CMH Politics

Public Service

2010-10-26T12:49:00.005-05:00

U.S. News and World Report has a new issue out that examines public service, a topic which we should focus on more often than we do. One of the essays is by former Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), and it has some excellent points.

"Democracies and institutions of self-governance work because of responsible citizenship. Politics is the framework and elections the process that democracies use to choose leaders. The quality of leaders and effectiveness of government are directly related to informed and committed citizens willing to participate in politics. We draw from this universe those willing to offer themselves as candidates for elective office. Elections have consequences because they produce the leaders who shape the policies that govern a democracy. Politics reflects society. Every variation of public service, including elective office, should be anchored by one complete and overriding truth and objective—to make a better world. Political office is but one way to work toward this end and offer oneself in its service.

Politics is a noble endeavor—only if it is about public service. I often tell bright young people who seek my advice on running for office: Consider it only for the right reasons and understand it will be frustrating, often unfair and negative, occasionally brutal, but always exhilarating as well as enriching, rewarding, and worth doing."

Something to think about as we the voters have decisions to make a week from now at the polls.

The next two presidential elections

2010-08-21T18:24:00.000-05:00

The presidential races have gotten longer and longer over the last few cycles and we see a number of Republicans positioning them or considering a run for the White House in 2012. While I am at silly long term Presidential race speculation, I'll throw in some comments about the 2016 race as well.

First, a few of notes about the field of potential contenders: a good chunk of the Republicans who are seriously considering a run are ones that were involved in the 2008 race, as candidates in the primary (Romney, Huckabee, Paul) or were on the ticket (Palin). Also, many of them will be out of office if they opt in for the 2012 race (Romney, Pawlenty, Gingrich, Huckabee, Palin, Hagel) - they won't have to balance the campaign schedule with governing, and the last couple of years have been full of tough choices for budgets around the country - not an easy time to be in office. Mitt Romney has been positioning himself as the candidate most adept at economic issues, but Chris Cillizza aptly points out so far there has been no "national security guy" in the Republican field. Lastly, Republicans like a front runner.

Possible 2012 Republican Contenders:

Mitt Romney (former Governor of Massachusetts) ran in 2008 and as of now is the likely front runner for the 2012 Republican nomination. He worked hard for John McCain after losing the nomination in 2008 and really impressed a lot of people. Mr. Romney has been focused on the economy for the last two years and if the economy is still issue #1 he is going to be difficult to beat for the Republican nomination in 2012.

Tim Pawlenty (Governor of Minnesota) is staffed up and ready to go. More than any of the other contenders, Romney and Pawlenty are getting their organizations in place and traveling around the country introducing themselves and lining up support. Gov. Pawlenty, though, has many more introductions to make - most Americans don't know who he is. He is not running for reelection this year, so will be a former governor come January.

Newt Gingrich (former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives) gave some good advice to Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels: if people think that you might run for President, they will pay more attention to you and your ideas. My thinking is that Mr. Gingrich is taking his own advice. He has positioned himself as an ideas man and is making some serious money. His personal baggage is too much to be successful in a Republican primary, and my assumption is that he knows that. Side note: Esquire's recent article on Gingrich is well worth the read.

Mike Huckabee (former Governor of Arkansas) ran in 2008 and went from obscurity to well known around the country. He kept his campaign positive and showed an excellent sense of humor (his Chuck Norris ad is one I show my classes). He did very well with social conservatives and younger votes, but the question remains how wide his appeal will be. Mr. Huckabee has remained in the public eye, primarily with a show on FOX News.

Sarah Palin (former Governor of Alaska) is invariably near the top of the list when the 2012 conversation topic comes up. The reaction to the idea of Mrs. Palin as President (or as a candidate) is one that does vary significantly. Some love her, some hate her. She has great name recognition and visibility, but that can hurt as her image has been crafted already. Now she has to shape a preexisting image, a harder task in someways that a candidate introducing themselves to a new audience. Many Republicans are hesitant to support her as they feel she would make a poor candidate in a general election (and resigning as Governor still has many baffled).

Chuck Hagel (former Senator from Nebraska) would make a great president and seriously considered running in 2008. He opted against running for President after correctly assessing that he would not be able to prevail in the Republican primary (thought he would have made a great general election candidate given the issues that dominated that fall's race). He retired from the Senate and made good on his 1996 pledge to only serve two terms. He has stayed active, particularly in foreign and intelligence policy issues, but my guess is that he will not run in 2012. Were he to run, he would bring the national security and foreign policy expertise that is lacking in the rest of the field.

Rick Santorum (former Senator from Pennsylvania) lost his seat in the Senate in the 2006 election, but remains popular among the social conservatives of the party. Santorum has been popping up on lists for possible 2012 contenders, especially since he visited Iowa last year. As Politico notes: "Clearly, though, Santorum is striving to remain in the public eye. He’s a Fox News contributor, guest-hosts William Bennett’s nationally syndicated radio show every Friday morning and writes a regular column in the Philadelphia Inquirer." Bottom line for me, though, is that he got beat in his reelection campaign in a key swing state.

Haley Barbour (Governor of Mississippi) has a strong reputation as Governor (his state came away from Katrina looking much better than their neighbor to the West) and is considering a 2012 run. Gov. Barbour is a powerhouse in Republican politics, as a former chairman of the RNC and current head of the RGA. From Politico:

"Barbour’s clout is also derived from his serious interest in running for president in 2012, a point he is making clear in private conversations. His logic, one adviser told POLITICO, is simple: When he surveys what most Republicans consider to be a weak field, he sees no reason he couldn’t easily beat them. He’s a better strategist and fundraiser than any other candidate currently considering running — and just as good on television and in debates, his thinking goes."

