Lacy vs. Russ??

Lacy Clay versus Russ Carnahan.

Think about a primary like that for a minute.  Lacy vs. Russ.  If the boundaries stay the same, we may well see this primary run off.  Political speculation says it is going to happen.  So ask yourself, which one of these two would be easier to beat.  Which one of these two would be better for MO 1st district.

This is a tough one.  Both of these two come from MO political families and both have deep contribution ties in the area.  The interesting thing is, many of the trade unions and companies that donate to Lacy also donate to Russ.  So, political donations will be split between the two.

So, let's make some assumptions here, shall we.  If the first district Democratic candidates are Lacy and Russ, the financial contributions will probably be about equal, so that is a wash.  Lacy will probably take north St. Louis City and the surrounding counties, while Russ would take south St. Louis city and areas like Bridgeton, Maryland Heights, Florissant and Hazelwood.  Looking at a rough voter turnout from the past few years and making that assumption, it could be a wash in a primary vote.

What's your point here, you may be asking.  Well, I am going to ask each of you to sit down and take a deep breath.  Now ask yourself, who would be better for first district, Russ or Lacy.  Do you go with the devil we know or the devil we don't know.  Russ may look weaker than Lacy based off of the last election, but the vote was close due to a strong showing in Jefferson County and south St. Louis County.  Russ firmly held Democratic leaning districts.  If this campaign does come to pass, it may be up to the Libertarians and Republicans to help decide this primary election.

Are you ready to vote Democrat for the next primary?  While this is no slam against Robin or Martin, getting rid of Lacy may be our best hope for removing the scum that is Lacy Clay.  This year, the odds are already against a non Democrat winning that seat.  The best way to win this seat back for the people is to play the long game and use strategy on our side.  Get rid of Lacy and get someone like a Russ who is more pliable.  Use his more moderate leanings in some areas to our advantage.  Then, when the timing is right, he can be removed from office.

If this primary campaign comes to pass, the DNC will probably favor Lacy due to his involvement with the Congressional Black Caucus and because he is the incumbent for that district.  By voting for Russ in the primary, we are helping to ensure that Lacy does not get another shot at 2 years in office.

Some of you will balk at this idea and say that we should be above that.  To that let me say this.  Sometimes you have to play dirty to win.  There is nothing illegal or wrong with what I am advocating.  All you are doing, when you go into the polling place is saying you want a Democratic ticket.  That is all.

If you agree or disagree with me, I would love to hear your thoughts and comments.

Post Election Thoughts

Tuesday night's election brought both joy and sorrow. I am very happy with the tsunami of Republicans that have won. With the support of Tea Party patriots, we have seen several candidates win and send packing many Congressman and Senators that needed to be sent home. I especially was happy with the wins by Rand Paul, Marco Rubio ,Pat Toomey and several other House gains. I was also very happy with the pickups in the Senate and the Governor races. More on the governor races in a bit.

I was also saddened by several things, probably most specifically the loss of Robyn Hamlin and Bill Corrigan. My wife and I are both big supporters of these two politicians. North County and St. Louis County saw fit to support the status quo instead of riding the wave of change. I expect that the union vote really helped Dooley and Clay. While Ed Martin is contesting his race with Russ Carnahan, I am also saddened with the voting issues that we saw in the third district. The issues that occurred statewide and the convenience of the additional votes appearing out of the city are truly suspect. It will be interesting to see what occurs once the vote is counted and completed.

As I write this after a long night I am listening to a replay of Obama's conference this afternoon. He takes little blame for what happened last night and he sputters a feeble attempt at an olive branch to the GOP. He refuses to admit that his administration's overreach is the reason for last nights large GOP gains. If this is what we are to expect over the next few years, it will make for a very interesting two years.

The elections are now, for the most part, over. Let's all take a breath and survey the surroundings. Let's truly look at what's ahead. There are a lot of things to consider now, including:

• Nancy Pelosi and the older house reps - There are indicators that many of the older House Dems will not look at retiring since the Dems lost so handily. Many of them do not want to go back to being the minority. These departures will lead to openings in the House. How will these openings change the dynamic.
  
