– Morgan Freeman.

An ad from Hillary Clinton’s (D) campaign, running in South Carolina:

Hillary Clinton: I’m Hillary Clinton and I approve this message.

Morgan Freeman: Her church taught her to do all the good you can for all the people you can for as long as you can. After law school she could have joined a high priced law firm. But instead, she worked to reform juvenile justice in South Carolina, exposed racism in Alabama schools, registered Latino voters in Texas, and provided legal aid to families in Arkansas. Her life’s work has been about breaking barriers and so would her presidency. Which is why for every American who’s not being paid what they’re worth, who’s held back by student debt or a system tilted against them, and there are far too many of you, she understands that our country can’t reach its potential unless we all do. Together, a stronger country.

Just think about the ads the republican candidates are running in South Carolina right now. Yep, there is a difference.

Either that or we weren’t paying attention to any of the commercials.

We missed it.

Tonight, via Twitter:

Geoff Gerling ‏@GGerling
Well done Roy Blunt. First US Senate ad in October during a Royals game. Smart. Kander has to answer. 9:16 PM – 27 Oct 2015

And a reply:

Kevin Garner ‏@kevintgarner
.@GGerling Also it’s a Karl Rove a[d], since @RoyBlunt can’t run on his vets record. Glad @JasonKander is a vet and votes vet! 9:26 PM – 27 Oct 2015

And just why would Roy Blunt (r) need to have someone run ads on his behalf this far out before an election?

Schweich the target of new ‘House of Cards’ themed radio ad

by Eli Yokley • February 20, 2015

[….]

“….Paid for by Citizens for Fairness in Missouri, Seth Shumaker, treasurer.”

Let’s take a look at the committee’s particulars, via the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C141044: Citizens For Fairness In Missouri

Committee Type: Political Action

716 South Baltimore

Kirksville Mo 63501

[….] Established Date: 02/10/2014

  Termination Date:

Treasurer

Seth Shumaker

716 South Baltimore

Kirksville Mo 63501

[emphasis added]

Information Reported On: 2015 – January Quarterly Report

Beginning Money on Hand $2,862.54

Monetary Receipts + $0.00

Monetary Expenditures – $800.00

Contributions Made – $0.00

Other Disbursements – $0.00

Subtotal     ($800.00)

Ending Money On Hand   $2,062.54

[emphasis added]

The committee filed an Amended Statement of Committee Organization on February 18, 2015 [scanned on 02/19/2015]. The committee treasurer and committee address were changed. There is no listed deputy treasurer.

We’ll have to wait until April 15, 2015 when the next quarterly campaign finance report is due to find out if and when anyone contributed additional monies to the committee and where the committee spent it.

Previously:

State Auditor Tom Schweich (1960-2015) (February 26, 2015)

Tony Messenger on State Auditor Tom Schweich (February 26, 2015)

GOP: The party of hate (February 27, 2015)

The Committee to Protect MO Familes, a PAC, has released a video ad in the 51st legislative District race in support of challenger Gary Grigsby (D) and against incumbent Dean Dohrman (r).

Announcer: Things are still pretty tough around here. That’s why it’s more important than ever that we have someone in Jefferson City who will fight for us. But Dean Dohrman [r] has not been looking out for us. Dohrman supported legislation backed by a St. Louis billionaire that would have cut taxes for the wealthy, slashed funding for local schools, and even raised taxes on the rest of us for things like textbooks and prescription drugs. We can do better. Support Gary Grigsby [D] for state representative. He’ll look out for us, not just the wealthy. Paid for the committee to protect MoFamilies, Martin Walter, treasurer.

We expect that this is running (or will run) on cable, since the 51st Legislative District is not in a major media broadcast market.

At the PAC website:

The Committee to Protect MO Families is a growing broad-based coalition of organizations and individuals who have come together to oppose so-called “Right to Work” efforts in Missouri, as well as the corporate extremists and self-interested politicians who are using “Right to Work” as part of their larger war on the middle class.

Ah, it’s a pro organized labor and working people organization.

We just saw a campaign television ad wherein Vicky Hartzler touts her “saving the taxpayers” money bonafides when it comes to her congressional office expenses, “leading by example to cut my office budget” (Sorry, she doesn’t appear to be posting her campaign ad videos online. Wouldn’t want us peasants fact checking her assertions, now, would we?). Really? Let’s talk about sending out mail at taxpayer expense. We remember a little something about Vicky Hartzler’s use of the congressional franking privilege (the perk which allows members of Congress to send mailings out for free):

Republicans Who Campaigned To End Taxpayer-Funded Campaigning Spend Big On Taxpayer Funded Flyers

By Josh Israel on May 16, 2012 at 10:12 am

The House Tea Party Caucus, chaired by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), says it seeks to represent the views of the people who have “had enough of the reckless spending and vast government overreach coming from Washington.” Fifteen House freshmen are part of the 60-member, all-Republican caucus. The group talks passionately about cutting spending and the need to “work towards getting our fiscal house in order, before the burden of debt is passed onto our children and grandchildren.”

