After the years of ethically challenged Republican ascendancy in Congress, the establishment of the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) seemed to indicate that maybe things really might change just a little. However, sad to say, the OCE's activities seem to have struck too close to home for some Democrats.
Representative Marcia Fudge (D-OH) has introduced a resolution, cosponsored by Missouri's Lacy Clay (D-1st) along with 18 other members of the Congressional Black Caucus, that seeks to curtail the powers of the OCE, leaving it unable to initiate investigations and to consider most complaints filed by outside groups. It is certainly an interesting fact that, as TPMnotes:
... Many of the cosponsors of Fudge's legislation have been OCE targets. And the panel once faulted one of Fudge's top aides, Dawn Kelly Mobley, for facilitating an ethically questionable Carribean junket for CBC members several years ago, when she worked for Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones. ...
Let me be clear: Lacy Clay has not been named in an ethics investigation, and is not one of the folks TPM is talking about. There may be legitimate concerns that have led Clay to cosponsor this resolution, but those concerns had better be really compelling. We have so few tools to help even the playing field in the big corporate bucks political environment we now inhabit, we can't afford to gut the OCE because it makes some congress people nervous. Clay is not my representative, but I surely would like to know what he was thinking when he signed on to this resolution.
UPDATE: I just noticed that TPMfollowed up with the nineteen co-sponsors, all of whom declined to comment on their decision to support Fudge's resolution.
Today was the first day of March and day 4 (or 5) of filing (Nobody filed last Friday and I haven't checked to see if the place was open or not). 12 candidates filed for office today and 10 of them are going to get covered (Sorry Circuit Judges).
Four incumbent Congressmen filed today (Lacy Clay, Todd Akin, Jo Ann Emerson, and Blaine Luetkemeyer) and coincidentally, all four have primary challenges. The only member of the Missouri Delegation who hasn't filed is Ike Skelton, who has given every sign of running for re-election. Congressman Skelton will be facing a primary opponent, Leonard Steinman of Jefferson City. Steinman ran for the State House in 2008 and lost to Bill Deeken by a 74%-26% margin. This is the first time Skelton has been opposed in a primary since 1994, where he won 82% against 2 opponents.
Also, Martin D. Baker filed as a Republican in the 1st Congressional district. Baker's mailing address is in Sikeston, a 2 hour drive south of the district. Baker ran for Congress in the Jackson County-based 5th Congressional district in 2008, finishing 3rd in a 4 candidate field. Baker's Republican opponent is Robyn Hamlin of North St. Louis County. Congressman Lacy Clay has a primary opponent and 2 Libertarians are having a primary for their nomination.
Lastly, Holmes Osborne of Odessa became the second Democrat to file in the 122nd State House district. Who is the son of actor Holmes Osborne who you may remember from such roles as Eddie Darko in Donnie Darko and 83 other film and television titles. I went into this post thinking the actor and the candidate were the same and I am suspecting that is not true after receiving more information.
The first Democrat to file was Gary Grigsby who is a small businessman and all around awesome guy who would do an immensely better job than Mike McGhee.
No matter who wins the primary there, here's to hoping that Mike McGhee (who was shaken into running again) loses re-election and finds a new career in Hollywood (presumably as an actor playing the "in over his head" elected official and not as a prop builder).
Aw, primary season. Sometimes it's like a B movie. Without zombies rampaging the countryside, presumably. Over/under for Tuesday is 6 new candidate filings.
Some of the St. Louis activists most dedicated on the health care reform issue gathered on a curbside near Lacy Clay's office Friday to thank him for his support of the bill. Oh, and there was one person who wasn't there to thank him. Right wing blogger Sharp Elbows (at right), was there, taking photos and video. At one point, all by his lonesome, he started chanting a refrain that branded us as commies: "Everything for everybody, nothing for ourselves. Everything for everybody, nothing for ourselves."
Our chanting, which until then had been anemic, took on new vibrancy, and Sharp Elbows kept his refrain going, along with occasionally yelling "commies" or "socialists". One woman told him he had balls, and he replied, "Yes ma'am, two of 'em." Melanie Shouse shouted her thanks to him and his for ruining the Republican Party.
What can I say? We should invite one tea partier to every progressive rally: gets the blood pumping and raises the needle on the ire tachometer.
But once the speakers started, our tea partier quieted down. Melanie, after explaining--with a smile--that she was wearing an eye patch because pirates can be useful in fending off interloping Republicans, reamed out obstructionist Republican Congressmen on the health care issue.
An enthusiastic group of fifteen or twenty people greeted Russ Carnahan as he exited the concourse on his return to St. Louis after the historic vote in the House on HB 3200. A minute later, Lacy Clay strolled out of the same concourse and was delighted to be greeted so warmly.
Carnahan held a press conference at the airport and spoke after three excellent warm up acts. Dr. Johnetta Craig (standing at Carnahan's right in the video below), Chief Medical Officer at Family Care Health Clinic, which cares for an increasing number of uninsured patients, spoke with feeling about being able to foresee a time, finally, when people will have health insurance.
Then Karen Handleman (pictured at right), owner of a small business for fifteen years, described how her relatively young and healthy group of employees sees prices go up every year, even though none of them have a heart condition, cancer, or diabetes, and even though none of them has had any surgeries. She explained that health insurance companies charge more than twice as much in premiums for women as they do for men and that that factor alone could make a difference in whether a woman gets hired or not. The gasp from the audience was audible when she made that point.