Mitch Daniels (Governor of Indiana) is another Governor that has been encouraged to run in 2012. For a nice overview of Gov. Daniels, check out the Economist, which has a nice piece on him. The Washington Post reported that while he had previously said that he will not run for President in 2012, he has backed off that stance and is now keeping his mind open to the idea, largely because a number of people have urged him to run. At this point he would be a long shot and seems unlikely to jump in the race, but I would like to see him seriously consider it. One strike against Mr. Daniels: significant baldness. When was the last time you saw a bald President? There are not even many bald governors. When Joe Biden decided to run for President in 2008 what did he do? He got hair plugs.

John Thune (Senator from South Dakota) has supporters telling him to run in 2012 and will be giving it serious consideration. He is up for reelection this year, which would give him a good fundraising opportunity. The Fix outlines his strengths and weakness as a 2012 contender as they see it.

Ron Paul (U.S. House member from Texas) is apparently planning on running again in 2012. Rep. Paul energized people across the country in his 2008 race, but didn't end up swaying that many voters. My prediction: he won't win.

Mike Pence (U.S. House member from Indiana) is probably kicking himself for not jumping into the 2010 Indiana Senate contest (everyone seemed surprised that Sen. Evan Bayh decided not to run for reelection). He has said that he is considering a 2012 run at the White House. He is a darling of the ideological right wing of the party, but a U.S. House member has a tough road to the White House (no one in the 20th Century did it). A run may be useful to Rep. Pence to increase his name recognition and national image, but I would see it as a long shot.

Bobby Jindal (Governor of Louisiana) is mentioned as a possibility for 2012, but my bet is that he will wait for 2016 (if President Obama is reelected). He's young (only 39) and has time to wait. If he opts to run it is likely just to advance his image and make him a more serious player in the party and to build the groundwork for a later run.

And now for the waaay too far off speculation: the 2016 race. These are the people I'll be watching for the 2016 race.

The Democrats:

Hillary Clinton has said that she will not run for President again, but is going to be the first name many think of for the 2016 Democratic field.

Evan Bayh (former Indiana Governor and Senator)

Mark Warner (Senator from Virginia)

The Republicans (assuming President Obama is reelected, otherwise the incumbent will likely be a shoo in for the nomination):

Jon Huntsman (U.S. Ambassador to China, former Utah Governor)

Bobby Jindal (Governor of Louisiana)

John Thune (Senator from South Dakota)

I would love to hear from readers: what are your thoughts on the Republican 2012 field or about the potential candidates themselves.

Transparency strikes again

2010-07-26T15:55:00.003-05:00

This is why we have ethics reports published: so people who are interested can read up for fun, and perhaps even make a difference.

Case in point: The Beacon Backroom reported on a new Missouri Ethics Commission complaint against Cynthia Davis, who is a member of the Missouri House of Representatives and is challenging incumbent GOP state Senator Scott Rupp in next Tuesday's primary election.

I am impressed with this find and the analysis of it. "Dawson said today that she wanted to emphasize that good government, not politics, was her motivation. "I have a master's degree in public affairs," Dawson said. At the moment, she's also unemployed so "I have a lot of free time right now.""

Now that is putting spare time to good use.

Corcoran is out in the 24th

2010-05-13T23:30:00.001-05:00

The Missouri 24th Senate District is going be to be hotly contested one this election cycle. The Democratic primary is shaping up to be one of the biggest in the state and today we see an interesting development. Four term (and term limited) State Representative Mike Corcoran has dropped out of the race. This leaves former Rep. Page and County Councilwoman Fraser as the key contenders for the seat. There is another entry in the Democratic primary, but she doesn't seem to be campaigning.

Here is a response from the Page campaign on the news:

Corcoran Withdraws From Senate Race
State Representative Michael Corcoran from St. Ann, has withdrawn from the Democratic primary for the 24th District Senate seat.
In a press release Corcoran cited the need to spend more time with his two sons as the reason he has decided against a run for the state senate.Corcoran served four terms as the State Representative for the 77th District, and had also been a member of the St. Ann Board of Aldermen.
"I wish Mike and his family the best," Page said. "He has been a strong leader for the St. Ann community and organized labor for the past eight years."
Corcoran's decision leaves Dr. Sam Page and two other candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for the 24th State Senate District.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face John Lamping, who is the only Republican running for the seat.

Top of the ticket in Illinois - The Republicans

2010-01-22T08:30:00.003-06:00

The top of the ticket in the 2010 Illinois Elections will be the Governor and the U.S. Senate seat. There are seven Republicans running for Governor and five running for the U.S. Senate. Here are some thoughts from across Illinois on these two races (the primary is on February 2nd). Dick Simpson, a former alderman who teaches political science at the University of Illinois - Chicago, articulates the key elements of the race: "February’s election is about two things: economics and ethics. The state has a budget deficit estimated at $13 billion. It can’t pay its bills. Its bonds are just above junk status." That's what this is all about - economics and ethics.

Governor

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Our choice is state Sen. Kirk Dillard, 54, a lawyer from Hinsdale. He is conservative, but not doctrinaire, and has worked effectively across the aisle on issues important to the state. Before being elected to the Senate in 1994, he was chief of staff for popular Republican Gov. Jim Edgar, who has endorsed him. He cites Mr. Edgar’s tight fiscal discipline as a model for extricating Illinois from its $12 billion budget deficit.

