Partisanship

Kit Bond has been delaying a vote on President Barack Obama’s nominee to lead the General Services Administration, Martha Johnson, for months because he wants money appropriated for a federal office building in downtown Kansas City. The LA Times:

[T]he nomination became another example for the Obama administration of how the political process in Washington has been poisoned by politics that often have nothing to do with the merits. Just this week, Obama brought up the nomination in his session with Senate Democrats when he called for both sides of the aisle to work toward pragmatic solutions to problems.

At a fundraiser in Springfield yesterday, Thomas Schweich promised to be a "loyal Republican" partisan in conducting audits on behalf of Missourians if he's elected Auditor:

Schweich, who has conducted audits in the private and government sectors, has made auditing the nearly $5 billion in federal economic stimulus money Missouri will receive a cornerstone of his campaign.

"There's an important policy reason that this auditor's race is so important, and there's also a very significant reason from a political standpoint if you're a loyal Republican," said Schweich, a Washington University law professor and former ambassador to Afghanistan.

More partisanship!  That's what people really want from their State Auditor -- an overt partisan agenda. 

Scrapping the non-partisan courts plan would make Missouri's judicial selection process as nasty and partisan as the fight we're seeing right now over Sonia Sotomayor.

Rep. Tim Jones feels so strongly about Republican efforts to inject partisanship back into the state's judicial system that he's absolutely refused to take a position on the matter.

Yesterday, he was the only legislator to vote "present" on the GOP's constitutional amendment.

Today, he voted "present" again, showing  the kind of bold leadership that makes you well up with pride.

What inspired this overwhelming display of courage?  He won't say.  Just that "it's a personal choice."

Stay tuned for audio of Jones' bold stand from the House floor.