Carl Bearden

It's not a debate or healthy democratic process.

It's "war," writes former state representative/ lobbyist Carl Bearden, and "it's far from over."

If the leaders of the Imperial Congress thought that everyone would just go away they are delusional. Well ok, they are delusional but you know what I mean. Not only will the Million Med March be in Clayton on Saturday, but the patriots down in Branson are hosting a TEA Party tomorrow also!

The Branson TEA Party Coalition activity will begin at 11 a.m. this Saturday, November 21st for a one-hour roadside demonstration which will be held on the Highway 76 Strip in the area stretching from the Fall Creek Road intersection to the Apple Tree Mall...

This war is far from over. Don't even think about getting discouraged, get mad, get involved!

This weekend, it was reported that Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer would not be holding any town hall meetings to talk about health care reform.  According to Luetkemeyer's spokesman, that was because his office had not received "specific requests to host health care town halls." Instead, Blaine would be sharing his thoughts about health care "at regularly scheduled events."

Given the selective outrage from conservative organizations about the alleged hiding from the public by other Congressmen, that didn't look so hot. Thankfully, Americans for Prosperity -- which has been helping coordinate and stoke the flames for the hysteria at town hall meetings held by Democratic Members -- has come to the rescue.  How?  By rebranding today's "We the People Forum" in Westphalia as a 'We the People' Town Hall for Luetkemeyer.

Rachel Maddow had a great segment last night about the monied interests who help coordinate -- and stand to benefit enormously -- from the recent batch of "organic" indimidation rallies. It's a relatively long clip, but worth watching.   

Americans for Prosperity is spearheaded in Missouri by former State Rep. Carl Bearden, whose unethical behavior in the Capitol was recently cited by the KC Star as an "obvious problem."

Even though 70% of people support a public option to expand access and drive down health care costs, Peter Kinder has chosen to sign on with Carl Bearden's Astroturf anti-reform group, Americans for Prosperity, to oppose Congress' work on real health care reform.

This morning, Kinder "forwarded" an email from Americans for Prosperity, asking recipients to visit Bearden's industry-funded PatientsUnitedNow.com website. Bearden first began publicizing the website last week while arguing via Twitter that there are only actually 7-10 million "truly uninsured" Americans. (There are actually almost 50 million, but Carl doesn't seem to get hung up on things like "facts.") 

Ironically, Kinder's email is almost exactly as long as the health care reform plan memo Roy Blunt took five months to draft.

Now that opponents of the Congressional climate change legislation have (mostly) stopped using bogus numbers to scare people, and (generally) avoided making public denials of climate change so they don't look completely ridiculous, the rhetoric has turned to a more general hysteria about the economic costs of doing anything to reign in greenhouse gases with a cap and trade system.

For all of their professed concerns about the cost on families, opponents are completely ignoring the very real impacts -- economic and otherwise -- that will come from doing nothing. And you don't have to take my word for it. Here are just a few of the studies and analyses looking at the costs of inaction:

The Center for Naval Analysis:

Climate change poses severe security threats to the U.S. and will add to the mission burden of the military. If not dealt with through a systems-based approach, these factors will challenge the US economically, diplomatically and militarily. The convergence of these factors provides a clear and compelling impetus to change the national and military approach to energy.

For someone so well-connected at the Capitol, you'd think that Carl Bearden would do a better job shilling for the House Republicans' tax cut plans. Check out how he describes the House's tax cut plans in op-ed published in today's New-Leader:

Members of the House want to give back about $1 billion over two years by reducing the highest tax rate from 6 percent to 5.5 percent. That two-year period coincides with the time that the state is expected to receive more than $4 billion in federal stimulus funds.

Curiously, Bearden neglects to mention that the House leadership is no longer proposing a two-year tax cut; they're now pushing a permanent income tax cut, over the objections of their own caucus. Bearden is either slow to update his talking points (it's been a challenge for all of us to keep up with the evolving plans in the House), or he's not interesting in promoting such an irresponsible fiscal policy that's opposed by his fellow GOPers.  Republicans in the House and Senate are both opposed to the new House plan because of its limited stimulative effects and the drastic cuts it would require in basic services.

Apparently concerned about a lack of enthusiasm for tomorrow's Tea Parties, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation and Heritage Foundation are now sponsoring four contests with $5,000 in prizes to encourage participation.

In Kansas City, the "grassroots" uprising has been so overwhelming that corporate sponsors (i.e. Jeff Roe's lobbying shop + a FOX radio affiliate) were enlisted to bankroll the event.

This morning, about 200 people descended on the Capitol to yell and wave signs of anger about deficit spending in Washington at the Jefferson City Tea Party.  It was a far cry from the "thousands" predicted last week, but was a decent crowd for a cold morning at the Capitol.

I was really curious to see how the event would be set up to look like a "grassroots" movement, but was pleasantly surprised to see that lobbyist Carl Bearden didn't even bother with creating that illusion. Bearden orchestrated the whole event on behalf of Americans for Prosperity, and emceed the hour-long program -- it was his Tea Party, start to finish. 

Missourinet's Steve Walsh described the roster of speakers as "primarily Republicans" -- by which he means "entirely Republican" -- none of whom could credibly be called regular dudes.

On the same day that Carl Bearden is offered up as one of the most disgusting examples of the money-driven influence peddling at the Capitol...

...Carl Bearden is listed as the point of contact for the "Tea Party at the Capitol" --ostensibly a grassroots movement of outraged citizens.

Something to think about between now and next Tuesday when "thousands" of Bearden's friends storm the capitol to rekindle that revolutionary feeling.

From the paper that broke the news of the FBI inquiry at the capitol:

Carl Bearden, a Republican from St. Charles, was one of the most powerful members of the House two years ago. He received money from several groups, including the Missouri Health Care Association, which lobbies on behalf of nursing homes, and Lindenwood University, a private institution in St. Charles.

Bearden helped nursing homes achieve a 9 percent increase in their daily Medicaid provider rate. And he successfully pushed legislation to funnel state money to private colleges and universities at the expense of public universities.

In July 2007 Bearden quit the legislature to become — what else? — a full-time lobbyist. [...]

Rod Jetton, a Republican from Marble Hill, who was the past speaker of the House for four years, blatantly mixed politics and public service by working as a political consultant, with members of the legislature as clients.

The dual role left lawmakers and the public to wonder if Jetton’s actions as House leader were designed for the good of the citizens or to give his clients a political edge.

Read the whole thing here.

Lining their own pockets with government largess is nothing new to Republicans. But GOP House Speaker Pro Tem Carl Bearden has gone too far.

Bearden, the number two Republican in the Missouri House, is proposing to take millions of dollars in state funding from public higher education and ship it to private universities through a voucher program. Already starved by GOP budgeteers, public higher education institutions are critical of his plan. But fear of retribution has prevented them from talking about Bearden's real motivation--- to line the pockets of his employer.

Unreported by the mainstream media, Bearden is a "development official" or fundraiser with Lindenwood University in St. Charles . And he has been a creative fundraiser. Drawing on his GOP roots, he once concocted a pork for tuition program where the University would literally trade pigs for tuition.

But now Lindenwood is Missouri's fastest growing university and apparently the pork for tuition program isn't fat enough to sustain their growth.