Last night, Representative (and AG candidate) Jeff Harris invited a number of Missouri bloggers to participate on a conference call. He started off with a quick overview of his background, why he’s running, and some of the recent developments in his campaign. He then took questions from us bloggers for approximately an hour, talking about everything from CAFOs to the battle of the endorsements to Internet fundraising to when he’ll next visit Branson. Harris handled the call well, especially considering that he’s talking to several strangers in the middle of a campaign with a newborn who hasn’t yet slept a full night. (And as he admitted on the call, he hasn’t slept a full night either. Not to diminish his obvious pride at being a new dad.)

That here in Missouri, a candidate on the state level would spend an hour talking to a bunch of state bloggers almost a year before the primary election is novel indeed. Still, it doesn’t shock me that Harris made that effort. After all, he’s already embraced, and to some degree supported, the state blogosphere in a way that I haven’t seen from any other candidate in Missouri. Not only does he regularly participate in our Q & A Series, he blasted an e-mail to his list to check out the candidate responses. He’s also bought ads like the one on the left on blogs all around the state and e-mailed a corresponding video to his supporters. He’s had a fundraising ask, the Four Corners, to transparently show support from every region in Missouri.

I don’t mean to knock other campaigns or elected officials – for the most part, they’ve been very responsive (including Harris’ rivals) – but they haven’t been aggressive like Harris has. Now, does this mean that Harris will become the Missouri netroots’ candidate of 2008? Or even if he does, will it help him win? We’ll see in the next 9 months…

Oh, and speaking of Harris’ rivals, since Chris Koster apparently will soon announce his candidacy for the Attorney General’s office, we hope to have a full field on the Democratic side in next week’s installment of our Q & A series.

Photo of Jeff Harris and Young Democrats courtesy of the Harris campaign

On few issues is the line dividing Democrats from Republicans 100 percent pure and obvious, and the CAFO issue is not one of them. 

Democrats don’t always behave as I would have them do.  Democratic Rep. Ike Skelton (pictured), for example, is sponsoring House legislation (a companion bill to one being offered by Kit Bond) to have CAFO (Contained Animal Feeding Operation) waste declared non-toxic.  Such a law would effectively remove CAFOs from EPA oversight.

To pretend that animal waste in those concentrations isn’t toxic is horse hockey.  McDonald County, in the very southwest corner of the state, is dotted with CAFOs, and every water body in that county is on the impaired water bodies list.

But when I called Skelton’s office to ask why he is sponsoring this legislation, the aide brushed me off.  I’m not one of his constituents and “congressional courtesy” requires that I bring the matter up with my own rep–as if Lacy Clay has any notion why Skelton would initiate such a law and might be offended if Skelton’s people spoke to me.  Oh.

So I asked our resident “follow the money man” to look into Farm Bureau contributions to Bond and Skelton.  You can examine what he found here, but the bottom line is that both men have had regular contributions from the Farm Bureau. (So have Graves, Hulshof, Emerson, and Akin.  The Bureau gave no money to McCaskill, Cleaver, Carnahan, or Clay.)

Which brings us to the gray area of Claire’s stand on CAFOs.  Her website bemoans how the hog farming industry has been cornered by CAFOs and tells us:

Claire believes we need to stop giving taxpayer subsidies to CAFOs and allow for local control and oversight of CAFOs.

Since she’s not paid by the Farm Bureau, she has the good sense to stand up for family farmers.  Sort of.  At one of Claire’s recent meetings in a rural area, Day Kerr asked her if she supports the Bond/Skelton legislation.  Day tells me that Claire said she did because it would be a hardship on farmers if manure were considered toxic.  Hold on.  That’s not the point.  It isn’t a problem on small family farms, but in CAFO concentrations, it is a problem, especially when that waste is chock full of growth hormones and antibiotics. 

That position seems contradictory to what her website says, so I called to find out about it.  Called three times and left voice messages with the appropriate person.  Nada.  I guess the resounding silence is my own fault.  I made the mistake of letting the office know I’m a blogger, and they probably figure that not commenting is better than digging the hole deeper.  I figure that not commenting just makes her look inconsistent … and evasive.  Difference of opinion.

So much for our D.C. legislators.  Now we come to how Republicans and Democrats in the state legislature deal with the issue, and we’ll start with a man who is from both parties in a way:  Chris Koster.  Last spring, as a Republican, he sponsored legislation that would remove the power counties have to create zoning ordinances and health ordinances that might keep CAFOs out.  There were some sops to the other side (money for odor control and such), but the power to oversee those improvements would have remained in the hands of Farm Bureau proxies. 

Knowing that once they lost their right to zone their own counties, getting those rights back would be near impossible, rural people organized and fought S 364.  They put pressure on their Republican senators to buck the leadership.  When it became obvious that enough Republicans would join the Democrats on this issue to defeat it, the bill was withdrawn.