• The census - The census will greatly effect the makeup of the house. As I discussed in THIS post and THIS one, the census will change the lay of the land. Missouri will probably lose a house seat as will a couple of other states.
  
• The governors races - Governors can help set the political tone of each state. The GOP wins in these races will dramatically help Republican causes. These governors will also help set the new lines for House districts as part of the upcoming redistricting.


• The legislative agenda - What will the House and Senate have as their legislative agenda. With Reid probably retaining leadership in the Senate and Boehner probably taking over the House, there are going to be two different and possibly competing agendas.

The next two years cannot be carte blanche no. Boehner cannot try and legislate from the House. Instead, the Republicans need to push for plans that lower taxes and create smaller government. I think everyone will agree that limited compromise is totally acceptable, but the Republicans cannot be obstructionists, otherwise they will get ousted in two years. If Senate Democrats and the President insist on not compromising or pushing a far left agenda, while the GOP lead House offers compromise and moderation, 2010 will be a warm up act for 2012.

Much like Boehner, Rubio and Paul all said last night, this was not an endorsement of the GOP, this was a call to action and a mandate against the president, Pelosi and Reid. I think Jamie Allman says it best, we are not married to you guys, we are just dating. We will see what happens from here on out. You better not disappoint us.

The two pet projects I would like to see addressed are some gerrymandering restrictions and Congressional and Senate term limits. I will be posting more on that in the future, but DSM over at Reboot Congress has written volumes on term limits and I suggest you take a look.

For Robyn Hamling and my fellow Robyn Hamlin supporters I say this, you put up a very valiant fight. It was a fight that many people have tried to wage. All of you spent countless man hours working the phones, going door to door and educating the public. Robyn had all of the right answers for a public group that just did not care. For some, this Congressional race was just about race. For others, it was about supporting the union machine that Lacy regularly supports. Just take a look at Lacy's FEC filings and you can see the amount of money the unions poured into his campaign. He helps them out by pushing through government spending for Boeing, the Federal Government and other big union shops. This loss was probably a combination of the right candidate at the wrong time. I do take some solace that Lacy got less than 75% of the votes. This district has been gerrymandered to the point where winning would be tough for just about anyone without a D behind their name. Robyn and her team worked hard and were able to accomplish a lot. I hope that this can be the stepping stone for bigger things in 2012. Even though we did not get a win, we can continue to work with the St. Louis Tea Party and other local candidates and representatives to make North County and North City a better place. For all you have done, though, I say thank you and good job.

Get Out and Volunteer While You Still Can

This is a quick post.

I received an email from a friend asking me where I have been. In all bluntness, I am out working the ground. My wife volunteered to work on a couple of campaigns and I am helping her. Even now there are still many people who have not made up their minds. It is our job to inform them of their options and make sure they are informed voters.

As I have said all along, it is now up to each of YOU to make sure you are working with a candidate. Are you in the second district and want to make sure that DC is not being controlled by Reid and Pelosi, then get up off your couch/office chair and volunteer.

This weekend, Robyn Hamlin, ED Martin, Bill Corrigan and the St. Louis Tea Party can all use your help.

If you want to help but don't know how check out these sites

Robyn Hamlin - http://www.hamlinforcongress.com/
Ed Martin - http://edmartinforcongress.com/
Bill Corrigan - http://www.corriganforexec.com/
St. Louis Tea Party - http://www.stlouisteaparty.com/

Also, do you live on or near a busy intersection or street. You can help out by allowing one or several of these campaigns to put out yard signs. Believe it or not, the name recognition helps.

Right now, the Dems are on the ropes and are scared. All of their gerrymandering of districts over the years is not helping them with this election. Carnahan and Clay have both voted for very unpopular bills including health care control, TARP, and the auto bailout. These bills were all passed and have done little to nothing to improve our overall economic condition.

I am signing off for now to go work the campaigns. You should do the same.