Dick Simpson writes in the Chicago Journal:

On the Republican side, Jim Ryan is the strongest candidate even though State Sen. Kirk Dillard would make a better governor.

The Chicago Sun-Times has endorsed Sen. Kirk Dillard:

The Chicago Sun-Times endorses Sen. Kirk Dillard for governor in the Feb. 2 Republican primary. No other candidate comes close to matching his experience in the executive and legislative branches of state government, his knowledge of the back doors of power in Springfield, and his proven ability to build cross-party coalitions without abandoning core Republican values.

U.S. Senate

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Experience, intellect and service make Mark Kirk of Highland Park the clear choice. He has represented his affluent Chicago North Shore district in the U.S. House since 2000. He is a leader among House GOP moderates and is an intelligence officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
...
Mr. Kirk is that increasingly rare bird, an independent Republican, conservative on defense and fiscal affairs, moderate to liberal on social issues. Historically, that places him in the mainstream of the Illinois GOP and would make him a formidable candidate in November.

Dick Simpson writes in the Chicago Journal:

On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk is the smartest and most polished candidate. He deserves to win that primary.

The Chicago Sun-Times has endorsed U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk:

An effective five-term congressman from the north suburbs, Kirk has pro-growth views on the economy, a personal commitment to the military and a moderate stance on social issues that could attract independent voters who favored Democrats in recent elections. Smart and detail-orientated, he can captivate an audience with an in-depth, nuanced discussion of complicated issues such as the implications of closing the Guantanamo detention facility or an assessment of the Afghan war.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on either of these (or other) races.

"A Twinkling Civility"

2010-01-22T08:19:00.002-06:00

Tom Roeser, Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Chicago Daily Observer, has a great piece on why he supports state Senator Kirk Dillard for the Republican nomination for Illinois Governor. To me, what was great was the approach taken - that we will not find the perfect candidate, but we should not be looking for perfection. I encourage you to read "Like Reagan, Kirk Dillard Has Only 99.44% Party Purity: Is it Enough for Illinois Republicans?"

Illinois Governor's Race - Adam Andrzejewski

2010-01-22T07:58:00.002-06:00

This morning I had the opportunity to meet Republican Gubernatorial candidate Adam Andrzejewski and see him speak to a gathering. He is a businessman with no prior government experience, but had an interesting approach. His focus in on policy - he has identified what he feels are best practices that other states have used and wants to apply them to Illinois government. He realizes that a Republican Governor will be limited in what he can do due to a heavily Democratic legislature, so he has outlined two executive orders that he wants to implement if elected. He has a good grasp of policy and an detailed approach. In addition to running for Governor he is seeking to build up the Republican party around the state, something that Illinois Republicans clearly need. Mr. Andrzejewski's focus is on fiscal and ethics issues, as these are the central issues to the state of Illinois today.

Illinois Governor Primary

2010-01-09T22:17:00.004-06:00

The Illinois primary election is coming up on February 2nd and there are a number of competitive races (including for Governor and U.S. Senate in both major parties). One note of interest from yesterday was the Chicago Sun Times endorsing State Sen. Kirk Dillard in the GOP primary race for Governor. In the Democratic field there are two key candidates that both currently hold statewide elected office: sitting Governor Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes.

Robin Carnahan and ballot language

2010-01-07T17:30:00.003-06:00

Political parties are not my normal sources of information as they tend to be a bit one sided, but this is an issue that has been bothering me for a couple of years. I have seen some of the ballot summaries that have come out of the Missouri Secretary of State's office and a few have been badly biased. Whether one agrees with those issues or not, to make the process fair the summaries must be fair. Injecting politics into what should largely be a non-political office and a non-political step in the initiative process is a major problem.

"Troubling and Unfair: Robin Carnahan's Biased Ballot Language"

The future of the Korean Peninsula

2010-01-07T17:21:00.003-06:00

The end of World War II shaped the path for the Korean Peninsula and remains near the top of the U.S. foreign policy agenda, with the Republic of Korea (ROC) as a close ally and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a consistent pain in the butt. The assumption is that sooner or later the North will fall and we will see reunification as we have seen in nation-states such as Germany and Vietnam.

The Atlantic Council has a good piece, The Cost of Korean Reunification, that I want to recommend. There will be significant challenges to reunification, the largest likely being the economic costs involved in combing a highly successful economy with one that has major starvation issues.

Purity vs. Pragmatism

2009-11-24T01:06:00.002-06:00

ABC News has a piece on a proposal for the Republican National Committee (RNC) 2010 meeting that is intriguing (but a bad idea). The debate is whether or not the RNC should be funding moderate candidates. The proposal is that any candidate that wants RNC funding must agree with a set of policy positions to be eligible (thus proving that he or she is sufficiently conservative).

After the 2006 and 2008 electoral losses the Republicans suffered the debate raged between those that thought the party had drifted too far to the right and those that thought that it was not conservative enough. The proposal for RNC funding is another manifestation of that divide. Should the party focus on the core of the conservative element of the party, or should it rather expand the coalition of the party by recruiting and assisting more moderate candidates as well?

Political parties are at the core coalitions that are formed to win elections. The Democrats were successful in 2006 and 2008 in part due to their excellent recruitment of more moderate candidates that prevailed in Republican leaning districts. I happen to agree with one of the people quoted in the article:

“I appreciate where people are coming from and the desire to make sure we are a cohesive group,” RNC member and Bush 41 adviser Ron Kaufman told ABC News when asked about his reaction to the proposal.

