What is it with rock star republican candidates and their big bucks donors? Tom Schweich (r) keeps racking up those $10,000.00 and $20,000.00 contributions. In the last two days, via the Missouri Ethics Commission:

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C091153 SCHWEICH FOR AUDITOR [pdf] 9/29/2010

Kevin Beckmann

Town & Country, MO

Trident Steel

9/29/2010

$20,000.00

Roy Pfautch

St. Louis, MO

Civic Progress

9/29/2010

$20,000.00

Sam Fox

St. Louis, MO

Harbour Group

9/29/2010

$10,000.00

[emphasis added]

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C091153 SCHWEICH FOR AUDITOR [pdf] 9/30/2010

Robert Topping

St. Charles, MO

Western Aerospace

9/30/2010

$10,000.00

Centene Management Company LLC

Centene Corporation

St. Louis, MO

9/30/2010

$10,000.00

TSI Holding Company

St. Louis, MO

9/30/2010

$10,000.00

Blair Financial Services, Inc.

Clayton, MO

9/30/2010

$10,000.00

[emphasis added]

Can’t you just feel the grassroots energy oozing out of that campaign?

It’s always an interesting enterprise when one peruses the information on contributions over $5000.00 which are required to be reported within forty-eight hours of receipt to the Missouri Ethics Commission:

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C031160 FRIENDS OF TILLEY [pdf] 9/24/2010

REX AND JEANNE SINQUEFIELD

WESTPHALIA MO

RETIRED

9/24/2010

$100,000.00

[emphasis added]

Really, for Air Tilley?

Somehow, the line in the film Inception (2010) comes to mind:

“I bought the airline…It seemed neater.”

And with the big to do over a small town film festival we almost missed this one from a little over a week ago:

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C081024 CITIZENS FOR HOSKINS [pdf] 9/19/2010

Missouri CPA PAC

St. Louis, MO

9/18/2010

$5,000.00

[emphasis added]

What, nothing from the Directors Guild of America? That’s disappointing, but not surprising. After all, Represenative Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) doesn’t appear to be a fan of the cinema.

And those Missouri rock stars continue to get large contributions:

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C091153 SCHWEICH FOR AUDITOR [pdf] 9/25/2010

Steven L. Trulaske, Sr.

O’Fallon, MO

True Manufacturing Company

9/24/2010

$10,000.00

[emphasis added]

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C091153 SCHWEICH FOR AUDITOR [pdf] 9/23/2010

Hager Companies

St. Louis, MO

9/23/2010

$10,000.00

[emphasis added]

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C091153 SCHWEICH FOR AUDITOR [pdf] 9/22/2010

Stephen Ditman

Godfrey, IL

Pricewaterhouse Coopers

9/22/2010

$10,000.00

[emphasis added]

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C091153 SCHWEICH FOR AUDITOR [pdf] 9/20/2010

Robert R. Hermann

St. Louis, MO

Retired

9/20/2010

$10,000.00

Steve and Robin Roodman

Marion, IL

Anesthesiologist

9/20/2010

$10,000.00

[emphasis added]

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C091153 SCHWEICH FOR AUDITOR [pdf] 9/8/2010

Lewis & Clark Regional Leadership Fund

St. Charles, MO

9/7/2010

$10,000.00

[emphasis added]

Nice round numbers. And they’re all the same. They know we know and they don’t care.

And who’d be auditing?

Contrast this, from State Auditor Susan Montee (D)…

….It is a wonderful job because there are so many challenges and yet the rewards are so great. When we can find ways that we can increase efficiency and free up resources so we don’t have to have the kind of cuts that we are seeing right now it is a very good place to be in and a very good feeling to have. And so, it’s with those feelings, you know, that I say I’d like to continue to do the job for another four years….

….I have done a little reflecting on the last three and a half years and I really am proud of the work that we’ve done. We have reorganized the office, we’ve gone from four different divisions down to three, we’ve streamlined the way we do stuff, we do one type of report which means we can share resources so we can get more places, uh, we found all kinds of places to save, and, and make things more efficient. We, for the first time ever in Missouri history, won the national award for, uh, audit of the year, last year for our performance audit work on low income housing [applause]. And I have a whole stream of federal officials coming to work with us on the, uh, single audit work we were a part of the early reporting on weatherization. And ‘m working now with the Department of Energy and their inspector generals to make sure that we get all our money spent in the right way and that our stimulus money stimulates the economy in the way it’s supposed to do.

