MOScout Daily Update: Trump on Abortion - Bit-Coining and the PSC - Dixon Trouble - Basye Unleashed and more…
Trump on Abortion: Whatevs
Former President Donald Trump yesterday backed away from his previous stance for a national ban on abortions after 15-weeks of pregnancy. Instead, he urged Republicans to adopt whatever positions would allow them to win elections.
Even for Trump’s transactional character, it was a remarkable slinking away from a position Republicans have held steadfastly for decades.
What It Means
Trump is the de facto standard-bearer of the Republican Party. While it may not have an immediate impact, this opens the door for the Missouri Republican Party to tolerate more diverse opinions on the subject.
It gives cover for suburban Republicans who want to diverge from Missouri Right to Life and support exceptions, or early pregnancy terminations.
And farther down the road, just as there are pro-labor Republicans and pro-trial attorney Republicans among Republican legislators in Jefferson City, we could see the return of pro-choice Republican legislators (yes, they existed once) saying, “I’m just representing my district.”
Meanwhile
Lucas Kunce, running against Senator Josh Hawley, noted that Hawley is now to the right of Trump on the issue: Today, former President Donald Trump declined to endorse a national abortion ban. This puts him at odds with Josh Hawley, who already signed on to a national abortion ban.
Imagining Trump’s Gubby Endorsement
One MOScouter muses whether Trump could be a factor in the Missouri gubernatorial primary…
Everyone is talking about money in the Gov race but the difference maker could be Trump.
· Jay Ashcroft has ties from his father to Huckabee, which could be helpful.
· Bill Eigel has chosen the “Trump lane” but his policy positions don’t always align. And there’s a hangover from his mail program that really ticked off DJT.
· Mike Kehoe seems the least likely, but his positions most align with Trump (abortion, most notably). He has connections through Blunt and Long. He has posted photos of himself with Trump on social media during the campaign… He won’t be upended by a surprise endorsement for one of the other two.
PSC and Bit-Coining
This morning in the Senate Insurance and Banking Committee, Sen. Travis Fitzwater will present SB 1050 which would provide a framework for digital mining operations in Missouri. Fitzwater has been a proponent of making Missouri more hospitable to New Economy industries and entrepreneurial enterprises.
Digital mining, the process of increasing the bitcoin supply, uses a lot of energy. And one provision of the bill would prohibit the Public Service Commission from creating a separate rate class of their activity.
The public service commission can set rates reflective of cost to serve, but shall not establish a rate schedule for digital asset mining that creates discriminatory rates for digital asset mining businesses.
This has drawn some pushback from the Sierra Club: “Large bitcoin mining operations can require the construction of transmission and distribution line, substation upgrades, and other infrastructure… with the costs of those upgrades often paid by other ratepayers… The PSC needs to be able to assess the electricity rates for these operations that correctly reflects the risks to the grid and other ratepayers. This bill would take power away from the PSC, allowing the giant crypo firms to take advantage of the rest of us.”
· Perhaps the PSC will send anyone to testify for informational purposes.
Basye Unleashed
Maybe someone in the Missouri Republican Party should put a leash on former Rep. Chuck Basye. From Stephen Webber’s Twitter….
Dixon Get Poor Rating
The latest audit from Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick gives a poor rating to the City of Dixon. Read it here.
During the years ended September 30, 2021, and 2022, disbursements exceeded receipts for the General Fund, and the fund balance has decreased during the 2-year period from $94,714 on October 1, 2020, to negative $20,701 on September 30, 2022. For the year ended September 30, 2023, the city projected the General Fund balance to decrease further based on the budgeted receipts and disbursements. In addition, the Board approved a transfer of $100,000 from the Water Fund to the General Fund that was originally intended as a temporary loan to help maintain the cash balance of the General Fund, although the bond covenants for the city's water and sewer system bonds do not allow earnings from the operation of the system to be diverted to the general governmental functions of the city.
· The City of Dixon (population 1,219) is represented by Sen. Justin Brown, and Rep. Don Mayhew. And it’s the hometown of Rep. Bill Hardwick.
8-CD GOP Convention
Over the weekend the 8th Congressional Republican Convention met at the Historic Rodgers Theatre in Poplar Bluff Missouri to elect delegates to attend the Republican National Convention and our representative to the Electoral College.
MOScout’s Jeff City Hunger Games Winner
We started with 64 Jeff City denizens, and last night at midnight, the balloting ended and we have an official winner of the Missouri Scout Jeff City Hunger Games March Madness bracket…
Pat Thomas.
$5K+ Contributions
Protect Majority Rule - $50,000 from American Civil Liberties Union, Inc. (New York NY).
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom - $7,068 from American Civil Liberties Union, Inc. (New York, NY).
Lobbyist Registrations
David Sweeney added Northpoint Development; and deleted Missouri Restaurant Association.
Eapen Thampy added J. Rieger & Co.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Casey Wasser and Matt Lieberman.