New York Times Gives Hamlin & Martin No Chance

It’s funny what you can stumble across when surfing the web. While surfing through the many news websites I stumbled upon this piece of gold from the New York Times. Apparently, the grey old lady is not giving Robyn Hamlin and Ed Martin much if any chance of winning their elections. Even though their polling shows Martin and Carnahan in a tight race, they are giving Ed Martin only a 5% chance of winning. In the case of Robyn Hamlin, they are giving her no chance of winning, predicting she will only take 24% of the vote in the first district.

You can find these forecasts here and here

Now, you may be asking yourself, where does this come from? Well, the Times appears to be using a group call FiveThirtyEight. You can find out more about them by going here.

I am sure some of you will read this and immediately believe this guy, Nate Silver, to be a political hack. You know what, he may be. That said, he is a stats junkie for Baseball Prospectus and tends to be right more than he is wrong. I have read and listened to this guy on the radio and he knows his stuff. Additionally, he made some early calls on the 2008 primaries that were spot on. He tends to know his stuff given enough information.

That said, I post this as more of a wake up call to you first and third MO district residents. This information is based upon history of the area including voter turnout, etc. but is also based upon polling data. In the case of Robyn Hamlin vs. Lacy Clay, it does not appear there is any polling data to support this case, it is all based upon history. In the case of Ed Martin vs. Russ Carnahan, it is based upon history and polls from August.

What does this mean, it means the establishment is writing off the challengers for these two districts. They are saying that Robyn and Ed have no chance of winning. Do no let this get you down, though. The forecasters have been wrong and will continue to be wrong. It is up to YOU to make the difference. In the case of Robyn Hamlin, all we have is history of the district. There have been no polls that I can find to show where she is truly at. In the case of Ed Martin, even though the polls are old, the forecasts are showing a fairly close race. YOU are the ones that need to make sure you vote and get other like minded individuals out there voting. YOU are the ones who need to make sure that the uninformed are informed. Otherwise the uninformed and the like minded will get their information from the MSM and either skip voting or be an uninformed voter.

We are now less than 30 days away. Quit hitting the snooze button and do what has to be done. Let’s prove the forecasters and the New York Times wrong.

Now Playing In A Theater Near You

Do You Know Your District? - UPDATED

As I talked about in an earlier post HERE, the census is very important to politicians. Yes it gives government an idea of who lives where and all sorts of statistical data, but it also plays a very important part to the House of Representatives. After the 2000 census, St. Louis was re-districted.

Here is what the 1st, 2nd and 3rd districts looked like pre-redistricting. Maps courtesy of the US Census

The districts were changed after the census to look like this.

The third district saw some changes, but the second and first districts were changed the most. Parts of north county as well as a decent chunk of west county were all taken from the second district and moved into the first. This change was done in such a way to almost guarantee the status quo, thus meaning the first district would be represented by a Democrat.

The sad thing is, a lot of people do not know that they were moved around. This became very apparent when a co-worker who lives in Maryland Heights was complaining that she had no one to vote against Todd Akin (she is a yellow dog Democrat). When I challenged her on whether or not she was in Akin's district, she swore she was. I had her go to this tool HERE. Low and behold she found out that she is in fact in District 1. She was not even looking because she was sure that she was in the 2nd district. This got me thinking, so I started asking more and more people that live in Maryland Heights, Hazelwood area and many, not all, thought that they were still in the second district.

So, it was with great surprise that I received an email with the following video.

Take the time and learn what district you are in and make sure you cast your ballot come November 2nd.

Political Donations and You

What does a donation mean to a political candidate? Well, if you are challenging an established incumbent, it can mean a lot. In St. Louis, we have two candidates that are challenging established incumbents with decent war chest funds. These challengers need YOUR time, effort and yes money to be able to succeed.

Why do they need YOUR donations, you may be asking. There are two reasons.

