Monday, November 2, 2015
MOScout Poll Top Lines
Survey conducted October 30 - October 31, 2015. 783 likely voters participated in the survey. Survey weighted to match expected turnout demographics for the 2016 General Election. Margin of Error is +/-3.5%.
Q: The candidates for United States Senate in the 2016 General Election are the Republican Roy Blunt and the Democrat Jason Kander. If the election were held today, for whom would you vote?
Roy Blunt.............................................43%
Jason Kander.......................................33%
Undecided...........................................23%
Q: In your opinion, what should be the legislature's highest priority in dealing with ethics - caps on campaign contributions, waiting period before legislators can lobby, or a ban on lobbyists' gifts to lawmakers?
Ban on gifts..........................................50%
Caps on contributions........................25%
Waiting period.......................................9%
Unsure...................................................16%
Q: Do you support or oppose a new state law to bar discrimination based on sexual orientation?
Support...............................................37%
Oppose................................................33%
Unsure.................................................29%
Q: Do you support or oppose a new law to end Daylight Savings Time?
Support...............................................46%
Oppose................................................37%
Unsure.................................................18%
eMailbag on Ethics Question
If there ever was a demonstration at the cognitive inabilities of the American electorate, the question on ethics is a good one. Lobbyist gifts are the biggest problem and not unlimited campaign contributions? Because legislators can be bought with a $28 steak at the Jeff City country club and NOT a $100,000 campaign check. I have so little faith in voters anymore…
eMailbag on Senate Poll
The US Senate race is tighter than I would have imagined. I suspect the 33% Kander garners is the self-identified base, but I also believe that Blunt's support could be depressed partially because of what his own party is doing to all Republican candidates. Trump, Carson and Fiorina have preached to the base that current politicians are the problem, and therefore incumbents will have a more challenging election than they otherwise would have under a traditional national race….
Gerber’s Two-Part Strategy in House 89
Democrat Al Gerber writes to supporters on the eve of his long-shot bid to win House 89…
> Dear Friends,
> This is the final push toward the election on November 3. We are hoping for a real upset here in the 89th district.
> We had a two-part strategy, which we have implemented on schedule:
> 1. Meet all Democrats face-to-face and ask them to vote for me.
> 2. Send strong negative mailings to Republicans to discourage them from voting for my opponent.
> For part 1, our team has knocked on every door on our list. It included about 3000 doors involving over 4000 voters. These last couple of weeks, we are just going back to try to catch the "not homes".
> For part 2, we sent out the attached mailing to Republicans that vote often. It is very strong, and not positive. We are not trying to convince them to vote for me, but to have doubts about Mr. Plocher. If they google any of the facts they will find even stronger stories on the internet that show him and his colleagues in a negative light…..
> Now, here comes the point of the letter. I am making a plan for manning the polls on election day. There are 8 polling places that are in both my district (89th) and the Kirkwood School District. I have listed them in a table below. There are also 13 more polling places in the 89th district that don't overlap Kirkwood Schools. For these 13 polling places there is only one issue on the ballot, and that is my election. People who come to the polls will have made up their mind already.
> Therefore I am recruiting people to stand at the polls for these 8 places, because we could possibly convince some of the voters who are coming to vote primarily on the School tax issue to also vote for me….
Monsignor Jack’s Sharp Pen
In the Kirkwood, where an increase in property is on the ballot to fund their school district, a local pastor weighs in. From St. Peter’s bulletin:
Dear St. Peter Parishioners,
I feel compelled to discuss with you the upcoming tax increase vote for the Kirkwood School District... If the tax increase passes on Tuesday, another $10,000,000 will be collected, and thus a budget of $66,000,000 or a 95% increase in taxes collected since 2005 and a 65% increase in spending in the same time. They will have effectively DOUBLED their tax collection in ten short years. Who does that? Is this how other school districts are operating today?... Thirty-four administrators and 13 teachers, librarians, and guidance counselors make more than $100,000 a year. An additional 58 employees make more than $90,000 a year… Has the Kirkwood Board and their spend, spend, spend mentality been fiscally irresponsible over the last ten years or longer?... I urge you to be an informed citizen when going to the polls on Tuesday.
Monsignor Jack
RYH4K Announces Campaign Team
Raise Your Hand for Kids announced its campaign team as it starts the next phase of its effort to raise the cigarette tax to fund early childhood programs and services.
James Harris will be the general consultant. FleishmanHillard is providing strategic communications. Brian Schmidt of Missouri Wonk and Garrett Webb of COE Strategies LLC are heading up the field operations. Mark Mellman is their pollster. Eddie Greim is running their legal stuff, and Williams Keepers is handling compliance.
Colona for No One?
A reader writes not to read too much into Rep. Mike Colona’s name on the upcoming Peter Merideth event invite. He also lent his name to Ben Murray’s event. Murray and Merideth are running to replace Colona in House 80.
The Real Ethics Deal?
One Democratic source says that the recently approved Brad Ketcher IPs dealing with ethics (Find them here) are the real deal… “a serious effort with real money…” We’ll see….
