And it’s a nice design.

They’re starting to crop up all over.

The New York Times calls the race, even in the present toxic environment, as “Leaning Democratic”:

Campaign Finances

Ike Skelton [D] as of July 14

Raised $1,931,570

Spent $773,558

Cash On Hand $1,369,570

Vicky Hartzler [r]  as of July 14

Raised $389,025

Spent $255,938

Cash On Hand $241,764

Source: Federal Election Commission

And that’s probably one of the reasons why.

Via our good friends at Fired Up:

[….]

…Vicky Hartzler (r): Ike Skelton, under his leadership, has seen a decrease in the defense budget, have, has, had missile defense, uh, cut.

[….]

We have the, the smallest navy here that we have had since nineteen, uh, the early nineteen sixties.

Congressman Ike Skelton (D): I don’t understand what she’s saying, huh, Missouri’s naval presence?

[….]

I don’t think Vicky Hartzler does either, Ike.

Oh, and her campaign spokesperson had a thing or two to say:

“….The impression you get from watching the Channel 41 report is Vicky Hartzler is suggesting that Missouri somewhere has a naval base, and that is, of course, ridiculous….”

He, of course, went on to say that Ike Skelton looked bad, too. Great campaign strategery there, bub.

And missile defense? You mean Saint Ronnie Raygun’s boondogle? Yeah, Edward Teach is gonna start lobbing projectiles at us from the Caribbean.

There be pirates in Harrisonville! Aarrgh!

…because in the end, even if you carry their water for them, they’ll reward you by endorsing your opponent.

Farm Bureau rejects Skelton, endorses Republican for first time in 14 years

By: Darrell Todd Maurina

Posted: Friday, August 20, 2010 9:52 pm

SEDALIA, Mo. (Aug. 20, 2010) – For the first time since the mid-1990s, U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton has lost the endorsement of the Missouri Farm Bureau’s political action committee.

The trustees of Missouri’s 4th Congressional District FARM-PAC announced Friday morning that they’ll be endorsing Vicky Hartzler, a former state representative from Harrisonville, over Skelton…

“…He had a favorable record on voting with ag issues of importance to Farm Bureau. The questions that came up again and again in the discussion was how over the past four years Congressman Skelton has voted like 95 percent of the time with (Speaker of the House) Nancy Pelosi,” Bassett said…

[emphasis added]

Yeah, Ike Skelton voted for agriculture, but you use a right wingnut front organization’s attack ad talking point to explain your endorsement of a republican? Party hack.

Ah, for the days of hardball politics, when this kind of blatant partisanship at the expense of actual issues was rewarded with a permanent sojourn in the wilderness of irrelevance. “Congressman, Farm Bureau is on the line.” “Put ’em on hold, and leave the phone off the hook.”

Previously:

Ike Skelton (D) in the 4th Congressional District: right wingnut “Americans for Prosperity” TV ad {August 9, 2010)

Vicky Hartzler (r) in the 4th Congressional District: the Democratic Party strikes back (August 10, 2010)

The air campaign in the 4th Congressional District escalates, this time with a response similar to the Missouri Democratic Party’s:

Announcer: Why won’t Vicky Hartzler support our men and women in uniform?

[Vicky Hartzler, Support Our Troops?]

She voted against re-enlistment pay for the National Guard.

[Vicky Hartzler Voted Against Re-enlistment Pay For National Guard (SB 2008, 1997)]

Voted against making it easier for overseas troops to vote.

[Hartzler Voted Against Making Voting Easier For Troops (HB 1381, 1998)]

Hartzler even voted against funding to help bury fallen National Guardsmen.

[Hartzler Voted Against Funding For National Guard Funerals (SB 208, 1997)]

There’s a different record. Ike Skelton.

[Ike Skelton]

This year the VFW honored Ike with their Congressional Award…

[Ike Skelton, VFW Congressional Award 2010]

…and said, “Our military, veterans and families have no better friend in Congress.”

[VFW National Commander Thomas J. Tradewell, Sr]

[Approved By Ike Skelton, Paid For By The Ike Skelton For Congress Committee.]

Congressman Ike Skelton (D): I’m Ike Skelton and I approved this message.

It’s sort of like watching someone clubbing a baby harp seal, don’t you think?

A counter salvo.

Animal House (1978) “…Now we could do it with conventional weapons that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out…”

Previously: Ike Skelton (D) in the 4th Congressional District: right wingnut “Americans for Prosperity” TV ad

The Missouri Democratic Party strikes back:

Announcer: They are the men and women who defend our nation.

