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Tag Archives: redistricting reform

Campaign Finance: the smell of fear

21 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by Michael Bersin in campaign finance

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

campaign finance reform, CLEAN Missouri, Ethics Reform, lobbying reform, missouri, Missouri Ethics Commission, Missouri Republican Party, redistricting reform

Republicans don’t waste any time.

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C180700 11/21/2018 Fair Missouri Republican State Committee PO Box 73 Jefferson City MO 65102 11/21/2018 $150,000.00

[emphasis added]

Apparently the Republican State Committee had some spare cash.

What does “Fair Missouri” want to do on behalf of Missouri republicans?

C180700: Fair Missouri
Committee Type: Campaign
1902 West Jesse James Road
Excelsior Springs Mo 64024
Established Date: 11/20/2018
[….]
Ballot Measure History
Ballot Measures Election Date Subject Support/Oppose
Measuers [sic] To Reform Missouri Redistricting 11/03/2020 Measurer To Reform Missouri Redistricting Support

[emphasis added]

It’s a brand spanking new committee.

Redistricting reform? Uh, we just did that by passing CLEAN Missouri?

You think republicans perceive that they’ve just lost their gerrymandering advantage? Just asking.

Previously:

Gerrymander (November 16, 2018)

Gerrymander – illustrated (November 17, 2018)

The distribution of votes (statewide) by party for the Missouri House of Representatives – November 2018

The distribution of seats by party in the Missouri House of Representatives – 2019 Session

Missouri republicans want to keep it this way.

Gerrymander – illustrated

17 Saturday Nov 2018

Posted by Michael Bersin in Missouri General Assembly, Missouri House

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Amendment 1, CLEAN Missouri, gerrymandering, missouri, Missouri House, redistricting reform

Prompted by a Twitter post, we took a look at the statewide vote for the Missouri House of Representatives as currently reported via the Missouri Secretary of State.

We fired up the spreadsheet software and entered the vote by party for all 163 legislative districts.

The distribution of votes (statewide) by party for the Missouri House of Representatives – November 2018

The statewide vote totals:

Republican – 1,272,938
Democratic – 999,426
Independent – 757
Libertarian – 15,750
Green – 2,733
Constitution – 406
Write-in – 171

Libertarians, you gave it the good old college try. Greens, really? There are that many people on the left in Missouri when faced with an obvious binary difference who decide, instead, to choose purity? Independents? Given old media memes you probably thought there were a lot more of you than you are. Democrats, keep chasing those “Independent” unicorns. Constitution Party, bless your hearts.

The distribution of seats by party in the Missouri House of Representatives – 2019 Session

So, the Republicans go into the 2018 legislative session with 116 seats in the House, Democrats with 47. We will all see the results of that distribution when bills for the 2019 session are prefiled in December.

Right to get paid less, anyone? Anyone?

Previously:

Gerrymander (November 16, 2018)

Gerrymander

16 Friday Nov 2018

Posted by Michael Bersin in Missouri House, social media

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

CLEAN Missouri, gerrymandering, missouri, Ohio, redistricting reform, social media, Twitter

The intended results, in Ohio:

Alec MacGillis @AlecMacGillis
Stunning new stat out of Ohio:

We already knew that Republicans got 12 of OH’s 16 US House seats despite winning only 52% of total congressional vote.

But get this: Republicans also managed to hold supermajorities in the Ohio legislature despite LOSING the total state leg vote.
12:24 PM – 15 Nov 2018

In Missouri:

Gunnar Johanson @GunnarJohanson
A thread with some #MOleg facts:

Democratic candidates for the state’s House of Representatives received 44% of the popular vote in 2018 but only received 29% of the seats.
9:01 AM – 15 Nov 2018

The thread continued:

This is an increase of 10% of the electorate from 2016, yet only yielded one net seat gain from 2016 to 2018.

Meanwhile, the GOP lost 8% of the state house electorate but only lost one seat. One seat is .6% of the chamber.

Clear evidence that the system is rigged against 44% of the state house electorate in Missouri. Here’s to hoping @CleanMissouri is implemented and ends gerrymandering

That’s the practical impact.

That wasn’t $200,000.00 well spent

07 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by Michael Bersin in campaign finance

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

campaign finance reform, CLEAN Missouri, Ethics Reform, initiative, lobbying reform, missouri, redistricting reform

The right wingnut funded Missouri First has signs opposed to Amendment 1 springing up all over like mushrooms. And like mushrooms, they grow in bullshit.

…Missourians First is the pop up committee (established on August 10, 2018) funded with $200,000.00 from Rex Sinquefield which is opposed to the CLEAN Missouri intiative (Amendment 1) for ethics, campaign finance, lobbying, and redistricting reform on the November ballot.

…

The CLEAN Missouri (Amendment 1) initiative on ethics, campaign finance, lobbying, and redistricting reform passed by an overwhelming margin.