It would: change process and criteria for redrawing state legislative districts during reapportionment; establish limits on campaign contributions that candidates for state legislature can accept from individuals or entities; establish a limit on gifts that state legislators, and their employees, can accept from lobbyists; prohibit state legislators, and their employees, from serving as paid lobbyists for a period of time or being paid for campaign work; prohibit political fundraising on general assembly property; require legislative records and proceedings to be open to the public; and prohibit sexual harassment by state legislators and their employees.
CHIPP Totals
Those watching the $5K+ Contributions have noticed how much the Carpenters have been giving, sending money to their many allies in the legislature and around the state in recent weeks.
Here are their $5K+ contributions, totaling $310K in the past six weeks.
Koster for Missouri - $20K
Jean Peters Baker for Prosecutor - $10K
Wieland Now - $10K
Teresa Hensley for Missouri - $50K
Scott Sifton for Missouri - $10K
Anne Zerr for Missouri - $10K
Citizens for Stephen Webber - $10K
Citizens to Elect Jamilah Nasheed - $10K
Progress KC PAC - $25K
Citizens to Elect Kimberly Gardner - $5K
Friends of Kip Kendrick - $5K
Stacey Newman for State Representative - $5K
Friends of Michele Kratky - $5K
Gina Mitten for State Representative - $5K
Bob Burns for State Rep Committee - $5K
Joe Keaveny for Senate - $10K
Committee to Elect Jake Hummel - $5K
Citizens to Elect Ben Harris - $5K
Mary Nichols for State Rep - $5K
Joe Adams for Missouri - $5K
Team Butler - $5K
Citizens for Colona - $5K
McCreery for Missouri - $5K
Committee to Elect Sharon Pace - $5K
Citizens for Sommer - $5K
Ron Hicks for State Representative - $5K
Citizens for Elaine Gannon - $5K
Committee to Elect Tommie Pierson Sr - $5K
Committee to Elect Becky Ruth - $5K
Citizens for Karla May - $5K
Citizens for Shane Roden - $5K
Citizens for Conway - $5K
Citizens for McCaherty - $5K
Engler for Missouri - $5K
Friends of Sue Meredith - $5K
Romine for Senate - $10K
Friends for Gina Walsh - $10K
White House Open Licensing Education Project
A press release from the White House lauds the Affton School district as a “cohort district” beginning the transition to openly licensed educational resources.
The U.S. Department of Education announced today the launch of #GoOpen, a campaign to encourage states, school districts and educators to use openly licensed educational materials. As part of the campaign, the Department is proposing a new regulation that would require all copyrightable intellectual property created with Department grant funds to have an open license…. “By requiring an open license, we will ensure that high-quality resources created through our public funds are shared with the public, thereby ensuring equal access for all teachers and students regardless of their location or background,” said John King, senior advisor delegated the duty of the Deputy Secretary of Education. “We are excited to join other federal agencies leading on this work to ensure that we are part of the solution to helping classrooms transition to next generation materials.”
A cohort of 10 districts has taken up the #GoOpen challenge to replace at least one textbook with openly licensed educational resources within the next year. These districts are just beginning the transition process, and will work closely with tool providers and mentor districts to build capacity to sustainably implement openly licensed educational resources in their districts. We anticipate many more districts taking up the #GoOpen challenge in coming months. The 10 cohort districts are: Affton School District, Saint Louis, MO…
White House Intern Program
The White House Internship Program announced today the participants for the fall 2015 session. The mission of the program is to make the White House accessible to future leaders around the nation and to prepare those devoted to public service for future leadership opportunities…
Those with a Missouri connection…
Renee Baharaeen, Hometown: Gladstone, MO; Truman State University, MO
Elisabeth Blotevogel, Hometown: Jefferson City, MO; Truman State University, MO
Elisabeth Schorgl, Hometown: Kansas City, MO; The George Washington University, D.C.
Kathleen Sipe, Hometown: Portland, OR; Washington University in St. Louis, MO
Abigail Wood, Hometown: Saint Louis, MO; Truman State University, MO
And
KC Royals take the crown, winning the World Series. My son will be miffed this morning because first, he wanted them to win at home; and second, his early bedtime means he missed the exciting part of the game….
Lobbyists Registration
Richard AuBuchon and Richard Brownlee III added Empire District Electric Company.
Mike Hess deleted HNTB Corporation.
$5K+ Contributions
Romine for Senate - $10,000 from CHIPP.
Friends for Gina Walsh - $10,000 from Carpenters Help In the Political Process (CHIPP).
Greitens for Missouri - $25,000 from Richard Uihlein.
Koster for Missouri - $10,000 from Catherine Ruggeri-Rea.
Koster for Missouri - $7,500 from Breckenridge Material Company.
Koster for Missouri - $25,000 from Ironworkers Political Education Fund.
Friends of Daron McGee - $5,637 from Missouri State Democratic Committee.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to former Rep. Susan Carlson, and Steelworkers’ Richard Craighead.
Condolences
To Sen. Dan Hegeman on the passing of his mother. The funeral will be today at 1PM at Hope United Church of Christ, 19999 State Route W, Cosby, MO 64436.
Those wishing to send a card may send them to:
Dan and Fran Hegeman
18739 County Rd. 294
Cosby, MO 64436
Congratulations
To Brian “Schmidty” Schmidt on his engagement to Sarah Clark.