Approximately three hundred individuals from across the state gathered Saturday morning near the James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Building in Jefferson City for a march to a rally at the Capitol in support of women's rights.
The march to the Capitol.
In the two hours as people gathered in the staging area for the march near the James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Building they took the opportunity to introduce themselves to each other, visit, talk politics and policy, exchange ideas for signs, and take photographs.
Nancy Maxwell, the Democratic Party candidate in the 54th Legislative District,
in the staging area before the start of the march to the Capitol.
Missouri Women mobilizing to protest against "war on women"
[JEFFERSON CITY]--- On Saturday, April 28, 2012 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, women and men from around the state of Missouri will gather for a rally at the Missouri State Capitol Building to say "Enough is Enough." Speakers slated to appear include Missouri Lieutenant Governor Candidate and past Missouri State Auditor Susan Montee, Missouri 4th Congressional House of Representatives Candidate Teresa Hensley, Planned Parenthood Mid-Missouri Public Policy Manager Michelle Trupiano, and Missouri National Organization for Women (NOW) Vice-President Claire Major. Additional speakers and entertainment will be included.
The event is hosted by Unite Against the War on Women, a new organization rapidly gaining steam nationwide. Concurrent rallies are scheduled for all 50 states that day in a show of strength against recent threats to women's rights.
"It is essential that we stand up for our rights now and work together against this effort to destroy women's rights. On April 28th, we will have the opportunity to join a national movement against the war on women. Join us to give your support," Paula Willmarth, co-leader of Unite Women Missouri stated.
While the immediate impetus for Unite Women is the assault on reproductive rights, the threat to women is inclusive of other concerns, including education, equal pay for equal work, voter suppression and crimes against women and children.
DETAILS FOR THE MARCH:
10:00-10:30am Gather at James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Bldg.
10:30-11:00am Marching East on Main Street to South Lawn of Capitol
11:00am-12:00pm Rally for Unite Women on South Lawn of Capitol
Missouri Endorsers Of UNITE Women include Capitol Women's Political Caucus · Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) · Coffee Party USA
Greater Kansas City Women's Political Caucus · Mid-Missouri Progressive Women · Missouri AAUW
Missouri Federation of Women's Democratic Clubs · Missouri NOW · Missouri Planned Parenthood · Missouri ProVote
Missouri Women's Leadership Coalition · Missouri Women's Political Caucus · Missouri Women's Network
NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri · NOW - Kansas City Metro · PROMO · Women's Political Caucus of Metro St. Louis
National Endorsers Of UNITE Women include Advocates for Youth · A is For · Americans for Separation of Church and State
Breakthrough · Catholics for Choice · Center for Inquiry · Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW)
Code Pink - Women for Peace · Coffee Party USA · Feminist Peace Network · iHollaback
Institute for Science and Human Values · Katrina vanden Heuvel (Editor & Publisher "The Nation" Magazine)
9 to 5 - National Association of Working Women · The National Equal Rights Amendment Alliance
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health · National League of Latin American Citizens · National Organizations for Women
National Women's Political Caucus · Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice · This Slut Votes
Fighting back. A video promoting the march and rally in Jefferson City next weekend:
Susan Montee: On Saturday, April twenty-eighth women and men from all over Missouri will gather here in Jefferson City to march and rally for women's rights. They'll be joining a nationwide movement in all fifty states and we'd like you to join us.
Unite Against The War On Women. Some people have a problem with the words war on women. They say it's too extreme. But just look where we are. There's no denying the record number of laws passed in the last year restricting women's reproductive rights. And what about the rash of proposed invasive laws, some requiring unnecessary medical procedures?
And we are fighting battles we thought we already won, like the nineteen ninety-four Violence Against Women Act that the Republican Congress just failed to renew.
When I began my career in politics I fought for equal opportunities for women in the workforce. As a city council member in St. Joseph, Missouri I stood against those who said there were no women in many important government positions because women were not interested in those kind of jobs.
Today we're still fighting the same fights and struggling for equal pay. Women earn seventy-seven cents out of every dollar a man makes. And over their lifetime that can be hundreds of thousands of dollars and impact Social Security and pensions.
With the upcoming election and so many issues at stake it's time to make our voices heard. Join the march and attend the rally.
The priorities are women's rights and civil rights, women's reproductive rights, women's economic equality and worker's rights, and protecting women and children from violence and abuse.
We have to be vigilant. Many of the rights that we've already fought for are under assault or have already been turned back.