Surprisingly, three of the freshmen Tea Party members were among the ten biggest spenders on taxpayer-funded mailings of the 444 people who served in the House over the last nine months of 2011, according to a new report by USA Today. They were:

   #4 Rep. David McKinley (R-WV), $263,083

   #8 Rep.Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), $253,156

   #10 Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), $237,355

[….]

But Hertzler defended her mailings, telling USA Today, “After 34 years of leadership by [the district’s previous Congressman, Rep. Ike Skelton (D)], we feel like it’s important for me people to get to know me and for me to hear from them. It’s part of serving the people that you represent is to communicate with them, and that’s always been a priority of mine.”

[….]

[emphasis added]

Yep, that’s number eight out of 444 members in spending on those campaign style franked (paid for by taxpayer) mailings.

“…It’s part of serving the people that you represent is to communicate with them, and that’s always been a priority of mine….”

Except when it’s not. A just eleven days ago, in the Warrensburg Daily Star Journal:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): “No answer given.” (October 19, 2012)

[….]

10/18/2012 5:42:00 PM

Experienced prosecutor seeks to unseat incumbent [subscription required]

ELECTIONS 2012

Jack Miles

Editor

….Hartzler’s campaign declined to participate in answering the survey….

[emphasis added]

A priority. Yeah, right.

After seeing the Vicky Hartzler’s pious promoter of rectitude in government spending television ad we thought we’d check the latest available (June) quarterly Statement of Disbursements [pdf] (page 1024) showing Representative Hartzler’s expenditures in the House of Representatives. Sure enough, the stuff applicable to franking:

2012 HON. VICKY HARTZLER

OFFICIAL EXPENSES OF MEMBERS

FRANKED MAIL

YTD AMOUNT [$]67,959.99

QUARTERLY AMOUNT [$]66,766.54

04-26 AP 00433019 UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE  03/01/12 03/31/12 FRANKED MAIL [$]25,613.11

04-26 AP 00433153 UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE  03/01/12 03/31/12 FRANKED MAIL [$] 673.05

04-30 GL FLG0018871  04/20/12 04/30/12 FRANKED MAIL [$] -23.40

05-17 AP 00447400 UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE  04/01/12 04/30/12 FRANKED MAIL [$] 826.85

05-30 AP 00456860 UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE  04/01/12 04/30/12 FRANKED MAIL [$] 26,923.56

05-31 GL FLG0019712 05/20/12 05/31/12 FRANKED MAIL [$] -40.19

06-22 AP 00475713 UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE  05/01/12 05/31/12 FRANKED MAIL [$] 628.21

06-29 AP 00479334 UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE  05/01/12 05/31/12 FRANKED MAIL [$] 12,200.88

06-29 GL FLG0020488  06/20/12 06/30/12 FRANKED MAIL [$] -35.53

[….]

04-04 AP 00416303 CASS CNTY DEMOCRAT-MISSOURIAN  02/28/12 02/28/12 ADVERTISEMENTS [$] 1,020.00

04-04 AP 00416305 PLEASANT HILL TIMES  03/07/12 03/07/12 ADVERTISEMENTS [$] 360.00

04-27 AP 00433889 THE FRANKING GROUP  03/09/12 03/09/12 PRINTING & REPRODUCTION [$] 8,083.00

04-27 AP 00433891 THE FRANKING GROUP  02/28/12 02/28/12 PRINTING & REPRODUCTION [$] 10,434.00

05-22 AP 00453044 THE FRANKING GROUP  04/26/12 04/26/12 PRINTING & REPRODUCTION [$] 15,192.00

05-23 AP 00453755 THE FRANKING GROUP  04/24/12 04/24/12 PRINTING & REPRODUCTION [$] 11,895.00

06-04 AP 00459298 ACCURATE WORD LLC.  05/11/12 05/11/12 PRINTING & REPRODUCTION [$] 141.90

06-04 AP 00459299 ACCURATE WORD, LLC  05/04/12 05/04/12 PRINTING & REPRODUCTION [$] 39.90

06-04 AP 00459305 MAJORITY STRATEGIES  04/24/12 04/24/12 PRINTING & REPRODUCTION [$] 17,918.04

06-04 AP 00459792 ACCURATE WORD LLC.  03/02/12 03/02/12 PRINTING & REPRODUCTION [$] 31.90

PRINTING AND REPRODUCTION TOTALS: [$] 65,115.74

And what kind of “communicating with constituents” franked mail did Vicky Hartzler (r) send on the taxpayers’ dimes?:

A campaign style franked mail piece from June 2012 sent by Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r).

