Thursday, March 1, 2012
The Meaning of Steve Tilley
Yesterday Speaker Steve Tilley endorsed Sarah Steelman for Senate, signing on to chair her campaign.
With the three major candidates all of the same ideological mold, Tilley’s willingness to jump into the mix indicates two things: a personal relationship with the Steelman camp, and a belief that Steelman can win.
On the first point, it’s said that Steelman has been persistent in reaching out to Tilley – more so than the other camps – pressing him to come on board. In politics, like sales, you gotta ask for the order.
In terms of her electoral viability, the largest mark against her is that her fundraising has been pathetic. Tilley, like other observers, probably believes that between Steelman’s residual name ID and the race’s favorable gender split against two men, she can win – if her fundraising reaches the critical threshold to compete.
Tilley’s endorsement, then, can be read as an affirmation that he believes that Steelman is capable of raising $3 million or so for race – either through a much more robust fundraising operation than has been evident, or through the pen and checkbook of husband David Steelman.
What Tilley Brings
For political insiders, Tilley’s endorsement restores some of the credibility to her candidacy that her poor fundraising had diminished.
But it may also yield more tangible benefits. For example, old HRCC foot soldiers who worked several cycles with Tilley may be convinced to join the Steelman campaign. If so, it would provide a cadre of experienced hands to fortify her skimpy organization.
The Silvey Budget
This morning Budget Chair Ryan Silvey is unveiling the House’s first draft of the budget. AP got an advance. Read it Here.
The article focuses on the elimination of aid to the blind in order to restore funding for higher education. Silvey also cuts the $5 million increase Nixon made to the $3 billion budget for elementary and secondary education saying that it was too small to be inconsequential. Maybe inconsequential for Silvey, but for the governor that $5 million was going to be the basis of bragging how he was increasing education funding!
Most interesting is the response of Rep. Sara Lampe, ranking Democrat on the committee. She’s still sounding like a state representative rather than an LG candidate in a Dem primary.
Vogt Files for Senate 1
Former state representative Mike Vogt filed yesterday to run in Senate 1, joining former state representative Sue Schoemehl in a Democratic primary. I don’t regard Vogt as a serious possibility to win the seat, and all indications point to a larger primary field…
Senate Map Lawsuit Talk
One source thinks that the “Cunningham lawsuit” – rumored to be coming this week – will argue that there is a discriminatory pattern. Three of the four Kansas City senate districts and seven of the eight St. Louis senate districts are among the state’s most underpopulated. In contrast the rural districts are among the most overpopulated.
Although the discrepancy between the two barely falls below the federal threshold for being illegal, the pattern of discrimination – they will argue – violates the equal protection clause.
Scooplette: McNary Nabs Danforth
Look for Rep. Cole McNary to announcement an endorsement soon from GOP Party Godfather Jack Danforth. Over the past month McNary has worked hard to construct a fortress of endorsements to compensate for his lack of fundraising, just in case one of the state senators unhappy with their new districts starts casting their eyes toward a statewide office.
Moody McClane: Every Day is a Blessing
Over at Jerry Berger’s (thanks to peerless Combest) is an account of lobby Jim Moody’s night during the Branson tornado. Read it Here.
Highlights- WARNING SPOILERS
“The rest of the night was literally like a number of scenes from the movie Die Hard with Bruce Willis. I rolled out of bed onto the floor until the glass stopped spraying all over the place. The alarms and sirens were going off, saying to evacuate via the stair ways, but otherwise there were no lights so you could not see anything. My clothes and shoes were under where all the glass that was splintered all over the room and I had no shoes on, so I knew I could not get to either clothes or shoes. So I grabbed a comforter from the bed, pulled it over my underwear, and kind of staggered down the hall and found a stairway, then went down 13 flights of steps to the basement. With no shoes on my feet, and glass and debris everywhere I could not exit the basement, so me and another guy spent about half an hour in the stairwell. Finally someone took us to the second floor and down to the first floor, which really did look like the hotel lobby in Die Hard. People in all sorts of dress and undress, the sprinkler system had gone off and so there was water everywhere. And again I had no shoes and no hope of getting any…
“So anyway, life is good, because it was a situation that could have turned out a lot worse. When I went back to get things from my room, you could see in the bathroom where the ceiling had separated from the walls, and there was tile knocked off the walls and onto the floor. So it could have been worse. When the window exploded, it was facing directly at the bed but all of the glass went over and hit the tv and desk, and none hit the bed. Pretty much a miracle. So God is good and every day is a blessing…”
Justice for Joe
James Long, the Democrat who primaried Sen. Joe Keaveny in 2010, was fined $2,100 by the Missouri Ethic Commission for various violations. Read the consent order Here.
Bits
Rep. Jason Holsman is off to the fastest start in Senate 7 recording two $5K+ checks since filing opened.
In the lobbyist registrations, former state representative Maynard Wallace is now working for the school administrators. Just in time for this year’s battle royale. Wallace should help shoring up their rural votes.
Senate yesterday advanced Sen. Jack Goodman’s probations and parole reform bill. It’s a bright spot in an otherwise sideways moving year…
Rep. Steve Webb files HB 1848 to reorganize the Missouri courts of appeal. Read it Here.
And
Today is the last day to introduce bill to the Senate…
$5K+ Contributions
Citizens for Victor Hurlbert - $5,100 from Hurlbert CPA LLC.
MO Farm Bureau Statewide Farm PAC - $8,000 from MFB PAC Northeast District.
Citizens for Safe Courts and Kids - $12,500 from PCFP LLC.
Missourians for Koster - $15,000 from Emerson Electric Co.
Holsman for Missouri - $5,050 from VHM Networks.
Montee for Missouri - $5,000 from Steven Craig.
Missourians for Koster - $5,000 from UAW Region 5 PAC.
Lobbyists’ Principals Changes
From the Pelopidas website:
Doyle Childers and Richard McIntosh added Missouri Clean Energy Funding LLC.
Jewell D. H. Patek added Missouri Association of Nurse Anesthetists; and deleted Responsive Law, Chillicothe Industrial Development Corporation, and Copart Inc.
Maynard Wallace added Missouri Council of School Administrators and Missouri Association of School Administrators.
Andrew B Blunt and Jay Reichard deleted APS Healthcare and Medsolutions.
Melanie D. Withrow deleted Project Medicaid, Concierge Automotive Services, and Project Veteran Aid.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to lobbyist Harry Gallagher.