CD4

UPDATE: Jason Noble has a brutal blog post over at the Prime Buzz about Stouffer's campaign official press conference.  In response, Stouffer's campaign has explained that the Senator will be sponsoring legislation somehow related to federal policy. 

Tell us again why Stouffer's Congressional campaign is making the announcements about what his official office is doing? 

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State Sen. Bill Stouffer is conducting an "informal press conference" tomorrow morning alongside state senate candidate Jack Jackson to talk about how terrible it would be if the discriminatory and counterproductive "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy -- a federal policy -- is repealed. 

In Stouffer's media advisory, distributed at taxpayer expense, the Senator promises to offer a "Missouri response" to President Obama's stated intention to end DADT. 

Of course, there aren't any "Missouri responses" to a prospective change in federal DADT policy, but Stouffer wants to get his name in the paper to prove he's as disgusted by gays in the military as primary opponent Vicky Hartlzer.

I'm sure Stouffer doesn't mind any criticism from the left for his demagoguery against the LGBT community. But conservatives and progressives alike should be able to agree that it makes no sense for taxpayers to be paying for this garbage.

Missourinet's Steve Walsh reported late yesterday afternoon that complaints have been filed against state Sen. Bill Stouffer (R-Napton) with the Federal Election Commission and the Missouri Ethics Commission. The complaints, filed by CMU student Chris Brockway, essentially state that:

• Stouffer allegedly used campaign funds for an unspecified 2012 statewide race to pay Jeff Roe's Axiom Strategies and other expenses for his Congressional campaign
• State Senate staffers are allegedly helping with campaign scheduling and fundraising events during normal work hours

The Stouffer campaign, in turn, calls it all a "smear."

This seems like a fairly obvious point, especially given the frustration from progressives (including me) over his vote on the House Democrats' health care bill, but Ike Skelton isn't exactly a pawn in some sort of leftist plot to destroy America.

Skelton no way defines 'liberal'
Editorial, The Daily Star-Journal

U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton broke from his party and defied all those who try to portray him as a liberal by voting with the GOP against the Affordable Health Care for America Act and by voting yes for a key, social conservative amendment to that act...

Not every vote by Skelton, who represents a district of broad interests - military, agricultural, urban and suburban - is going to please everyone every time. Some will point out this or that vote as outrageously liberal or outrageously conservative. But considering Skelton's position as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee - a body of power that focuses on the nation's defense, and the responsibilities that go with that position - imagining he has anything on his mind other than what is in the best interests of this nation strains the imagination.

Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum has endorsed Vicky Hartzler in the GOP's 4th Congressional District primary.  In her endorsement, Schlafly pointed to Hartzler's "Missouri values" and "proven record of protecting families from job-destroying tax increases."

There aren't many endorsements that would make me less likely to vote for a candidate. 

Not everyone in the Stouffer family is sending their checks to Bill's super-duper patriotic campaign for Congress.

Vicky Hartzler apparently missed the memo regarding prohibitions on discussing Sen. Bill Stouffer's support for a $7.2B tax increase.

So what did Stouffer's minions -- ostensibly disgusted at her choice to speak ill of a fellow Republican -- do in response?  They accused her of "launching cheap political attacks" and said she was unfairly denigrating Stouffer. They even accused her violating the bylaws of the Missouri Republican Party Executive Committee and demonstrating disloyalty to the GOP cause.

So much for the rules about never saying mean things to fellow Republicans.

Stouffer said he wouldn't "shy away" from his record in the Capitol, but I guess that doesn't mean he won't run away from his record.

Back from her trip to St. Louis to hobnob with fringe extremists at the How To Take Back America Conference, Vicky Hartzler is turning her attention to Sen. Bill Stouffer's proposal to create $7.2 billion in new sales taxes for improvements to Interstates 70 and 44. KY3's Dave Catanese:

My answer is, "Don't raise any taxes." High-tax thinking is the problem, not the solution. I know the people of Fourth District strongly agree, in a broad and bipartisan way...

I never voted for a tax increase while I was in Jefferson City. I won't vote for one in Washington, D.C. Unlike my opponents, I believe Americans need lower taxes, not higher taxes.

Sometimes politicians have to worry about some of the icky things they've done in their past.  But Sen. Bill Stouffer's biggest problem in his prospective campaign against Rep. Ike Skelton may be all the very nice things he's said and done for Skelton.

For instance, Steve Kraske in the Star notes this morning that Stouffer was the State Senator who sponsored the resolution naming a bridge after Skelton.  At the time, Kraske points out, Stouffer said "Skelton has been and continues to be an outstanding model for his constituent work and for his years of dedicated service for our military."

In fact, Stouffer has said the bridge renaming was the least he could do and said he was personally honored by the opportunity to sponsor the legislation.

At a campaign stop in Jefferson City today, State Sen. Bill Stouffer tried to make his case for why voters should vote Ike Skelton out of office and pick him instead.  Jason Rosenbaum has video of Stouffer answering tough questions from the media -- the first of which concerned Stouffer's previous support for a $7.2 billion sales tax increase to rebuild Interstates 70 and 44.

For a man presenting himself as a candidate like the American revolutionaries "clinging to their Bibles and guns" in a battle against "big government," this could present a problem.

State Sen. Bill Stouffer is raising money for his Fourth Congressional District primary campaign, hoping to beat former State Rep. Vicky Hartzler and James Scholz for the right to take on Congressman Ike Skelton next November. 

Earlier this month, Stouffer mailed a pretty amusing -- and very patriotic -- letter to prospective supporters. In it, he compares his campaign and the current political debate to that of the American revolutionaries of the 1700s.  Here's how Stouffer opens his request for cash -- the emphasis is in the original.

We call them Patriots. They were folks like you and me -- farmers, small business owners and doctors -- who said, "enough is enough!" Clinging to their Bibles and guns, they sacrificed their homes, families and their own lives for independence.

The revolutionary war that established our republic was not between liberals or conservatives. Like today, the real battle was balanced between big and small government.