1. Candidates need donations of time and money. They need:
• time because they cannot be at all places at all times. They need people to help organize fundraisers, drop literature, assist at events, make phone calls, make mailers, answer the phones, etc. A volunteer, a true volunteer and not one of the Democrat paid volunteers, is worth their weight in gold to a candidate. They are the lifeblood of a challenger and can make the difference in a tight election.
• money because that is what it takes to get their name out. Money is needed to register to run, print flyers, run advertisements on radio and TV, get a web page made, have a phonebank make calls and even rent and operate a headquarters.
• stuff. You would be surprised what kind of stuff a candidate needs. They need computers and printers. If they have printers, they need toner and paper. If they have a headquarters, the need furniture. They need yard signs, bumper stickers, buttons, shirts and hats. They need all of the things that a normal business needs to operate, but they need it quicker.
2. If the money comes from you, the candidate is being paid for by you. If the candidate gets their money from PACs and companies, they are indebted to these companies. Not all candidates are this way. There are several out there that do what is right for the people. That said, there are many that are willing to do what is right for their campaign contributors. Do you think Lacy Clay would give a care for the Rent to Own industry if they did not pay him or his personal PAC so much money? If you want a candidate that is going to represent you and not have to make deals with companies and PAC's to get money, then YOU have to donate and not leave it to the interest groups

Based upon the current, as of data available today, Federal Elections Commission information, here is how the two races look in regards to donations. Both Russ Carnahan and Lacy Clay have received more money from PAC's than they have from individuals. Don't believe me, click on the images below to see for yourself. These come straight from the FEC website.

If you want to do your own homework, click HERE to go to the Missouri page.

To add insult to injury, of Lacy Clay's $185,642 in individual contributions, $89,420 is from people out of the state of Missouri. In the case of Russ Carnahan, $96,510 out of $575,207 is from people out of the state of Missouri. While Russ has a higher percentage of Missouri donations, both seem to be receiving a lot of money from out of state interests.

In the interest of fairness, I have to say that Ed Martin has received a considerable amount of money from out of state individuals too. Of his $820,064 in individual donations, $101,916 comes from individuals out of state. Robyn Hamlin does not have any individual donations listed, meaning that she has not received, any individual donations over $200.00.

Across the board, people agree that it is time to get rid of the established and entrenched Democrats that have sat in the Senate and Congress for years and done nothing for their constituents. If you really want this to occur, the candidates need your help. They need your financial support and they need your time.

Now, let me say something for those in Missouri in and out of the MO first district. Robyn Hamlin needs your help. There has been no time within in recent history that we have been this close to being able to get rid of Lacy Clay. While many are focusing on the Russ Carnahan vs Ed Martin fight, Robyn is getting ignored. She needs your help too. Lacy Clay is beatable. If you would just please give her a few dollars, it can go a long way. Skipping Starbucks or brown bagging lunch for a week for one person can by some additional flyers, yard signs or bumper stickers. If you can, please go to her website at http://www.hamlinforcongress.com/ and make a donation.

This and That on the Media

Having studied Journalism I find it interesting to view it from afar. Speaking from experience, it is difficult to critique a profession when you are a part of it. When you are a part of the machine, it is harder to separate yourself from it. You tend to come up with excuses for certain actions or behaviors. When you are a part of the machine, you do have a perspective that outsiders do not have, but it rarely gives you the type of objective viewpoint that is needed.

I bring this up because I have seen some interesting things with the main street media (MSM). On a national level, we can see that they are starting to turn on the Obama administration. Don't fool yourself and think they are going to start espousing the ideals of the Tea Party or that they have become converts to fiscal responsibility. No. The MSM is still going to go after Rand Paul, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and such. But, they are now going after Obama and his minions because they are not being served the way they expected. Obama ran on an open government and led them to believe the press would have access like never before. That is not happening. Instead, they are seeing a president that is refusing to answer questions, a White House PRess Secretary that gets flippant if you dare question a policy decision or question administrations thought process, a bullying Chief of Staff and nonsensical policies. As I said back in January (article HERE) and before that October (article HERE) the media is biting the hand that fed it. The media, especially the national media, is a vindictive bunch who will sell their grandmother for a story that could win them a Pulitzer Prize. It is no great surprise that the MSM is going after Obama now.