So, I’ve been approached by Republicans and Democrats alike to work on initiatives in their counties and in their cities. And I really feel like we have done a good job in our office and that people recognize the value of the office as a resource…

…with this, from republican State Auditor candidate Representative Allen Icet:

Video Time-line Shows Schweich’s Inconsistency

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Are Tom Schweich’s Song Writing Chops as Bogus as Conservative Credentials?

On March 29, 2010, a video, “Gimme Back my Freedom”, was posted on YouTube.  The video showcased Tom Schweich and a small group of young adults attempting to woo conservatives with targeted lyrics.  At the end of the video credit for the lyrics and music was given to Tom Schweich and he personally claimed the copyright in the video.

On April 7, 2010, Fired Up! found that the music was significantly like the song “Bohemian Like You”, which was written by Courtney Taylor-Taylor, the lead singer of Dandy Warhols.  Schweich later responded to the accusations through the Saint Louis Beacon, denying them and saying, “The words and music are my own.”

Then Fired Up! received documentation from the Dandy Warhols stating that a lawyer for Tom Schweich had contacted them to seek permission for the use of the music of their “Bohemian Like You” song, which they refused….

Then again, Representative Icet’s campaign website touts his endorsement by Sam Wurzelbacher.

Pass the popcorn.

Previously:

Don’t quit your day job (April 7, 2010)

Tom Schweich (r) for Auditor: apparently people give big bucks to rock stars (April 14, 2010)

Okay, this is too funny (April 23, 2010)

Hat tip to our good friends at Fired Up.

State Auditor Susan Montee (D) was the keynote speaker at the Saturday morning brunch for the Jackson County Democratic Committee‘s Truman Days celebration held at the Hyatt Crown Center in Kansas City.

State Auditor Susan Montee (D): ….I want to take the opportunity to, now that I have you all here, to just talk a little bit about what we, what we do in the Auditor’s office….There are so many things going on that make it important to, to know when you go in and choose who you want to be serving in that office. Because it, it just, it’s especially in tough economic times like we’re in, to have someone, uh, who is working in there that understands that everything we do in that office can have some kind of effect on the decision making that it does….

….We do audit all of state government, all of the boards and commissions, we audit the court system. So we, we do traditionally do, when you think of in the office, but we do a lot of things on top of that as well. You know, we do all the small counties. And in the small counties we sure are seeing a lot of problems out there. We do all eighty-nine of them. So now, at the end of, at the end of this year I will have been to all eighty-nine of those counties one time in the four years in addition to a lot of other things…We’re dumping a lot of unfunded mandates on these counties. It’s very hard for them, um, to actually do some of the things that they need to. And we go in and we work and try to be, you know, a team member with them. And really it is, it is a time for, uh, all of us to be working together to get through the tough stuff…

…But then, we, we, review and register every single bond that goes through the state. We’ve had some of the largest bond, uh, the numbers have gone from, you know, small things when I first came in to Columbia just passed one of the largest bond issues in the history of the state because people don’t have any money right now and all of the governments are going out and, and, you know, trying to get more money in the door to fund their operations. And we are constantly being bombarded with extend, find ways to extend the amount of time they can do the bonds for. And do things that, that would create obligations for our future. And all of that stuff comes through our office, as well, and it really only takes, you know, a little bit of clout to, to come in and change the way that we operate in this state through our office.

Uh, we also certify all the property tax rates, which is something that has been a huge nightmare for us ’cause they keep changing all the property tax stuff, but we are having to make decisions about going in, enforcing tax rates on small jurisdictions, trying to work with them, or whether we go in and upset their entire tax structure. Believe me, sitting in a place that, that you are, where we’re talking about doing away with the earnings tax, if our office is able to come in and upset the way people do things it is a, it is not a good position to have someone who is beholden to political contributions sitting in it.

So, in all, in all of those types of ways there’s so many things that are office does that, that can affect everybody’s daily life.