[Defending Our Nation]

The soldiers on battlefields and foreign lands.

[Our Soldiers]

Military families awaiting a loved ones return.

[Our Military Families]

And the veterans who’ve offered their all to protect our freedoms and our way of life.

[Our Veterans]

These are the people who count on Ike Skelton every day. The soldier’s congressman, Ike fought to provide our troops with the equipment they needed and to protect the care our veterans depend on.

But what about Vicky Hartzler’s controversial views on the military? Hartzler suggested that women should not be allowed to serve in the military.

[Hartzler suggested women didn’t deserve to wear our nation’s uniform]

[Kansas City Star, 5/6/00]

And opposed legislation that would make it easier for soldiers stationed overseas to vote.

[Opposed making it easier for overseas soldiers to vote]

[1998] Journal of the House of Representatives; Bill Summary HB 1381, 1998]

Vicky Hartzler even voted against reenlistment bonuses for the Missouri National Guard.

[Opposed bonuses for the National Guard]

[1997 Journal of the House of Representatives; St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 5/11/97]

And against a trust fund to provide military honors ceremonies at the funerals of Missouri veterans.

[Senate Bill Summary HCS/SS/SB 208, 1997…]

When our troops are in combat and our veterans are depending on us they deserve someone in their corner. The soldier’s congressman, not just another politician wanting to go to Washington.

[Not Vicky Hartzler]

[disclaimer]

Okay, that’s going to leave a mark.

Right wingnuttia has started their air campaign against Representative Ike Skelton (D). I saw this particular ad on television this evening:

Announcer: Thirty-four years ago Rocky was in movie theaters, Missouri’s economy was humming along, and Ike Skelton first went to Washington. Today Skelton supports the Pelosi agenda ninety-five percent of the time. Under their control spending has skyrocketed, the defecit has tripled, and nearly one in ten Missourians are unemployed. Now they want to pass a new energy tax which could cost a Missouri family thousands. Tell Skelton he works for Missouri, not Nancy Pelosi.

[Paid for by Americans for Prosperity]

Apparently, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) is the personification of evil.

Uh, I was around for the Reagan and Daddy Bush administrations. All hype, no substance, and the economy sucked (except for people in certain tax brackets). It took Bill Clinton to turn it around.

And who was the President from January 2001 to January 2009 who left the big mess? Just asking.

The listing for “Americans for Prosperity” with the Federal Election Commission:

Committee ID: C30001051

AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY

2111 WILSON BLVD STE 350

ARLINGTON, VA 22201

Treasurer Name:

Committee Designation:   (N/A)

Committee Type:   N/A

“Americans for Prosperity” filed [pdf – click on “Filed Documents”] paperwork with the Missouri Secretary of State’s office on March 26, 2010 as a “Foreign Nonprofit Corporation”. The officers and board, as reported in the filing:

Art Pope, Chairman

Frayday Levy, Director

James C. Miller, Director

Jim Stephenson, Director

Tim Phillips, President

John Flynn, Secretary

John Flynn, Treasurer

I tried scraping around to find an IRS 990 form and have had no luck yet. Chalk that one up to my Internets searching skills.

I did find this interesting little snippet of information at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

LOBID:L002591

Lobbyist’s Name Carl Bearden

Principal(s) listed by Lobbyist

Principal Name/Address/Phone   Status   Date Added   Date Deleted

AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY AND FOUNDATION

912 EAST BROADWAY

COLUMBIA MO

D 11/9/2007 7/3/2010

That’s interesting. And what happened on July 3, 2010?

An “Americans for Prosperity Foundation” filed [pdf – click on “Filed Documents”] an annual report with the Missouri Secretary of State’s office on September 11, 2009. The officers and board:

David Koch

Art Pope

Richard Fink

Walter Williams

Debra Gail Humphreys

Tim Phillips, President

John Flynn, Secretary

John Flynn, Treasurer

Well, there are a few names in common.

The 2008 IRS 990 [pdf] form for the Americans for Prosperity Foundation is chock full of interesting information:

1 Briefly describe the organization’s mission or most significant activities Educate citizen leaders on ensuring economic freedom and opportunity.

8 Contributions and grants (Part VIII, line 1h)

Prior Year 5,476,046.

Current Year 7,500,059.

15 Salaries, other compensation, employee benefits (Part IX, column (A), lines 5-10)

Prior Year 2,124,037.