“However, we’ve also been the party of states’ rights. That is a binding principle. I’ve always believed that people in Massachusetts shouldn’t tell people in Indiana or Mississippi on who the candidates should be. There is nothing more fundamental than that in the party,” Kaufman added.

Political parties in the United States are broad coalitions with great regional variation. The national political parties will be more successful if they are pragmatic and support the candidates they think will be able to win them seats, not only those who are ideologically pure enough.

Icet and Schweich Battle for GOP Backing

2009-07-15T21:46:00.004-05:00

State representative Allen Icet (R-Wildwood) and Thomas Schweich have both declared their candidacy for Missouri state auditor and will face off in the Republican primary election in August of 2010. Presumably the winner of this primary will go on to face incumbent Democrat Susan Montee. The auditor is one of only two statewide offices up for election in Missouri in 2010 (the other being a U.S. Senate seat) and Icet and Schweich are both credible candidates for the race.

2008 saw a bitter Republican primary in the race for Governor between U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof and state Treasurer Sarah Steelman. In that race it was the establishment candidate vs. the outsider, with Rep. Hulshof having the backing of most of the state's GOP leadership. The auditor race will not be a repeat of that, as the two candidates have both been successful so far in lining up establishment support for the nomination. To date, Icet has the endorsement of 80 state representatives and 4 state senators. Today Schweich announced that he was endorsed by Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, the only Republican holding statewide office in Missouri at this time.

Both Icet and Schweich have resumes that give them credibility in their quest for the job of auditor. This is the first race that former ambassador and professor Schweich has run, while Icet is serving his 4th term in the Missouri House and was the budget chairman. Schweich has just entered the race, so he did not have to file an Missouri Ethics Committee report for last quarter, but it appears that he will have the funding to mount a well funded campaign. Since campaign donation limits were repealed in Missouri, the influence of a handful of donors could be a major wild card in this race.

The timing of Icet has been interesting so far. Just after Schweich announced that he would not be seeking the U.S. Senate seat up for election and word leaked that he was thinking about the auditor's race Icet jumped in. This gave Icet the ability to echo the call for Republican unity from a major GOP fundraiser and rode the news cycle on the auditor. Then on the day that Schweich announces he is running Icet announces that he has the endorsement of 80 state Representatives and 4 state Senators.

I fully agree with Steve Walsh: "No matter what ... this has the makings of a very interesting race."

Illinois Senate Race Clarified This Week

2009-07-11T22:24:00.002-05:00

The 2010 U.S. Senate race in Illinois had a number of important developments this past week. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D) announced that she would not run for the U.S. Senate, nor for Governor, but would run for reelection. Also on the Democratic side, Sen. Roland Burris, who currently holds the seat after being appointed by former IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich, announced that he will not run for the seat in 2010. Both of these are good news for IL Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D) who has been raising money for a run at the seat. Word is that Rep. Mark Kirk (R) will run for the seat (see CQ Politics). Rep. Kirk represents a Democratic leaning district in the Chicago area. He is viewed as a strong candidate for the seat, as he is a moderate in a Democratic leaning state. He will be viewed by some in the Republican party as the best chance at picking up the seat, while being attacked by other elements of the party for his moderate stances on a number of issues. There are other Democrats and Republicans eyeing the race as well.

Not a secret strategy, but perhaps not a bad idea

2009-07-11T10:51:00.005-05:00

I ran across a blog post that got me thinking. "The Secret Republican Strategy for 2012?" highlights four possible GOP presidential candidates (Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty, Sarah Palin, and Chuck Hagel) who are all out of office (or will be by 2012 in the case of Gov. Pawlenty). Mitt Romney could also be added to that list.

With my wet finger in the wind, I predict that the next Republican presidential candidate will be someone not then currently serving in a government position.

The secret strategy of the Republican Party is to proffer experienced candidates with no recent political history to be used against them. Hope and change will wear a new red suit in 2012.

While I do not think it is a secret strategy coordinated among possible rivals in 2012, there is something to the idea. Right now people in elected office, be it Governors or members of Congress (and state legislatures) are faced with difficult and unpopular choices, particularly when it comes to budgets. Being out of office means not having to make tough decisions on actions and votes that can be used against a candidate for office. Certainly all of these individuals are staying involved in the political world and are still relevant so a run in 2012 would be an option.

Additionally, a few possible 2012 contenders for the Republicans have likely been removed from the running recently. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's presidential ambitions likely died last month. Also, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman was tapped by the Obama administration to be their ambassador to China, so he is out of the running as well (look for him in 2016).

Rep. Icet to run for state auditor

2009-06-15T10:52:00.003-05:00

State Representative Allen Icet (R-84) has announced that he will be running for state auditor in 2010. Icet could not run for reelection due to term limited and had filed a finance committee to explore running for the 26th state Senate seat (which will be a hotly contested Republican primary). As the House Budget Chairman Icet certainly brings experience and credibility with his candidacy. The timing is certainly interesting, though. Clearly this is something that Icet has been considering for some time, but the events of last week may have dictated the timing of his annoucement. Last week Tom Schweich decided against running against Roy Blunt in the primary for the open U.S. Senate seat in Missouri and is now considering running for state auditor. By announcing now, Icet gets into the race before anyone else and can call for party unity (a theme of last week's Republican fundraiser) behind his candidacy. Also, the buzz about Schweich feeds the importance of the story and makes it a higher profile announcement.

OSTP - Civic participation

2009-06-15T07:28:00.004-05:00

The Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President (EOP) is looking for input on civic participation and how it can be strengthened.

