Vicky Hartzler (r), as a member-elect of the House, in November 2010:

…Last week I had a great day meeting with the commanders at Whiteman Air Force Base, learning more about their missions, hearing their concerns and ideas, and touring the Base.  It was an honor to meet these dedicated public servants who have given their lives and talents to keeping us free.  I was thrilled to get to sit in the cockpit of the Apache Helicopter, an A-10 Thunderbolt, and the B-2 Stealth Bomber.  We have such a national security treasure here in Missouri’s 4th and I look forward to working with them to protect and defend our country…

This past week:

The House Armed Services Committee filed H.R. 4310 with the Rules Committee on Thursday May 10, 2012. H.R. 4310, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, was filed as ordered and reported by HASC on Wednesday, May 09, 2012….

Representative Robert Andrews (D-New Jersey) offered Amendment 128:

AMENDMENT TO H.R. 4310

OFFERED BY MR. ANDREWS OF NEW JERSEY

In section 4201 of division D, relating to Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, increase the amount for B-2 EHF Extremely high Frequency Radio (PE 0101127F) by $71,000,000.

In section 4201 of division D, relating to Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, reduce the amount for Ballistic Missile Defense Midcourse Defense Segment (PE 0603882C) by $71,000,000.

X

The amendment failed 26-35:

Aye:

Owens, Larsen, Langevin, Smith, Reyes, Sanchez, Cooper, McIntyre, Brady, Andrews, Mrs. Davis, Heinrich, Bordallo, Courtney, Loebsack, Tsongas, Pingree, Ryan, Critz, Garamendi, Ruppersberger, Johnson, Sutton, Hanabusa, Hochul, Speier

Nay:

Hunter, LoBiondo, McKeon, Bartlett, Thornberry, Wittman, Turner, Akin, Forbes, Miller, Wilson, Lamborn, Kline, Mr. Rogers, Franks, Shuster, Conaway, Kissell, Rooney, Coffman, Fleming, Young, Platts, Riggell, Gibson, Hartzler, Heck, Brooks, Schilling, Runyan, Scott, Griffin, Palazzo, West, Roby

[emphasis added]

That’s right, Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) voted against an appropriation for an operational system based in her district in favor of a pie in the sky boondoggle throwback to the Reagan era.

Big mistake. Big. Huge.

Who benefits?:

National Missile Defense Contractors

National Missile Defense Contractors in the United States have been actively involved in Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) since the 1980s. However, the project did not officially begin until 1998 “with a $1.6 billion dollar initial contract to Boeing.”

[….]

“Boeing as the prime-contractor is responsible for the development, test, and integration of all the GMD elements, including the Ground-based Interceptor, X-Band Radar Prototype, Fire Control & Communications systems, Upgraded Early Warning Radars and interfaces to the Defense Support Program. Major team members include Raytheon Company (kill vehicle, radars); Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (BMC2); Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company (booster vehicles); Orbital Sciences Corporation (booster vehicles); Bechtel (facilities design and construction); and Teledyne Brown Engineering (Integrated Systems Testing Capabilities and technical services).”

[….]

[emphasis added]

This is interesting:

VICKY HARTZLER FOR CONGRESS

LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION EMPLOYEES’ POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 03/02/2011 1000.00 12970061909

LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION EMPLOYEES’ POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 06/16/2011 1000.00 12970067685

LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION EMPLOYEES’ POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 09/28/2011 1000.00 12970069164

LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION EMPLOYEES’ POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 03/21/2012 1500.00 12951370056

RAYTHEON COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTTEE 02/17/2012 1500.00 12970751869

THE BOEING COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 03/11/2011 1000.00 11930808651

THE BOEING COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 03/11/2011 5000.00 11930808651

THE BOEING COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 06/24/2011 1000.00 11931820144

Quite interesting.

In today’s Washington Post:

The 10 House districts that might surprise you

Posted by Aaron Blake at 12:04 PM ET, 05/11/2012

….For those who don’t watch this stuff as closely as we do (and we know that’s like 99.99999 percent of people), we thought it worthwhile to highlight some of the districts that might be surprisingly competitive this year.

Below are districts that, through redistricting, recruiting or sheer happenstance, have worked their way onto our radar screen….

5. Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.): When former Armed Services Committee chairman Ike Skelton (D) lost this seat in 2010, it seemed unlikely that a Democrat would ever hold this very conservative territory again. But Hartzler’s 4th district became a little bluer under redistricting, and last quarter she was outraised by her Democratic opponent, Cass County Prosecuting Attorney Teresa Hensley….

