Gary Nodler

With the primary elections just one day away, a new internal poll by 7th Congressional District candidate Michael Wardell has produced some good news for Jack Goodman, and thus potentially bad news for "the Departments of Education, Energy, and others." The poll indicates Goodman had the pole position with five days to go, with 22%, though 31% of voters reported still being undecided. Many of those voters have probably made their minds up by now, so the main thing to take away from the poll is that the 7th District is still anybody's race, as long as that somebody is one of the top three candidates.

UPDATE: The ad is no longer online.

Billy Long responds to the recent Americans for Job Security ad complaining that "Gary Nodler and Jack Goodman's Washington buddies are running false ads...because they are career politicians." 

It's unclear what the Long campaign is using to justify their accusation that allies of Nodler and Goodman are behind the ad from AJS.   

 With the August 3rd primary rapidly approaching, the Republican candidates of Missouri’s 7th District combined for a surprisingly tame second to last week. The Republican establishment continued to line up behind Jack Goodman, with the state senator receiving the formal support of the 7th Congressional Republican Assembly. Goodman also recently won the endorsement of a few Southwestern Missouri firefighters' groups and the Springfield News-Leader, positioning him as one of the leading candidates along with Billy Long as Gary Nodler continues to fade.

I missed the grand opening for the "Don't Tread On Me" a couple of weeks ago, but you really should check it out.  It features crazy radio host Alex Jones (a man who advertises himself as "one of the very first founding fathers of the 9-11 Truth Movement"),  Birther Rep. Cynthia Davis, Rep. Brian Nieves, Sen. Gary Nodler, some guy who "sincerely" hopes that "a small number of us" won't be "required to use force and use arms," some lady who's scared of  vaccines, and some guy who says "there might be shootin' that day." Sen. Jim Lembke was also interviewed for the film. 

Please remember while watching this trailer that it's totally normal for elected legislators -- especially those seeking promotions -- to associated themselves with completely sane projects like this one.  IT'S TOTALLY NORMAL, PEOPLE.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the Republican 7th Congressional District’s Legion of Doom. The 7th’s Lex Luthor and Solomon Grundy (respectively Jack Goodman and Gary Nodler), received endorsements from Missourians United for Life (the group started by certified crazy person Ed Martin).  The endorsement theoretically splits the anti-choice coalition among the leading three candidates to replace Roy Blunt after Gorilla Grodd, aka Billy “Fed Up” Long, nabbed Missouri Right to Life’s support. Still, as frequent Fired Up! readers already know, it’s a bit more complicated than that. 

In the Globe's latest installment of their "100 words project," Sen. Gary Nodler (R-Joplin) gives readers a list of "the worst examples of federal spending without constitutional authority." 

One hundred words is not enough for a comprehensive list, so I will use a slightly abbreviated version of a list proposed by Howard Phillips of the worst examples of federal spending without constitutional authority: AIDS education (there is no constitutional authority for this program), family planning, “dues” to the United Nations, office of the U.S. trade representative, the Legal Services Corporation, Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), sex education, the U.S. Department of Education, FDA-authorized distribution of RU-486, foreign aid, welfare for non-citizens.

Fellow Sen. Jack Goodman also advocates for the elimination of Departments of Education Energy "and others," which he says "have usurped state and local authority." 

These are strange times we live in.  Nodler and Goodman are aware that all of these programs and departments existed before January 2009, right?  The Department of Education, United Nations and "foreign aid" even existed when Nodler was working for Congressman Gene Taylor in the '70s and '80s. But Nodler says they're all "federal spending without constitutional authority" now...

Politico's Dave Catanese reported yesterday that Missourians United for Life, an organization founded by now-congressional candidate Ed Martin, endorsed state Sens. Jack Goodman and Gary Nodler in the Seventh Congressional District GOP primary.  Last week, Missouri Right to Life endorsed auctioneer Billy Long in the contest after giving Goodman and Nodler "mixed" ratings, causing some heartburn for Southwest Missouri Republicans.

Duane Graham flags a Joplin Globe article in which CD7 candidates Gary Nodler and Jack Goodman describe any incentive package for Ford to update its Claycomo assembly plant as a "bailout." Nodler:

[R]esidents of Southwest Missouri strongly opposed the federal auto bailout, and I’m not sure I see any indication they would be more enthusiastic about a state bailout. It’s still taxpayer dollars, directed at a specific industry.