Yep, you got it. Campaign style mailers.

Previously:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): frankly, the mail keeps coming (June 15, 2012)

Teresa Hensley (D): ad – Vicky Hartzler (r) has a few issues (June 13, 2012)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): We’ve got mail (May 4, 2012)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): Clinton town hall – April 5, 2012 – part 2 (April 6, 2012)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): frankly, the importance of being Vicky (December 11, 2011)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): frankly, it’s all about wedge issues (November 22, 2011)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): Who needs the NRA… (September 17, 2011)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): franking right wingnut propaganda on Medicare (August 27, 2011)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): frankly, it looks like a campaign mailing (July 7, 2011)

A new ad from Teresa Hensley’s (D) campaign:

Announcer: People are turning to Cass County Prosecutor Teresa Hensley for Congress. The Star said, Prosecutor Hensley far outclasses Congresswoman Hartzler. The Tribune says, Hensley’s a moderate law and order type with eminent good sense.

Hensley will do what’s right, protect Medicare, create jobs, put Missouri’s middle class first.  

Teresa Hensley (D): I’ll fight for Missouri priorities in Washington, like I have in the Prosecutor’s Office. Our seniors can count on me to protect Medicare and Social Security.

I am Teresa Hensley and I approve this message.

Previously:

Not something you see in the paper every day (October 30, 2012)

Teresa Hensley (D) in the 4th Congressional District: endorsement by the Kansas City Star (October 19, 2012)

Teresa Hensley (D) in the 4th Congressional District: endorsement by the Columbia Daily Tribune (October 12, 2012)

In the Lieutenant Governor race incumbent Peter Kinder (r) has fired off an attack ad against Susan Montee (D):

Announcer: Susan Montee claims she’s conservative. No way. Here she is at the St. Louis gay pride parade. She’s a real liberal activist. Montee’s pro-abortion. She backs Obamacare. No wonder the NRA opposes her…

Timeout. Uh, there’s a prohibition against abortion and health care reform written somewhere in the 2nd Amendment?

Peter Kinder’s the conservative. He sued to block Obamacare….

Timeout. That didn’t turn out so well, did it?

…cut taxes three hundred twenty million dollars, delivered the back to school sales tax holiday. Peter Kinder for Lieutenant Governor. It’s the conservative results that count.

Heh. These kind of conservative results? Just asking.

Update:

Susan Montee ‏@SusanMontee

Equality. Why would anyone be against that? http://bit.ly/TL3RdC 5:38 PM – 26 Oct 12

clinton ‏@SECbest

Why does @peterkinder think its bad for @susanmontee to be @ pride parade but ok for campaign contributor AB-InBev to sponsor it? #MOLtGov 5:50 PM – 26 Oct 12

Good questions.

Saw the latest ad from Chris Koster’s (D) campaign for Attorney General during a commercial break for the early morning news:

Attorney General Chris Koster (D): The Attorney General is Missouri’s chief prosecutor and law enforcement officer. That’s been my career, prosecuting thousands of cases, from crooked stockbrokers to serial killers.

My opponent’s attack ads fail to mention he’s never prosecuted a single case in court. Not one. As Attorney General I’ll fight crime in a way my opponent never will.

Those are the issues and that’s the choice.

I’m Attorney General Chris Koster and I ask for your vote on November sixth.

When it comes down to it most voters want their office holders to just do the job well. Chris Koster’s campaign, through their ads, has been quite good at reinforcing that message with those voters.

You know, I’m almost feeling sorry for Ed Martin (r). Not really. I didn’t have you going for that feeling sorry part at all, did I?

An ad from the Obama campaign:

Narrator: Five hundred and thirty-seven. The number of votes that changed the course of American history.

Voice: Florida is too close to call.

Narrator: the difference between what was and what could have been.

So this year, if you’re thinking that your vote doesn’t count, that it won’t matter, well, back then there were probably at least five hundred thirty-seven people who felt the same way.

Make your voice heard. Vote.

President Obama (D): I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message.

You all know what to do. Especially if you don’t want to relive 2000. And 2001. And 2002. And 2003….

The Campaign for Community Change started running radio ads today against Vicky Hartzler (r) and Todd Akin (r) for their assault on Social Security. The Vicky Hartzler (r) ad:

Announcer: Around here keeping a promise matters. And when America makes a promise to its seniors it’s one we should keep. But Vicky Hartzler wants to break that promise by privatizing Social Security and turning Medicare into vouchers. So let’s tell her with our vote, we won’t let her break America’s promises on Social Security and Medicare.

Campaign for Community Change, wwwcampaignfor communities dot org paid for and is responsible for the content of this advertising. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

Smack! On the table.