Rob Schaaf

In last week's House debate on autism insurance legislation, Rep. Rob Schaaf (R-St. Joseph) proposed an amendment that would expand Medicaid to cover all newly-born children with autism.  His amendment was ultimately defeated by a 65-87 vote, presumably because of concerns about the cost of the bill. 

During the floor debate, Schaaf was asked to explain why he wasn't trying to cover more children with Medicaid. Schaaf's response was pretty...incredible.

QUESTION: You're saying we have the huge payoff under autism, by paying covering these children who are autistic.  And the state's going to get a large payoff over time because we're going to drive those expenses down, and ultimately there will be a payback to the state.  What's the difference on that -- or would you agree -- that we'd have just as much benefit to the state if we covered children with leukemia and children with heart problems, because those children with autism can currently also go to the high risk pool?

SCHAAF: No, but they can't get ABA [applied behavior analysis] in the high risk pool. They can't. It's not available. But the kids with leukemia and heart problems, instead of being a burden on the state for 65 years, they'll just die of leukemia and heart problems.

The Missouri Democratic Party has posted videos captured by their tracker from the Chuck Purgason's campaign stop in St. Joseph Thursday.

Here's Rep. Rob Schaaf praising Purgason for his independence from lobbyists, hard work , being a "non-RINO Republican" and fiscal conservatism. "If they voters have any brains, they will elect him to be our next United States Senator," he said.  

Emboldened by the success of Scott Brown's outsider campaign in Massachusetts, State Sen. Chuck Purgason's campaign appeared to be picking up a little steam at a stop in St. Joseph last night.  In his report on Purgason's visit to St. Joseph, News-Press reporter Ken Newton writes that Purgason's campaign "carried an extra spark" because of Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts Tuesday. 

Indeed, Newton reports that Purgason now has the public support of two area legislators -- Reps. Jim Guest and Rob Schaaf.  

“Maybe he’ll be the Scott Brown of Missouri,” said state Rep. Jim Guest, R-King City, referring to the Massachusetts senator-elect...

State Rep. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, offered Mr. Purgason his endorsement. “He’s the true Republican in this race,” the representative said.

Purgason has relentlessly criticized Roy Blunt straying from "the principles of our party" in Washington, especially for Republicans' deficit spending, support for earmark spending, leadership in passing the TARP bailout and support for the Cash for Clunkers stimulus program. 

Rep. Rob Schaaf (R-St. Joseph) talks about looking for a new fundraiser in The News-Press

Dr. Schaaf said he was aware of people in Mr. Jetton’s firm that were starting their own company, but that he was considering other firms as well.

“It’s not an insurmountable problem,” he said of finding a new firm. “We just have to roll with the punches.”

A partial list:

• Senator Jason Crowell
• Senator Luann Ridgeway
• Majority Floor Leader Steve Tilley
• Senator Rob Mayer
• Majority Whip Brian Nieves
• Rep. Sue Allen
• Rep. Tim Jones
• Rep. Shelley Keeney
• Rep. Rob Schaaf
• Rep. Shane Schoeller
• Rep. Rick Stream
• Rep. Dwight Scharnhors
• Rep. Don Ruzicka
• Mattie Ransom for Liberty School Board
• Jeff Moore for Liberty City Council

Missouri Republican Party Communications Director Jon Prouty and Rep. Scott Dieckhaus(R-Washington) have both tweeted their outrage today with comments from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said opponents of health care reform are on the wrong side of history, like opponents of women's suffrage, civil rights for minorities and abolishing slavery. (Reid's full quote may be found here.)

While it's dicey to make this sort of historical analogy, outraged Republicans might consider that Reid's words indict former Democratic leaders as much as – and maybe more than – Republican leaders.

Prouty, Diekhaus and their Missouri Republican colleagues should also remember their complete lack of outrage regarding comments from Rep. Rob Schaaf (R-St. Joseph) who said that government health care for low-income children isn't like slavery – it is slavery.

For your Monday morning amusement/confusion, here's one of the least persuasive anti-reform commercials imaginable, starring Rep. Rob Schaaf (R-St. Joseph):

The goal of the ad seems pretty straightforward, though bizarre: to convince opponents of health care reform that they’re somehow oppressed by the 12% of people who told Rasmussen right after the August tea party insanity that some portion of opponents were motivated by racism.  And with the solidarity that comes with such persecution, maybe they can rally together to stop the “total government take-over of the healthcare system” (another ridiculous claim).

It's not just Rob Schaaf who's concerned about moves to enslave the American people; it runs out Glenn Beck is also concerned about the tyrannical desires of people of my ilk.

