MOScout Daily Update: Readers’ Poll Results - Reading Recommendations and more…
Happy New Year! Be back on Monday…
MOScout End-of-the-Year Readers’ Poll Results
1. Biggest Legislative Accomplishment
STL police takeover – Brad Christ… 23.36%.
Capital gains income tax carveout – Chad Perkins… 12.15%.
$50M general revenue to ESA– Dirk Deaton… 18.69%.
Farm Bureau to offer health insurance – Kurtis Gregory… 15.89%.
Utilities regulatory overhaul – Mike Cierpiot… 29.91%.
2. Best Grudge/Fight
Angela Mosley trading fisticuffs Shalonda Webb… 24.55%.
Mike Cierpiot cutting SOS Denny Hoskins’ FTEs… 38.18%.
Scott Cupps filing legislation to “troll” Bishop Davidson getting Budget vice-chair… 34.55%.
3. Leadiest balloon - Worst Received Idea Float
David Wasinger saying he intends to “fix” the Senate… 59.82%.
House staff plans to have lobbyists fill out a form to pull legislators off floor… 16.07%.
Phil Amato’s central registry of each expectant mother… 24.11%.
4. Power Move of the Year
Cindy O’Laughlin forcing a sit-down to resolve MU-Anthem spat… 29.91%.
House Budget hammering Public Defenders over hiring a felon… 14.95%.
Legislature’s moving to overturn new voter-approved law and constitutional amendment… 41.12%.
Scott Leiendecker buying Dominion… 14.02%.
5. Least Surprising U-turn
Cindy O’Laughlin: cool on redistricting to slamming it through Senate… 33.33%.
Dirk Deaton: fiscal hawk on HB 19 capital projects to voting for Chiefs’ subsidy… 17.12%.
Justin Sparks: running for speaker to resigning from House… 24.32%.
Mary Elizabeth Coleman: not seeking re-election… 12.61%.
Steve Ehlmann: seeking a 6th term… 12.61%.
6. Most Shocking Scandal/Crime
Christian Chenet’s gun-waving… 6.8%.
Jeremy Dean’s obscene text… 26.21%.
John Diehl’s PPP fraud… 30.1%
Tricia Byrnes’ spoofing suicide hotline as a test... 36.89%.
7. Best DC Trumpster to Know
Alex Meyer… 8.65%.
Andrew Bailey… 27.88%.
Ed Martin… 4.81%.
Will Scharf… 58.65%.
8. Quote of the Year
“Look I haven’t jumped to the conclusion that there are, you know, aliens, coming from another planet. But I’m open to that.” (Eric Burlison, September)... 25.66%.
“It costs a lot of money to tear down stadiums that are empty.” (Jon Patterson, February 20)… 10.62%.
“God made government, but the devil made politics.” (Karla May, May 7)... 32.74%.
“There are sexual predators who work in this building” (Stephen Webber, March 26)... 30.97%.
9. Biggest Stretching of the Truth
We’re going to collect $24 billion from China (Andrew Bailey/Catherine Hanaway)... 39.64%.
Lincoln Hough lost his chairmanship as part of transitioning termed chairmen (Cindy O’Laughlin)... 51.35%.
“Respondent and Mr. Taylor are related by blood.” (Andrew Bailey’s court filing wrongly alleging nepotism in the St. Louis Sheriff’s Office)... 4.5%.
Indicting Sam Page for “theft” over a political advocacy mailer (Andrew Bailey)... 4.5%.
10. Termed legislator most likely to register as a lobbyist in the future
Brenda Shields… 9.35%.
Jeff Knight… 36.45%.
Justin Brown… 12.15%.
Keri Ingle… 8.41%.
Lincoln Hough… 33.64%.
Book Recommendations
Passing along a few books that came out this year that I found interesting…
1929 – A history of the crash and the years following, crisply told by Andrew Ross Sorkin. Aside from the unfolding of a bursting bubble, it reminded me how often the public face we see is not the whole picture of a person. A bunch of prominent citizens were outwardly successful while privately teetering with insolvency.
Unforgiving Places – This book by academic Jens Ludwig is a must-read for folks working on the issue of gun violence. He dispenses with the usual explanations from the political right and left. He explains why some places with high gun ownership have low levels of gun violence, and offers data showing that heinous gun violence isn’t the product of morally depraved people. His book gives people across the political spectrum a chance to revisit the issue without their ideological lens to try new approaches.
Who Is Government? – This collection of essays edited by Michael Lewis (famous author of The Big Short, Moneyball etc) profiles government workers who defy the caricature of bureaucrats. They’re working quietly and heroically, solving big unglamorous problems – safety of mines, maintaining veterans’ graveyards, tracking cryptocriminals, matching rare disease solutions with patients.
Melting Point – The narrative of this book by Rachel Cockerell is made up entirely of historical documents, yet it’s surprisingly engaging. It’s the story of early Zionism as Jews imagined a homeland. What I loved about the book is that it’s a reminder how movements are inherently messy. There’re deep disagreements. Incrementalists are labeled traitors. Personalities loom large. But slowly progress is made.
$5K+ Contributions
Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $25,000 from Missouri Gaming PAC.
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $10,000 from Breakthru Beverage Missouri, LLC.
Missouri Leadership PAC (pro-Riley) - $7,500 from MOCS Action.
Jason Law for St. Charles County - $5,001 from Nadir M. Djavaherian.
STLCO PAC (pro-Brian Williams) - $12,400 from Missouri Leadership Forum.
Lobbyist Registrations
David Sweeney added Contour Real Estate.
Jake Vance added BJC Healthcare Systems.
Ron Berry added The Good Game.
Cassandra Allana Henderson added Bridging Families to Communities and Beyond/Saint Louis YouthBuild.
Nancy Giddens and Shannon Cooper deleted St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition.
Happy Birthday
Happy birthdays to Rep. Nick Kimble (belatedly! It was his birthday yesterday).
Today: Senator Josh Hawley, Sen. Mike Moon, Carol Kemna, and Chris Krehmeyer.
Thursday (New Year’s Day): Bill Otto, Clint Tracy, and Pat Contreras.
Friday: Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, Brittany Robbins, and Lyle Rowland.
Saturday: DaRon McGee.
Sunday: Rob Schaaf, and Dottie Bailey.