Meanwhile, Rep. Jeff Harris (D-Columbia) had been trying to get legislation heard that would ban CAFOs nearer than five miles to any state park, historic site or national historic landmark.  That was an exercise in butting his head against a wall. 

The Republican leadership refused to give the bill a hearing.  Next Harris tried attaching it as an amendment to appropriate bills dealing with agriculture, state parks, or tourism bills.  Every single time, though, the leadership ruled him out of order, pretending that his amendment was not “within the scope” of the bills they were attached to–which was a flaming … misrepresentation.

Harris feels that, considering the number of Republicans willing to switch sides to defeat Koster’s bill, his bill and amendments stood a good chance of passing.  The Republican leadership was simply too scared to put it to a vote.

The Democratic record on CAFOs is not, as I said, 100 percent pure.  Skelton, McCaskill, and Koster have some ‘splainin’ to do.  But on the whole, I’ll take the Democratic record on this issue over the Republicans’ record. 

One thing for sure:  it’s going to take a huge commitment from local activists to prod the legislature into staring down the forces of the Farm Bureau.

Before I give you the answers to this week’s question, I want to tip my hat to Representatives Jeff Harris and Margaret Donnelly, not only because they are participating in this forum, but because they have agreed to return all contributions over the reinstated fundraising limits. (From what I understand, Chris Koster has also now agreed to return all excess contributions, so he gets a tip of the hat, too. A source tells me that this is not quite correct – Koster is still waiting for more guidance from the MEC.)

And without further adieu, in the order received, the answers to this week’s question: “What job that you’ve held in the past has best prepared you for the job of Attorney General? Why?”

If you like either answer, or if you like both, please show some support to the candidate(s) with some cash. Representative Harris’ ActBlue page is here, and Representative Donnelly’s is here. 

Rep. Jeff Harris’ answer:

Thanks again for allowing me to participate in this question and answer forum. 

The experience I’ve had that best prepares me for the position I seek, Missouri Attorney General, was my last job – as Democratic Leader in the Missouri House of Representatives.  When I made the decision to pursue a leadership position, I knew that building a broad coalition was key to success.  My tenure as Minority Leader taught me how to reach out and bring together people with diverse backgrounds – urban, rural, minorities, gays and lesbians, trade unionists, and white collar professionals – and to speak with one voice against the Blunt agenda. 

In the 2006 elections, under my leadership, the Democratic caucus articulated a unified message that resulted in the first Democratic gain in the Missouri House in 20 years and the largest gain since 1978.  As Missouri Attorney General, and as a former Missouri Assistant A.G., I’ll tap that experience to build the best team in state government.  My staff will be diverse and representative of the entire state.  I’ll reach out to every community to understand their concerns as well as their hopes and dreams.  My office will defend the defenseless, fight for the underdog, and most importantly, enforce the law – with integrity, fairness and humility.  I humbly ask for your support in the Democratic primary election next August for Missouri Attorney General and in November 2008.  Visit my website at www.electjeffharris.com to learn more about me and how you can help.

Rep. Margaret Donnelly’s answer:

I have practiced law for twenty years and spent thousands of hours in the courtroom and worked with average Missourians on tough legal problems. I believe this is a key part of my experience that has prepared me to be an effective attorney general. The attorney general is frequently called the “people’s lawyer”. It is the office’s job to take the problems of individual Missourians and fight for their rights collectively.

We hear daily jokes about lawyers, but it was in my law practice where I saw how lawyers can protect and even save a person’s life. I was regularly appointed as the attorney to represent children in child abuse cases and custody disputes. Many of the children I represented were horribly abused by their parents. I was able to use my role as an advocate to protect these children from further harm.

Keeping families safe and secure has been the focus of my law practice. I intend to take that same spirit with me to the attorney general’s office. I pledge to vigorously enforce our sexual predator laws, prosecute Medicaid fraud and abuse and those who steal health care from the neediest Missourians, and keep unsafe products out of our stores. I will be the people’s lawyer.

Chris Koster informed me that unfortunately he again could not participate, as he has not declared his intention to run for the Attorney General’s office.

As always, you can discuss their answers in comments and vote in our poll. Please try to focus on the answers, rather than rah-rah for the candidates.

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On Monday, we introduced a new feature here at Show Me Progress, a question and answer series with the Democratic candidates for Attorney General. The deadline has passed, and the answers are in. I want to thank the candidates for responding politely and in a timely fashion.

The question was, “What would be the first issue you would tackle as Attorney General? Why and how?”

The answers, in the order received, are below the fold.

As promised, I’m putting up a link to the ActBlue pages of the candidates who responded according to the rules. Only Jeff Harris has an ActBlue page at this point, so he’s the only one that gets the link. If you like what Rep. Harris had to say, consider dropping him a few bucks here. When the others have an ActBlue page up, we’ll link to them.