The results:

State of Missouri – General Election, November 06, 2018
Unofficial Results

Constitutional Amendment No. 1
3256 of 3256 Precincts Reported

YES 1,459,576 61.989%
NO 895,012 38.011%

Total Votes: 2,354,588

Quick, someone write a check…

Previously:

2018 = 1984 (October 19, 2018)

Chutzpah

27 Saturday Oct 2018

Posted by Michael Bersin in campaign finance

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Amendment 1, campaign finance, campaign finance reform, CLEAN Missouri, code, Ethics Reform, flyer, lobbying reform, parade, redistricting reform, Rex Sinquefield

“…the classic “legal” definition of chutzpah…a person who kills his parents and pleads for the court’s mercy on the ground of being an orphan…”

The Rex Sinquefield funded right wingnut Missourians First PAC opposed to the CLEAN Missouri ethics initiative on the November ballot must really think peepul frum Misooree our stoopit.

From a Missourians First flyer distributed at this morning’s parade in Warrensburg:

Who is behind Amendment 1

Clean Missouri is an organization that is funded by out of state billionaires; including hundreds of thousands of dollars from San Francisco billionaire George Soros, who bankrolls liberal politicians like Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton, and former Enron billionaire John Arnold.

They are funneling millions of dollars in secret dark money through the most extreme special interest groups in the country to change our Missouri Constitution for partisan gain.

Uh, what’s “San Francisco” code for? Just asking.

Maybe the George Soros text could have been done in a Yiddish font, just for the enhanced effect.

Who paid for the flyer?

Uh, last time anyone checked Rex Sinquefield was a billionaire.

And what does the CLEAN Missouri initiative intend?:

Require that legislative records be open to the public by ensuring that the legislature operate under the same open records law as other public entities in Missouri

Require politicians to wait two years before becoming lobbyists after the conclusion of their final legislative session

Eliminate almost all lobbyist gifts in the General Assembly by banning any single gift worth more than $5 — that means no more steak dinners, expensive booze, junkets or sports tickets. This rule would eliminate more than 99% of the lobbyist gift giving happening in Missouri.

Lower campaign contribution limits for state legislative candidates to limit the influence of big money and lobbyists in state government.

Establish new campaign contribution limits for General Assembly candidates— $2,500 for state senate, and $2,000 for state house.

Limit the ability of individuals and organizations to circumvent caps by counting money from single-source committees towards totals for original, actual donors.

Stop legislative fundraising on state property.

Ensure that neither political party is given an unfair advantage when new maps are drawn after the next census by asking a nonpartisan expert to draw fair legislative district maps, which would then be reviewed by a citizen commission.

Add fairness and competitiveness as required criteria for new district maps

Protect the political power of minority communities against vote dilution

Ask an independent state demographer to lead on technical work in creating district maps, instead of entrusting political appointees to do all of that work

Campaign finance: CLEAN teaching

20 Saturday Oct 2018

Posted by Michael Bersin in campaign finance

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Amenement 1, campaign finance, campaign finance reform, Ethics Reform, lobbying reform, missouri, Missouri Ethics Commision, NEA, redistricting reform

Yesterday at the Missouri Ethics Commission for CLEAN Missouri’s (Amendment 1) ethics, campaign finance, lobbying, and redistricting reform initiative on the November ballot:

C161298 10/19/2018 CLEAN Missouri National Education Association 1201 16th St, NW Washington DC 20036 10/19/2018 $500,000.00

[emphasis added]

They’re serious.

Hey, Rex, this means they can buy a lot more signs. But they won’t waste the money. One of the benefits of education.

Previously:

2018 = 1984 (October 19, 2018)

Campaign Finance: pro bono publico (October 19, 2018)

2018 = 1984

19 Friday Oct 2018

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Amendment 1, campaign finance reform, CLEAN Misouri, Ethics Reform, initiative, lobbying reform, missouri, Missouri First, redistricting reform, Rex Sinquefield, signs

War is peace.

Freedom is slavery.

Ignorance is strength.

Clean is dirty.

The right wingnut funded Missourians First has signs opposed to Amendment 1 springing up all over like mushrooms. And mushrooms grow in…

And bullshit is always bullshit.

Does anyone think the people who put these signs up on their property really know who paid for them?

Missourians First is the pop up committee (established on August 10, 2018) funded with $200,000.00 from Rex Sinquefield which is opposed to the CLEAN Missouri intiative (Amendment 1) for ethics, campaign finance, lobbying, and redistricting reform on the November ballot.

On October 11, 2018 Missourians First filed a Limited Activity (under $500.00 for the period) quarterly campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Let’s see, Missourians First (really, Rex Sinquefield at this point) is adamantly opposed to a constitutional amendment that will:

Require that legislative records be open to the public by ensuring that the legislature operate under the same open records law as other public entities in Missouri

Require politicians to wait two years before becoming lobbyists after the conclusion of their final legislative session

Eliminate almost all lobbyist gifts in the General Assembly by banning any single gift worth more than $5 — that means no more steak dinners, expensive booze, junkets or sports tickets. This rule would eliminate more than 99% of the lobbyist gift giving happening in Missouri.

