travis reems's blog

Have you ever wondered how a political campaign works?
Would you like first-hand experience in politics?
Do you want to beef-up that resume for when you finish school?

Internships available for college students and highschool Seniors (must be 18+) with local political campaigns.

No campaign or political experience necessary, political interests a must.

Must be 18 years old or older,
have a valid driver's license,
have transportation,
be available 10 or more hours a week,
have a strong work-ethic,
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The primary for the Mayor's race is more than 6 months away, and without the 2008 elections having yet been decided, talk has begun about the potential mayoral candidates. Mayor Francis Slay has announced...<continue reading>

President of the Board of Aldermen, Lewis Reed, is throwing a fundraiser at the 3rd Degree Glass Factory...<continue reading>

If the Republicans can't scare you into voting against Barack Obama with the terror that he is to blame with rising gas prices, they will just buy your vote with cheaper gas prices just before the election....<continue reading>

All's quiet the morning after the primary elections, like the calm after a hurricane. Now it's time to survey the status of things and pick-up the pieces. Rivals of yesterday, are now comrades-in-arms heading into the November general elections....<continue reading>

Anecdotally, the voter turnout seems to be higher than usual. I credit not only the Presidential race, which is not on today's ballot but is creating greater political awareness among the masses, but also the state-wide races....<continue reading>

Over the past two weeks, I've received 19 pieces of political mail from 10 different candidates, and their supporters in the form of independent expenditures. Looking at the montage of political literature, I noticed the expansive use of endorsements from PACs, unions, ward organizations and elected officials. But, do these endorsements matter to the recipient of the mail...<continue reading>

There is an old campaign adage that yard signs don't vote, which means that just because a potential voter has a yard sign with your candidate's name on it, does not mean that they will necessarily vote for your candidate, if they vote at all. Also, consider the fact that some households are split between candidates...<continue reading>

With only 5 days left until the votes are in, we can see light at the end of the tunnel. But, as is often said, we are going through the darkest part of night, until the dawn. Not only is there a very high level of voter fatigue in the most contested races, but the last minute mudslinging has begun.  Story Continued »

The elections are less than a week away. So, here is a list of candidates that will be on the Democratic ballot in the City of St. Louis, along with some suggestions....<continue reading>

There are several very exciting state Representative races in the city, a few with multiple candidates, all with well-known incumbents or heir-apparents. Here is a brief primer on these races....<continue reading>

Mike McMillan and Beverly Buchheit-Named Co-Chairs
Building One St. Louis

Lewis Reed, a long-time resident of the Compton Heights neighborhood and Alderman of the central cooridor 6th Ward officially announced today his intentions to run in the March 6, Democratic Primary for President of the Board of Aldermen in the City of St. Louis. Reed is nearing his eighth year asAlderman, representing parts of the downtown business and loft district, Fox Park, Compton Heights, Midtown, Lafayette Square and the Gate District....<continue reading>

On this the eve of the mid-term elections, we see the Republicans pulling out all the stops in their efforts to stem the tide on the ground swell of Democratic support for change in the direction America is heading. While the President is in Florida talking on the issue where he polls least negatively in crowds of die-hard Republican supporters--the war on Iraq--and the Republican junior Senator from Missouri stumps on the same in St. Louis county, Democrats are out talking to folks about life saving cures, livable wages and finding ways to pay for the Medicaid cuts imposed on Missourians by Republican Governor Blunt.

It is also not coincidental that the prices at the pumps are today at their lowest in nearly a year. The Republicans with no domestic agenda beyond turning back the clock on progress, a failed foreign policy (Korea, Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, etc.), and a disastrous energy policy that has lead to all-time highs in consumption and fuel costs, are hoping to buy the American electorate with lower gas prices for the few weeks leading up to tomorrow's election. I assert that the American voters can and do see through this thinly veiled attempt to sway a disastrous campaign season fraught with scandal in the Republican party. And, the polls bear out the same.

In the most recent polls, Claire McCaskill is leading her Republican opponent by a few points, in what has been up until now a neck-and-neck race. It is now for us to bring home this election, and ensure that each and every voter gets to the polls, is not denied their right to vote and that Claire McCaskill is elected as our next US Senator.

This will take the tireless efforts of us all. We must make certain that all of our friends, neighbors and relatives not only vote, but go to the polls fully informed about the importance of this election. We must ensure that they know that voting for the Republican in this race is a vote for a man that supports the failed Bush agenda. We must ensure that they know that voting for Claire McCaskill is a vote for a senator on our side!

[read more from this author]

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In my recent poll, there are of the 37 voters at the time of this writing, 26 voting mostly or completely Democratic, 7 voting mostly or completely Republican, and 1 voting evenly split. What is most worrisome, though, are the 3 voters that are either undecided or will not be voting on Tuesday....<continue reading>

With the election less than 2 weeks away, I've added a poll to see how most of my readers will (or won't) be voting....[continue reading]