Here in Missouri the march will take place in Jefferson City beginning at ten a.m. Everyone will gather at the Secretary of State office building and march to the capitol where the rally will be held. There will be a number of speakers addressing important issues, both nationally and locally, and a call to action here in Missouri.
Courtney Cole: Our goals for the march are to increase public awareness of issues that are important to women, to advance women in the political process and policy making process so that our concerns are addressed by women, and to get women involved in the legislative and political process. We need women to get involved, take action, and vote.
Susan Montee: this is an opportunity for every woman who cares about our rights, our well being, and the future of our daughters to unite with women across Missouri and America in making a difference. And men, we need you, too. Men who support our cause, we want you there with us. Without you we can't succeed.
We Are Women March, Missouri. Saturday, April twenty-eighth in Jefferson City starting at ten a.m. at the Secretary of State building with the rally on the capitol steps starting around eleven. For more information visit our Facebook page.
Courtney Cole: Enough is enough. Stop the war on women.
Susan Montee: Stand up for women's rights. Join us April twenty-eighth and let your voice be heard.
Johnson County Democrats met at the Trails Regional Library in Warrensburg at 7:30 p.m. to elect delegates and alternates to the 4th Congressional District meeting (and Missouri Democratic Party Convention) in the next step of the national convention delegate selection process. Unlike the republican beauty contest primary in February and their subsequent public relations disaster (and in some cases amusing) caucuses, the Democratic Party primary on the same date was binding as to the distribution of delegates.
People interested in participating started showing up and signing in around 7:00 p.m. The doors were closed at 7:30 p.m. If an individual showed up after 7:30 p.m. they could observe, but not participate.
The Johnson County chair appointed a temporary caucus chair who the ran the election for the permanent caucus chair. Once that process was finished the caucus proceeded to make nominations for and elect delegates and alternates to the congressional district meeting in April. Each congressional district is allocated a certain number of national convention delegates and alternates to be elected at those meetings. Those same county delegates and alternates will also attend and vote at the Missouri Democratic Party Convention in June for at-large national delegates and alternates.
Brennan Wallace (center), age 17, was elected a delegate to the 4th Congressional District meeting (and the state Democratic Convention). Under party rules he can run as a delegate if he will be old enough to vote in the November General Election. He will be. Brennan is running to be a delegate to the national convention.
Gary Grigsby (left), a candidate in the 51st legislative District encompassing part of Johnson County,
was elected the caucus chair and ran the delegate and alternate elections.
Nancy Maxwell from Holden, Missouri, the Democratic Party candidate in the 54th Legislative District,
will be facing Denny Hoskins (r) in the November general election.
Courtney Cole, the Democratic Party candidate in the 121st Legislative District in 2010, on being elected a delegate to the 4th Congressional
District meeting, stated, "Hey, I finally won an election!" The entire caucus broke out in laughter.
....But once Ms. Smith confessed, a new villain had to be found to keep our own internal demons at bay. Enter Newt Gingrich, who rushed into action on election eve with another reliable generic culprit: society. He said the double murder "vividly reminds every American how sick the society is getting and how much we need to change things," expediently adding that "the only way you get change is to vote Republican."
Hmmm, that sounds suspiciously like someone was exploiting a tragedy for political purposes, right before an election, even. And the real story got even worse when the facts came out long after that election:
...Susan Smith's stepfather, who admitted that he had molested her when she was a teen-ager and had consensual sex with her as an adult, told her and his town that he shared her guilt in the drowning deaths of her young sons....
....Mr. Russell, a former member of the executive committee of the South Carolina Republican Party and a member of the Christian Coalition, read aloud from a letter he had written to Mrs. Smith in jail in which he said that his "heart breaks for what I have done to you...."
[emphasis added]
Can you believe that the inside the beltway cocktail weenie circuit continues to have Newt Gingrich appear on our televisions?
Now, we have a political environment where one group consistently uses violent imagery and eliminationist rhetoric, all while continuing to say, "what, who me?"
So, as near as we can tell Courtney Cole's op-ed about threats of violence directed at individuals running for office has appeared here, at Fired Up!, PoliticMo, in the Kansas City Star, and now, in the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal. Interestingly, the versions in the Star and the Star-Journal don't mention the name of the individual in the police report.
But, of course, we do get the typical right wing republican knee jerk reaction when anyone points out the obvious. This, from a long comment in the Star-Journal from someone with the same name as an unsuccessful republican candidate [pdf] in the 2010 primary for Presiding Commissioner of Johnson County:
As always, someone has to make a tragedy into a political argument, when, as the evidence comes to light, this incident in Tucson was clearly non-political.