Then we have this new thing with these ballot initiatives. Um, you know, it, it is very scary what has happened with the ballot initiatives. And here’s in a nutshell what happens with those – you know when you go in and you vote there’s two paragraphs there. There’s one that tells you what the thing does and then there’s the one that tells you whether it costs or saves anything for state and local government. Well Robin Carnahan writes the first paragraph and I write the second one. And then we both get sued. [laughter]  It’s been a wild ride. Um, just to put it in perspective, in the eight years that Claire was the auditor she got sued a total of six times on ballot initiatives and I have had thirty-six [laughter] since I’ve been in office.  So, it is a. it is a new and, and different, uh, operation goin’ on there…

…we’re down to only a few things that are gonna be, uh, potentially on the ballot. But they are some scary things. Um, doing away with the non-partisan court plan is probably going to be on the ballot. Sunsetting the earnings tax in St. Louis and Kansas City is probably going to make the ballot…

…We had a hundred and one separate ballot initiative petitions come through my office since the November oh-eight election.  So, it is something that we really have to keep an eye on.

And so, when you talk about political possibilities for my office, believe me, there are so many more than, than you can count. Uh, but I have tried very hard since I’ve been in office to conduct the office in a way that is, is somewhat removed from, uh, the political process….

….It is a wonderful job because there are so many challenges and yet the rewards are so great. When we can find ways that we can increase efficiency and free up resources so we don’t have to have the kind of cuts that we are seeing right now it is a very good place to be in and a very good feeling to have. And so, it’s with those feelings, you know, that I say I’d like to continue to do the job for another four years….

….I have done a little reflecting on the last three and a half years and I really am proud of the work that we’ve done. We have reorganized the office, we’ve gone from four different divisions down to three, we’ve streamlined the way we do stuff, we do one type of report which means we can share resources so we can get more places, uh, we found all kinds of places to save, and, and make things more efficient. We, for the first time ever in Missouri history, won the national award for, uh, audit of the year, last year for our performance audit work on low income housing [applause]. And I have a whole stream of federal officials coming to work with us on the, uh, single audit work we were a part of the early reporting on weatherization. And ‘m working now with the Department of Energy and their inspector generals to make sure that we get all our money spent in the right way and that our stimulus money stimulates the economy in the way it’s supposed to do.

So, I’ve been approached by Republicans and Democrats alike to work on initiatives in their counties and in their cities. And I really feel like we have done a good job in our office and that people recognize the value of the office as a resource…

Cass County Democrats at the Saturday morning event.

State Auditor Susan Montee (D) filed her first quarter campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on April 15th:

Detailed Summary of Committee Disclosure Report

Committe: MONTEE FOR AUDITOR

ReportDate:

1. TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THIS ELECTION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED $395,562.49

2. ALL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $103,221.10

9. TOTAL ALL RECEIPTS THIS ELECTION(SUM 1B + 7A – 8A) $500,000.12

15. TOTAL EXPENDITURES THIS ELECTION (SUM 10B + 14A) $142,913.07

28. MONEY ON HAND AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 25 + 26 – 27) $352,107.21

[blockquote]

Let’s take a look at the contributions:

Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received

Committee: MONTEE FOR AUDITOR

Report Date: 04/15/2010

Building Trades Politial Education Fund St. Louis, MO 03/30/2010 $250.00

Electrical Workers Voluntary PAC St. Louis, MO 03/02/201 $1,000.00

Ollie Gates Investments Kansas City, MO 03/04/2010 $1,000.00

Missouri State Council Of Machinists Bridgeton, MO 03/31/2010 $1,500.00

IBEW 753 Edu Comm Fund Springfield, MO 02/04/2010 $60.00

IBEW Local #53 Voluntary Pol Fund Kansas City, MO 02/20/2010 $500.00

Int’l Assoc. Of Fire Fighters Local #73 PAC St. Louis Fire Fighters PAC Co St. Louis, MO 03/25/2010 100.00

IUPAT Washington, DC 03/11/2010 $2,500.00

Claire C. McCaskill St. Louis, MO U.S. Senate/Senator 03/31/2010 $1,000.00

Missouri National Education Association Jefferson City, MO 02/10/2010 $1,325.00

Teamsters Local #600 Maryland Heights, MO 03/24/2010 $1,000.00

Barbecue!

Claire!

Attorneys, organized labor (working people), a lot of small dollar contributions from individuals, and none of those $5000.00 plus contributions from special interests.

