blogs

After a week of pitched GOP in-fighting, an issue finally came along that was so compelling, it moved former intra-party combatants to beat their political swords into plowshares and leave small-village thinking behind.

That unifier?

http://mofairelections.blogspot.com/

From the Post-Dispatch, without additional comment:

Check out the new Missourians for Fair Elections website:  

http://mofairelections.blogspot.com/

And call your Senator and tell them not to mess with the constitution and our voting rights.

We've written before about the candidacy of Republican Mike Lair for the 7th House District and how his campaign is largely financed by Blunt administration fee agents installed by son-in-law James Harris.

Harris, who served as the Blunt administration's appointment secretary and now counts the gubernatorial campaign of Sarah Steelman among his clients, looks to be sharpening his talons on Mike Lair's opponent in preparation for Kenny Hulshof.  

Although there were many other worthy submissions of offensive quotes, the Heartless Quote of the Week goes to Senator John Loudon, hands down:

Republican Sen. John Loudon ridiculed concerns [voiced by nuns, elderly, disabled, student, poor and minority voters] that the photo ID requirement amounted to a tax on voters.

"The only thing taxing is you have to get off your duff and get an ID that's given away for free," Loudon said.

Yes, Loudon told that to Kathleen Weinschenk, who has cerebral palsy and doesn’t drive -  and who wouldn’t be able to vote without a government-issued photo ID if the heartless GOP has their way.  Story Continued »

Delbert Scott finally says what we’ve all known.  The mean GOP knows it might not control the legislature and Governor’s mansion so, before they are ousted, they are going to force through a constitutional amendment to weaken our voting rights, as well as an extremely unpopular accompanying measure that could disenfranchise as many as 240,000 registered, law-abiding Missouri voters – including the elderly, disabled, poor, students, nuns, Lillie Lewis and Kathleen Weinschenk.  From CDT's Rosenbaum:  Story Continued »

The Joplin Globe, from ultra-liberal southwest Missouri, says 'no thanks' to GOP photo ID voting requirements:

Those without photo ID generally are women, the elderly or the poor.

We have enough bureaucracy.

Heaping on one more barrier, or making the system even more prohibitive for some, smacks of political gamesmanship.

Let’s get down to taking care of problems that are real.

Dealing with real problems?  Novel idea.

Blogger Digby on our state's little photo ID party:

There's a big voter disenfranchisement scheme unfolding in Missouri this week. It could be a very big problem --- they want it in place before November...

We know this hits African Americans and Latinos hard and it's designed to make them think twice about putting themselves through this legal hassle. But there's another group that's going to be hard hit by this ---- the elderly. And in Arizona, where they now require proof of citizenship, even though they've been voting for 60 years, they are now just out of luck

The people who think we should limit the franchise in Missouri want very badly to make the median Missourian believe that new voting laws will only affect the sorts of people whom we aren't really supposed to care about.  Fact is, as Digby notes, the Photo ID voting law's most profound effects will be on elderly Missourians whose "citizenship" has never been in question.

Earlier this week, Matt Blunt issued one of the most important press releases of his administration.

It warned motorists about the dangers of seeking shelter in automobiles during tornadoes.  The news release followed the death of an entire family in their car during Saturday's storms in southwest Missouri.

Without doubt, this was information every Missourian needed to know--- the kind of dispatch they expect and deserve from their Governor and government.

But it's the kind of information that's getting harder and harder for Matt Blunt to effectively communicate.  Story Continued »

Someone named Scott Canon (and presumably his editors) at the Star's PrimeBuzz blog thinks it's perfectly fine to refer to former Senator and Presidential candidate by a derisive moniker given him by no more balanced media figure than Rush Limbaugh.  

Can we count on Canon and colleagues to head their posts with whatever hilarious impotent-old-man tags we hang on John McCain?  Why am I skepical?

Tell me again about that liberal media, please.
 

Kenny "Fred Thompson" Hulshof just can't get it going.

Over half-way through his primary campaign, Hulshof has yet to field a fully functioning web page.

His site includes the reassuring tag, "full website coming soon."

As is the election.

At least Sarah doesn't leave out an entire decade of her life.

Kenny Hulshof is u­p with a TV ad in Springfield according to the KC Star.  Although I certainly understand Kenneth's need to put up an ad quickly to try to deal with his terrible poll numbers and lack of name recognition.  I was perplexed by the content of the ad.  Hushlof drives down a dirt road in a truck and almost hits a dog.  He walks through a field and invokes faith and hard work.  Says he was taught the difference between right and wrong and knows that "both Missouri and her land are blessed by God."  He says "the basic moral strength of our people" is the foundation of our future.  The ad ends by saying that Kenneth is the conservative for Governor.  So what is he trying to say exactly?  Story Continued »