Don't Take My Word For It - Come And See the AG Candidates for Yourself

Here's a rare opportunity - indeed, probably a unique opportunity on this side of the state of Missouri. On May 22, the Committee for County Progress is hosting a debate for all four Democratic candidates in the Missouri Attorney General Primary. You are invited. You will be welcomed. The doors will open at White Recital Hall in the UMKC Performing Arts Center at 5:30, and the debate will start at 6:00. There will even be a free reception afterward.

I know I've been pretty direct in my assessment of the candidates - Harris is the only one with the Democratic values combined with high-level Attorney General experience, and deserves to win the primary election and the general election. If you're content to take my word for it, then go ahead and do something else on May 22nd, but, if you want to form your own opinion, show up at UMKC.

Here are a few ways to figure out if you're in the right place. If you see Chris Koster there, talking about being a prosecutor, and avoiding all mention of his time working for a criminal Republican in the AG's office, you're in the right place. If you see Margaret Donnelly there, with her campaign staff telling her that Kansas City is St. Louis' western most suburb, you're in the right place. If you see Molly Korth Williams there, wearing a "Koster" button "because Judge Dandurand asked me to", you're in the right place. If you see Jeff Harris there, tuning up a guitar, you're in the right place.

Mark your calendar today, and come out to the Attorney General debate. See if you agree with my pick . . .

Beth Gottstein Shows Moral Leadership

Beth Gottstein is doing even better on the City Council than I thought she would. She's smart, she's hardworking, and she has solid moral instincts. With the exception of her joining with the Nasty Nine in voting to reward Wayne Cauthen with a foolish 3 year contract, she's been on the right side of all the important issues. (Even on that one, I wonder if perhaps she traded her vote for future concessions, since she could see that a majority of the Council had abandoned all rationality and wanted to shower scarce city money on a guy who lied on his resume and stole from the travel budget. Or maybe Funk's ungraceful handling of the situation provoked her into making one big, but forgivable, mistake.)

Recently, a bunch of Kansas City Democrats received a hateful, bigoted email attacking a fellow Democrat. Because it so thoroughly blended charges that would raise concerns if true with idiotic frothing worthy of Coulter, I simply deleted my copies and put it out of my mind.

Beth Gottstein, though, reacted with a better and more sensitive moral compass than my own. She posted a memo to Democratic leaders on BlogCCP, calling on the state party to censure those who fail to "practice ethical self-discipline". Thank you, Beth, for calling on us to live up to our consciences, rather than to ignore evil when it does not directly touch us.

Jeff Harris (Missouri's Next AG) Takes it Down a Notch

This is the Jeff Harris I have met and talked to. He's smart, funny, and a real person. He's going to be a great Attorney General.

(Update: Thanks to the code genius that fixed the video so it wouldn't automatically start up whenever you open the page.)

Koster Wants to Name Bridge For Ronald Reagan

I was over in St. Louis this weekend - my mother celebrated her 80th birthday with a great collection of friends, relatives and nieghbors. Happy 80th, Mom!

Did you know that there is a bridge proposed from St. Louis, Missouri to St. Clair County, Illinois? Did you know that Chris Koster, one of the Democratic candidates for Missouri Attorney General, co-sponsored a bill to name that bridge for Ronald Reagan?

What kind of democrat is Chris Koster?

My mother would never vote for a Republican, and she won't vote for Koster, either.

Should Super-Delegates Vote with the Majority?

Interesting question. Here is Steve Bough arguing that they should, over at Blog CCP, and here's me taking the opposite side.

I sincerely hope it doesn't come down to a controversy - ideally, the party's choice will be clear by the Convention.

But, if it doesn't happen that way, what do you say?

Happy Ronald Reagan Day, Chris Koster

Today, February 6, is Ronald Reagan day in Missouri. Guess who co-sponsored the bill to designate a day to honor the man responsible for Iran/Contra scandal, in which we provided arms to Iran?

Chris Koster, who is now claiming to be a Democrat, who claims that he can represent Democratic principles, stood on the floor of the Missouri Senate and helped make Ronald Reagan Day a reality for Missourians.

There are two possibilities here. One is that Ronald Reagan truly represents ideals that Chris Koster holds dear, and his conversion to the Democratic Party is insincere. The other is that he was insincere in his eager embrace of a Republican icon, and merely trying to fool people into thinking about his party affiliation.

(A third possibility would be that he was sincere then and now, and has entirely changed his view of Ronald Reagan. That would entail a staggering amount of sincerity for someone who is not particularly recognized for that characteristic. If that's it, though, and Chris Koster wants to issue an explanation about why he was gung-ho for Ronald Reagan Day a couple short years ago, but he now rejects Ronald Reagan as a personal hero, I stand ready to publish his apology.)

Koster Misses an Opportunity to "Show Me"

Chris Koster needs to convince Missouri Democrats that he is really a Democrat if he is going to stand a chance in the Democratic primary for Missouri Attorney General. Many of us have adopted a "Show Me" policy, and are waiting to see what he can do over the next several months to atone for his years of vigorously opposing Democrats in our state capital.