And where did some of that money go?:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe: MONTEE FOR AUDITOR

ReportDate: 04/15/2010

Jim Kainber Olympia WA 02/12/2010 Mailing Services $8,100.00

Majority Strategies LLC St. Louis MO 01/30/2010 Fundraising Support $4,000.00

Majority Strategies LLC St. Louis MO 02/02/2010 Fundraising Support $4,000.00

Majority Strategies LLC St. Louis MO 03/14/2010 Fundraising Support $4,500.00

U.S. Post Master Jefferson City MO 02/17/2010 Postage $880.00

Xpedx Kansas City MO 02/24/2010 Mailing Supplies $842.20

Mail, postage, fundraising, and campaign staff.

Allen Icet (r), the first of the two republican challengers (in alphabetical order), filed his first quarter campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on April 15th:

Detailed Summary of Committee Disclosure Report

Committe: ICET FOR AUDITOR

ReportDate:

1. TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THIS ELECTION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED $266,740.63

2. ALL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $49,370.00

9. TOTAL ALL RECEIPTS THIS ELECTION(SUM 1B + 7A – 8A) $316,804.09

15. TOTAL EXPENDITURES THIS ELECTION (SUM 10B + 14A) $185,515.80

20. TOTAL ALL CONTRIBUTIONS MADE THIS ELECTION (SUM 16B + 19A) $19,075.00

28. MONEY ON HAND AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 25 + 26 – 27) $157,021.43

[emphasis added]

Yep, that’s some burn rate. But then, he does have a primary opponent.

Let’s take a look at where the money came from:

Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received

Committee: ICET FOR AUDITOR

Report Date: 4/14/2010

Eli Lilly and Company Indianapolis IN 01/01/2010 $1,000.00

Comprehensive Health Systems Hannibal MO 01/11/2010 $2,000.00

James Nash King City MO 02/03/2010 $5,000.00

Long Term Care Leadership PAC Jefferson City MO 02/23/2010 $2,200.00

Missouri Pharmacy Political Action Committee Jefferson City MO 02/23/2010 $500.00

Libla Industries Inc Poplar Bluff MO 03/04/2010 $1,000.00

Missouri Soybean Association State PAC Jefferson City MO 03/09/2010 $4,850.00

Producers Choice Soy Energy LLC Moberly MO 03/09/2010 $300.00

Westwood Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center Poplar Bluff MO 03/12/2010 $1,000.00

Missourians for Mayer Dexter MO 03/21/2010 $1,000.00

What, no contributions from organized labor (representing working people)?

I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Soybeans.

All snark aside, there appears to be a pattern here, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

Some of the expenditures:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe: ICET FOR AUDITOR

ReportDate: 4/15/2010

A. EXPENDITURES OF $100 OR LESS BY CATEGORY

Online Fundraising Fees $22.80

Advertising $175.00

Auto $50.00

Bank Fees $19.68

Filing Fees $100.00

Fuel $367.31

Meals $118.91

Exp. Reim. $90.00

B. ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100 AND ALL PAYMENTS TO CAMPAIGN WORKERS

Victory Enterprises Davenport IA 01/14/2010 grassroots consulting $3,000.00

Ross Branson Jeffeson City MO 01/19/2010 grassroots and administration $760.08

Ross Branson Jefferson City MO 01/19/2010 exp reim $152.26

Keller Capitol Group St Louis MO 01/31/2010 fundraising expense $6,055.39

Ross Branson Jefferson City MO 02/01/2010 grassroots and administration $760.08

Keller Capitol Group St Louis MO 02/07/2010 fundraising expense $6,500.00

Ross Branson Jefferson City MO 02/07/2010 grassroots and administration $760.08

Ross Branson Jefferson City MO 02/07/2010 exp reim $170.00

Victory Enterprises Davenport IA 02/16/2010 grassroots consulting $3,741.83

Victory Enterprises Davenport IA 02/16/2010 grassroots consulting $3,000.00

Rosss Branson Jefferson City MO 02/16/2010 grassroots and administration $760.08

Ross Branson Jefferson City MO 02/16/2010 exp reim $111.50

Victory Enterprises Davenport IA 03/05/2010 grassroots consulting $3,000.00

Keller Capitol Group Louis MO 03/11/2010 FR and exp reim $9,221.29

Ross Branson Jefferson City MO 03/12/2010 exp reim $543.76

Ross Branson Jefferson City MO 03/15/2010 grassroots and administration $760.08

Ross Branson Jefferson City MO 03/23/2010 exp reim $582.56

Margaret Walker St Louis MO 03/26/2010 fundraising expense $409.20

Ross Branson Jefferson City MO 03/31/2010 grassroots and administration $760.08

That “grassroots” stuff costs a lot.