Lower campaign contribution limits for state legislative candidates to limit the influence of big money and lobbyists in state government.
Establish new campaign contribution limits for General Assembly candidates— $2,500 for state senate, and $2,000 for state house.
Limit the ability of individuals and organizations to circumvent caps by counting money from single-source committees towards totals for original, actual donors.
Stop legislative fundraising on state property.

Ensure that neither political party is given an unfair advantage when new maps are drawn after the next census by asking a nonpartisan expert to draw fair legislative district maps, which would then be reviewed by a citizen commission.
Add fairness and competitiveness as required criteria for new district maps
Protect the political power of minority communities against vote dilution
Ask an independent state demographer to lead on technical work in creating district maps, instead of entrusting political appointees to do all of that work

That would explain a lot.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: we’re not surprised (October 9, 2018)

Campaign Finance: pro bono publico

19 Friday Oct 2018

Posted by Michael Bersin in campaign finance

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

campaign finance, campaign finance reform, CLEAN Missouri, Ethics Reform, initiative, lobbying reform, missouri, Missouri Ethics Commission, redistricting reform

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission for the initiative on the November ballot which would implement ethics, lobbying, campaign finance, and redistricting reform in Missouri:

C161298 10/19/2018 CLEAN Missouri Langdon & Emison, LLC PO Box 220 Lexington MO 64067 10/19/2018 $20,000.00

C161298 10/19/2018 CLEAN Missouri Edelman & Thompson, LLC 3100 Broadway Suite 1400 Kansas City MO 64111 10/19/2018 $15,000.00

C161298 10/19/2018 CLEAN Missouri SWMW Law 701 Market St Suite 1000 St Louis MO 63101 10/19/2018 $10,000.00

C161298 10/19/2018 CLEAN Missouri Brown & Crouppen PC 211 N. Broadway Suite 1600 St Louis MO 63102 10/19/2018
$10,000.00

C161298 10/19/2018 CLEAN Missouri O’Brien Law Firm, Pc 815 Geyer Avenue St Louis MO 63104 10/19/2018 $7,500.00

[emphasis added]

Previously:

Campaign Finance: we’re not surprised (November 9, 2018)

Campaign Finance: we’re not surprised

09 Tuesday Oct 2018

Posted by Michael Bersin in campaign finance

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Amendment 1, campaign finance, campaign finance reform, CLEAN Missouri, Ethics Reform, lobbying reform, Missori Ethics Commission, redistricting reform, Rex Sinquefield

Self interest.

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission for the entity opposed to the CLEAN Missouri ethics reforms on the November ballot:

C180581 10/09/2018 Missourians First Rex Sinquefield 244 Bent Walnut Lane Westphalia MO 65085 The Show Me Institute President 10/9/2018 $200,000.00

[emphasis added]

You’d think he’d spend $10,000,000.00, but then, that would be really ironic.

C180581: Missourians First
Committee Type: Campaign
Po Box 7971
Columbia Mo 65205
Established Date: 08/10/2018

Ballot Measure History
Ballot Measures Election Date Subject Support/Oppose

Amendment 1 11/06/2018

Ballot Title: Shall The Missouri Constitution Be Amended To: •Change Process And Criteria For Redrawing State Legislative Districts During Reapportionment; •Change Limits On Campaign Contributions That Candidates For State Legislature Can Accept From Individuals Or Entities; •Establish A Limit On Gifts That State Legislators, And Their Employees, Can Accept From Paid Lobbyists; •Prohibit State Legislators, And Their Employees, From Serving As Paid Lobbyists For A Period Of Time; •Prohibit Political Fundraising By Candidates For Or Members Of The State Legislature On State Property; And •Require Legislative Records And Proceedings To Be Open To The Public?

Oppose

[emphasis added]

They’re opposed to ethics reforms. Fancy that.

Campaign Finance: and there’s more

04 Thursday Oct 2018

Posted by Michael Bersin in campaign finance

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

campaign finance reform, CLEAN Missouri, Ethics Reform, initiative, lobbying reform, missouri, Missouri Ethics Commision, redistricting reform

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission for the CLEAN Missouri initiative (Amendment 1) addressing campaign finance, lobbying, ethics and redistricting reform on the November ballot:

161298 10/04/2018 CLEAN Missouri Missouri Jobs With Justice Voter Action 2725 Clifton Ave St Louis MO 63139 10/3/2018 $12,453.41

C161298 10/04/2018 CLEAN Missouri Action Now Initiative 1717 West Loop S Houston TX 77027 10/4/2018 $87,000.00

[emphasis added]

And it keeps coming.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: teaching your children well (August 20, 2018)

Campaign Finance: the same fight (August 27, 2018)

Campaign Finance: getting schooled (August 28, 2018)

Campaign Finance: it all adds up (August 30, 2018)

Campaign Finance: but, wait, there’s more (September 7, 2018)

Campaign Finance: “My God, they’re using our own weapons against us…” (October 3, 2018)

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