Uh, we knew that already.

Previously: Campaign Finance: Teresa Hensley (D) in the 4th Congressional District – FEC First Quarter Report (April 12, 2012)

I wanted to make the complete videos available here. Videos by Jerry Schmidt.

Previously:

Missouri: our delusional paranoids are creative in a folk art sort of way (May 4, 2012)

Town Hall Meta (May 4, 2012)

Vicky Hartzler rats out Showmeprogress crew! (May 5, 2012)

On May 4, 2012 Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) held town halls in Buffalo, Versailles and California, Missouri. We attended all three and photographed and recorded audio and video at each event.

We’ve noted at the town halls that we’ve attended this Spring that the number of people who show up is relatively miniscule when compared to the number of people who live in and actually vote in the district.

The town hall in California, Missouri was held in the new city building. Other than two

of us from Show Me Progress there was only one other media representative present (from the local paper).

Representative Hartzler (r) working the room in Buffalo, Missouri before her presentation and the question and answer session.

Power point slides as part of the presentation in Buffalo. We’ve seen many of these before.

In Buffalo, Missouri, a response to a paranoid question about an executive order signed on March 16th by President Obama to “take over everything” in a declared emergency (Gee, where have we seen that before?):

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r): ….and this president has done more executive orders than any other president, although it is, has been a tool that’s been used by every president since George Washington….

Au contraire, from the National Archives:

Executive Orders Disposition Tables Index

The Disposition Tables list the status of Executive Orders from:

January 8, 1937 – May 2, 2012

Barack Obama (2009-Present)

EO’s 13489 – 13607

George W. Bush (2001-2009)

EO’s 13198-13488

William J. Clinton (1993-2001)

EO’s 12834-13197

George Bush (1989-1993)

EO’s 12668-12833

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)

EO’s 12287-12667

Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

EO’s 11967-12286

Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977)

EO’s 11798-11966

Richard Nixon (1969-1974)

EO’s 11452-11797

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)

EO’s 11128-11451

John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)

EO’s 10914-11127

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)

EO’s 10432-10913

Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)

EO’s 9538-10431

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)

EO’s 6071-9537

Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)

EO’s 5075-6070

Do the math. That’s 118 by President Obama, 290 by George W. Bush, 363 by Bill Clinton, 165 by George H. W. Bush, 380 by Ronald Reagan, 319 by Jimmy Carter, 168 by Gerald Ford, 345 by Richard Nixon, 323 by Lyndon Johnson, 213 by John Kennedy, 481 by Dwight Eisenhower, 893 by Harry Truman, 3,466 by FDR, and 995 by Herbert Hoover.

“…and this president has done more executive orders than any other president…”

Not even close.  

There were six different members of Representative Hartzler’s (r) staff in attendance at different stages of the three May 4th town halls.

In Buffalo, Missouri.

Working the room before her presentation and the question and answer session in Versailles, Missouri:

Taking questions in Versailles, Missouri:

Working the room in California, Missouri:

Taking questions in California:

This Spring Representative Hartzler (r) did close to twenty town halls and “meet and greets”. For the events we attended the difference in format between the two was mostly a matter of length and, sometimes, the slide presentation was absent from the meet and greet. At each location Representative Hartzler’s staff set up a sign-in table. On her arrival Representative Hartzler greets everyone in the room individually, taking time to speak briefly with them. She may nod to the bloggers, if they’ve been at a number of her town halls. A staffer sometimes accompanies her, taking photos. Representative Hartzler then does a presentation (lasting up to twenty or so minutes), then takes questions for the remainder of the event. At the close of the event she takes time to talk with those who wish to visit.

The attendance at the events we’ve covered this Spring has been relatively sparse. We’ve noted that there has been a definite ideological mix of people showing up, from obvious libertarians (by their questions), to teabaggers (by their t-shirts), to true believers, to corporatist republicans (by their introductions), to Democrats (by their questions and t-shirts).

Representative Hartzler (r) sometimes avoids calling on obvious Democrats (either because she knows them or because they’re wearing t-shirts identifying them as such), though she’s not always successful in avoiding them. To be fair, when she can’t avoid it, she does take questions from the obvious Democrats. Interestingly, the most painfully embarrassing questions and/or statements appear to come from the lunatic fringe right wingnuts in attendance.

Lets not reelect Vicky Hartzler!

Video by Jerry Schmidt.