Current Year 2,234,014.

19 Revenue less expenses. Subtract line 18 from line 12

Prior Year -1,072,849.

Current Year -684,765.

4a (Expenses $ 3,048,529. including grants of $ 0) National office – educate citizens in support of restraining federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits.

4b (Expensses $ 3,870,879. including grants of $ 0) State chapters – educate citizens in support of restraining state government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. State chapters are located in Kansas, Texas, North Carolina, California, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Virginia, Colorado, Oregon, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Florida, Georgia, North Dakota, South Dakota, South Carolina, Arizona, Louisiana, and New Hampshire.

Schedule A, Part II, Support Schedule for Organizations Described in Sections 170(b)(1)(A)(iv) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

1 Gits, grants, contributions and membership fees received. (Do not include ‘unusual grants.’)

(a) 2004  1,140,151.

(b) 2005  3,349,739.

(c) 2006  3,954,449.

(d) 2007  5,476,046.

(e) 2008  7,500,059.

(f) Total  21,420,444.

Schedule M, Non-Cash Contributions

4 Books and publications 14,078. Fair market value

9 Securities-Publicly traded 260,614. Fair market value

Schedule O, Supplemental Information to Form 990

Pt VI-A, Line 2 One board member is an employee of a company owned more than 35% by another board member.

[emphasis added]

I wonder, has anything in Representative Ike Skelton’s (D) political career ever not appeared to be all about following the Constitution? Just asking.  

Congressman Ike Skelton (D) now knows who his opponents will be for the November general election.

The residents of the 4th Congressional District get to look forward to seeing these through November.

Illustration of the vote by county between the top two republican candidates courtesy of RBH.

Results from the Missouri Secretary of State:

Unofficial Election Returns

State of Missouri Primary Election  – 2010 Primary Election

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

U.S. Representative – District 4 – Summary

Precincts Reporting 417 of 417

Steinman, Leonard DEM 6,264 19.5%

Skelton, Ike DEM 25,914 80.5%

Scholz, James REP 4,259 4.8%

Madden, Arthur John REP 2,483 2.8%

Hartzler, Vicky REP 35,853 40.5%

Viessman, Roy REP 3,702 4.2%

Riley, Brian REP 3,196 3.6%

Stouffer, Bill REP 26,570 30.0%

Clark, Brian REP 2,655 3.0%

McElroy, Eric James REP 1,928 2.2%

Parnell, Jeff REP 7,968 9.0%

Braun, Jason Michael LIB 165 50.6%

Holbrook, II, Thomas LIB 161 49.4%

Cowan, Greg CST 296 100.0%

Total Votes   121,414

[emphasis added]

An understated (single color!) campaign sign – apparently there just weren’t enough of them.

When right wingnuts collide, the results aren’t always pretty, though the ice cream imagery is greatly appreciated during the current heat wave. Bill Stouffer (r) tried to use direct mail to paint Vicky Hartzler (r) as one of those tax raising politicians.

31 Flavors Of Ice Cream

Good

31 Tax Increases

Not Good

State Representative Vicky Hartzler’s record on taxes is Not Good.

You hear that, Ike? Vicky Hartzler is a tax and spend liberal. Go figure.

Right wingnut rhetoric on any government revenue has gotten so extreme that anything greater than 0% is a grievous affront to their orthodoxy.

State Representative Hartzler served up 31 ways to scoop your money into big government.

Can You Believe…

…now she wants you to send her to Congress?

Higher Property Taxes

Senate Bill 348

New Sales Taxes

Senate Bill 193

A New Farm Tax

House Bill 1207

Even A Tax On Pets

House Bill 1099

August 3rd say No to Higher Taxes! Say No to Vicky Hartzler for US Congress.

Republican

Bill Stouffer

Farmer.

Small Businessman.

Conservative.

I guess we can be thankful that it wasn’t fifty-seven ways, otherwise there’s be ketchup splatters all over the mailer.

Given the results of the primary 40.5% of republican primary voters wanted those 31 taxes and weren’t willing to join the fight. Either that, or there were 35,853 Democratic voters with a sick sense of humor who crossed over to vote in the republican primary.

That would have been awesome.

