Rasmussen released a survey of 700 likely voters taken in Missouri on October 15th (?) and released on October 17th. The margin of error is 4%.

McCain – 46%

Obama – 52%

Other – 0%

Not sure – 2%

This poll shows that Obama’s lead is expanding when compared to the Rasmussen October 12th and October 5th Missouri presidential polls, though the sample sizes and methodologies (that is, including third party candidates or not) appear to be different.

Zogby Interactive:

Missouri

Obama-Biden  50.1%

McCain-Palin  44.4%

Note sure/Other 5.5%

Missouri Oct 9 – Oct 13 n=692 – MOE +/- 3.8 percentage points

Betty Ann McCaskill (Claire’s mom) and Senator Jean Carnahan stopped in Warrensburg this afternoon on their Missouri “Heartland Tour”.

Betty Ann McCaskill (left) and Senator Jean Carnahan (right) next to their “Heartland Tour” motor home.

Show Me Progress: This trip that you’re taking…

Jean Carnahan: Um, hmm.

SMP: …is about health care. And, in rural Missouri. You’ve been to various parts of the state. So, what, what areas have you traveled to?

Jean Carnahan: Okay…we went down I-44, down to Springfield first. So that took…

Betty Ann McCaskill: We hit about five, no, we hit about eight towns in two days. [crosstalk]

Jean Carnahan:…Sullivan, Washington, Rolla, Marshfield,…Waynesville, Springfield. That was the first trip.  

SMP: And so you’ve spoken to a lot of people about health care and…

Jean Carnahan: Yeah.

SMP: What are their concerns?

Jean Carnahan: Well, people, of course, are concerned about jobs. They see the jobs being shipped overseas. And they don’t know how big the extent of this economic downturn is going to be. And sometimes people who don’t have 401Ks, they don’t quite see it yet, they’re not feeling it yet. But when the jobs start being cut, then all of a sudden this is going to be much more evident to people in communities and on Main Street. So that’s a sign we haven’t seen the last of this yet. And some people have said that this [garbled] is a lot more serious than we think it is. And I just feel a lot better about the proposals that Obama has and the firm steady hand on the economy than I do with McCain. I know McCain. I’ve traveled with him. And worked with him in the Senate. And he’s, he’s a volatile personality. And I frankly want somebody that’s a little bit steadier. I think the American people are, are wanting that as well…

…SMP: Are you finding that people you talk to, voters, are aware of the differences in the health care proposals?

Jean Carnahan: [to Betty Ann McCaskill] You know, I just wonder do you think they are as much as they should be? [crosstalk]

Betty Ann McCaskill: Well I think one of the…I think the place that we heard the questions about it. They were most concerned around the Springfield area where the medicine is a big, big item. The hospitals there are wonderful big hospitals. And I think there are people, particular in those areas, that worry about socialized medicine.

SMP: Um, Hmm.

Betty Ann McCaskill: And the difference between Obama’s plan, and I think the best difference, is that there is a choice. The people can choose either one of the privatized plans and stay with the doctor they want or go with another plan that would help them better, those that need more financial help. And his plan will cost the average family about twenty five hundred dollars a year less. And these particulars, and I think particularly the idea that they can choose. The idea that it’s individual health plans for the average Missouri family. That’s what their major concern is. “Can I get health care on an individual basis?” And also cover pre-existing conditions? This is very important. How many people do we know that end up needing insurance but they have a previous history of cancer and they can’t get insurance? Well, who needs it more? They guy who’s perfectly healthy, or the person who has cancer?

SMP: Have you encountered people who have told you stories about a lack of health insurance?

Jean Carnahan: Um, hmm. Yes, we do.

SMP: Any striking stories?

Jean Carnahan: Well, there was one that the people around St. James were telling us.

Betty Ann McCaskill: Right.

Jean Carnahan: Remember that one?

Betty Ann McCaskill: Yes.

Jean Carnahan: The fellow who was in, I guess he was in, he was a soldier. He came back. And he went to work for the police force. And was injured on duty, I think, there.

Betty Ann McCaskill: Yes.

Jean Carnahan: And then was unable to get any health benefits, either from the government or from, from his health, from his insurance. And so it seems a pretty pathetic story. And, you know, everybody has some variation on the same thing, just not being able to get adequate affordable health care. And Barack Obama is going to assure that the, that at least twenty five hundred dollars will be reduced from the costs up to that amount. And, you know, McCain, he wants to tax the employer based health. And, you know, we’re just not used to that. We haven’t had that in the history of our country.

Betty Ann McCaskill: That is totally unheard of.

Jean Carnahan: And, of course, he wants also to cut Medicaid, Medicare to be able to pay for his health program. And then told us that he wanted to deregulate health care, like [garbled] deregulated the banks.

Betty Ann McCaskill: Ha. Ha. We know how that worked out.

Jean Carnahan: This is not a happy scenario. But, so, I think when you compare the two I think people certainly would see Barack Obama is more inclined to give better coverage to more people. And that’s certainly what the comparisons have shown.