Meta. Here’s a tip for folks in public life who are new to this Internets and blogging thing – if you did or said something that attracted a lot of attention, remember, you were the one who did or said it.

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) presented three town halls in the 4th Congressional District today in the towns of Buffalo, Versailles and California. We were there.

Under the constituent sign-in table at Representative Vicky Hartzler’s (r) town hall in Buffalo, Missouri – May 4, 2012.

For anyone who has attended one of Representative Hartzler’s town halls this is funny and ironic on so many levels.

Before the start of the Buffalo town hall one of Representative Hartzler’s staffers approached us as we had finished setting up and I had started taking stills of people signing in for the town hall. The conversation (paraphrased):

Staffer:  Are you taking video?

Me: No, he does video [pointing to Jerry Schmidt]. I take stills. [There was a slight pause in the conversation]

Staffer: I would prefer that you not. People attending don’t want to be on video or pictures, their privacy…

Me: This is a public meeting. Have we ever done anything in the past other than present everything in its entirety?

Staffer: I could ask you all day and I suppose the answer would be the same.

Me: This is a public meeting.

There were six different staff in attendance at different stages of the three town halls.

In Versailles, Missouri. That’s a staffer on the right with a camera.

Wait, that’s a staffer with a camera taking pictures of Representative Hartzler interacting with constituents at a town hall? We do that, too. We also do meticulous transcripts of the proceedings so anyone can read what went on.

Part of the response to a question by a constituent at the Versailles, Missouri town hall about Representative Hartzler’s worth as reported in her personal financial disclosure report:

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r): ….So those reports are written by people who don’t like me, who don’t want me reelected. They’re here, we’ve got people been following me around. They take my pictures, they’re video recording me so they can defeat me this November. Uh, anyway, that’s a part of it. So, you know, But it’s out there and, uh, anyway, so….

“…they’re video recording me so they can defeat me this November…”

“…if you did or said something that attracted a lot of attention, remember, you were the one who did or said it…”

Uh, we cover politics and government in Missouri. We post that information (photographs, video, transcripts, public reports) on our blog so that anyone who may be interested can access it. You know, it’s called reporting.

If you think we’re just being mean to you, you might want to ask Senator Claire McCaskill (D) and Representative Chris Kelly (D) about that.

In Versailles. Same staffer, same camera, same member of Congress, different constituent.

In California, Missouri. Same staffer, same camera, same member of Congress, different constituents, different town.

The lack of respect for people’s privacy at public events is just beyond the pale.

Synchronicity.

The franked mail piece arrived this past week:

It certainly looks like a campaign mailer, but it’s franked and that means it’s paid for by taxpayers.

At a town hall on April 5, 2012 in Clinton, Missouri:

Representative Hartzler (r): ….What other questions do you have? [pause] Everybody bashful now, now?

Question: Congresswoman, I, I came today with an agenda item. I received your flyer and I see this young man over here. Who paid for this flyer?

Voice: We did. [Voices: “We did.” “We did.”]

Question: Taxpayers. [Voice: “We did.”]

Representative Hartzler (r): Yeah [inaudible].

Voice: We did.

Question: Yeah. [Voice: “We did.”] How much did we pay for mailing privileges since January, July one of two, twenty eleven? Do you know?

Representative Hartzler (r): I don’t know, but I bet you do.

Question: Over two hundred thousand dollars [crosstalk] to send stuff.

Representative Hartzler (r): I knew you would know. I could tell. [laugh]

Question: It, it’s in the Congressional Record.

Representative Hartzler (r): I know. I know, it’s open record. Anybody can get it.

Question: And I’ve asked to take my name off the list ’cause we’re gonna save thirty point oh three six cents next time this mailer comes out.  [Representative Hartzler ( r): “Okay.”] If we did that with every member of Congress how much money would we save? I didn’t do that math. But if we’re gonna look for cuts why don’t we cut this type of stuff. I’m sorry, this is a political mailer. You could send me a little postcard and ask for the same information you get here.