I can't grant much credence to Courtney Cole's claims of threats made during the last election. I'm not saying they're untrue, just a bit over blown as were many of her statements in her campaign literature. I doubt that she was every in any real physical danger as the election results indicate that only a few thought she was a viable candidate. She seems to still taste the sour grapes of her recent defeat.
Since Ms. Cole threw herself wholeheartedly into the politics of personal destruction during the campaign (referencing the seemingly unending deluge of vitriolic literature that was sent to me daily by her campaign), for her to be chastising the rest of us for any lack of civility seems a little out of place....
....If we're all to practice more civility, perhaps Courtney Cole should take her own advice and in her next campaign lead us all....
"...I'm not saying they're untrue, just a bit over blown as were many of her statements in her campaign literature..."
Untrue? Uh, Courtney Cole quotes the offender from the police report in his conversation with the investigating officer as reported by that officer. And, of course, pointing out that the republican incumbent failed to pay his taxes (a fact) is definitely "over blown". Ah, the "they all do it" defense. Yes, because a threat of violence is a "bit over blown" and equivalent to campaign literature which points out the actual record of the incumbent.
"...referencing the seemingly unending deluge of vitriolic literature that was sent to me daily by her campaign..."
Project much? Unending deluge? Who outspent who? You mean like this, this, or this? Yeah, stating that someone is "guilty by association", a preeminent American value, in a mailing is so much better than an actual discussion of important issues or the public record.
The commenter evidently thinks everyone else is an idiot.
Are threats of violence like "can you outrun a nine millimeter" acceptable political discourse? Is pointing out the verifiable public record of a candidate the same? Just asking.
I wonder if the commenter spoke up when Newt Gingrich exploited those murders in South Carolina for political purposes. Nah. *IOKIYAR. Being self righteous goes with the territory.
All over America, people spent last weekend in shock over the senseless murder of six people and the wounding of another 13 in Arizona. It was heartbreaking to read quotes from the family of victim 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green that said she was excited about the political process.
Unfortunately, the political process is ill.
In the last election cycle, when I ran for state representative, I received several threats of gun violence on the campaign trail. The most serious involved a municipal elected official in my area. On the day of the primary, I went to a polling location in my district where I stood and greeted individuals as they left the poll after voting. A municipal elected official heard me speaking with another individual about labor issues as he left the poll with his wife. He became very hostile with me and claimed that he would do whatever possible to see that I wasn't elected after hearing my support for workers.
A police report on his side of the event states: "According to him they argued ... until she asked if he was going to hit her. His reply was, 'No, but can you outrun a nine millimeter?'"
To me, this was a threat and I was concerned enough to go to the police. But I didn't draw attention to these incidents during the race. My point in sharing this story now is not to rehash the campaign. I want to offer a specific local example of violence in politics. We would like to think that the vitriol is only a part of the national political scene, however, it made its way to Johnson County, Mo.
I believe we have a responsibility to ourselves, Democrats to Republicans, conservatives to liberals, to respect our democracy and political process as well as each other. Our political environment has become more and more hostile. The unseen victims of the current chaos are all of us. Constructive debate is overshadowed by cheap slams and dishonest robo calls.
Not only does it cost us respect for our neighbors, it crowds out the reason needed to solve our collective problems and make coherent decisions about the future.
We can commit to civility. We can be an example of faith in the democracy that has guided us to being the greatest nation on earth. Just as the mother of the young girl who lost her life last weekend pleads, "I just want her memory to live on because she was a face of hope ... a face of us coming together as a country to stop the violence and hatred and the evil words."
Courtney Cole of Warrensburg, a Democrat, lost in November in her race for state representative in the 121st District, Johnson County, Mo. She is a high school teacher in Higginsville, Mo.
Posted on Tue, Jan. 11, 2011 10:15 PM
It's really interesting to read the online comments from the usual suspects.
Uh, yep:
Sadly this is nothing new. Your district is small, no one knows you. You received one threat. This happens multiple times daily to federal congressional workers and the president. There will always be crazies on both sides of the political spectrum, but the blame is always put upon the republicans simply because of their constitution view of free gun rights which has proven to decrease crime. This debate will go on forever. Every time someone gets shot with a gun, gun control is always brought up...and even if they were tighten this kid could have got a gun anyways legally or illegally.
[emphasis added]
One is one too many.
Reading comprehension isn't this person's strong suit.
"...In the last election cycle, when I ran for state representative, I received several threats of gun violence on the campaign trail...." [empasis added]
Compare Courtney Cole's published Kansas City Star piece above with what ran here on Monday (and at PoliticMo):
....While speaking, the sheriff said that himself it included, "it's not unusual for all public officials to get threats." However, he said the sentiment doesn't come without consequences.