The second of the republican challengers, Tom Schweich (r – rock star), filed his first quarter campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on April 14th:

Detailed Summary of Committee Disclosure Report

Committe: SCHWEICH FOR AUDITOR

ReportDate:

1. TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THIS ELECTION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED $570,489.64

2. ALL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $220,901.00

9. TOTAL ALL RECEIPTS THIS ELECTION(SUM 1B + 7A – 8A) $795,890.64

5. TOTAL EXPENDITURES THIS ELECTION (SUM 10B + 14A) $156,420.71

28. MONEY ON HAND AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 25 + 26 – 27) $615,325.79

[emphasis added]

In addition to the $160,000 in big bucks contributions that had to be reported within 48 hours, let’s take a look at other receipts:

Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received

Committee: SCHWEICH FOR AUDITOR

Report Date: 04/14/2010

Henry Schweich St. Louis, MO Retired 03/01/2010 $2,000.00

Julius Schweich Chesterfield, MO Retired 03/10/2010 $1,000.00

Kathleen Schweich St. Louis, MO Homemaker 03/20/2010 $2,000.00

Robert Schweich New York, NY Retired  03/30/2010 $1,000.00

Scott Schweich Center Harbor, NH Moreland Partners 03/30/2010 $500.00

There’s a pattern here, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

Again, no contributions from organized labor (representing working people)?

Whudaya know? Another big bucks contribution over $5000.00 which has to be reported within 48 hours of receipt. This one on April 15th [pdf]:

John B. Mahaffey Springfield, MO 65809 Mahaffey Enterprises, Inc. 4/15/2010 10,000.00

Access Health Solutions Sunrise, FL 4/15/2010 10,000.00

Not one, but two! These two will also appear on the next quarterly campaign finance report.

Some of the expenditures:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe: SCHWEICH FOR AUDITOR

ReportDate: 04/14/2010

A. EXPENDITURES OF $100 OR LESS BY CATEGORY

Account Fee $127.38

Lincoln Days $1,091.00

Postage $44.00

Supplies $173.80

B. ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100 AND ALL PAYMENTS TO CAMPAIGN WORKERS

The Rocket Group Jefferson City, MO 03/02/2010 Media $1,000.00

The Rocket Group Jefferson City, MO 01/29/2010 Media $2,000.00

The Rocket Group Jefferson City, MO 02/05/2010 Media $1,000.00

The Rocket Group Jefferson City, MO 01/04/2010 Web Design $2,099.85

Laurus, LLC Saint Louis, MO 03/01/2010 Consulting $6,000.00

Laurus, LLC Saint Louis, MO 02/15/2010 Consulting $6,000.00

Laurus, LLC Saint Louis, MO 01/04/2010 Consulting $2,000.00

That must be some web site.

And last, there is a Democratic challenger. Abdul Akram filed his first quarter campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on April 12th:

Committe: DR ABDUL AKRAM FOR JACKSON COUNTY

ReportDate:

RECEIPTS

1. TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THIS ELECTION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED $0.00

2. ALL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $0.00

9. TOTAL ALL RECEIPTS THIS ELECTION(SUM 1B + 7A – 8A) $0.00

14. TOTAL ALL EXPENDITURES MADE THIS PERIOD (SUM 11A + 12A + 13A) $0.00

15. TOTAL EXPENDITURES THIS ELECTION (SUM 10B + 14A) $0.00

25. MONEY ON HAND AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (INCLUDING FUNDS IN DEPOSITORY, CASH, SAVINGS ACCOUNTS AND ALL OTHER INVESTMENTS) $0.00

28. MONEY ON HAND AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 25 + 26 – 27) $0.00

35. TOTAL INDEBTEDNESS AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 29 + 30 + 31 – 32 – 33 – 34) $0.00

I do believe this is a first for us here at Show Me Progress.

