MOScout Daily Update: CC to Push Title IX? - Angst About Lembke - Green Kicks Off - Elmer DUI and more...
Conservative Caucus To Push Title IX Reforms?
Word is that the Conservative Caucus sees Title IX reforms as part of its agenda for next legislative session.
Tipster: The Conservative Caucus has already tapped Title IX reform as one of its top priorities next session. The Breitbart interview is McIntosh’s attempt to reset the narrative. Last session they were damaged because he tried to hide that his son was the motivation. This year, they will put his case front and center.
But
Last session Republican leaders – Speaker Elijah Haahr and Senate Floor Leader Caleb Rowden – in both chambers were reluctant to advance the legislation.
There’s no indication that the Breitbart article has “reset” their feeling about the proponents’ motivation not passing the smell test.
If that’s true, advocate for changes to Title IX will need to broaden their coalition. If it’s the same key players with Richard McIntosh quarterbacking, it’s a doomed excursion.
The Bad News
Most folks I spoke to about this sighed. They view it as a distraction from more pressing issues. No one thinks that there’s an epidemic of young men being falsely accused, while most accept that young women consistently face sexual harassment and assault.
The bad news is that there are people – on both sides – who seem almost itching for the fight…
· Republican: Title IX reform will spotlight how crazy leftist our campuses have become in an election year where the Democrat nominee is most likely to be Harvard Professor Elizabeth Warren and this is bad for Republican messaging...how, exactly?
· Democrat: If the McIntoshs think what was thrown at them last year was bad, let them try to move title IX forward some more.
Meanwhile
Tensions are rising again within Republican ranks…
One target for angst is former Sen. Jim Lembke. He staffed the Conservative Caucus last session, and is now working for CL PAC.
· One Republican was outraged by possibility that Lembke might return to staffing the CC in January. He imagines Lembke, after handing out big CL PAC contributions to House members seeking Senate seats, then working to advance legislation those same House members would be voting on.
· Another Republican dismissed this happening because it would be ethically untenable.
· We’ll see….
Lembke is listed as the contact for a November 13 CL PAC fundraiser which is scheduled to piggyback on Sen. Caleb Rowden’s St. Louis fundraising event. Rowden’s event is 4-6PM, while CL PAC’s nearby event is 5:30–7:30PM. It rankles at least one Republican… “Now we have the Senate Conservative Caucus doing a fundraiser at the same time as the Senate Republican leadership - less than a mile away. Obviously nobody should schedule something like this unless you're declaring war. The Senate Leadership was scheduled first and all GOP Senators knew it…”
Driving the Day: Green in Senate 5
Alderwoman Megan Green kicks off her Senate 5 campaign today.
If Green joined the Missouri Senate, some STL observers see her taking up the hard-line, no-compromise mantel once borne by Joan Bray. They wonder if her strict liberalism might quickly alienate Republicans and make her tenure heavy on filibusters and low on horse-trading. That’d be a big change from the transactional Sen. Jamilah Nasheed for whom the needs of her district were usually subordinated to political ideology.
And
A Remington/MOScout poll from the summer (August 21, 22; margin of error +/- 4.5%) put Green in the lead, with a third of voters undecided.
Possible candidates in the 2020 Democratic Primary Election for State Senate are Steve Roberts, Michelle Sherod and Megan Green. If the election were held today, for whom would you vote?
Steve Roberts: 23%
Michelle Sherod: 11%
Megan Green: 32%
Undecided: 34%
Elmer Charged With DUI
Springfield News Leader reports that “former state representative Kevin Elmer was pulled over on Friday, July 19, near the intersection of Main Street and Scott Wayne Drive, according to a probable cause statement written by a Nixa police officer.
The officer had been dispatched to the area around the nearby Walmart after a report of someone driving a Ford truck over curbs and through grass areas in the parking lot.
When the officer approached Elmer’s truck, he noticed a “strong odor of intoxicants” coming from the vehicle and wrote that Elmer’s eyes were “blood shot, watery and glassy,” according to the report. The officer then conducted multiple tests that indicated Elmer’s blood-alcohol level was above 0.20 and placed him under arrest, the report said.
The officer also reported that Elmer became verbally argumentative before and between the tests, telling the officer “f--- you lets get this over with” as the officer read the justification for a chemical test of Elmer’s breath and calling him a “dumb m----- f-----” when the officer tried to explain why a second test was necessary.
The officer then read Elmer his rights and searched Elmer’s truck, where he found a blue Solo cup that smelled and looked like beer, according to the report.
A criminal summons was issued last month; an arraignment is set for Jan. 15….”
Help Wanted
St. Louis REALTORS seek Political Fundraising / Advocacy Coordinator. “The Political Fundraising and Advocacy Coordinator is a skilled professional who provides a wide range of supportive services for the Director of Government Affairs in furtherance of the association’s strategic plan, mission, goals, objectives and related policies when administrating the Government Affairs Department. The ideal candidate has outstanding organizational, time-management and fundraising skills with strong communication skills. This candidate also thrives on supporting fellow team members and preserving in a strong collaborative team culture…” See it here.
$5K+ Contributions
Health Care Issues Committee of the Missouri Hospital Association -$15,510 from Lake Regional Health System.
Lobbyists Registrations
Amy Blunt added PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP.
David Sweeney added Square Inc.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Kailey Burger and Matt Hill.