victims of Joplin tornado

Say this for Missouri Auditor Thomas Schweich: His audacity knows no bounds.

On Friday, Mr. Schweich, a Republican, sued Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, over how Mr. Nixon has chosen to balance the state’s budget.

On its surface, the action might seem like just another example of a politician who equates governance with campaigning, a typical attempt at blatant partisanship wrapped up in legal arguments weaker than a first-year law student’s paper written after an all-night bender….

…Missourians should be grateful that our constitution and our Legislature gave the governor the flexibility to respond to disasters. That same constitution gave Mr. Schweich a legitimate avenue to protest Mr. Nixon’s decisions: He could run for governor.

Good luck getting votes in Joplin.

[emphasis added]

@tonymess Tony Messenger

Did Schweich really hold presser to demand retraction on editorial about lawsuit he refused to talk about? Really? Good luck with that. 3 hours ago

Yep, there you have it, the best State Auditor money could buy.

@tonymess Tony Messenger

Schweich is right about the need for an apology on the editorial. I apologize to post-bender first-year law students. bit.ly/ocK2iq 3 hours ago

Okay, that left a mark.

Otto West: Don’t call me stupid.

Wanda: Oh, right! To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people! I’ve known sheep that could outwit you. I’ve worn dresses with higher IQs. But you think you’re an intellectual, don’t you, ape?

Otto West: Apes don’t read philosophy.

Wanda: Yes they do, Otto. They just don’t understand it. Now let me correct you on a couple of things, OK? Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not “Every man for himself.” And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked them up.