Without that string of $10,000.00 contributions Tom Schweich (r) would be in the same neighborhood as State Auditor Susan Montee (D). Instead, he’s in the high rent district. I wonder if we’ll be seeing some more rock videos?

Previously: Don’t quit your day job

Most of the candidates who have filed for State Auditor haven’t submitted their first quarter 2010 campaign finance reports with the Missouri Ethics Commission yet (the reports are due soon). But, any single contribution over $5000 must be reported within forty-eight hours to the commission. There’s an interesting disparity in those big bucks contributions among the candidates. For instance, take our rock star candidate, Tom Schweich (r):

COMMITTEE:   MECID:C091153  

SCHWEICH FOR AUDITOR

5191  Other(Report of Contribution Received Over $5000) 04/08/2010

4685 Other(Report of Contribution Received Over $5000) 04/05/2010

4510 Other(Report of Contribution Received Over $5000) 04/02/2010

4308 Other(Report of Contribution Received Over $5000) 03/31/2010

4168 Other(Report of Contribution Received Over $5000) 03/29/2010

3975 Other(Report of Contribution Received Over $5000) 03/26/2010

3945 Other(Report of Contribution Received Over $5000) 03/25/2010

3875 Other(Report of Contribution Received Over $5000) 03/24/2010

That’s eight large contribution reports within two weeks. Freedom isn’t free.

I wonder if the production costs for his rock video will show up on the complete report. Given the production values, there’s certainly enough money here to produce a whole bunch more. But, I digress.

The specifics:

April 8, 2010 [pdf]

Hunter Engineering Company Bridgeton, MO 4/8/2010 10,000.00

April 5, 2010 [pdf]

C Hager & Sons Hinge Manufacturing Co. St. Louis, MO 4/5/2010 10,000.00

April 2, 2010 [pdf]

James T. Blair IV Frontenac, MO Moneta Group 3/31/2010 10,000.00

World Wide Technology Holding Co., Inc. St. Louis, MO 3/31/2010 10,000.00

Mike and Laura Herring Clayton, MO Impact Group 3/31/2010 10,000.00

March 31, 2010 [pdf]

Express Scripts, Inc. St. Louis, MO 3/31/2010 10,000.00

March 29, 2010 [pdf]

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. St. Louis, MO 3/29/2010 10,000.00

March 26, 2010 [pdf]

Stephen Ditman Godfrey, IL PricewaterhouseCoopers 3/26/2010 10,000.00

March 25, 2010 [pdf]

Scott J. Wilson St. Louis MO S.M. Wilson & Co. 3/25/2010 10,000.00

Peter F. Herschend Branson, MO Herschend Family Entertainment 3/25/2010 10,000.00

March 24, 2010 [pdf]

Mitek Industries, Inc Corporate Chesterfield, MO 3/24/2010 10,000.00

Sanford McDonnell St. Louis, MO Retired 3/24/2010 10,000.00

Robert Hermann St. Louis, MO Retired 3/24/2010 10,000.00

TSI Holding Company St. Louis, MO 3/24/2010 10,000.00

Jesse R. Bodine St. Louis, MO Retired 3/24/2010 10,000.00

HBE Corporation St. Louis, MO 3/24/2010 10,000.00

That could pay for a lot of rock videos.

Allen Icet (r) only had one big bucks contribution:

April 3, 2010 [pdf]

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. St. Louis, MO 4/3/2010 10,000.00

Ah, an equal opportunity beer company. At least when it comes to republican State Auditor candidates.

And the current State Auditor, Susan Montee (D), how does she fare in the beer sweepstakes (along with other big bucks contributions) this quarter?:

Zip. Nada.

That’s my kind of State Auditor.

One of Missouri State Auditor Susan Montee‘s (D) potential republican challengers, Tom Schweich – rock star, put out a gawdawful music video. It’s so bad that it rises to great art – if you have a hankerin’ for kitsch.

Let’s see, Chinese communists, handouts, fights, God, something about conception, foreign kings’ rings, allusions to tentherism, elitists, and apparent outtakes from an exercise video. What’s not to love from a right wingnut perspective?

At 2:17 in the video there’s a music stand with the legend “Webster Univ Music Dept” Did they “borrow” it? (It’s actually considered an honored, but alas, illegal, tradition to steal music stands from music schools.)

