Twelve individuals have filed as candidates for the 7th Congressional District seat.

Representative Billy Long (r) [August 2013 file photo].

Via the Missouri Secretary of State:

UNOFFICIAL Candidate Filing List
Primary 2016
(Name, Mailing Address and Date/Time Filed as of 3/29/2016 5:00 p.m.)

U.S. Representative – District 7

Democratic
Name Mailing Address Random Number Date Filed
Genevieve (Gen) Williams 11186 MULBERRY RD NEOSHO MO 64850 3/18/2016
Camille Lombardi-Olive 789 EVEREST RD GALENA MO 65656 3/25/2016
Steven Reed PO BOX 1343 SPRINGFIELD MO 65801 3/29/2016

Republican
Name Mailing Address Random Number Date Filed
Billy Long 3246 EAST RIDGEVIEW SPRINGFIELD MO 65804 273 2/23/2016
Christopher Batsche 118 BILLY DR CASSVILLE MO 65625 2/25/2016
Matthew Evans 4919 S GLENN AVE SPRINGFIELD MO 65810 3/11/2016
Lyndle Spencer 1450 W JACKSON P. O. BOX 1243 OZARK MO 65721 3/23/2016
Nathan Clay Bradham 204 S OLIVE ST ROLLA MO 65401 3/25/2016
Matthew K. Canovi 3711 W FARM ROAD 14 BRIGHTON MO 65617 3/29/2016
James Nelson 1182 S FISK AVE SPRINGFIELD MO 65802 3/29/2016
Mary Byrne 2630 S WILLIAMS CT SPRINGFIELD MO 65807 3/29/2016

Libertarian
Name Mailing Address Random Number Date Filed
Benjamin T. Brixey 113 W KENNEDY ST STRAFFORD MO 65757 2/26/2016

[emphasis added]

Count ’em, that’s three Democrats, eight republicans (including the incumbent), and a Libertarian. They must be trying to tell somebody something.

Representative Billy Long (r) had a few things to say today via social media about the process of getting a new Speaker of the House:

Billy Long ‏@auctnr1
Paul Ryan will run for #Speaker w/ conditions: 1 being a unified #GOP Conference by Fri. I hope he gets it but I’m from MO Ya gotta Show-Me 4:59 PM – 20 Oct 2015

Billy Long ‏@auctnr1
Another condition of #Ryan running if he gets Speaker he doesn’t want arrows in his back. Did I mention I’m from MO the ‘Show-Me State’? 5:03 PM – 20 Oct 2015

Pass the popcorn.

Previously:

Speaker, speaker, who’s gonna be our speaker? (October 8, 2015)

Representative Billy Long (r) [2013 file photo].

This past week, from Representative Billy Long (r), via Twitter:

U.S. Rep. Billy Long ‏@USRepLong Oct 1
Unclear: Now that there’s water on Mars, will the EPA try to regulate it? 8:24 AM – 1 Oct 2015

Go ahead, take a sip first.

And a response:

Monty Dobson ‏@lemont
@USRepLong so we should go back to the good old days of dumping toxic waste into our waterways right? 8:51 AM – 1 Oct 2015

Representative Billy Long (r) issued a statement in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address:

Long Statement on State of the Union

01/20/15

           WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Billy Long issued the following statement on the president’s State of the Union address:

           “The American people sent a strong message to Washington in November that they wanted change.  Since then President Obama by his actions and words has doubled down on the policies and proposals that the American people rejected.  The new majority in Congress wants to empower the American people as we work for an efficient, effective and accountable government.  Hard-working taxpayers want economic growth, security and opportunity that a healthy economy would provide.  The president should direct his efforts in those areas as opposed to constantly trying to divide us along class and income lines.”

“…The president should direct his efforts in those areas as opposed to constantly trying to divide us along class and income lines.”

I’ve got news for Representative Long (r), we’ve been there for a while:

December 5, 2013

U.S. income inequality, on rise for decades, is now highest since 1928

By Drew DeSilver

….More than half (61%) of Americans said the U.S. economic system favors the wealthy, while just 35% said it’s fair to most people, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March. A similar share (66%) of Americans said the gap between rich and poor had increased in the past five years; nearly three-quarters of respondents said the rich-poor gap was either a “very big” (47%) or “moderately big” (27%) problem….

….And while 54% of low-income people and 49% of middle-income people called the rich-poor gap a “very big” problem, only 36% of high-income people did so. A third of the high-income group said the rich-poor gap was either a small problem (19%) or not a problem at all (14%)….

A smart investor might want to get into pitchfork and torch futures.

Yesterday, via Twitter:

U.S. Rep. Billy Long @USRepLong  ·  

Keystone, ObamaCare first items on GOP Congress agenda [….] 5:34 AM – 3 Jan 2015

As if anyone is surprised.

Some of the replies:

Steven Wood ‏@swood40

@USRepLong you folks really like that #keystone thing. 6:38 AM – 3 Jan 2015

Oil is oily.

Mel Waldron III ‏@3sticksCGCS

@USRepLong On the ACA, where are your solutions? It looks like the 30 going to 40 hour rule will only help businesses, what about people? 7:40 AM – 3 Jan 2015

Don’t expect an answer.

Previously:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): if you’re wondering how many lost unemployment insurance on Dec. 28 (December 31, 2013)

The Republican jobs plan, or, How to build a third world economy (December 21, 2013)

In the 7th Congressional District (from the House Ways and Means Committee Democrats):

COUNTY NUMBER LOSING COVERAGE DEC. 28

BARRY 57

CHRISTIAN 175

GREENE 769

JASPER 326

LAWRENCE 105

MCDONALD 32

NEWTON 128

POLK 104

STONE 143

TANEY 227

WEBSTER 107

Total (7th Congressional District) 2173

Via our good friends at Fired Up!:

After Demanding Repeal Of Stimulus, GOP Rep. Long Attends Ceremony For Stimulus-Funded Clinic

During his campaign for Congress last year, freshman Rep. Billy Long (R-MO) called for a complete repeal of President Obama’s stimulus program. “I hope that Congress will admit they made a mistake and vote to repeal the Stimulus Act in order to reduce our deficit,” he said confidently at the time. Once he got into office, Long’s opinion did not change. On the second annivsary of the bill’s signing, Long sent out a press release claiming that the stimulus had “failed.”

However, Long was singing a different tune last week when he stood with officials at a ceremony for a new health clinic in his district. On Friday, Long appeared with other community leaders to break ground for the new Access Family Care clinic in Cassville, Missouri. The construction was made possible with a $635,000 grant from the stimulus, secured in part by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), who unlike Long supported the stimulus….

He doesn’t have a clue or he doesn’t care. I can’t figure out which one.