Representative Hartzler (r): I, I hear you. And, um, we’ll certainly consider that, you know. The budget, though, we don’t have a, a slide up here, but I wanted to show, the budget is so out of whack, not that we can’t save money with that, but we could totally shut down all of, uh, the departments in Washington, including Congress as well as the national defense and we still wouldn’t have a balanced budget. So, it’s that serious and, uh, you know, we did take a five percent, I took a five percent cut in my office budget when I first took office. This year we cut seven percent. So, we have taken steps to cut, uh, cut our own budgets and we felt like, I felt like we need to lead by example. If we’re gonna ask other ar, uh, departments to cut then we need to be the first to do that.  And, and so we did. So we do our spending less money than before, but I think it’s important to communicate with the, the people, uh, of the district and to let them know where their offices are. You’ll see on that flyer we have our phone numbers for the offices are. We have our, uh, email address, the web site, and we get between five hundred and a thousand emails and phone calls a week from people this, on, district. And that’s because that’s what we’re here to do. We’re here to serve you, work for you. And so we try to help people get their VA benefits or whatever it is. So, uh, I think there’s some value for the taxpayer knowing where these phone numbers are, how they can access us, and so that’s part of it. But, I hear what you’re saying.

Question: I was wrong, it was a hundred and sixty-seven or so thousand dollars.

Representative Hartzler (r): Yeah. All right. Thank you. Yes, sir….

“….But, I hear what you’re saying….”

Evidently not.

This e-mail was forwarded to us:

From: Representative Vicky Hartzler [XXXXX]

Date: Thu, May 3, 2012 at 8:36 PM

Subject: Just One Week Left to Subscribe!

To: XXXXX

[….]

Friend,

The main way I stay in touch with constituents is through my weekly email newsletter. Every week, I send interested constituents a report on votes and activities in D.C. and questions for their input. However, according to the rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, a Member of Congress enters a “black-out period” 90 days before a primary or general election in which the Member’s name is on the ballot. During this “black out period,” the Member is unable to communicate with any constituent who has not “opted-in” to their email list.

According to my records, you have not yet opted in to my newsletter. Accordingly, after May 9, 2012, I will not be able to share information with you via email, unless you decide to opt-in today. Because your ideas are important to me, I encourage you to take a moment to opt-in now.

Additionally, I would urge you to follow my Facebook and Twitter pages that can be found by clicking the icons in the upper right hand corner of this message.

It’s an honor to be your voice in Congress-thank you for the privilege of serving you.

Sincerely,

Member of Congress

=======================

Would you like to receive Congresswoman Hartzler’s weekly newsletter?

Yes

No

Click to open

Visit my website at: Hartzler.House.Gov

[….]

Previously:

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)

Previously:

Cass County Democrats 2012 Back to Blue Dinner: State Treasurer Clint Zweifel (D) (April 29, 2012)

Cass County Democrats 2012 Back to Blue Dinner: Susan Montee (D) (April 30, 2012)

“…We have lost sight that a strong middle class is a strong America. And that we must begin protecting and fighting for the middle class every day with everyone that we talk to. We must have an economy that is for everyone, not an economy of greed. Our current economy is serving only the very elite, the very wealthy, the billionaires. And the House Republicans and Vicky Hartzler want to give them more. And then on top of that, they’re not shy about it.  They’re not hanging their head, they’re not sad, they’re not worried, they’re not ashamed…”

Cass County Prosecutor and candidate in the 4th Congressional District Teresa Hensley (D) at

the Cass County Democratic Central Committee back to Blue Dinner in Belton, Missouri on April 28, 2012.

On Saturday night the Cass County Democratic Central Committee hosted their annual back to Blue Dinner in Belton, Missouri. Cass County Prosecutor and candidate in the 4th Congressional District Teresa Hensley (D) was one of the featured speakers:

Teresa Hensley (D), Cass County Prosecutor and candidate for the 4th Congressional District: ….I got the opportunity today to be in Jeff City at a women’s rally, in fact, there’s several of us that were there today. It was a tremendous rally, to have women there prepared to, uh, be strong and stand strong and walk to the Capitol to fight for what is right for women…

…And we have locally a woman who is running for office that is intelligent and strong and a fighter. And I wanted to make sure that we are locally giving as much help and as much support to Patty Lear Johnson. So, if you’ll give her a round of applause. [applause]

You know, we have been working really hard and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee actually noticed. Uh, we were in the Washington Post this week as one of the, on the emerging list as one of the races to watch, uh, throughout the country. And so they noticed that we have been working hard and that’s a tremendous thing, we’re very proud of that. [applause]

But, you know, we’re gonna have to continue to work and then work harder. Uh, the D triple C did notice because in the first quarter we raised two hundred and fifty thousand dollar. We raised over a hundred thousand dollars more than my opponent. And so, again, that’s an important thing when you consider that fifty-five percent of that two hundred and fifty thousand dollars came from folks who gave me two hundred dollars or less. Two hundred dollars or less. I’m not getting my money from millionaires. I’m not getting my money from billionaires. I’m getting my money from people who think just like we do. They understand what’s important. And so to be able to continue to do that is gonna take a lot of work. We’re gonna have to raise two million dollars and two million dollars is not an easy thing. So when you miss me at the Forty Club, ’cause you will, and when you miss me at the local Democratic meeting I apologize for that. But I intend to get out in to the twenty-four counties.