Astute readers will recall similar complaints from Nodler last year regarding "taxpayer dollars directed at a specific industry" when he added line-items for Joplin-based Eagle Picher and other companies so they could secure federal grants and create at least 500 new jobs. Oh, wait, nevermind. 

Nodler has also defended the Congressional earmark process, while trying to invent a new self-serving definition for the term (to be used only by Gary Nodler).

As you may or may not know, Gary Nodler is a lot smarter than you, and has what it takes to be The Best Congressman of All Time. Just ask him. 

Or, you could head over to The Turner Report and spend about twenty minutes watching him explain his awesomeness to the MSU Pachyderms. There, you can watch him talk (at length) about how long he's been in politics, how he's worked for just about every Republican ever, and how his opponents are a basically just a bunch of rubes. 

I'm a glutton for punishment, and watched the whole thing (!).  Here are a few highlights interesting bits:

Lets be real, Jeff Wisdom, who is Republican Candidate for Congress in the 7th CD supports torture and is unacceptable, no if ands or buts. But when Gary Nodler and the criminals in GOP/Newton County bar Wisdom from speaking because he is on active duty in the Gulf, is the reason why we must court the military vote better!

Newton Co. is in Gary's territory, and based on Wisdoms press release, they have refused to let him speak at a forum because he is absent. Freedom of speech is imperitive for the future of our Country! Will someone tell Wisdom that he has been lead down the Primrose Path and reach out to him? Gary Nodler is behind this, and needs to be exposed MORE for the POS that he is.
( My since passed Vet father would SH$t bricks if he were still around...)

Wait for Gary to run for cover on this ..... just like BP....

The Joplin Globe reports that legislation to clear up state law regarding local "stacked" sales taxes "is pretty much dead." The fix was sponsored by the formidable duo of Ron Richard (the Most Powerful Man in Missouri) and Birther Rep. Tim Jones, but couldn't get past Sen. Jason Crowell (and maybe Gary Nodler?).

Joplin's lobbyist, Gary Burton, pins the blame squarely on Crowell, who "killed the bill’s chances by amending it to require that the loser in a tax-stacking lawsuit pay the attorney fees of all the parties in the lawsuit."

The Globe also quotes a Municipal League associate, who wonders aloud who benefits from Crowell's moves.  Crowell isn't fighting "for the taxpayers," for sure. 

Normally I do not blog but this was too much to resist.

Started out last night at “The Spot” in Jeff City. For those who don't know it it's near Madison and High. A couple of guys who were well on their way to a hangover, were getting a little loud, laughing it up and generally having a good time, no doubt Republicans based on their brand of drink and the inability to engage in a conversation without dropping the F Bomb as a noun, verb or adjective. Always fun to watch and listen as the NeoCons usually give up info when they are drinking.

Subject: Gary Nodler et al.

They were laughing their collective asses off at some internal poll that was just completed in Gary’s race placing him 4th!! behind some unknowns and Jack Goodman. I had to look up who Jack was to put his name here, as I do not follow that race even though I was raised in Branson. One of them countered that he polled 1st in his district tied with someone else. They were more interested conversing about what a terrible campaign both Nodler and someone who likes gambling were running. They had a ball! 
 

The News-Leader's Chad Livengood had a story yesterday about Sen. Gary Nodler's election year interest in disassociating himself with funding for two programs in his state senate district: (1) a storm shelter at Missouri Southern State University and (2) forgivable loans for high-tech batterymakers in Lee's Summit and Joplin.  As Randy Turner notes, Nodler seems to have had "no problems letting everyone give him the credit for the Missouri Southern "storm shelter" and an appropriation for Joplin-based Eagle Picher, but now that it has become a campaign issue, Nodler is attempting to distance himself from the so-called earmarks."

I've been hearing this over and over for the past several weeks.

With the Mo-7th CD Jack Goodman is currently polling in first, but is not showing us a surge in the polls. Maybe too early but with Tim Davis having a lock on the nomination. I'm curious to see who will face off with him in November.