The final speaker before Carnahan was Fritzi Lainoff, a cancer survivor herself who advocates for seniors. She said that medical costs eat up almost half of the income she and her husband have to live on, and she described getting a call from a woman who hit the donut hole in February.
The House vote on health care legislation, scheduled for Saturday, precedes the Thanksgiving break. HCAN (Health Care for America Now) is urging St. Louisans to turn out and thank the two St. Louis Congressmen who will vote in favor of it: Lacy Clay and Russ Carnahan.
Next Monday, Nov. 9, at 11:00 a.m.
That's short notice, I know, but do your best to get there. Progressive activists should be aware that party politics isn't unlike personal relationships. If you only complain when your friends do something you disapprove of, but you never compliment them for their thoughtfulness, don't expect tight bonds.
If you're in Clay's or Carnahan's district, did you phone either of them to thank him for his ACES vote? I thought not. Have you ever complained to either of them about their stands on issues? Right, just as I figured. When you think about the heat they've been taking--and I twice last summer watched Carnahan deal with rude tea partiers over the health care issue--they need to hear some appreciation. They're not voting automatons; they're people.
And besides, attending such an event is a chance to celebrate what we as progressives have accomplished on health care since the Alice in Wonderland contingent almost killed the public option last August.
Lacy Clay's office is at Delmar and Euclid. The address is 624 North Euclid, Suite 326. Russ Carnahan's office is at Brentwood Blvd. and Manchester. The address is 8764 Manchester Rd., Suite 203.
A similar sort of event is probably being planned for thanking Emanuel Cleaver. Feel free to post that info here if you know of one, and I'll add it as an update on the front page. And if there's an event to give Ike Skelton the raspberry, I'll be happy to post that info as well.
My jaw dropped and I said "What the hell?" when I read this at Political Animal:
Rep. Jack Kingston's (R-Ga.) has rapidly signed up 99 co-sponsors for his Czar Accountability and Reform Act of 2009.... All but one of them are Republicans: the member of the majority party backing Kingston's crusade to prevent presidential advisers who haven't been approved by the Senate from collecting salaries is Rep. William Clay (D-Mo.),
At 2:15 p.m., at least three House Republicans will join Kingston (R-Ga.) for a press conference on "their efforts to bring about increased transparency and accountability for President Obama's czars."
Considering Lacy Clay's usually exemplary voting record on progressive issues, I had to have an explanation, so I called his D.C. office and ran the maze of "Let me transfer you to" and "I'm out of the office. Please leave a message."
While I waited for a response, I wrote a posting wondering if Clay was actually concerned perhaps about an over-muscular presidency. That was the only reason I could imagine, and I lectured him about it.
If Clay's reason for co-sponsoring King's bill is a heartfelt concern that the presidency not accumulate unwarranted power without transparency, then I can only say that he's the only one of the 99 co-sponsors with a sincere focus on improving government. The other 98 of them--99, counting King--could give a rat's ass about over-muscular presidential powers. The entire wingoverse loved warrantless wiretapping.
No, they just hate Democrats and Obama in particular.
Eventually, one of Clay's staffers got back to me and informed me that the information about his co-sponsorship was wrong. It occurred because of a clerical error in the House. Clay is NOT a co-sponsor of the Glenn Beck-despise-Obama-pretend-we-have-a-reason bill.
I'm grateful to be living in Lacy Clay's district. I didn't have to wonder: I knew he'd vote against that FISA travesty. He's an HR 676 co-sponsor. He opposed the war before it ever began. And so forth. His politics are progressive.
So I learned with dismay a couple of days ago that he is endorsing Chris Koster. Jo Mannies at the Post-Dispatch tells us Clay's rationale:
Clay praised Koster's "great courage to cross over into the light'' when he switched political parties last year. Clay also chastised Koster's opponents for repeatedly questioning whether he's a true Democrat.
Representative Marcia Fudge (D-OH) has 
Some of the St. Louis activists most dedicated on the health care reform issue gathered on a curbside near Lacy Clay's office Friday to thank him for his support of the bill. Oh, and there was one person who wasn't there to thank him. Right wing blogger Sharp Elbows (at right), was there, taking photos and video. At one point, all by his lonesome, he started chanting a refrain that branded us as commies: "Everything for everybody, nothing for ourselves. Everything for everybody, nothing for ourselves."
Then Karen Handleman (pictured at right), owner of a small business for fifteen years, described how her relatively young and healthy group of employees sees prices go up every year, even though none of them have a heart condition, cancer, or diabetes, and even though none of them has had any surgeries. She explained that health insurance companies charge more than twice as much in premiums for women as they do for men and that that factor alone could make a difference in whether a woman gets hired or not. The gasp from the audience was audible when she made that point.
The House vote on health care legislation, scheduled for Saturday, precedes the Thanksgiving break. HCAN (Health Care for America Now) is urging St. Louisans to turn out and thank the two St. Louis Congressmen who will vote in favor of it: Lacy Clay and Russ Carnahan.
If you're in Clay's or Carnahan's district, did you phone either of them to thank him for his ACES vote? I thought not. Have you ever complained to either of them about their 
stands on issues? Right, just as I figured. When you think about the heat they've been taking--and I 
Thank you, Lacy Clay, for being one of the 89 co-sponsors of Conyers' bill, HR 676, Medicare for all.