[….]

But this is going to be a tough race, there is no doubt about it. But the good news for us is that we’re not only willing to work hard, but it’s a very new district. It’s a very different district than in two thousand and ten. Tonight you’re all sitting or standing in what is part of the new district. Belton and Raymore were in Congressman [Emanuel] Cleaver’s district. And as part of that, think about this for a minute, Vicky Hartzler’s name has never been on that ballot. Never been on than ballot. But mine has for the past ten years. [voice: “Amen.”] And I will stand by my record any day for that past ten years. [applause][cheers] Along with that, Boone County is a new county in this district. And Boone County alone makes up, out of twenty-four counties, Boone County twenty-four percent of this district. They are a forth of this district. Her name’s never been on that ballot. And so the new district creates almost forty percent of a ballot that Vicky Hartzler’s name’s never been on. We can win this race with hard work. [applause]

And we’re not afraid of hard work. It’s been going on eight years, believe it or not, [Attorney general] Chris [Koster]. Eight years in the prosecutor’s office that I’ve been there. And in that time I think I’ve successfully gone after child abusers, DWIs, murderers, but most importantly to me, was the priority domestic violence cases. I’ve been on the board of Hope Haven, as has Chris [Koster], as has Patty [Lear Johnson] who was our president not too long ago, as had Doug Catron. Hope Haven in Cass County has been a really important part, it’s the abuse shelter in Harrisonville, a really important part of the law enforcement, uh, in this county. We meet monthly as a domestic violence coalition. We bring law enforcement together and we make sure that idea of Hope Haven, domestic violence, that victims are cared for and that they are, it is always, uh, a priority throughout the whole county that we are taking care of victims. But what I’m really proud of is that in two thousand and ten the Attorney General, Chris Koster, awarded me the two thousand and ten Domestic Violence Protection Award and I thank you very much for that Attorny General [applause], very kind of you. Something I’m very, very proud of.

I believe I have the background and the experience to fight for Missouri families. We’ve made tough decisions in the prosecutor’s office and we’ve made just decisions. And that’s exactly what I hope to take to Congress, is that ability to make just decisions.

Last week the House Republicans and Vicky Hartzler passed again, the Paul Ryan budget. [voices: “Boo.”] Thank you. Deserves a bigger boo than that. [laughter] A couple of weeks ago in Johnson County Congressman [Emanuel] Cleaver called it menacingly mean. And I want to quote here for minute because, obviously, while I can’t do it as well as he did two weeks ago. I think it should be repeated. He said, a budget is a statement of who we are. It says what we believe. It says we are a nation that is mean, this budget. That’s not who we are. We are better than that. We are much better than that. This budget gives trillions of dollars in tax cuts to the very wealthy while at the same time continuing to do away with Medicare, to cut programs that support children, and aging and the poor. You know, some might say that it solves a problem and I would say that it does solve a problem. You know, if your problem is that the poor have too much and the rich have too little it solves that problem just fine. And so, as we watch what this budget does and as we watch as the very wealthy continue to get tax breaks we have to ask really what is our moral, uh, judgment, what is our moral compass.

I mean, I want to talk about for a minute, who are these billionaires that we keep hearing about. Because, you know, they’re not anyone I know and I guess they’re nobody you know. Because if there’s any of you who know a billionaire would you see me afterwards, I’ve got a campaign to run [laughter] and I need some money. But I want you to, to put in perspective a minute, for a minute, what a millionaire is and what a billionaire is so when you hear them talking about these very wealthy people who are getting tax breaks you understand who they are. You know, a millionaire, if he ta
lks all of his million and he puts it in hundred dollar bills he can fill a grocery sack, just a paper sack and carry that million dollars around with him, just one grocery sack. But a billionaire, if he puts all of his billion in a hundred dollar bills it’s ten pallets at the Federal Reserve. That’s a lot of money. That’s folks we don’t even understand. We have lost sight that a strong middle class is a strong America. And that we must begin protecting and fighting for the middle class every day with everyone that we talk to. We must have an economy that is for everyone, not an economy of greed. Our current economy is serving only the very elite, the very wealthy, the billionaires. And the House Republicans and Vicky Hartzler want to give them more. And then on top of that, they’re not shy about it.  They’re not hanging their head, they’re not sad, they’re not worried, they’re not ashamed. In fact, they’re proud of it. They tout it that they are the party that will give the tax breaks because it will create jobs but we have historically seen that doesn’t happen. As they get more tax breaks they take those jobs overseas. They continue to outsource those very jobs that are needed here locally.