That is why I had to chuckle when I saw this on DrudgeReport
And now, according to Breitbart TV, the WHPress Secretary, Robert Gibbs, is privately chastising reporters for going after the administration on the BP oil spill.

This all will not last, though. As the elections get nearer, the administration will reach out to the national MSM and do what it can to make them happy in hopes of using the MSM to sway public opinion in favor of Democrats. Obama and team know there are going to be losses and they know they need the press to help sway opinion.

My prediction is this - Barring any further scandal, the press will have a field day over a good part of the summer on the BP-Gulf Coast crisis. Many will compare it to Katrina with talk of it being called Obama's Katrina moment. Late this summer, after vacations and primaries, the administration will start to make nice with the press. Obama will probably do some one on one interviews and may well have a press conference or two. This will lead to the press and non-Fox News pundits, starting to speak highly of the president and his administration. They will try and take off the toxic image he currently has so that he can help with the November campaigns.

Possible Game Changer - All bets are off if Dick Morris is right and someone starts sniffing around and finds something with Joe Sestak's claim that he was offered a position in the administration if he did not run. IF this gets any legs, this will last a long time and could be big. Remember, the press will do anything for a Pulitzer and most papers and national news need ratings.

On the local front, I once again look at the St. Louis Post Dispatch and just shake my head in wonder. This paper bewilders me, yet I really should not be surprised as this is how they have been since I can remember.

All indications are that the Post is willing to let Russ Carnahan go down in defeat. While they are not actively pursuing Russ as much as some of our local bloggers and radio personalities, they are running stories that do not put Russ in a great light. That said, I find it interesting that they have not done anything on Lacy Clay. Lacy has a person within his own party running against him and a search on StlToday.com of Candice Britton yields no results.

If you do a similar search for Martin D. Baker, you will find 1 story from 2008. If you do a search on Robyn Hamlin, you will find press releases that her campaign has sent out. That is it. No stories or profiles on mentions of any of these candidates.

Add to that, why is it that myself and other bloggers are the only ones doing any reporting on Lacy and his associations with the Rent to Own groups as well as the large campaign payments to his sister. I know times are tough, but the Post could at least follow up to some of these stories much like they did the with Bob McCarty's story on Celeste Finkenbine. You can find the Post's version of the story HERE.

What is it about Lacy that the post is not willing to go after him. Is it a race thing? Is the Post worried about claims of racism if they legitimately go after him? That is the only thing I can think of. If that is the case, it is a sad state of affairs for our town and our only daily print newspaper.

What are your thoughts and/or predictions?

The Dangerous Next Steps of This Administration

Health care passed without one Republican vote. Hundreds of thousands of voters, Republican, Democrat and Independent shout and plead their opposition. Obama, Pelosi and Reid shrug. Why do they shrug? Because they do not understand or care what we think. People, we need to wake up. The leaders within our government think they know better than us. They went to ivy league schools and many of them lived a privileged life or lived a life of politics and academia. Since they do not understand the real world, they are saying, "Let them eat cake."

Barack Obama and his various minions have long said that once health care legislation passed Congress and it was signed into law, the people would rally around it. This is dangerous thinking my friends. These highly educated politicians think the know better than the populace. History has seen this before and it was called an Aristocracy. Aristocracy is close relative to Socialism or a Communist state. These elitist think they know what is best for us and are forcing it down our throats and they are doing so with well though out and funded marketing packages.

Health care is the first step in a well thought out plan to change the way this country functions on a day to day basis. Had the economy not been tanking, there would have been no way for the government to take ownership stake in private industries. With the US in major recession, it was easy to sell the concept of the government owning stock in major corporations, or in the case of GM, a complete takeover of a publicly traded company. Had the recession not been in full effect and GM on the verge of bankruptcy, the first thing he would have gone after would have been health care. Why is that, because it is easy to paint anyone who is against health care for all as uncaring. It is also easy to make comparisons between universal health care and things like civil rights or medicare.