How You Can Help

As we seek to identify immediate policy changes that will promote greater civic participation, we need to know from you:

What is the appropriate and most effective role for the government to play in fostering greater civic participation? Should the government develop content, fund the work of organizations that teach civic education, establish platforms to connect communities to each other and to government?
Do you know of best practices, whether from local, state or foreign governments, or foundations that foster and support civic participation? What are the most effective tools to get people to participate?
What skills and subject areas are the most important for civic literacy today? How do we promote the kind of civic education necessary to enable people to make greater use of government data, like the information available on Data.gov, or participate in online commenting processes, like this one or regulations.gov?

Take a look at the OSTP blog and weigh in on the conversation.

Harriett's List formed in Missouri

2009-06-03T08:31:00.003-05:00

Politics Magazine reports: "Today a new organization dedicated to electing progressive Democratic women to the state legislature and state-wide office was born." Harriett's List will be active in Missouri races in 2010, a cycle when we will see a large number of open races in the state House and Senate due to term limits. The Beacon Backroom also has a piece on the new group.

California Supreme Court Ruling on Prop 8

2009-05-29T19:27:00.003-05:00

The California Supreme Court issued its ruling on Proposition 8 (the ban on gay marriage that was approved by California voters in 2008) this week. The decision upheld the amendment to the California Constitution and ruled that all of the marriages that had occurred while gay marriage was legal in the state were valid. For an interesting analysis of the ruling, take a look at "In defense of the prop 8 ruling, but not defending prop 8."

Schweich to run for Senate in Missouri?

2009-05-12T11:47:00.006-05:00

Word is that Thomas A. Schweich is considering a run for the open U.S. Senate seat in Missouri. If he runs, he will be challenging Roy Blunt in the Republican primary. The Missouri media blogs have been buzzing about this over the last couple of days, including the Beacon Backroom, the Political Fix, and at least four posts at KY3. A big part of the story are the two major Missouri Republicans that are encouraging Schweich to run (former Senator Danforth and Sam Fox).

Update: Schweich has decided not to run for the U.S. Senate and is backing Roy Blunt. See KY3: "Schweich Is Out" for more detail.

P-D LTE "Internet: A safe haven for hate speech"

2009-05-12T10:44:00.002-05:00

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a letter to the editor today that I fully agree with. David Grone articulates a problem that I have seen all too frequently on-line. With the anonymity provided by the internet people are sometime much more hurtful, hateful, and harsh that they ever would be in person and it has degraded the discourse.

Internet: A safe haven for hate speech

As a long-time reader of the Post-Dispatch and STLtoday.com, I am disturbed by the behavior of some commentors on online news stories. Unfortunately, this behavior is rampant on the Internet.

Have we regressed so much that it is OK to post the sorts of things some people do on these stories? Whether it is mocking the deceased in a tragic death, condemning someone for a crime long before any evidence comes to light, spewing racist hatred at any story involving a particular part of town or simply attacking fellow commentors with hateful insults, it makes me sick to think these things come from the minds of fellow citizens of this community.

Would any of the people who do this anonymously ever say such things directly to a person's face — or even out loud in public? I hope not, and I doubt they would. If people spoke in a forum that required them to show their face and/or have their real name attributed to it, one of two things would happen. Either a lot of simple-minded, Internet "tough guys" would disappear or we would get a real glimpse into what is happening to our culture when a me-first, too-cool-for-the-room, smart-aleck attitude is the rule of the day. It seems like the Internet has become a safe haven for hate speech that in any other medium would be punishable by law.

Human nature is to "think before you speak." I recommend we extend that rule to include "think before you type."

I shudder to think how hateful and self-centered we will be years from now if these opinions and exaggerations are allowed to flow freely.

David Grone — St. Louis County

There have been some who have advocated for an internet in which all communication is tied to a person's real name in an attempt to address this. Regardless of the appropriate solution, it is clearly a problem.

Two new Macomb Aldermen seated

2009-05-05T10:36:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Clay Hinderliter and Ryan Hansen, the two newly elected Aldermen (7th district and 1st district respectively) who were sworn into office at last night's Macomb City Council meeting.

Full coverage of the meeting at the Macomb Journal.

MO Dems to target state House

2009-05-04T10:34:00.003-05:00

The Missouri Democrats have the state House of Representatives in their sights for the 2010 election.

"'If there's one present you all could give me here in the state this year, it'd be a speaker of the House,' Gov. Jay Nixon declared at Truman Days, the annual gala of the Jackson County Democratic Party." From Prime Buzz

With nearly a third of the state House races having open seats in 2010 (and the entire House up for election), this may be within the grasp of the Democrats. The Democrats only need eight seats to get the majority, but in 2008 (a very good year for the Democrats) they actually lost seats in the Missouri House.

Justice Souter's Retirement

2009-05-04T10:30:00.002-05:00

The big political news from late last week (it was a big news week for politics last week) was the announcement that Justice David Souter was going to retire from the U.S. Supreme Court. This will give President Obama his first appointment to the high court, and only the third vacancy on the court since 1994. Any significant change to the ideological make up of the court is unlikely, as Justice Souter was generally a more liberal member of the court. Also, the Senate confirmation should not be that difficult, as the Democrats have a nearly filibuster proof majority (as long as they can hold ranks).

Specter's switch

2009-04-28T17:31:00.005-05:00

The big news from today is Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania has announced that he is switching parties and will now be a Democrat. Specter was first elected to the U.S. Senate as a Republican in 1980 (read the full take on it at the Washington Post).