Yesterday, on his show: "We call them progressives now, but back in Samuel Adams’ day, they used to call them tyrants. A little later, I think they were also called slave owners."

Earlier this year, many in the General Assembly focused on pedestrian matters like health care, economic development or education. Others, however, fought to protect Missourians from greater threats, like fluoridation and the coercive "subcutaneous implantation of electronic tracking devices."  One of the Representatives taking on the Big Issues was Jim Guest (R-King City).

Late last year, James Walbert went to court, to stop his former business associate from blasting him with mind-altering electromagnetic radiation. Walbert told the Sedgwick County, Kansas panel that Jeremiah Redford threatened him with “jolts of radiation” after a disagreement over a business deal. Later, Walbert, said, he began feeling electric shock sensations, hearing electronically generated tones, and getting popping and ringing sounds in his ears. On December 30th, the court decided in Walbert’s favor, and issued a first-of-its-kind order of protection, banning Redford from using “electronic means” to further harass Walbert. No, seriously...

Walbert’s cause is supported by Jim Guest, a Republican member of the Missouri House of Representatives. He's working on proposed legislation to addresses electronic harassment, including a bill against the forced implantation of RFID chips.

Sadly, Representative Rob Schaaf will be term-limited in 2010, bringing his glorious crusade against all forms of slavery -- both real and imagined -- to a close. However, Schaaf has apparently already picked a successor: Northwest Missouri Republican Club President Mik Chester.

Schaaf wasted no time in picking Chester, donating to his campaign just days after its formation. 

Dr. Schaaf's early support is probably a pretty good indication that St. Joseph voters can expect yet another candidate who'll put right-wing ideology above commonsense policies to improve the lives of working families.

It used to be the case that "when government forces a person to work and pay the fruit of their hard earned labor and gives it to the benefit of someone else...that is slavery."

However, now that Abolitionist Rob Schaaf has decided that high-risk adults who'd be covered under the new House-Senate budget compromise "really deserve our help," and we're no longer talking about slavery. 

Contrast that with poor children who'd benefit from SCHIP are a bunch of greedy, lazy jerks who want to destroy The American Dream. That was slavery, because if there's any segment of the population that does not "really deserve our help" -- it's poor children.

See the difference?

Last night, Ron Richard's frustration with Rob Schaaf boiled over. Schaaf, as you know, has been under fire recently for his claims that health care for poor children was akin to slavery, and defiantly refused to apologize for the claim.  He finally apologized yesterday, but only after causing much heartburn for the GOP leadership. 

In brilliant parliamentary move, Richard ignored House rules to gavel down Schaaf's request for a roll call vote on a proposed amendment.  Under House rules, when a Representative gets five other Members to stand in support their request, they're entitled to roll call vote.  Schaaf had a few dozen people on his side, but was gaveled down by the Speaker.

Listen to the instant classic (Richard is the first voice you hear, Schaaf is the "Gentleman from Buchanan"):

After refusing to apologize for weeks and promising to frame any condemnation of his speech equating SCHIP with slavery, Rob Schaaf is sorry.

He's sorry that his "comments were not taken the way he intended them to be taken," and acknowledges he bears "some responsibility for that."  He apparently wasn't talking about the slavery of African Americans when he said Democrats want to reverse the actions of Abraham Lincoln -- he was just talking about a more general kind of "economic slavery" that is unrelated to Abraham Lincoln.

He also defended his long refusal to apologize on the grounds that such an apology might limit his ability to talk about slavery in the future.

Thankfully, Schaaf has also forgiven all the meanies who didn't like his talk of slavery, on the condition that they promise not be offended about future conversations of "economic slavery":

I forgive those who have since made hurtful comments about me. But my apology comes with a request. I am also asking my Democrat friends and my African American friends to please not be offended by nor to try to limit our ability in this chamber to have a discussion about the economic enslavement of the taxpayers by our government. It is a valid topic about which many Americans care and it is worthy of unemotional debate.

Read More »

As the House Ethics Committee prepares to consider a condemnation of Rep. Rob Schaaf's speech equating children's health care with slavery, Schaaf remains defiant and proud of his speech. Amazingly, he denies that he likened SCHIP to slavery and promises that if the Ethics Committee condemns his actions, he will "frame it and put it on the wall."

To refresh your memory, here's the speech in which Schaaf didn't equate SCHIP with slavery, and didn't say that Abraham Lincoln "tried to end [slavery] in this country, and they [supporters of the SCHIP proposal] want to bring it back!" 

What a guy.