"And that's the sad thing of what's going on in America," he explained. "Pretty soon, we're not going to be able to find reasonable, decent people who are willing to subject themselves to serve in public office."
A representative of the Faux News Channeltook issue with Sheriff Dupnik's words on the subject.
In Holden, Missouri, on August 3, 2010 - from a Holden Police Offense/Incident Report:
Holden Police Department 110 W. Third St. Holden, MO 64040
Offense/Incident Report
....On 08/03/10 at approximately 10:15 hours, reporting officer Cpl. Michael Scott Brandt, #308, was on duty in the City of Holden. I was contacted at the Holden Police Department by Courtney Cole in regards to an incident that occurred outside the Polling center in Holden.
According to Ms. Cole, she was standing outside the polling center speaking to a voter when an argument between herself and a male subject, she identifies as Jim Nipko, began. During their argument Mr. Nipko stated, "I'm not voting for you just based on that. I hate what they are doing. I am going to go get my nine millimeter." According to Ms. Cole, during their argument Ms. Nipko was yelling at Mr. Nipko to get in the car.
I went to Mr. Nipko's residence to speak with him about the incident. Mr. Nipko stated that he did have an argument with a candidate running for office. According to him they argued and increase until she asked if he was going to hit her. His reply was, "No but can you out run a nine millimeter." I told Mr. Nipko that he could not say things like that especially around a polling center. I advised Mr. Nipko that I would need to speak with Major Martin and the Prosecuting Attorney, and that I would get back to him.
All over America, people have spent the weekend in shock over the senseless murder of six people and the wounding of another 13 in Arizona. It was heart breaking to read quotes from the father of nine-year-old, Christina Taylor Green, who was killed in the attack, "She was excited about the political process."
Unfortunately, the political process is ill.
In the last election cycle, when I ran for State Representative, I received several threats of gun violence on the campaign trail. The most serious involved Holden City Councilman Jim Nipko. On the day of the primary, I went to the polling location in Holden where I stood and greeted individuals as they left the poll after voting. Nipko heard me speaking with another individual about labor issues as he left the poll with his wife. He became very hostile with me and claimed that he would do whatever possible to see that I wasn't elected after hearing my support for workers.
Quoting directly from the police report on Nipko's side of the story: "According to him they argued and increased until she asked if he was going to hit her. His reply was, 'No but can you outrun a nine millimeter?'"
To me, this was a threat and I was concerned enough to go to the police. The county prosecutor, Lynn Stoppy, refused to pursue the case, dismissing it as only an implied threat.
I didn't draw attention to these incidents during the race. My point in sharing this story now is not to rehash the past campaign. I want to offer a very specific local example of violence in politics. We would like to think that the vitriol is only a part of the national political scene, however, it made its way to Johnson County.
I believe we have a responsibility to ourselves, Democrats to Republicans, conservatives to liberals, to respect our democracy and political process as well as each other. Our political environment has become more and more hostile. The unseen victims of the current chaos are all of us. Constructive debate is overshadowed by cheap slams and dishonest robo calls. Not only does it cost us respect for our neighbors, it crowds out the reason needed to solve our collective problems and make coherent decisions about the future.
We can commit to civility. We can be an example of faith in the democracy that has guided us to being the greatest nation on earth. Just as the mother of the young girl who lost her life this past weekend pleads, "I want her memory to live on that she's a face of hope...a face of us coming together as a country to stop the violence and hatred and evil words."
Courtney Cole, Warrensburg
Evidently, in our current political environment "can you out run a nine millimeter[?]" now passes for acceptable discourse.
"...Pretty soon, we're not going to be able to find reasonable, decent people who are willing to subject themselves to serve in public office..."
Jill Schupp told me how she spent her summer vacation: campaigning for other Democrats running for state rep. Amid all the tedium of door knocking and phone calling, she did have some excitement--one harrowing moment. She and some other campaigners were leaving a parish picnic where at least a thousand people had gathered and where they had been campaigning for Cyrus Dashtaki. The car (Schupp wasn't driving) suddenly speeded up on its own while the driver had it in reverse. It went downhill backwards through a parking lot, through an area where lots of people were walking, through another parking lot and finally down a hill where it ran into a fence. No one was hurt, all of the pedestrians managed to get out of the way, no other cars were damaged. But Schupp realized "sort of the risk that I was putting people in by just taking them around the state to do this." The people with Schupp were rooting extra hard for Dashtaki to win because they had--and she laughed as she said--"sure been through a lot of trouble to help him."