To me the interesting element of this is the continued loss of moderates and centrists in the Republican party. There are fewer people who identify themselves are Republicans, according to recent polling, than at any point since 1983. At various points in the last decade we have heard prominent Republican moderates complain that they have been poorly treated and many have since left office. Two current Republican Senators, Olympia Snowe and Lindsey Graham echo this sentiment. In the last three years Democrats have seen a resurgence of their own moderate wing of the party, which has helped them in picking up seats in the U.S. House and Senate in 2006 and 2008, particularly in areas where the Republicans had been dominant.

Too much fun to pass up

2009-04-15T12:37:00.003-05:00

I awoke this morning to an NPR report that former Gov. Rod Blagojevich wants permission to leave the country (which he has to get due to his current legal situation) to travel to Costa Rica to be on an NBC reality show. I was confused, but clearly not dreaming. MSNBC reports that Blagojevich would be a part of a reality TV show of celebrities dropped in a jungle. They "face fun and comedic challenges designed to test their survival skills" and can be voted out. Mr. Bloagojevich certainly has shown his aptitute for being voted out recently (and this would provide him with a way to pay for his legal defense). There seem to by many Illinois residents that would love to have their former governor dropped in the middle of a jungle.

Fund raising numbers due today

2009-04-15T12:09:00.004-05:00

In addition to the fun of Tax Day, today is the day that Federal Election Commission reports and Missouri Ethics Commission reports are due for fund raising. With this being the first quarter of the new campaign cycle, this will be watched closely.

For the U.S. Senate seat in Missouri Robin Carnahan has announced her first quarter numbers, as has Roy Blunt. Carnahan raised just over $1 million, while Blunt raised $542,000. In the Illinois Senate race Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias released his numbers a few days ago, with his total at over $1 million.

In Missouri State Senate races, former Rep. Sam Page (running for Senate district 24) and Rep. Bob Dixon (running for Senate district 30) have released their numbers.

A few articles to share

2009-04-08T10:09:00.001-05:00

Here are a few news articles worth sharing:

Sen. Engler (R) calls for study of executions in Missouri

Former Indiana Congressman (R) calls for the GOP to renounce the Bush Doctrine

Democrats split on stem-cell issues

Sen. Schmitt on the Missouri Plan and other issues

Giannoulias's releases impressive fund raising numbers for a possible 2010 Senate bid in IL

The Missouri Bar will be putting on a cool event regarding partisan nastiness in politics (the sponsoring organization)

Congrats to Robert Shouse

2009-04-08T09:57:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Robert Shouse on his reelection to the Macomb School Board.

2010 Missouri State Senate Candidates

2009-04-06T10:44:00.018-05:00

Missouri has one of the smaller state Senates in the U.S., with its 34 members. Half of those seats will be up for election in 2010 and many of those races will take shape earlier than their counterparts in the state House of Representatives. By my count there are ten state Senators that will be term limited in 2010, which means nearly one third of the state Senate will be open seats in the next election (no incumbent).

The Missouri state Senate seats that will be up for election in 2010 are the even numbered districts. These are the seats that will be open by my count: 6, 8, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34. Has anyone heard who is running for any of these seats, or of anyone considering running (if so, please email me or comment below)?

Updated (6-15-09)

The News Tribune lays out the state of the race for the 6th. The article sees five people actively considering the race. Rep. Mark Bruns (R-113), Rep. Kenny Jones (R-117), and Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce Chairman Harry Otto are in the race and are campaigning. Rep. Bill Deeken (R-114) and Mike Kehoe, a businessman, are considering entering the race. In the 6th Senate District there are four people that have formed campaign finance committees: former Rep. Danie Moore (R), Rep. Bill Deeken (R-114), Harry Otto (R), and Rep. Mark Bruns (R-113).

Speaker Pro Tem, Rep. Bryan Pratt (R-55) has formed a committee for the 8th and has a Facebook page, which lists him as a candidate for the 8th state Senate district. Rep. Dusenberg (R-54) is also considering running for the 8th Senate District.

The 14th has attracted the interest of a few potential candidates. The Beacon Backroom reports that University City Mayor Joe Adams has formed a committee for a run at the seat. The article also points out that it is widely assumed that Rep. Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D-72) is expected to run for the seat as well. In the 14th Rep. Ted Hoskins (D-80) and Ester Hill Haywood (D), and Joe Adams (D) have formed finance committees.

In the 20th Senate District, David Catanese at KY3 reports that former Rep. Van Kelly (R-144) and Rep. Jay Wasson (R-141) are both seriously looking at running. Rep. Wasson and Rep. Mike Cunningham (R-145) have campaign finance committees for the 20th.

The 24th is shaping up to be a hot spot for 2010. There look to be three or four Democratic candidates lining up to run for the seat. State Rep. Michael Corcoran, former state Rep. Sam Page, and St. Louis County Council member Barbara Fraser look like they will all run for the seat. These three are the subject of a STL P-D article. In addition, state Rep. Jake Zimmerman is also considering entering the race. Page has a website up and running. Corcoran, Fraser, and Page all have committees formed for the race.

One person remarked: "The 26th senate race should be interesting with half the population of Missouri having indicated they are considering." Former state Rep. Jack Jackson (R) is running for state Senate in the 26th. He has a website and a Facebook group. Former Rep. Jackson, Former Rep. Charles Portwood (R), Rep. Brian Nieves (R-98) all have campaign finance committees set up for a 2010 Senate run in the 26th, with Nieves definitely in the race. Franklin County Presiding Commissioner Ed Hillhouse has also said that he is looking at running for the seat as well. While Rep. Allen Icet (R-84) formed a finance committee for this race he will not be running for the 26th, but has launched a bid for state auditor (see Arch City Chronicle).