This would have worked better as an arrangement for string quartet, without the juvenile teabagger lyrics and the lame garage band.

Years ago an acquaintance in the music business related a story about his first club audition. The manager told him after he played, “I can’t hire you to play here. If I did I’d be afraid they’d arrest you for loitering.” Bingo.

Excuse me while I go find an icepick to stab out my ear drums.

Republican Tony Laszacs of Waynesville filed for the US Senate race today. An easier task than finding 10K signatures for a Moderate Conservative Party. Republicans tend to be unhappy to have votes siphoned. Ask Jon Ashjian.

Democrat Abdul Akram of Kansas City filed for Auditor. I’m not sure what in particular Susan Montee has done too badly and she’s one of the more direct officials from what i’ve seen. So the margin of victory should be an interesting baseline for “well-known Democrat v. unknown Democrat” races (typically it’s around 83/17 for the wellknown Dem)

St. Rep. Tim Flook of Liberty withdrew from his re-election campaign today and Republican Myron Neth filed in his place. Coincidentally this came several days after Flook took a stand against spending any money on promoting Missouri tourism. No word on if he will spend more time with his family at Elephant Rocks State Park. Democrat Mark Ellebracht filed for this seat yesterday.

Also, Republican Curtis Farber filed for the opportunity to lose by a large percentage to Mike Colona in HD67, Republican Clifford Olsen of Jeff City filed in HD114, and Libertarian Bradley Stubbs filed in HD142.

The last days to file are Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. The weather should be awesome. Our state capital is pretty nifty too.

The race for Missouri Auditor is typically low-key enough that it can be overlooked. The primary for Missouri Auditor has that same problem, only worse.

For those of you who haven’t heard, the Republican Primary for Auditor is between Allen Icet (Architect of the House Republican Budget) and Tom Schweich (Who flirted with running with the Senate last year). Tom Schweich has a bit of a problem, he donated money to Claire McCaskill. Not in 2006 when she was running for the Senate, but 2001 when she was about to run for re-election as Auditor (McCaskill won re-election in 2002 by one of the larger margins ever, because her Republican opponent was an ex-felon who was ignored by the Republican establishment).

Dave Catanese of Politico has an idea for how Tom Schweich can make Republicans overlook the donation and like him again:

“Schweich should devote a speech to his $500 contrib. to @clairecmc. Say if the GOP wants to b party that excludes indys, it won’t prevail.”

Earlier that night, Catanese passed this on and this about Schweich:

“Bad buzz about Schweich from even those who support him. He’s steamed he has a primary when he cut a deal. Ala Crist, welcome to the NFL.”

“GOPer says Schweich needs to learn from @RoyBlunt in approach. Roy takes his licks, but smiles, brushes off like Jay-Z. Schweich gets mad.”

Now, lets say that the “Schweich handling rejection” (or “Schweich mad that he wasn’t annointed”) thing is true. Then a speech about the Republicans not prevailing without independents could have negligible impact or backfire. You could argue that angry sermons to Republicans only work when the person preaching is not criticizing the Republicans.

Not to mention that the story of a 2001 donation can’t be condensed into a favorable way. Tom Schweich was a Republican when he donated money to McCaskill in 2001 and it’d be a stretch to say that rejecting him would be akin to casting Independents aside. Oh yeah, Schweich’s website features endorsements by Peter Kinder and John Bolton, and notes that Mitt Romney will be headlining a Schweich fundraiser. So that double pivot and twirl from dining with prominent Republicans to claiming appeal to Independents is a tough move to pull in political figure skating.

Sure, if John McCain can claim to be a maverick in 2008, Tom Schweich can claim to be anything in 2010. But there are other problems with the donation.

The Auditors primary is going to be low visibility. The people who are going to be avidly paying attention to this primary are Conservative Republican Activists, Political Nerds, and every once and awhile, the media is going to mention something. The race for Auditor will never get the same enthusiasm as Roy Blunt v. Chuck Purgason v. the 7 Others.

The Republicans who are paying attention to an auditor primary can be tilted by an Icet one-two punch where Icet talks about how he was “fiscally conservative” as a Budget committee chair and he could find ways to make himself seem more authentically Republican than Schweich.

