MOScout Daily Update: Senate Seeks Conference - Where Were the PQ Votes? - Long for Schoeller - Eigel Warns Against Hope - Hough Kick-off and more…
Senate GOP Yields to Dems’ Filibuster
After 50-ish hours of a Democratic filibuster, Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman asked the Senate to go to conference with the House. The presumption is that they might come back with something that the Dems could live with. Dems have said they want a clean IP Reform resolution without the ballot candy.
Sen. Bill Eigel opposed the motion, warning that people would remember the vote. But one former combatant sent me this as if to emphasis people’s short memory: five years ago, Eigel himself filibustered IP Reform…
The vote on Coleman’s motion to send the resolution to conference gives a pretty good idea where the PQ votes were – and weren’t. Assuming the folks who voted against MEC’s motion were pro-PQ, that gets you to 13. Add in MEC and I’m guessing Floor Leader Cindy O’Laughlin and they were at 15 – three short of 18.
It’s possible that there was another Yes vote lurking, but I’m not sure who.
· And some seemed to think that Sen. Elaine Gannon, not in the building as she recuperates from a broken foot, could have been a PQ vote; Again, I’m not sure about that at all.
Don’t Hope
Sen. Bill Eigel warned optimists that this path wouldn’t bring an end-of-session spurt of legislative activity. “If the hope is, and I’ll say that because one of our colleagues said this on the floor, if the hope is that this process is going to somehow lead us back to a place of engaging more legislation besides this, I'm going to say this very clearly. Don’t get your hopes up…”
What No Hope Means
If Eigel means that he, and the Freedomers, will filibuster any other legislative activity beyond the IP Reform, that means that the House will have to decide how to depose of the bills in its possession. By my eyeballs this morning, that looks like about 16 bills and resolutions.
Among those bills is SB 751, the so-called “340B bill.” It’s assumed that this is among those bills which the House will pass.
· But one lobbyist fighting it says the issue has some potency, citing Fox News: “A stalwart in the West Virginia Republican Party for decades lost his primary race on Tuesday night due in part to his support of a controversial bill that critics say would provide healthcare for illegal immigrants…”
· PhRMA, which is fighting the bill, recently hired Steven Tilley, renown for his close relationship with Governor Mike Parson. Onlookers assume that means PhRMA is preparing to fight the legislation on the 2nd floor and seek a veto from Parson. One supporter of the bill growls that Tilley, who reps for Mizzou, shouldn’t be working with PhRMA since the University of Missouri Health System benefits from the 340 B program. Perhaps a fair point, but it’s worth noting that the University of Missouri System and the University of Missouri Healthcare do register separately as different principals with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
Anti-Onder Ads
A SuperPAC, Missouri Conservatives for Congress, has produced a slew of digital ads attacking 3-CD candidate Bob Onder for not being Trumpy enough. The PAC’s address matches up with the offices of Republican consultant David Barklage. Here’s one ad…
The ad cites this Jo Mannies news article in which Onder, then a Ted Cruz supporter, is cited as an example of a delegate who might abandon Trump’s nomination.
Long for Schoeller
Former Congressman Billy Long is backing Shane Schoeller for secretary of state.
And
Schoeller received the sole endorsement of MRA... The Missouri Republican Assembly (MRA) proudly announced its endorsement of Shane Schoeller for Missouri Secretary of State. This endorsement highlights Schoeller's unwavering dedication to the principles of free enterprise, limited government, safe and secure elections, and constitutionally defined state powers.
Hough Kickoff
Sen. Lincoln Hough held his kickoff last night for lieutenant governor. It was at the MO Soybeans offices. They endorsed him. The event drew the current LG, Mike Kehoe and his wife Claudia, as well as a bunch of firefighters…
Bailey, Scharf: 2020 Election Was Stolen
At a candidate forum Tuesday, both Republican attorney general candidates said that the 2020 election was stolen. See it here. Watch the whole forum here.
· Andrew Bailey: It was absolutely stolen. The Left stole that election by changing the rules of the game at the 11th hour. They’re gonna try to steal this one by silencing our voices on Big Tech social media platforms, by stifling us in mainstream media, and by packing the polling places with criminal illegal aliens who shouldn’t be in the first place.
· Will Scharf: Yeah it was stolen. It was rigged. Call it whatever you will.
What It Means
The decision of this crop of politicians, led by Donald Trump, to sow distrust in American elections is currently the greatest threat to our democracy.
$5K+ Contributions
American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $25,000 from Mag Mo LLC.
American Dream PAC - $15,000 from Richard Tracy.
Missouri American Water Company Employees Political Action Committee - $15,000 from Bommarito Construction.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Deanna Hemphill, Cindy Kadlec, and Jackie Buschjost.
MOScout Schedule
I will be off this weekend! Sorry, you’ll have to wait until Monday for “who won the session” etc. After Friday morning’s update, you’re on your own. No Weekly Summary, no Weekender… unless I just can’t help but do a quickie special update Friday afternoon. We’ll see….