Should Donnelly Seek a Recount?

Tuesday night's primary surprised a lot of people, myself very much included. As the vote counts trickled in, the margin between Koster and Donnelly bounced around in the hundreds. When I finally went to bed, I hoped that I would wake up to find that Margaret Donnelly had managed to scrape together enough votes to bring in a winner.

As of this writing, fewer than 900 votes separate Koster and Donnelly. 500 votes in St. Louis County were not counted. Yesterday morning, Margaret Donnelly issued the following statement:

At this time we are waiting for certification from the Secretary of State's office. We know that there are still over 500 votes that have not been counted in St. Louis County. And while we are not aware of similar situations elsewhere, we have not had the time to investigate other election jurisdictions. After certification we will weigh our options, including asking for a recount.

A recount often results in changed totals, and it could strengthen Koster's margin, or reverse it.

Meanwhile, the Republican AG nominee, Mike Gibbons, would like nothing more than an extended fight between the Democrats.

So, readers, what should Margaret Donnelly do? Should she seek a recount? Should she accept the reported totals as they stand, and begin the process of welcoming Chris Koster into the party, now that he's been through the most elaborate and painful initiation ritual since hell week at the KA house?

Danny Gibbons on Koster, Missouri Plan, and AG Tensions

A friend of mine was flying home from St. Louis the other evening, and found herself seated next to two brash young republican types. What follows is her account of her enlightening trip, enhaned only by my bolding of my favorite parts:

The kid by the window starts giving his compatriot a crash course in Missouri politics, and I can't help but overhear him. Turns on that he first goes on to say what a huge deal for Republicans in Missouri the Chris Koster switch is, and how everyone in the Republican party is just shocked. He goes on to say that Koster had this big problem with wanting to support stem cell research which "isn't a Republican issue", but that Koster had been a good Republican soldier for Medicaid cuts, and MOHELA, and all that, so basically they are all just shocked. He then goes on to posit that the real reason Koster left the party is that he is worried about running for MO AG against the kid's dad in the Republican primary, which is when I figure out that the kid is Danny Gibbons, 20-something son of Michael Gibbons, the illustrious Republican President Pro Tem of our state senate, if it even deserves that title anymore.

The kid then turns his attention to the recent Supreme Court panel, where he states that the whole deal was totally unfair, because the best candidate who had applied, and whom our illustrious governor had clearly indicated that he expected to be on the panel, is the kid's dad-Mike Gibbons again. He says that the Repubs are all in shock and anger that Gibbons didn't make the panel after the governor indicated that he wanted him on the panel, and the fact that Gibbons didn't make the panel is proof that the system doesn't work, and that the selection is not non-partisan. You would have been proud of me; I did not jump into the conversation to point out that failing to put a guy on the panel for the Supreme Court who is barely a practicing lawyer, let alone isn't a judge, and who apparently doesn't really have much of a commitment to the position, since he is running for Attorney General at the same time, can hardly be considered partisan, but I just keep listening, in awe and horror, as the kid goes on to try to explain that this is what is wrong with the Non-Partisan Court plan-it clearly is partisan because the sitting governor can't get any political hack appointed to the Supreme Court at the snap of his fingers. The kid then goes on to say that Blunt is not going to appoint anyone from this panel, and that the Repubs plan to use this as a big campaign issue.

The kid then goes on to say some more interesting stuff, like that his mom doesn't really want his dad to run for AG, because she doesn't like Jeff City and because she doesn't want to have to give up her job, and she makes as much as the dad.

So, it appears the Republicans are going to refuse to appoint any of the three highly-qualified attorneys on the current panel (including a Republican Ashcroft appointee) and try to use the Missouri Plan as a wedge issue to drive zealots to the polls, and it appears that they are shocked that a "good Republican soldier" like Koster defected over stem cells, which is "not a Republican issue" - just another wedge issue they use.

Normally, I dislike people who talk loudly on planes. Sharing your insider political knowledge with a planeload of people is rude, and not necessarily wise.

AG Race Looks Like a Republican Brawl

Jay Nixon will be leaving the Attorney General's office to win the Governor's race in 2008 (Blunt has no chance, and may even draw a primary opponent), and the Republicans are lining up to take a (remote) chance on running against likely Democratic nominee Jeff Harris. More than any other, the Republican AG primary is shaping up to be a microcosm of all that is wrong with Missouri Republicans.

First off, we have Michael Gibbons, the simian South St. Louis Senator. Plainly stated, Michael Gibbons is a nanny state Republican who wants to make us all live in his world. The Republican party has a Libertarian streak that I occasionally admire - but Michael Gibbons is the exact opposite. He has drafted a law to prosecute families that allow twenty-year-olds nieces and nephews to participate in a Thanksgiving toast. He supported anti-consumer Tort Deform and reductions in the amount of compensation that injured workers receive. As Senate President Pro Tem, Gibbons gets and deserves much of the blame that Missourians are directing toward the ineffective Missouri legislature. He has no chance of winning, but he will raise lots of money from people seeking to buy favors in the Senate. I'm thrilled he's in the race, because he is unelectable and likely to ruin the bankrolls of the other candidates.

Chris Koster is a pretty boy candidate who seemed like he was on the fast track to Republican prominence. He's a smart guy, and even tells the truth once in a blue moon. “There is a sense in this building that if an interest group brings four really bad ideas to the table, we are obligated to pass at least one of them because they are our friends,” Koster once said when the insurance companies tried to gain virtual immunity for their misdeeds. Unfortunately, Koster's conscience is up for the highest bidder. Even when his gag reflex was triggered by the insurance companies' avarice, it was only after he had started working for a trial lawyer.

Most damning for Koster, though, is that he has hired Jeff Roe. Roe has shown himself to be incompetent at anything other than self-promotion. His career is over, after he single-handedly sunk Becky Nace's campaign for mayor. Dozens of people told me that she was their favorite candidate, but they refused to vote for her because she hired him. One of the biggest fights in the Gottstein/Gamble race grew out of a rumor that Gamble had hired Roe - the Gamble people viewed that as poisonous slander. Well, Koster sunk his own campaign when he hired Roe. Neither Koster nor Roe has a discernible shred of morality.

Finally, there's Catherine Hanaway, the current US Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri. This one cracks me up. Remember when holding the US Attorney position was a huge badge of honor? Remember when being a US Attorney meant that you were a straight-shooting, highly competent attorney who earned a reputation for integrity? Those were the days, weren't they? Unfortunately, though, the Bush administration's contempt for competence and pride in partisanship has turned that post into a scarlet letter on the resume. What kind of voter would vote for someone appointed by Bush now?

On top of that, she's another St. Louis county Republican. She and Gibbons will split the bankroll of Clayton and Ladue, and the votes of all the SUV drivers on the East coast of the state. Because she's much smarter than Gibbons, less dogmatic and mildly better looking, she will have the edge over Gibbons, and the race will come down to a divisive, ugly and horribly expensive contest between her and Roe/Koster. With Roe/Koster in the race, we can be assured that mud-slinging and nastiness will alienate anyone who ever thought of voting for a Republican.

In a way, it's almost a shame. Jeff Harris, the Democratic candidate, is smart, well-respected, likeable, and well-informed. He's not a good candidate - he's a great candidate. For those of us who like watching good races, it's a shame he is going to face such weak competition.