Monday, September 23, 2013
Schweich: Stop Talking About 2016 Until I’m Ready
Auditor Tom Schweich, in danger of getting frozen out of the 2016 gubernatorial hunt if Catherine Hanaway declares early, sent out a missive to his email list over the weekend explaining why Kurt Schaefer’s recent declaration was a really bad idea…
Keep Focused on 2014
I have been reading about fellow Republicans talking about offices that they intend to run for in 2016, with one prominent and well respected state senator already declaring himself a candidate for statewide office in 2016. This is not good for the party-- or the candidates who make these premature announcements.
We still have elections to win in 2014. Chris Koster and the new leadership of the Democrat party in Missouri have made it a 2014 priority to end the veto proof majorities that we have in the state legislature. I will be running for re-election as auditor in 2014. We have important county executive and congressional elections in 2014.
Declaring a candidacy more than three years before the 2016 elections undermines our 2014 effort, and it opens the 2016 candidates up to three years of media scrutiny-- indeed some damaging negative press has already appeared relative to those candidates who have been jumping the gun.
I urge fellow Republicans to keep focused on the task at hand: winning in 2014.
Tom Schweich
Rumorville: Duffy to KC Research Tax?
It’s said that Joe Duffy, now with the Democratic State Party, will soon be departing and helping out with Kansas City’s research tax proposal…
SOS Approves Education Tax Credit Petition for Circulation
Education tax credit petition is approved for circulation. See it here.
“Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to: create a tax credit for donations made to nonprofit corporations that provide funds to improve programs in public school districts, provide scholarships for students to attend qualified private or parochial elementary or secondary schools, or support special education services for children; limit the tax credit to $50,000 annually per individual or business entity, and cap the entire credit at $90 million annually; and repeal any constitutional provisions that prohibit taxpayer funds from being used to aid private or parochial elementary or secondary schools that qualify for the funding in this measure?”
Kinder Pens Obamacare Op/Ed
Over the weekend, LG Peter Kinder penned an op/ed in the Springfield News-Leader. See it here.
The topic was Obamacare and questioning why congressional lawmakers and staff have been exempted from some of it. The topic choice will lead some to believe that Kinder is still mulling a primary run against Congressman Jason Smith.
“Few issues more clearly illustrate the disconnect between the ruling class in Washington, D.C., and the American public than the latest dustup over Obamacare. At issue is a simple proposal to make lawmakers and their staffs subject to the same provisions of the law the rest us are… The list of negative impacts from this law is long and growing. There is no better way to impress on Congress the ill effects of Obamacare than to make lawmakers suffer its consequences with the rest of us.”
MEC Fines Unity PAC
The Missouri Ethics Commission fined Unity PAC $13,627 for accepting contributions and making expenditures without a treasurer, and for untimely reporting. See it here.
The Mystery of the Bathroom Gun
Tipster: “Friday morning a report that a Capitol custodian discovered a firearm in the men’s bathroom in the basement of the Capitol. The custodian brought the firearm to the Capitol police. It was a 9mm slide action…”
Tipster reports the rumor is that Dave Evans, a recent addition to the speaker’s office staff, later called the Cap police to retrieve it.
Better to make this mistake now, than in January or during session when busloads of kids are roaming the building…
Last Week of the Quarter
Don’t answer the phone…
Rumor to Watch
Missouri Republican Party fundraising under Ed Martin is said to have continued its crawl. One Republican says that paychecks to staffers have been reduced recently to conserve cash. Something to watch for in their October filing…
$5K+Contributions
House Republican Campaign Committee Inc - $10,000 from Express Scripts Inc.
Missourians for Safe Transportation & New Jobs Inc - $14,167 from Industry Advancement Fund.
Missourians for Safe Transportation & New Jobs Inc - $12,500 from Industry Advancement Fund.
Committee for Research Treatments and Cures - $10,000 from Wagstaff & Cartmell.
Jackson County Democratic Coalition - $50,000 from Committee for Research Treatments and Cures.
Clint Zweifel for Missouri - $12,500 from Missouri DRIVE Fund.
Missourians for Koster - $10,000 from Anheuser-Busch Companies.
Missourians for Koster - $10,000 from Dowd Bennett LLP.
Friends of the 8th Congressional District - $9,714 from Friends for Jason Smith.
Missouri Solutions - $33,697 from Friends for Tim Green.
Notes: The new committee to pursue the sales tax for roads – Missourians for Safe Transportation… – is getting its seed money from Industry Advance Fund. That’s the Heavy Constructors Association.
And it looks like Tim Green will be closing out his committee this quarter, putting the leftover cash into his new Missouri Solutions PAC.