Betty Ann McCaskill: And in that, in that area, what about the returning veterans that we’re getting back? And I know my daughter Claire particularly, and Barack Obama, went over to Walter Reed and found abominable conditions. Do you think John McCain had never walked through that hospital and seen that there were people not getting care at all? And all of a sudden, some emphasis was paid to these returning veterans who needed health care. And, at this point we now have a bill that’s gonna give them all of the extras that my husband got when he got back from World War II. And that’s very necessary. I think the people in Missouri particularly will appreciate the fact that veterans will receive the benefits they deserve.

SMP: well, thank you very much for your time.

Jean Carnahan: Well, thank you…            

The phone bank gears up for the early evening shift.

“Hello, could I speak to XXXXX.” “No, she’s not in.” Okay, I’ll try calling back later.” “Who’s calling.” “My name is XXXX and I’m calling for Senator Obama’s Campaign for Change here in Missouri.” “There’s no way she’ll want to talk to you all.” “Oh, okay, sorry to bother you. You have a good evening and we’ll talk to you later.”

On hearing the last phrase everyone in the phone bank cracked up.

Fox News/Rasmussen released a survey of 1000 likely voters taken in Missouri on October 12th. The margin of error is 3%.

McCain – 47%

Obama – 50%

Ralph Nader – 1%

Bob Barr – 0%

Not sure – 2%

There’s no change (except for Bob Barr) from the October 5th poll.

What a bunch of losers. It’s symptomatic of the incompetence manifested by republican control over the last eight years. Their supportive vandals can’t even muster enough ability to properly and permanently bring down a  4 x 8 campaign sign. I almost feel sorry for them – to witness how far they’ve fallen.

A 4 x 8 along a well traveled road on a lot in an upper middle class neighborhood in the southeast part of Warrensburg. The sign faces south and greets a significant chunk of the “return from work” traffic in the evening.

In 2004 their sign vandals were properly old school. You knew that they had some self respect. They’d use black spray paint (“Communists!”) on a Kerry/Edwards 4 x 8. And when it got really close to the election they’d just cut the signs apart, leaving only thin strips of sign strapped to the steel posts. It was a different world in the old days. We could count on vandals with a modicum of skill, and even with a sense of panache. No more.

Now all we have to look forward to is this. You can hardly see anything from the road.

I don’t even want to know…

Then again, all that time spent vandalizing signs late at night and sleeping in late means they aren’t working the phone banks or out canvassing for their candidates.

I sent out our first canvassing team an hour and a half ago.

Our previous coverage:

“Rednecks for Obama” in Jefferson City

Joe Biden in Jefferson City – photos

Joe Biden in the crowd after his speech.

I had positioned myself on the media “cut riser” (to the side) so I could take pictures of Joe Biden working the rope line after his speech. A sequence of photos follow.

While Joe Biden worked the rope line Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (D) and Congressman Ike Skelton (D) converse. Note the photographer in the upper right focusing on Joe Biden (out of the frame).

Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan introduced Congressman Ike Skelton who in turn introduced Joe Biden. In 1976 when Ike Skelton was first running for Congress Joe Biden came out to Missouri to speak at an event on Ike’s behalf.

Ike Skelton in his speech referred to the lack of standing the United States has in the world today, stating, “This ought to bother us to the core.” Someone in the crowd called out, “It does.”

Robin Carnahan

Robin Carnahan and Ike Skelton stayed to speak to supporters and anyone else remaining after the event was over.

Ike Skelton (right)

On Thursday, October 9th Joe Biden spoke at campaign events in St. Joseph (morning), Liberty (noon) and Jefferson City (night).

Joe Biden spoke at Memorial Park in Jefferson City.

The event at Memorial Park in Jefferson City was scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m., with the gates opening at 5:30 p.m.

The audience started to fill in about two hours before the scheduled 7:00 p.m. start of the event.

About 600 people filled the large park shelter. There was standing room on the west side of the shelter. I also noticed a large number of people standing behind the temporary perimeter fences – in the dark I couldn’t get a head count, but the could hear Joe Biden’s speech via the sound system.

The television trucks set up early for the event.

These two children kept popping up to take pictures with a cell phone as the crowd waited.

In the Vice Presidential debate, as recounted by Joe Biden, Sarah Palin said:

“I was in second grade when you were first elected [to office].”

Joe Biden related that he should have replied, “Sarah, you were in sixth grade the last time John had a good idea.” The crowd in Jefferson City roared with laughter.

Paraphrasing Senator Bob Casey (D) from Pennsylvania, Joe Biden said, “You can’t be a maverick when all you’ve been is a sidekick the last eight years.”

Fox News/Rasmussen released a survey of 1000 likely voters taken in Missouri on October 5th. The margin of error is 3%.

McCain – 47%

Obama – 50%

Ralph Nader – 1%

Bob Barr – 1%

Not sure – 2%

That’s quite a change from the September poll.

It was only a matter of time.

A 48 hour report was filed today with the Missouri Ethics Commission by Michael Gibbons, the republican candidate for Attorney General, showing a single campaign contribution for $1,100,000.00. That’s no typo. That’s one million one hundred thousand dollars.

This has got to be some sort of record for Missouri.

Don’t you just love those grass rootsie republican campaigns? In this republican created crappy economy somebody (or group of somebodies) is throwing that kind of cash at a republican candidate destined to lose in the general election. Wow. Just wow.