Representative Jeff Harris (D-Columbia):

Thanks for the opportunity to respond to your survey.  I look forward to any feedback  your readers will give me.  As the House Democratic Leader, I have led the fight to stop the Blunt agenda, which has caused so much harm to so many Missourians.  I want to continue to fight for progressive values as your next Attorney General.  I have a detailed list of my policy positions at my website: http://www.electjeffharris.com/issues/.

I will make Internet safety and the protection of personal information a top priority, including establishing a statewide task force to fight Internet crimes against children.  As a soon-to-be parent, I am committed to protecting our youngest citizens from pedophiles who prowl the Internet.  Several Attorneys General have established these task forces to successfully coordinate and assist with investigations and provide training and assistance to law enforcement and prosecutors.  I will advocate for model legislation to protect our privacy and create a special unit in my office to combat cyber crimes and protect Missourians’ privacy.  For instance, at the University of Missouri, a number of student and employee Social Security numbers were compromised.  In addition, Missourians have a right to have their medical records protected from disclosure.

I welcome comment on any of my initiatives.  Please contact me at info@electjeffharris.com.  And, please support my progressive vision as we work to move our state forward.

Representative Margaret Donnelly (D-St. Louis):

I will strengthen the role of the attorney general’s office in protecting the public against the sale of unsafe products.

Almost every product we consume has materials produced in countries where oversight and regulatory controls fall far short of our expectations in this country. Clearly, the federal government has not effectively handled the problem. So the state must take a more active role.

Even before being elected as attorney general, I will sponsor legislation next session to enact the Missouri Children’s Product Safety Act.  The act would prohibit the sale of all unsafe children’s products, force companies to remove products from shelves, and empower the attorney general to enforce the law. Seven other states are effectively using similar laws to stop unsafe products from distribution and sale.

I will also offer a resolution that calls on Congress and the President to enact the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act.  This act would increase product safety inspections, toughen enforcement and increase penalties for violations.

As attorney general, I will increase the efforts of the Consumer Protection Division in identifying and stopping unsafe products being sold in our state.  I will actively enforce Missouri’s Merchandising Practices Act to halt the sale of all unsafe products in Missouri.  This act currently empowers the attorney general to investigate and prosecute unlawful practices in trade and commerce.  I will introduce legislation next session to make clear that these unlawful practices include the sale of unsafe products.

Missouri must act because the federal government has failed.

The first response we received was actually a very polite reply from Chris Koster’s spokesperson, informing me that although he appreciates our website, he has not announced yet his intention to run for Attorney General, and as such, it would be inappropriate to participate in our Q & A series at this time.

What do you think? Who had the best answer, and why? Vote in our poll, and discuss in comments.

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( – promoted by BillinMidMO)

More on the special session…
Rep Jeff Harris, speaking in Jefferson City before the Mid MO Democratic Club last night, updated the group on the “special session” called by boy Blunt. He described the machinations of Jetton to prevent changes to the bills brought before the session and asked what it meant that Blunt vetoed these things in the regular session. What kind of leadership is Blunt exhibiting when he is forced to veto bills created and passed by a Republican House and Senate? With a nod to Jon Hagler, waiting in the wings to speak to the group on behalf of Jay Nixon…he called for Matt to be resoundingly defeated next year.
As for tickets to the ball game?
Seems that Matt’s brother Andy is a lobbyist for Ticket Master. The brothers pushed for the legalization of scalping.
Jeff voted against it, but it did pass in the Republican controlled  legislature.
Now, scalpers can buy up huge blocks of tickets to sports events and resell them at highly inflated prices. Of course this does not affect Matt’s rich friends who are able to afford season boxes and tickets…the very rich. For the rest of us, if you want to take your kid to the game for an afternoon, you will have to negotiate your entrance with the scalpers!
We have got to take Missouri back! Lets elect Democrats in 08!

The Democratic race to replace Jay Nixon in the Attorney General is off to a lively start. The big news is obviously Chris Koster’s party switch, but Koster has also quickly rolled out boatloads of endorsements. For his part, House Minority Leader Jeff Harris just got the endorsement of Roger Wilson, the former Missouri Governor and chair of the Missouri Democratic Party. State Representative Margaret Donnelly (D-St. Louis) just announced two new hires yesterday, Richard Martin and Mike Kelley. Richard Martin guided Claire McCaskill’s campaign to victory over Jim Talent last year, and Mike Kelley is the former executive director for the Missouri Democratic Party. Koster leads all contenders in fundraising, Republican or Democrat, with $644,170 in the bank. Harris edged out Koster last quarter, $170,484 to $157,350, to end up with $299,133 on hand. Donnelly has a total of $33,964 in the bank.

So, it’s early in the race, but who’s got the big mo’? Who’s most likely to ride it out to the end? Have you seen any of these candidates in action on the campaign trail?