Rep. Ed Emery (R-126) has announced that he is running in the 28th. His website is up and running and has a press release announcing his 2010 campaign. Rep. Emery, Rep. Tom Self (R-116), and Rep. Larry Wilson (R-119) all have committees for the race.

There is word that Rep. Sara Lampe (D-138) will be running in the 30th. Also, I hear that Rep Bob Dixon (R-140) is running for the 30th as well (he has a committee formed for it). Former Rep. B.J. Marsh (R) has a committee formed for the 30th, but is considering entering the race to replace Roy Blunt in the 7th U.S. Congressional District instead.

Rep. Ron Richard (R-129), the current Speaker of the Missouri House, is running for the state Senate in the 32nd. He has filed a campaign finance committee and has a website.

In the 34th Rep. Rob Schaaf (R-28) and Rep. Jason Brown (R-30) have both formed finance committees for a campaign.

Related Post: Missouri House Races in 2010

Development breakthrough on WMNs

2009-04-01T10:29:00.002-05:00

What I have long feared has come to pass.

While everyone this decade has been focused on WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction) the true danger comes from WMNs (Winged Monkey Ninjas). From this photo it appears that winged monkeys may have been developed, but thankfully they have not yet been trained as ninjas.

2010 Senate Races in Missouri and Illinois

2009-03-28T12:02:00.003-05:00

The 2010 U.S. Senate elections in Missouri and Illinois should prove to be very interesting. In Missouri Democrat Robin Carnahan (currently Secretary of State) has announced that she is running and will likely have no challenger in the primary. Republican Roy Blunt (currently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from the 7th district) has announced that he is running as well. If these two face off it will be a showdown of two political dynasties in the state. Sarah Steelman, the Republican former State Treasurer who lost the 2008 primary for Governor, is also seriously considering entering the race. Much of the Republican establishment would prefer to avoid an ugly primary, as was the case when Ms. Steelman for Governor last year. However this plays out, it will be a very competitive race for an open seat in a swing state and will be very well funded on both sides.

The Illinois Senate race has not taken as much shape yet, but certainly looks like it will be a bit of a circuis. Current Senator Roland Burris has been the center of much controversy and will certainly have a Democratic primary opponent should he chose to run for reelection. Alexi Giannoulias, the state treasurer, announced this month that he was forming an exploratory committee to explore running for the Senate seat. Also, it looks like the GOP will target the seat in the 2010 election, as long as the NRSC has a candidate they like. Who would you like to see run for the U.S. Senate in Illinois in 2010?

Early Votiong in Missouri

2009-03-25T10:29:00.004-05:00

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published an editorial this week ("Missouri's Late Coming to Early Voting") that I agreed with. I believe it is the duty of every citizen in a democracy to participate in government and voting is the easiest way to do that. Efforts to improve voter turnout (and voter registration and education) are important, and early voting would be beneficial to democracy in Missouri. This past election I was out of town on election day and voted absentee for the first time. It was a great experience because I could take my time and research each race I was unfamiliar with as I filled out my ballot, something that most people will not do when they vote at the polls.

I would encourage everyone in Missouri to read the editorial and to support the proposed legislation.

Missouri House Races in 2010

2009-03-19T21:50:00.025-05:00

With roughly a third of the Missouri House of Representatives term limited in 2010, there will be a striking number of open seats. Candidate filing for these races doesn't start until February 23, 2010 and the filing deadline is about a year away (March 30, 2010) so there is still ample time for these races to take shape and for potential candidates to ponder their entry. The Arch City Chronicle has a short post on the 2010 House races as well that is worth a quick look. Has anyone heard who is running for the Missouri state House of Representatives, or of anyone considering running (if so, please email me or comment below)?

House Districts 1, 5, 6, 10, 14, 19, 21, 22, 27, 28, 30, 31, 35, 40, 46, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 62, 66, 69, 76, 77, 79, 80, 84, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 110, 111, 113, 114, 116, 119, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131, 134, 140, 141, 143, 145, 152, 153, 154, 155, 157 will all be open seats due to term limits.

Updated (6-21-09)

The first House district has one person with a campaign finance committee: Keri Cottrell (D).

The 2nd district also has only one person with a campaign finance committee, but this is not an open seat. Rebecca McClanahan (D) is running for reelection in the Kirksville area.

In the 10th district Linda Witte is running to replace her husband, Rep. Terry Witte (D), who is term limited in 2010. She has already announced her candidacy and started a Facebook group.

House district 14th has one person with a campaign committee, Kathie Conway (R).

The 17th is not an open seat but will be a competitive race - round three. Rep. Kenny Biermann (D) will face off against former state representative Vicki Schneider (R). Schneider and Biermann faced off in 2006 and 2008. Schneider won in 2006 by 295 votes out of over 15,000. In 2008 Biermann unseated Schneider, winning by 73 votes out of over 20,000. Biermann is the only Democratic state representative in St. Charles. The domain name for Biermann's website expired in early June 2009. Schneider has a website as well, but it does not look like it has been updated lately.

The 19th will be an open seat as Rep. Cynthia Davis is term limited in 2010. The 19th has three people who have registered with the MEC. David Evans (R), Kurt Bahr (R), and Matt Simmons (D) look to be in the hunt for this open seat.

Kelly Schultz (D) has filed a finance committee for a run at the open seat in the 21st House district.