Now that health care has passed, it legitimizes government intervention into other areas. Just look at the student loan process. Even though it had nothing to do with health care, Congress and the Senate saw fit to add having the government run this program. This was done supposedly to save millions of dollars. That is until you find out that the payback program.

The bill will lower the monthly cap on loan repayments from 15 percent to 10 percent. Beginning in 2014 students will not be required to spend more than 10 percent of their income on loan payments. In addition, loans issued after 2014 will be eligible for loan forgiveness after 20 years rather than 25 years. As long as students make their payments in a timely manner for 20 years they can be forgiven of the remaining balance. This has the potential to cost even more money and cause continued job loss in the financial sector. In addition, it is another piece of the pie that the government is now controlling.

Next the Obama administration wants to tackle the financial sector. Of course this is done all in the name of protecting the populace. Consider the comments of VP Joe Biden in an interview with Aaron Task

"It's a simple proposition to us: Everyone is entitled to adequate medical
health care," Biden says. "If you call that a 'redistribution of income' --
well, so be it. I don't call it that. I call it just being fair -- giving the
middle class taxpayers an even break that the wealthy have been getting."

The VP of the United States is legitimizing the redistribution of wealth under the guise of fairness to the middle class. You have to wonder, though, what this administration considers middle class.

This is why it is not too far of a stretch to imagine the government trying to dictate who we can purchase vehicles from. Can't you see the government demand that all new cars be a Chevy Volt as part of some new climate change or green technology government package. What

Representative Michael Burgess had to say this week is not that far off.

The point is, the leaders in Washington are not looking out for us. They believe they know more than each of us and can tell us how to live our lives. The Republicans were just as responsible for maleficence as the Democrats are now. The difference is the Democrats are quickly making up for lost time.

There are many incumbents who are good Congressmen and Senators, both at the state and federal level. We need to support these people as candidates. In this upcoming election, each one of us needs to take a long hard look at the candidates and determine whether or not they are politicians looking to live off of the public teat or are they public servants who want to perform the act of representing the constituency. I do not know about you, but I would rather have a Congressman or Senator that I disagree with, who at least listens to and acts upon the needs and desires of his constituents versus a politician who caters to special interests, their own self interests or what they think is the best.

And since I know that you and or your staff read this website Lacy Clay and Russ Carnahan. Yes I am talking about you two and I look forward to you two being private citizens come January of next year.

My Interview with Martin D. Baker - Republican for MO 1st District

Wow! Lacy has got himself some competition this year. Once again I fell out of my chair when I found out that there is another candidate running against Lacy Clay. That candidate is one Martin D. Baker. After I picked myself off of the floor, I took at look at his campaign website. After reviewing it, I shot Martin an email and he agreed to an interview.

The following is an interview I did with Martin over the course of a couple of days. This is strictly an interview. I am not giving my opinion or am I commenting on anything that Martin has to say. I think it is only fair to let Martin speak his points without comment by me or anyone else. While some questions may have been rearranged for better reading, these are all his answers.

Q. Why are you running for the seat currently occupied by Lacy Clay for the 1st District of Missouri?
A. To give real representation back to the people of this district who are longing for a representative that does care.

Q. Lacy Clay claims that he represents the people of the first district. You obviously feel that is not the case. How would you go about ensuring you represent the district?
A. True Representative Access. I remember reading how a few months ago a constituent of Cong. Clay approached him at the airport and the manner in which the person was brushed off was not something that would ever happen with me. The seat does not belong to any one man or party it belongs to the people and the person who is holding that seat is accountable to the people it belongs to. I'd gladly meet with my constituents in and out of the district, id answer concerns personally as often as occasions would permit and Id have town hall forums whether congress is in session or in recess.

Q. I have heard a lot of people say that Lacy Clay does not make himself available to his constituents. This is not the first election cycle I have heard this. Why do you think he continues to get re-elected with this type of attitude and how can you change people's minds?
A. He gets re-elected because its like the Eddie Murphy movie the Distinguished Gentleman- Its the Name they know- without any serious threat to his re-election he goes through the motions shows up at the right events and coasts to another two year term. He's the old shoes you keep in your closet, they need to be replaced, but they are so familiar you keep them anyway. What I plan to do to change people's mind is to show them is now a better option.