Unfortunately, Dashtaki was another of the fine candidates who did not prevail. As was Carl Thompson, who was running to replace term limited Rachel Bringer. Bringer, a rep who studied issues carefully, had taken it upon herself to get the freshman Democrats together each session so that she could bring them up to speed on what was happening and answer their questions. Schupp will miss Rachel Bringer, and now that seat won't even be filled by the man that Bringer had high hopes for.
Among those Schupp helped who did get elected is Susan Carlson, who will be taking Rachel Storch's place. Schupp characterized Carlson as "a wonderful, a brilliant attorney" who will do a superb job. Another success was Clem Smith. Schupp and some of her friends--as well as her parents--made phone calls for Smith in the primary. He was running in a safe Democratic district to replace Don Calloway, who gave up that seat to run for the senate.
This brief video will give you the flavor of some of the other races Schupp talked about: Jeanne Kirkton's, Rebecca McClanahan's, Courtney Cole's, and Kelly Schultz's.
The "30 Day After General Election" reports were due in at the Missouri Ethics Commission today. At this point we usually start wading through final campaign reports by race (and we are) and post as many stories as we can on the interesting minutiae and connections we find in our research. In starting that research today we ran into another blatant connection to the robocalls in the 121st Legislative District race. Yes, we were very interested in this race - it had a hardworking and hard charging newcomer in Courtney Cole (D) challenging a republican incumbent who managed to keep shooting himself in the foot. Alas, Denny Hoskins (r) was reelected.
Right at the end of the campaign the Missouri House republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) loosed homophobic robocalls against a number of Democratic candidates across the state, including Courtney Cole, on October 27th. You might want to remember that date.
Of course, the republican candidates disavowed any knowledge of those calls. Wink, wink.
We followed the story and tracked the source of those robocalls:
....The Missouri House republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) filed a "no name" report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on October 29th. There are some enlightening expenditures:
Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made
Committe: HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE INC
ReportDate: 10/29/2010
Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Hoskins $1,288.54
Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Brattin $1,141.13...
That's for Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) in the 121st Legislative District and Rick Brattin (r) in the 124th Legislative District....
On October 29, 2010 Denny Hoskins (r) publicly disavowed any knowledge of the robocalls in the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal:
Warrensburg - Rep. Denny Hoskins sought to distance himself Thursday from a robocall barrage targeting his Nov. 2 Democratic opponent....
....Hoskins said in a prepared statement. "I did not pay for, approve or have any knowledge of the robocall, nor do I condone its message...."
You might want to remember that date.
Denny Hoskins (r) filed his "30 Day After General Election" report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on December 1st. There was an interesting entry in the expenditures:
Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made
Committe: CITIZENS FOR HOSKINS
ReportDate: 12/2/2010
B. ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100 AND ALL PAYMENTS TO CAMPAIGN WORKERS
SURVEY ST. LOUIS PO BOX 432 ST. CHARLES, MO 63302 10/29/2010 PUSH CARDS $1,712.15
[emphasis added]
That's right, on the same day that he disavowed the robocalls, and two days after those calls were made, Denny Hoskins (r) paid the perpetrator of those calls, Survey St. Louis, for campaign paraphernalia. How nice.
The right hand doesn't know what the far right hand is doing? Yeah, right.
So, we thought we do a little searching on Survey St. Louis via the Missouri Secretary of State:
Regular readers here at Show Me Progress may have noted our coverage of the 121st District race. Part of this was due to our proximity to the action, but a larger part was the remarkable person who was the Democratic Party candidate, Courtney Cole - a smart and savvy candidate, a quick study and an individual with a thorough understanding of the nuts and bolts of campaigning. Someone who thrives on door to door voter contact.
In many ways this race was a microcosm of our universe with the added benefit of an incumbent who always somehow managed to find some way to stumble, but in the end somehow still managed to find a way to land on his feet - with the assistance of plenty of cash from the HRCC.
You can safely bet that the representative in the 121st Legislative District will continue to give us plenty to write about. And we'll continue to give him the coverage he and his constituents deserve.
Update:
An e-mail sent by Courtney Cole (D) to her supporters:
...Congratulations on all that we've been able to accomplish with this campaign. This has truly been a positive experience and has provided me with so many opportunities along the way. We never would have had the success that we have without your support and that truly means the world to me.
I will not give up in my fight for what I think is right here in Johnson County. There are people hurting and that motivates me even more to get involved and help however I can to relieve their pain.