For several weeks now, I've been hearing rumors that Mo GOP as well as others in the opposition are pressing him to run against Jay Nixon in 2012 and will start to Campaign within a year and that his Congressional run is just basic training for the start.

Does this mean Nodler is the pick? PA--LEZE. This will be easy then..

In the News-Press, Sen. Gary Nodler says his move to gut the House-supported stacked taxes fix may "discourage" legal challenges from folks like former Rep. Tom Burcham, but "leaves the status quo in place."

There's something very odd about this move from Nodler.  The current law is unclear -- some judges have allowed cities to pass multiple sales taxes, relying on a Department of Revenue interpretation, but other judges have said that practice is improper.  Burcham has gone all over the state looking for towns to sue (though curiously, he's not interested in suing his own town of Farmington). 

The Star reports that Sen. Gary Nodler (R-Joplin) has removed language from a House-passed bill that would clear up ambiguities in the state's rules on "stacked" sales taxes in municipalities.  Former state Rep. Tom Burcham -- who happens to be a major fundraiser for Majority Leader Steve Tilley (R-Perryville) and practice law in Sen. Kevin Engler's (R-Farmington) hometown -- has developed quite the racket exploiting the ambiguities, much to the chagrin of local taxpayers.

In December, the News-Leader reported that Tilley, Engler and Burcham had struck a deal to end the lawsuits and pass a legislative fix.  The House passed a fix in a bill (HB1442) sponsored by Birther Rep. Tim Jones (R-Eureka) with a "crushing majority."  But Nodler has introduced a committee substitute that would keep towns -- including Joplin -- in a bad spot.  The Star:

But in the Senate today, Sen. Gary Nolder, a Joplin Republican, introduced a substitute bill completely erasing Jones' language and putting in its place a measure that would require those suing a city to pay the city's legal fees should the court rule in the city's favor.

Informed of the substitute bill, Jones expressed dismay.

"If that is the change, then it avoids fixing the original problem," he said. "It removes the solution to the original problem."

Nodler acknowledged that issue and said he was reluctant to change the bill in a way that left the central ambiguity intact, but had to do so to prevent a filibuster that would risk killing other elements of the bill.

You should know this already.  But if you don't, you'll know it when you see his SUV parked in places we little people can't park at Royals games.  Indeed, he's actually doing all those Royals fans a favor, letting them get so close to him.

Thanks to reader TNS for the photo.

"I am very happy that the Supreme Court has protected me from tax and spend liberals like you."

Sen. Jason Crowell (R-Cape Girardeau) to Sen. Gary Nodler (R-Joplin) during last night's floor debate on collecting sales taxes for Internet purchases.

Thanks to Missourinet for the audio of the full debate. Here is the glorious finish of their exchange:

More brilliant logic from Sen. Gary Nodler (R-Joplin), posted yesterday at The Fuse Joplin:

Responding to the fact that many of our allies, like Great Britain, allow homosexuals to serve openly, Nodler says, "The fact is, in Iraq, and for a period of time in Afghanistan, that happens to be the force that has the highest casualty rate." Continuing, "I can’t say with any certainty that I have any proof that that’s because there’s less comfort from the Iraqis and Afghanis in dealing with those forces, but it might be.

“I believe the highest casualty rate in any of the allied forces has in fact been Great Britain,” Nodler concluded, implying some sort of correlation with casualties and the allowance of homosexuals to serve in the military openly.

Sen. Gary Nodler (R-Joplin) and Sen. Jack Goodman (R-Mount Vernon) are both running in the GOP primary to replace Roy Blunt in Congress for the 7th District.

Sometimes in a primary contest, candidates get grumpy with their opponents. Yesterday, it seems, Nodler was unhappy with a Goodman staffer.  So, as any dignified state senator and congressional hopeful might do, Nodler took his complaints to Facebook.

• Last night at 9:05pm: Will Lynch of Senator Goodman's office in Jefferson City has embarrased [sic] the Senator by making false claims about my filing. He said I claim to be from Springfield. My filing correctly listed my home address as Joplin and also correctly listed the campaign address in Springfield, where the campaign treasurers office is located.
• Last night at 9:08pm: I don't believe that my friend Jack Goodman would approve of this childish negative campaign activity from someone in his office.

Honestly: Are there any problems Facebook can't solve?