I’ve told this story many times, but I think tonight it’s worth telling again because I think it demonstrates really why we’re all here and why I’m running for Congress. My father was a plumber. My father got up every day and he went to work outside whether it was ten below or it was a hundred and ten degrees outside. And I learned to work hard from my father. He didn’t miss a day that I can ever remember. My brother’s an ironworker he also goes to work every day outside. But my brother makes the same pay my dad did in nineteen seventy-four, thirty eight years ago. There’s not been a change in my brother’s salary. But, let’s think about the costs of living from that same period of time. My dad, in nineteen seventy-four, actually, about nineteen seventy, built a house that he paid nineteen thousand dollars for. He built it himself. And it cost him nineteen thousand dollars. My brother recently built a house. It cost him a hundred and ninety thousand dollars. My dad put gas in his car in nineteen seventy-four at fifty cents a gallon. My brother puts gas in his car at three dollars and fifty cents a gallon. The difference in the cost of living and the difference in the salary of folks now is just unconscionable.

When our policies or the policies of our nation don’t go with our beliefs we know what that means to stand up and fight for those. But it’s not enough for us to be here and fight. We must continue to tell our neighbors and our friends and our cousins who are listening to Fox News what really is at stake. You know, we believe in the basic protections. It’s not our goal to have the cheapest workforce. It’s not who we are, it’s not our American values. America has always been the race to the top, but we seem to kind of be the race to the bottom right now. We must start seeking increased salaries and increased buying power. We know that it is necessary to work together for us to achieve that and we’re not seeing that. Congress is broken. Those folks don’t want to get along with anybody, they’ve already said so. In fact, it’s going to be public, how much they have made pacts that if Obama said night they would say day. They don’t have any intention of working together, of coming to the table, of solving problems. You know, that’s what we do in the prosecutor’s office, that’s what the Attorney General does in the Attorney General’s office, is that we bring people together, we have to solve problems, we have to seek solutions. We’re not seeing that in Congress.

Democracy is about Americans caring about each other. Democracy involves protecting everyone at a level playing field. We must get back to our American values. We can do that this year. It’s going to take a lot of hard work. But I intend to work hard and I hope you’ll join me in doing that hard work. I appreciate you very much having me tonight. This is good to be home. [applause][cheers]

Previously:

Missouri – Unite Against the War on Women – Jefferson City march and rally – photos (April 28, 2012)

Unite Against the War on Women – march and rally in Jefferson City – April 28, 2012 (April 21, 2012)

We Are Women March 4.28.12 – Susan Montee (D) and Courtney Cole (D) (April 19, 2012)

Approximately three hundred individuals from across the state gathered Saturday morning near the James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Building in Jefferson City for a march to a rally at the Capitol in support of women’s rights.

The march to the Capitol.

In the two hours as people gathered in the staging area for the march near the James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Building they took the opportunity to introduce themselves to each other, visit, talk politics and policy, exchange ideas for signs, and take photographs.

Nancy Maxwell, the Democratic Party candidate in the 54th Legislative District,

in the staging area before the start of the march to the Capitol.

Gadsden ovaries.

Courtney Cole.

Peggy Cochran.

Teresa Hensley, the Democratic Party candidate in the 4th Congressional District,

spoke to the crowd about the impact of domestic violence and her experiences in

successfully dealing with those cases as Cass County Prosecutor.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has identified Teresa Henley’s (D) campaign challenging Vicky Hartzler (r) in the 4th Congressional District as an “Emerging Race”:

Emerging Races highlights candidates and districts that are making themselves competitive by running smart campaigns which are becoming increasingly competitive.

The DCCC smells fear…:

Campaign Finance: Vicky Hartzler (r) in the 4th Congressional District – FEC First Quarter Report (April 16, 2012)

…and recognizes a hard working candidate and campaign:

Teresa Hensley Speaks at James Kirkpatrick Heritage Dinner (April 15, 2012)

Campaign Finance: Teresa Hensley (D) in the 4th Congressional District – FEC First Quarter Report (April 12, 2012)