One such opportunity came to him in the chance to support the Jackson County Democratic Committee. That Committee is hosting a fundraiser on February 7 to support increased activity in 2008. The theme is Make Missouri Blue Together! - what a perfect opportunity to prove that he's really one of us, really working to make Missouri a Democratic state.

He passed up the opportunity. Here's the list of supporters of making Missouri blue, and Chris Koster is not on it.

Jeff Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for the Attorney General position, appears prominently on the list of donors, even though nobody can doubt his Democratic credentials. (Margaret Donnelly is not on the list, but her absence is understandable, since she is running as the St. Louis candidate, and concentrating her campaign entirely within the I-270 loop.)

I know that Chris Koster has far smarter (and better paid) political advisers than me. He's even paid Jeff Roe for his advice, so he's had access to the full range of political input.

But it seems to me that if I were a candidate trying to prove that I am a real Democrat, and I have a real interest in Jackson County, I would have seized the opportunity to invest some of right wing Rex Sinquefield's money in this event.

Online Poll for Page

I know, I know, that online polls are worth the paper they're not even written on, but please consider taking a moment to go here and cast your vote for Dr. Sam Page at the St. Louis Business Journal.

Dr. Page represents a new breed of Lieutenant Governor for Missouri. Rather than using the position simply as a parking place for some dependable partisan twit who isn't qualified for one of the more visible statewide positions (for example, our current LG), the Dems are running someone who really cares about the issues that the LG handles, and who is also freakishly well-qualified for the position. If you care about good, effective government in Missouri, no race presents a more obvious choice than Dr. Sam Page's campaign for Lieutenant Governor.

While I normally don't participate in online polls, I appreciate the St. Louis Business Journal for giving me an opportunity to vote more than once for Dr. Sam Page.

A New Kind of Lieutenant Governor - Dr. Sam Page

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat one on one with Dr. Sam Page, the Democrat seeking the nomination to become the state's next Lieutenant Governor. We spent about an hour at the cafeteria at Truman Medical Center, a location he suggested when we found out that You Say Tomato is closed on Mondays. It turned out to be the perfect venue for Sam Page - the more you chat with Sam Page, the more you realize that he cares deeply for those in need, and is willing to do what needs doing.

The first thing I asked him was why in the world he wants to be Lieutenant Governor. Not exactly the sexiest of positions, the LG has traditionally been a parking place for some dependable partisan twit who isn't qualified for one of the more visible statewide positions. Sadly, our current LG fits into that mold.

Sam Page wants the position because he is freakishly well-qualified for it, and it fits into his approach toward public service - solid, substantive, and not flashy. It so happens that one of the important aspects of the LG office is to sit on 12 state commissions, 6 of which would benefit greatly by having an experienced physician on them. Similarly, Sam's 6 years of accomplishment as a legislator make him qualified to serve in the unique position of LG, the only office to formally bridge the Executive and Legislative branches.

As a candidate, Sam is also very attractive. He grew up in Van Buren, Missouri, spent much of his life in Kansas City (including medical school), and now lives in St. Louis County. He has substantial roots in both urban areas and outstate.

There are more exciting races to talk about right now, for positions that capture the imagination more than the LG office does. But, if you care about good, effective government in Missouri, no race presents a more obvious choice than Dr. Sam Page's campaign for Lieutenant Governor. Definitely plan on voting for him, and, even better, consider making a donation here.

Wise Thoughts on Faith, Politics and Party

This is just a small section of a long post, but it gives a flavor of the whole:

We've reached the point where Republican voters can claim the philosophy of absolute greed.

"I make a great deal of money through my own hard work. I don't want to pay for someone else's child to eat breakfast at school anymore."

Get that? She makes not just enough money, but a "great deal of money." How dare anyone take it away for something so frivolous as feeding a poor child? And yet Republicans, through their actions in blurring the lines between church and state, have become the "party of faith." Because they say so. Because they are bold in their actions and snarling in their defense.

We need to be just as adamant. We need to not hide behind any abstraction or evasion. We need to be unafraid to address this voter and say "I am going to take some of your money, and give it to that poor kid, because it's more important -- both to the child and to society -- that he eat, rather than that you have an extra week in Cabo."

Note that we should not pretend that "a program will take your money." Or "the government will take your money." This is a democracy, and we are the government. I will take your money. I will. Some of that money you worked hard for and want to keep. I will give it to a kid who is hungry. If your concern is that poverty should be addressed by individuals, then there's a simple solution: feed him. If there are no poor children needing food, I won't have to take anything for them. If your position is that people would be more generous if only the government would stay out of it, then sorry. I'm not willing to put this child at risk to as part of your experiment. Besides, if that were true, then why were their more hungry kids before we started these programs to give them a little breakfast? If your position is that your being able to keep all your money is more important than a child being fed, then I simply think you're wrong. And sick. You want to keep that money? You better beat me at the polls.

There's much, much more there to read and think about.

Kander Newsletter

Jason Kander has another newsletter out. He's running a good, solid campaign, and I'm looking forward to him representing the 44th District in Jefferson City.