Authenticity. Dave Catanese says that Republicans seek it. But could they be seeking someone who can make them think that he’s an authentic Conservative over someone who has lots of candor?

Dave Catanese also mentioned that Republicans like Claire McCaskill more than they would ever admit. As to how much that’d bounce Claire McCaskill’s approval ratings is unknown. But in the scheme of things Diehard Republicans typically don’t like Democrats enough to vote for them or like them. Social Conservatives and Tea Partiers can find their reasons to claim a dislike of Claire McCaskill, and reminding them that you gave money to Claire McCaskill nine years ago will probably not help your Republican primary bid.

Spurning independent voters is a good way to lose elections. Republicans appear to have their eyes set on winning Independent voters through complete coincidence instead of any special effort. Take the Specter situation, the Charlie Crist situation, and that fact that almost every Republican in DC has an identical voting record on the big issues. If you’re a voter who only dislikes Obama on an issue or two, Republicans hope that you’ll vote for a candidate who dislikes Obama on every major issue.

Could Susan Montee lose re-election? Maybe. If Martha Coakley could lose to Scott Brown, anything is possible. Will Susan Montee run ahead of the average Democrat? Probably. Will Susan Montee run ahead of Robin Carnahan? Maybe. Do Republicans have such a need to win back the Auditor’s office that they’d do something other than picking the candidate more like them ideologically to carry that torch? Nope.

If you forced me to start gambling on elections, i’d put my money on Allen Icet right now. The donation isn’t the only reason. Allen Icet also has a more obvious geographic stronghold (West County). He should have statewide connections. He can make the case that he’s really fiscally conservative (so much so that his budget committee passed a budget cutting meals on wheels). Allen Icet is a good bet, even if Tom Schweich had never made a donation to Claire McCaskill.

But somethings are hard to get over, no matter much candor you show. Sometimes candor can help you out. Sometimes candor is like running towards the Bulls in Pamplona.

I’ll keep my eyes on the Auditor primary. We might see some actual news coming out of this one.

State auditor Susan Montee explained the function of her office at the November 23rd Franklin County Democratic Central Committee meeting.  In addition to auditing all the state departments and agencies, her office is tasked with auditing the judicial circuits, school districts and all the counties that don’t have their own auditor.  She mentioned the City of St. Louis, the City of Springfield and its City Utilities Company as being especially time consuming.

Her office also has to review and register all general obligation bonds, certify all tax rates as changes are made by local entities, monitor the money coming into the state from the federal government which includes the $4.5 billion in stimulus funds, and analyze all ballot initiatives for their financial impact.

Montee commented on how the number of ballot initiatives has exploded in recent years and how partisan they have become.  In 2007, her office reviewed 20 different ballot initiatives.  In 2008 and 2009, that number jumped to 52 and 57 respectively.  What is ideally a mechanism for citizens to inform and improve their state government has now become “a partisan wedge issue factory,” according to Montee.

 

Another aspect of the politically charged environment in state politics is the number of lawsuits being filed against the auditor’s office.  Of course, all those lawsuits drain resources from the actual work being done and cost the taxpayers additional money.  Montee was asked if her department has added staff to handle the additional work, and the answer was no surprise given current constraints on the state budget.  So, essentially, she is being asked to do more work with no additional resources.  Eventually, as the federal stimulus money comes in, she will be able to charge the expense of managing that fund back to the federal government.

In response to a question about that federal stimulus money. Montee said only about $1 billion of the $4.5 billion allocated for Missouri has come in so far, and that has been used to shore up the Medicaid fund and to support MODOT’s “shovel ready” projects.  

Asked about her 2010 campaign for re-election, Montee admitted that Democrats will never be able to raise the amount of money that Republicans can raise but that she is hoping her record during her first term will count for something in the eyes of the voters.  Being both a CPA and attorney gives her a leg up on her opponents who will have to face each other in a Republican primary next August.   Given that we have a Democratic governor, the opposition would love to control the auditor’s office and use it to attack and discredit the governor.

Montee stressed the importance of Democratic gains in the Missouri House and how she and U.S. Senate candidate Robin Carnahan are helping to build support around the state for local races.   She believes that by next summer the “parade of horribles” that the right wing is predicting about health care reform will not have happened and that the economy will continue to improve.  With some good news finally, voters should be less vulnerable to fear mongering by the right wing.