Kinder Staffer the Latest GOP "Consultant" to Electioneer on the Clock

Peter Kinder must really want to see Democratic Senator Frank Barnitz lose his re-election bid to former dancer Susie Snyders. Why else would the Lieutenant Governor let one of his official staffers run the Snyders campaign, at times using state equipment and resources to do so?

Because it's an unwritten rule that every Republican aide who works in the capitol must also have a front "consulting firm" through which they funnel their political pay, Kinder staffer Jerry Dowell created Dowell Consulting Group LLC in February of this year. Shortly thereafter, presumably because there wasn't enough to do in the Lieutenant Governor's office, Dowell took over the reins of the candidacy of the startlingly amateurish Susie Snyders for state senate. 

Dowell quickly implemented some campaign masterstrokes, including sending young men in their twenties to impersonate the 60-plus year old Snyders at candidate forums by reading statements that begin, "My name is Susie Snyders and I am a candidate for the 16th senatorial district...". Genius. 

In another bold move, Dowell began sending email messages (that, specifically, discounted the value Rolla Daily News online polling) to broad distribution lists as a representative of the Snyders campaign. The only problem with those messages was that he sent them from his BlackBerry which included auto-signature that said "Jerry Dowell, Office of Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder." Very, very slick. I wonder if Dowell's is one of those BlackBerries that the state pays for?

Given the propensity of Republican capitol staff --like Tom Dempsey aide Tom Smith-- to politick on the clock, some even going so far as to turn in bogus timesheets for the days that they were out on the trail, someone probably ought to look into whether Kinder's office has played by the rules where use of his staff and state resources are concerned.

Of course, Kinder and Dowell could clear all of this up right away by making available Dowell's timesheets for 2006 as well as records of his pay from both the state of Missouri and the campaign of Snyders for Senate. How 'bout it, boys?