In the meantime, please stay informed on what is going on in our local and state governments. Reach out to your officials and respectfully work with them to bring solutions to the problems that we are facing.
The Missouri House republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) filed a "no name" report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on October 29th. There are some enlightening expenditures:
Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made
Committe: HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE INC
ReportDate: 10/29/2010
Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Hoskins $1,288.54
Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Brattin $1,141.13...
That's for Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) in the 121st Legislative District and Rick Brattin (r) in the 124th Legislative District.
A photo taken on Thursday in Harrisonville, Missouri in the 124th Legislative District:
Warrensburg - Rep. Denny Hoskins sought to distance himself Thursday from a robocall barrage targeting his Nov. 2 Democratic opponent....
....Hoskins said in a prepared statement. "I did not pay for, approve or have any knowledge of the robocall, nor do I condone its message...."
A photo taken today in Warrensburg, Missouri in the 121st Legislative District:
Why, that's just across the street from Denny Hoskins' place of business, complete with a campaign sign!
So, who is the representative from the 146th Legislative District?:
Representative Darrell Pollock, a Republican, represents part of Laclede and Camden County (District 146) in the Missouri House of Representatives. Rep. Pollock is a small business owner in Lebanon....
...He has two children, Stephen....
Where have we seen that name before? Oh, wait...someone is in the employ of the HRCC:
MISSOURI ETHICS COMMISSION
EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS MADE
Stephen Pollock Bolivar, MO
9/15/2010
Payroll
$10,330.80 [aggregate]
$750.00
Stephen Pollock Bolivar, MO
9/2/2010
Travel Expense
10,330.80 [aggregate]
$1,098.42
HRCC? What HRCC?
Is someone working for the HRCC driving dad's car around the 121st and 124th Legislative Districts? Around the same time as those robocalls? Just asking.
The Missouri House republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) filed a "no name" report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on October 29th. There are some enlightening expenditures:
Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made
Committe: HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE INC
ReportDate: 10/29/2010
Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Hoskins $1,288.54
Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Brattin $1,141.13
Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Fitzwater $621.78
Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Shumake $871.44
Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Cauthorn $801.69
Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Hampton $1,071.04
Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Leach $983.15
Survey St. Louis, LLC PO Box 432 Saint Charles, MO 63302-0432 10/28/2010 IE GOTV Call-Schneider $896.12
[emphasis added]
Interesting, Denny Hoskins' (r-noun, verb, CPA) campaign in the 121st Legislative District and Rick Brattin's (r) campaign in the 124th Legislative District were the largest beneficiaries of the "GOTV calls" if that's what the campaign finance report label for desperate homophobic robocalls is these days.
Let's take a look at some of the folks who've been funding the HRCC of late:
Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received
Committee: HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE INC
Report Date: 10/29/2010
A. ITEMIZED CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM COMMITTEES REGARDLESS OF THE AMOUNT, OR FROM PERSONS GIVING MORE THAN $100 TO A COMMITTEE.
MO Eye PAC 1705 Christy Dr Ste 101 Jefferson City, MO 65101-5195 10/28/2010 $2,000.00
Verizon Verizon PO Box 2200 Folsom, CA 95763-2200 10/28/2010 $2,500.00
Dealers Interested in Gov PO Box 245 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0245 10/28/2010 $1,500.00
Husch Blackwell LLP Husch Blackwell LLP 190 Carondelet Plz Ste 600 Saint Louis, MO 63105-3433 10/29/2010 $5,500.00
Rightchoice Managed Care, Inc 1831 Chestnut St Saint Louis, MO 63103-2225 10/28/2010 $6,000.00
The Stolar Partnership LLP 911 Washington Ave Saint Louis, MO 63101-1243 10/28/2010 $250.00
Veritec Solutions, LLC Veritec Solutions, LLC 904 W main Street, Suite 100 Jefferson City, MO 65109- 10/29/2010 $500.00
Maybe we'll pick up the phone on Monday to give these folks a call and ask them if the know what their contributions to the HRCC have been funding of late.
We received yet another mailer from Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) today and noticed a little detail that belies this assertion in yesterday's Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal:
...Rep. Denny Hoskins sought to distance himself Thursday from a robocall barrage targeting his Nov. 2 Democratic opponent....
....Hoskins said in a prepared statement. "I did not pay for, approve or have any knowledge of the robocall, nor do I condone its message...."
It's kind of hard to distance yourself from the House republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) when you're wearing their swag in one of the few mail pieces paid for by your own campaign:
Nice shirt. Where'd you get it?
Uh, the HRCC?