The second mailer:

Bill Stouffer

Republican U.S. Congress

“Our children should have the freedom to prosper and enjoy a quality of life comparable to our own. I refuse to let the tax-and-spend liberals force our families, economy, military and nation into a position of weakness. If you’re willing to join the fight and ensure our nation’s best days are ahead of us, I ask you to join my campaign.” – Bill Stouffer

Priorities –

Restore fiscal discipline in government

Make private-sector job creation a priority

Streamline the tax code and cut income taxes

Reduce regulations and bureaucracy for businesses

Reduce regulations and bureaucracy for businesses – because bad things wouldn’t have happened if we had left British Petroleum alone. Oh wait, we did.

Bill Stouffer

Conservative Republican For Congress

Bill Stouffer is running for U.S. Congress because Washington is failing to hear our concerns and leading our nation down a dangerous path. Bill is a son of the soil, former school board president, and graduate of the University of Missouri College of Agriculture. As a father and a grandfather, he refuses to let government jeopardize our children’s future with more debt and reckless spending.

As a citizen legislator, Bill Stouffer heard your calls for fiscal responsibility and delivered on his promise to cut spending and lower taxes. Widely recognized as one of the most conservative members of the Missouri Senate, Bill lead the fight to cut more than $450 million dollars in spending and balanced the state budget. As our conservative problem solver in Washington, Bill will continue working hard for the results we expect.

Conservative Republican – because there are just too damn many moderate and liberal republicans in Missouri. You know, like Vicky Hartzler.

Poor Bill Stouffer. He wasted part of his mail plan on a Democratic Party household. We didn’t get any of Vicky Hartzler’s mail (if there was any). Even at that, Vicky Hartzler only beat him by ten points. Interesting.

Ike, have you been listening to Vicky’s opponent? He’s laid out your game plan for the general election.

A question, though, for Bill Stouffer – where were your complaints about fiscal discipline and economic policy in the federal budget from 2001 to 2009?

Just asking.

“…Then she said she had solutions. The solution that she offered for the pre-existing condition my grandson had was, she offered to bring the family a, a hot meal….”

Missouri’s answer to Minnesota’s Michelle Bachmann has a television commercial ready to clog the airwaves:

Via our friends at Fired Up:

[Vicky Hartzler for Congress. Approved by Vicky Hartzler, Paid for by Vicky Hartzler for Congress] I’m Vicky Hartzler and I approved this message.

Government too often has become the problem, not the solution. To preserve our freedom and our children’s future it’s time we get America back on the right track.

Narrator: Vicky Hartzler, small business owner. [Small Business Experience] Life long farmer. Former teacher. [Lebanon & Belton Schools] Leader for lower taxes, smaller government, and our values. [Proven Conservative Leader] Wife and mother. [Endorsed by Mo. Right to Life]

Around here, when something’s broken, we fix it. [Real Conservative. Real Change.] And that’s what I’ll do in Congress.

Fix it? Really? And how would you do that? Just asking.

A health care story (September 3, 2009):

….SMP: And, and you’ve told your story in a variety of, of places. Last week you attended a, another forum for, in this area. Could you tell me about that?

Randy Huggins:…Last Thursday I went to a health care information forum, I guess you could call it, Vickiy Hartzler [a declared Republican candidate for the 4th Congressional District seat] held here. And she had concerns about the legislation and she had things that she liked about the legislation. Then she said she had solutions. The solution that she offered for the pre-existing condition my grandson had was, she offered to bring the family a, a hot meal. [pause] We’re hungry, but that’s not gonna help his heart, so.

SMP: And so, do you, do you feel some frustration when, when dealing with this, you know, the subject of health care reform and when you feel like people give you solutions that really aren’t solutions?

Randy Huggins: Absolutely it’s frustrating. [pause] I, I just, I don’t understand where they’re coming from. Why they can’t see the need to fix, the system’s broken. And they don’t see any need to fix it or to change it in any way. Just….

“…To preserve our freedom and our children’s future it’s time we get America back on the right track…”

Unless our children happen to have a pre-existing medical condition, then, tough luck on that future preservation thing, eh?

In the parking lot at the local anti-union national chain store:

A mobile campaign sign for Representative Ike Skelton’s (D) primary opponent.

The short answer? To staff the campaign offices of your right wingnut opponents, Ike.

Vicky Hartzler (r) has opened a campaign office near downtown Warrensburg.

Previously:

Well, Ike? (March 17, 2010)

You didn’t get the memo, did you? (March 16, 2010)

Nothing says Merry Christmas like a Robocall (December 23, 2009)

Following the money: Who paid for that billboard attacking Ike Skelton? (August 9, 2009)

With republican friends like that who needs republican enemies?