Jack Goodman

The Post-Dispatch editorial page has an impressive snapshot this weekend of the things our legislators are focusing on that do little or nothing to improve the lives of working Missourians.  The Editorial Board calls them "mean" pieces of legislation -- "[A] truly mean bill creates hardship for classes of people without sound public purpose. A truly mean bill is based on prejudice, not fact. A truly mean bill is gratuitously nasty." 

BOTTOM LINE: The Mean Girls & Boys Club is after the working poor, immigrants (legal and illegal), non-English speakers, children, more children, the poor, the disabled, the elderly, non-Christians, workers rights, their own colleagues and maybe cancer patients.

And Missouri wonders why it has trouble attracting jobs.

Bills that made the cut include the push to gut the state's voter-approved minimum wage law, provide drivers' tests in English only, deregulate child labor, drug test TANF recipients in a poorly-conceived manner and disenfranchise tens of thousands of Missourians to help GOP electoral efforts.  

The best part of the editorial, though, may be the R.J. Matson cartoon embedded here.  Some of the likenesses are fantastic, and others are a little harder to figure out.  But based on the article and art, here is the cast in the cartoon above, from left to right: Kevin Elmer (R-Nixa), Brad Lager (R-Savannah), Bill Stouffer (R-Napton), Jane Cunnigham (R-Chesterfield), Jack Goodman (?) (R-Mt. Vernon), Jerry Nolte (R-Gladstone), Steve Cookson (R-Fairdealing), Doug Funderburk (R-St. Peters), Kevin Engler (R-Farmington), Stanley Cox (R-Sedalia), Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D-University City).  

Farrah Fite, Communications Director for Missouri Senate Majority Caucus, tweets out the new GOP leadership team:

• Sen. Rob Mayer, President Pro Tem
• Sen. Tom Dempsey, Majority Floor Leader
• Sen. Jack Goodman, Asst. Majority Floor Leader
• Sen. Bill Stouffer, caucus chair
• Sen. Eric Schmitt, caucus secretary
• Sen. Mike Parson, caucus whip

The general assumption on High Street is that Sen. Kevin Engler (R-Farminton) will be promoted by his Republican colleagues from Majority Floor Leader to President Pro Tem in the next legislative session.  However, as members prepare to return to Jefferson City for tomorrow's veto session, there is increased speculation that Engler's advancement is not a done deal. 

Depending on ambition and willingness to tolerate risk of Sens. Brad Lager, Jack Goodman, and Jim Lembke, a shake-up could be on the horizon.

As it stands now, Kurt Schaefer and David Pearce both appear to be on the hot seat.  Schaefer is currently the Vice-Chair of the Appropriations Committee, a spot openly coveted by Lembke.  Engler may be required to offer this spot to Lembke to prevent a Sleeper Cell coup.  Pearce is currently the Chair of the Education Committee, but contributes little to the Caucus -- could a grumpy Jane Cunningham be assuaged to support Engler's bid if she becomes the new Chair?

It's not hard to read between the lines in this News-Leader story about state Sen. Jack Goodman's tepid endorsement of Billy Long:

In a carefully worded statement Tuesday, Missouri State Sen. Jack Goodman encouraged people to vote for Billy Long to keep a Republican in Congress...

Goodman could not be reached for comment, but his campaign advertising manager, John Thompson, said he was authorized to release Goodman's statement:

"The Republican primary voters spoke on August 3, nominating Roy Blunt for U.S. Senate and Billy Long for U.S. Congress, and I respect the voice of the voters.

Goodman's lukewarm support for Long might have something to do with Long's campaign commercial calling him a "career politician" and suggesting he was behind "false ads" from an independent committee.

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.

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...

A new web video from Jack Goodman's congressional campaign attacks Barack Obama and other unnamed Democrats as "those who wish to destroy" "freedom and liberty," and "undo the gifts of our founders."  Consistent with Republican efforts to strip words of all meaning, Goodman also describes the health care reform law as "socialized healthcare."

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.

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! 
 

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..

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?

Billy Long, the Republican auctioneer trying to replace Roy Blunt in Congress, has signed the Citizens Against Government Waste's pledge to oppose "irresponsible, corrupt" earmark spending. 

Fellow CD7 candidate Sen. Jack Goodman signed the same pledge in October, and has described the earmarking practice celebrated by Blunt and Sen. Kit Bond as "awful." Candidates Darrell Moore and Jeff Wisdom have made similar promises.

Roll Call has a rundown of Jack Goodman's consulting team for his bid in the crowded 7th Congressional District primary. 

Miles Ross will serve as Goodman’s campaign manager. Ross was most recently the executive director of Friends of Roy Blunt, plus was Goodman’s campaign manager for his state Senate campaign in 2005.

David Barklage will serve as Goodman’s general consultant. Barklage advised Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder (R) and freshman Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R) in 2008.

American Viewpoint Vice President Randall Gutermuth will be Goodman’s pollster, while John Thompson will advise communications and John B. Morgan will consult on politics and demographics.

Barklage was last seen handicapping Sarah Steelman's chances for the US Senate based on her outreach to establishment insiders like himself.

Concerned that none of the other announced candidates are sufficiently conservative, Greene County Circuit Clerk Steve Helms is doing what all prospective candidates for Roy Blunt's seat are doing-- talking to David Catanese.

[Helms] said that not all of the candidates are conservative "in all areas," adding "I'm not saying I would fit the bill." "President Obama is making us a very socialistic nation, and I'm just very concerned," Helms said, citing Newt Gingrich's leadership numerous times during our conversation.

I don't know how Helms has reached the conclusion that Sen. Jack Goodman, auctioneer Billy Long, Nixa alderman Kevin Elmer and Convoy of Hope President Hal Donaldson lack the ability to stem the socialist tide, but it sure says a lot about the mainstream values Helms would take to Congress.