Q. What differentiates you from Lacy Clay in your beliefs and stances?
A. I believe that my website shows where Congressman Clay and I are different but I feel the greatest disparity in belief is what we feel the role of government is....I advocate less governmental intrusion and my opponent does not.

Q. You have run for Congress before in 2008 against Emanuel Cleaver. What did you learn in that contest that applies to your running today?
A. I learned even in a Primary loss that you don't deviate from your beliefs and values and no matter the outcome hold your head high.

Q. In an election where being a political insider could be considered a detriment, are you afraid that your past political endeavors will work against you?
A. I feel my experience as a consultant does not jade me like the "insiders" are because it helps me understand the process to better serve my constituents.

Q. I have interviewed 2 other candidates for Lacy Clay's current seat. One is a Democrat and one is a Republican. There are also 2 Libertarians running. Why do you think so many people are trying to unseat Congressman Clay?
A. It is apparent on all angles of the political spectrum that Congressman Clay has lost the confidence of his constituency.

Q. What do you offer that your competition does not?
A. Fresh ideas, enthusiasm and commitment to the District and my home state.

Q. What are you going to do, specifically, to benefit the First District?
A. Serve the district through actually finding the true needs of the district, coordinating with our local leaders and our state leaders and implementing policies and ideas that will help the district as a whole and not just in certain more privileged areas. I will visit with constituents every recess and hear their needs personally not through staffers. we will have frequent town hall meetings for them to air their grievances.

Q. Are there any committees that you would especially want to participate in, should you be elected?
A. Small Business, Homeland Security, Budget, Appropriations, and Armed Services

Q. Why those committees?
A. Each of those committees affect our district in ways for example, the backbone of this district is the small businesses such as the mom and pop stores on Page, Homeland Security is affected by the crimes committed by the numerous undocumented (illegal) residents we have here, Budget and Appropriations go without saying and obviously with our close proximity to Boeing who supplies our Armed Services.

Q. It is interesting that you bring up Boeing. They have contributed a lot of money to Clay over the years through their PAC. In addition, their workers are union workers and publicly, then tend to back Democrats. How will you win over their support?
A. Its always tough when you have that obstacle but you venture anyway. Reality is that the unions support Democrats in droves, but the true matter is that most workers don't have a say in where their union money goes but on a personal level they are conservative people who are strong on national security so we wont focus heavily on the unions themselves but on its individual members. When we focus on its members instead of its figurehead leaders we once again give the focus back to the people.

Q. Illegal aliens are just as big a problem here in St. Louis as they are in other areas. Some groups call for amnesty, others call for deportation and still others call for some variation of the two. In your opinion, how do we handle this problem?
A. Illegal immigration is a national security issue, no two ways about it. There are people who practically on a daily basis go through the proper channels to gain entry and citizenship to our country at great personal and emotional strain, while others just get lucky when there is a hole in a fence or a guard looking the other way. That is unacceptable to me. Its a sad state of affairs to know we have more people investigating tax fraud then we do defending our borders from illegal incursions. We need simply put to lock down our borders. If a person wants to go the process follow the rules and regulations to gain citizenship then they would have no problem returning to their country of origin and going through those proper channels. If they don't we need to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law and return them. Not only that, we need to prosecute those who continue to employ them because its a cheaper alternative than hiring a citizen. I was told a story of a woman who had ancestors take the proverbial "slow boat" to get to our shores but had all necessary documentation ready upon entry. That is a person who wants to be here to take part in the American Dream and work for it. We cannot and should not under any circumstances reward anyone who came here under illegal or false pretenses such as overstaying a Visa.

Q. Reading your website, one of your issues struck me. You believe in removing earnings tax and replacing it with a national sales tax. Missouri is attempting to do this now. Mike Huckabee ran as president on this issue too. Do you think it will gain any attraction?
A. I certainly hope so. When Americans look at their paychecks and see more money they are inclined to utilize it to actually stimulate the economy. The time has come to give the people that option.