Mik Chester (R) has set up a committee for a run at the 28th. FiredUp Missouri has a post on Mik Chester's run to replace Rep. Schaaf.

Jay Swearingen (D) has a website, a blog, a Facebook page, and an ActBlue page set up for his run for the 31st district.

HD35 district is one in which the incumbent, Rep. Doug Ervin (R) is term limited and Jim Baldwin (D) will be running for the seat. Baldwin ran in 2008 and lost to Ervin, but this time will not face an incumbent. Baldwin has a website and Facebook group.

The 40th has a couple of people vying for the open seat. Will Royster (D) has filed with the MEC for the seat and JJ Rizzo (D), who ran for the seat in 2008, is expected to run again.

I hear word that Kevin McManus is looking at running for the 46th district. This ActBlue page would seem to support that.

The 63rd is not an open seat, but a challenger, Joe Tyler, has created a Facebook page. The incumbent is a freshman in the House, Rep. Tishaura Jones, whose website from the 2008 campaign is still up and running.

The Arch City Chronicle reports on the 76th: "St. Louis County state representative Michael Spreng is termed in 2010. His wife, Churie Spreng, has filed a campaign committee to run for his seat." The Sprengs are Democrats.

The 79th is another one of the open seats in the next election and Steven Sieber (D), Mary Nichols (D), and Byron DeLear (D) are running. Sieber has a well designed website, where you can show your support by buying "a campaign polo shirt." Nichols and Sieber have both established committees with the MEC. DeLear ran for Congress in California in 2006 and for Congress in MO's 2nd district in 2008 (lost in the Democratic primary).

The incumbent in the 83rd, Rep. Jake Zimmerman was considering a run for a state Senate seat that will be open due to term limits (Sen. Joan Bray is term limited in 2010). Joel Jennings (D) considered running for the 83rd, and started a Facebook group and an ActBlue page. This is noted on that group, though:

Joel is committed to running for the 83rd House District. Should the incumbent Representative, Jake Zimmerman, decide to run for re-election, Joel will postpone his run until Jake vacates the seat.

Update: Rep. Zimmerman decided not to run for state Senate, so Jennings will wait till the seat is open before running for the 83rd (announced 6-19-09 on his Facebook group).

The 84th district will likely see Gina Loudon run for the Republican nomination in this Republican leaning district. She lost the Republican primary in 2008 for the state Senate seat her husband, former Sen. John Loudon, was vacating due to term limits. Also see the Arch City Chronicle. Don Gosen (R) has filed a committee with the MEC for this seat. Kevin Schulte is also running for the 84th. From his website I assume he is running as a Republican and does not plan to file an MEC report (plans on spending less than $500 on the race).

In the 96th the South County Times reports that Scott Sifton (D) is running for the seat. Also, the Arch City Chronicle notes:

Scott Sifton, running to replace termed legislator Rep. Pat Yaeger, reportedly had a strong fundraiser last week. He’s a lawyer with Husch Blackwell Sanders and has served on his local school board for several years.

House District 110 has Jim Polite (R) of Potosi running for the seat. He has filed with the MEC for the race. Thanks to JB for the tip.

In the 114th Cole County Western District Commissioner Chris Wrigley (R) has announced that he is running.

HD130 has Lynn Otey (R) is running for the open seat. The Neosho Daily News gives this brief bio of her:

An educator for 25 years Otey has served in a leadership capacity on numersous boards and civic groups. A current member of the Neosho R-5 School Board, Otey is also serving her second term as President of the Republican Women of Newton County, is a past president and current secretary / treasurer of the Neosho Exchange Club and has been named that civic groups Exchangite of the Year and for more than 10 years has volunteered with the Food Basket Brigade.

Thanks to Kyle Hill for the tip.

The 137th is not an open seat, but looks like it may be of interest. Charlie Norr (D) is the incumbent but it looks like he will have opposition in 2010 for this seat in the Springfield area. Charity Davis (R) filed and already terminated a campaign finance committee for the seat in 2010. Melissa (Lisa) Leach (R) has formed an exploratory committee for the 137th.

In the 141st Nixa Alderman Kevin Elmer (R) will be a candidate. KY3 has a nice piece on his entry into the 141st race (instead of the 7th district for the U.S. Congress).

Tracy Mooney has announced that she will be running as a Republican for the 143rd district House seat that will be open in 2010, and has a blog up and running, as well as a finance committee. Mooney ran against the incumbent in the Republican primary in 2008 and lost, and will be running for the seat again in 2010 (easier with no incumbent).

The 152nd District is a Democratic leaning district in southeast Missouri and word is that Don Barzowski (D) is considering running for the seat. Barzowski is currently an Alderman in Ironton and a social studies teacher extraordinaire at Arcadia Valley High School. Eric "Rick" Mansfield (R) has filed a campaign committee. He ran in 2008 and was unsuccessful, and is running again in 2010 with no incumbent. Two Democrats have also filed campaign finance committees: Shane Van Steenis, who appears to run a canoe rental operation in Eminence, MO, and Logan Merrill of Potosi, MO.

A Word of Welcome

2009-03-19T21:48:00.001-05:00

Welcome to my new blog, hopefully a home for political discourse. The (civil and intelligent) discussion of politics is remarkably engaging and entertaining, at least in my opinion. I find a good question or discussion (in the search of an answer) to be a lot of fun, so I may focus less on the answer and more on the question or search for the answer.

I welcome your comments and suggestions, particularly suggestions for a name for the blog here at its inception.