Or when the Executive Director of the HRCC walks in the UCM homecoming parade with you, wearing your campaign t-shirt:
Dave Hageman, Missouri Executive Director of Victory Enterprises (left) and
Robert Knodell, Executive Director of the House Republican Campaign Committee (right)
I hope you got out and got some sunshine. I spent my day trying to get in touch with a couple of republican fellows who are up to their armpits in robocall bilge. --BG
I managed, through a source that was promised anonymity, to locate the cell phone numbers of the Executive Director of the HRCC and the Executive Director of Victory Strategies, a political strategy firm that is closely associated with the HRCC.
They are also pretty closely associated with Denny (Noun, Verb, CPA) Hoskins in Warrensburg, as you can see in this photo:
Dave Hageman, Missouri Executive Director of Victory Enterprises (left) and
Robert Knodell, Executive Director of the House Republican Campaign Committee (right)
Marching together in the CMSU UCM homecoming parade kinda makes the whole 'recoil in horror and deny everything' approach Denny has chosen not merely unbelievable, but, frankly, laughable mockworthy.
I first left a message for Mr. Knodell, but I didn't expect a callback. He doesn't even say his name on his voicemail greeting, just his number, but I gave it the old Mizzou try...Keep in mind I hate talking to machines...
"Hi, ah, my name is Tammy Booth and I am a reporter with "They Gave Us a Republic" that's a national web, ah, national news website...they gave us a republic dot com, if you want to look at it...Ah, I was wondering...I'm looking for a man named Robert Knodell, and I'm wondering if I can get a comment on the HRCC decision to pull the robocalls that went out attacking schoolteachers and, and other Democrats, um...at the end of the, ah, that have now been pulled...and if you had a comment on the decision to launch them, and the decision to pull them. Thank you."
I wasn't too pushy...I waited a bit before sending him the following text message:
Hello, I am looking for Robert Knodell and a comment on the robocalls that went out and were quickly pulled. Thank You. Tammy Booth theygaveusarepublic.com
I didn't call Mr. Hageman. He wasn't going to answer for me, and we both knew it, so I just cut to the chase and sent the following message:
Hello Mr. Hageman. My name is Tammy Booth and I am a reporter with the national news site theygaveusarepublic.com I am looking for comments on the decision to first launch, then pull the robocall campaign that accused Democratic candidates of taking money from the gay porn industry? Thank you.
It is now 7:30 p.m. on Friday, and neither of these fellows has seen fit to "man up" as Sharron Angle would say.
I can only assume then that they know they have no excuses, realize that they have done more harm than good (or as my father used to say "stepped on their dicks") and they are bravely laying low 'til Tuesday.
They don't just have "no comment," they have the double-secret "no comment" that no one has to say.
The negative fallout from the House republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) attack robocalls continues locally.
The text of the calls:
Female voice: This is an urgent alert for all Christian families. Before you vote you should know that state representative candidate Courtney Cole has taken hundreds in campaign donations from a representative of the hard core pornography industry, including gay pornography. By allowing her Democratic campaign to be funded by those who are involved with and support hard core pornography Courtney Cole clearly does not share our Christian family values. On election day stand up for what's right and decent by voting no on Courtney Cole. Paid for by House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc.
Warrensburg - Rep. Denny Hoskins sought to distance himself Thursday from a robocall barrage targeting his Nov. 2 Democratic opponent....
....Hoskins said in a prepared statement. "I did not pay for, approve or have any knowledge of the robocall, nor do I condone its message...."
....The Star-Journal received phone calls and e-mails, and a visit from former House Rep. Deleta Williams, all denouncing the House Republican Campaign Committee's robocall content.
"These robocalls that are being made against Courtney Cole and in support of Denny Hoskins, paid for the HRCC, are despicable," Williams said Thursday. "They cross the line of campaign decency. I believe it's a threat to our democracy because more and more good, qualified people will become increasingly reluctant to serve in public office when they know that they or their families may be targeted by these types of tactics."
That distancing thing is really quite interesting.
The Executive Director of Missouri's HRCC, Robert Knodell and Missouri Executive Director of Victory Enterprises, Dave Hageman walked with Denny Hoskins (r) in the UCM homecoming parade on October 23rd wearing Hoskins' campaign t-shirts:
Dave Hageman, Missouri Executive Director of Victory Enterprises (left) and
Robert Knodell, Executive Director of the House Republican Campaign Committee (right)
"...I did not pay for, approve or have any knowledge of the robocall, nor do I condone its message..."
As we previously wrote about those folks walking in the parade:
That makes it difficult for Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) to distance himself from the HRCC, don't you think?
Today the House republican Campaign Committee ran a robocall in the 121st Legislative District attacking Courtney Cole (D) in terms that have never been seen before in this district:
Female voice: This is an urgent alert for all Christian families. Before you vote you should know that state representative candidate Courtney Cole has taken hundreds in campaign donations from a representative of the hard core pornography industry, including gay pornography. By allowing her Democratic campaign to be funded by those who are involved with and support hard core pornography Courtney Cole clearly does not share our Christian family values. On election day stand up for what's right and decent by voting no on Courtney Cole. Paid for by House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc.
Evidently they don't care about the Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, or Wiccan (among many others) families in the district. Or maybe the HRCC feels less urgency for those families. Are they saying their favorite candidate feels the same way? Just asking. They know him better than we do.
A baseless accusation with no substance. Check. Exploiting religion. Check. Homophobia. Check. That's the Missouri republican party for you. And those ain't exactly family values.
The folks in the HRCC who paid for this robocall were walking with Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) and wearing his campaign t-shirt in last weekend's homecoming parade in Warrensburg:
Dave Hageman, Missouri Executive Director of Victory Enterprises (left) and
Robert Knodell, Executive Director of the House Republican Campaign Committee (right)
That makes it difficult for Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) to distance himself from the HRCC, don't you think?
The Missouri republican party continues to prop up Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) with attack mail directed at Courtney Cole (D) in the 121st Legislative District race.
The mail piece disclaimer. Ah, the usual suspects.
The Missouri republican party filed their "8 Day Before General Election" campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on October 25th:
Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made
Committe: MO REPUBLICAN PARTY ReportDate: 10/25/2010
Majority Strategies Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 10/11/2010 IE direct expenditure Hos$6,970.74
Majority Strategies Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 10/21/2010 IE direct expenditure Hos$3,074.27
Majority Strategies Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 10/06/2010 IE direct expenditure Hos$6,151.58
The House republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) is going all in with media buys in the really small media market in the 121st Legislative District race. They not only do small town parades - according to the latest report from the Missouri Ethics Commission, they flood local cable and radio with ads to prop up incumbents. From the HRCC "8 Day Before General Election" campaign finance report filed yesterday:
Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made
Committe: HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE INC ReportDate: 10/25/2010
B. ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100 AND ALL PAYMENTS TO CAMPAIGN WORKERS
Victory Enterprises Davenport, IA 10/13/2010 IE Radio Buy-Hoskins$21,098.74
Victory Enterprises Davenport, IA 10/13/2010 IE Media Buy-Hoskins$19,576.00
[emphasis added]
Yep, that's over $40,000.00 in outside money.
Democratic Party challenger Courtney Cole filed her "8 Day Before General Election" campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on October 25th:
Detailed Summary of Committee Disclosure Report
Committe: COLE FOR HOUSE
1. TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THIS ELECTION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED $68,408.66
2. ALL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $7,735.00
9. TOTAL ALL RECEIPTS THIS ELECTION(SUM 1B + 7A - 8A) $76,643.66
15. TOTAL EXPENDITURES THIS ELECTION (SUM 10B + 14A) $64,387.99
28. MONEY ON HAND AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 25 + 26 - 27) $5,793.33
[emphasis added]
Think about that. The HRCC has propped up Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) with media buys alone that amount to more than half of the money raised by the Democratic Party challenger.
Let's look at some of the latest contributions to Courtney Cole's (D) campaign:
At today's UCM homecoming parade in Warrensburg incumbent Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA), who is locked in a tight campaign for the 121st Legislative District seat with challenger Courtney Cole (D), was accompanied in his stroll through the parade route by three individuals - Robert Knodell, Executive Director of the House Republican Campaign Committee (HRCC); Dave Hageman, Missouri Executive Director of Victory Enterprises; and Wayne Yocum, Senior Consultant - Missouri for Victory Enterprises.
Update - photo:
Dave Hageman, Missouri Executive Director of Victory Enterprises (left) and
Robert Knodell, Executive Director of the House Republican Campaign Committee (right)
Ah, we see, the 121st Legislative District race is becoming the nexus for the republican campaign consultant industrial complex and wingnut welfare.
The University of Central Missouri homecoming parade took place this morning in Warrensburg. As usual, during an election year, there were a significant number of candidates and their supporters in the parade.
Courtney Cole, the Democratic candidate in the 121st Legislative District at the early morning parade lineup.
Blunt (r-lobbyists) supporters at the parade lineup.
Two freight trains came through town on the parade route - slowing the progress of the parade down while everyone waited for them to pass.
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