Q. What did you learn working with Sherman Thompson Parker?
A. I could write a book on the lessons i learned from Sherman. He is one of my political heroes who taught me that you don't give up no matter how daunting the task might look. His greatest phrase to me was a simple one...principles over politics.

Q. The president gave himself a solid B+ when asked to give himself a grade. How would you grade him and why?
A. Does the President grade on a curve? I would have to give the president an F on the premise that he has forced legislation down the throats of America without truly asking them through their Senators and Representatives. He has not acquitted himself well on the international stage with his Apology Tour, which erodes international confidence in America, and he has spent away the future of America, without a plan for repaying it.

Q. What is your background? Tell my readers more about you?
A. I was born and raised in the Southeast Missouri city of Sikeston. I attended BYU-Idaho and the University of Missouri-Columbia. At Mizzou I served as a student senator for my residence hall floor. I left school to venture into the world of politics as a volunteer consultant and in the process became a parent for the first time. I'm a proud father of three daughters and one son. I am proud of the background that I got being raised by my grandmother who taught me the basic values and my father and stepmother who taught me the principles of hard work and I believe I can use all that serve the District with Honor and Pride.

Q. The St. Louis Post Dispatch appears to do what it can to protect St. Louis Democrats like Lacy Clay and Russ Carnahan. How are you going to get your name and positions out there?
A. I would hope that in seeing the groundswell of angst that has been built up against our incumbents that the PD would look to see who the people are supporting but if they don't, that's fine, they can make themselves seem they are the hired shill of the establishment and we will take out message and name out to the "streets" the old fashioned way, by being out there. I will soon be in neighborhoods in the District knocking on doors introducing myself and answering questions and concerns.

Q. Have you approached or are there any plans for you to debate Lacy Clay? If so, when?
A. I haven't approached Congressman Clay however I plan on doing so even before the primary and also inviting my opponents both from my party and our libertarian and democrat sides.

Q. In one sentence or less, what is your platform?
A. My platform is all about the people of our District-Missouri First.

As you can see, Martin has some very interesting points. Please check out his web page and reach out to him via his website, on Facebook at Martin D Baker for US Congress or twitter at @Baker4Congress.

I hope you found this as informative as I did. Please comment your thoughts on here and let Martin know what you think.

My Interview with Robyn Hamlin - Republican for MO 1st District

Thanks to Darin over at Reboot Congress, I was made aware of the candidacy of Robyn Hamlin. After I picked myself off of the floor, realizing that Lacy Clay now has more competition, I took at look at her campaign website. After reviewing it, I shot Robyn an email and she quickly agreed to an interview.

The following is an interview I did with Robyn over the phone yesterday. This is strictly an interview. I am not giving my opinion or am I commenting on anything that Robyn has to say. I think it is only fair to let Robyn speak her points without comment by me or anyone else. While some questions may have been rearranged for better reading, these are all her answers.

Q. Why are you running for the seat currently occupied by Lacy Clay for the 1st District of Missouri?
A. To get Lacy clay out of office because he does not do that much for our area. We need real representation here and I do not think we are getting it.

Think of it this way. The country is like a business. When there is a big business and it effects big parts of the country you have to have people look out for those parts. We do not have a representative looking out for us

Q. Lacy Clay claims that he represents the people of the first district. You obviously feel that is not the case. How would you go about ensuring you represent the district?
A. I would be accessible to the constituents. For instance this summer, when on break, did he have any town halls. No, he made a statement in the St. Louis Post Dispatch that he was going to forgo town-hall meetings and see the work on highway 40. That is what overlords do. We do not want an overlord we want a representative.

Q. What differentiates you from Lacy Clay in your beliefs and stances?
A. Well, there are a lot of things. I have got a list of them I've published on a meetup group website. I have posted everything that Lacy Clay has voted on where I believe he voted incorrectly or I would have voted differently( LINK HERE).

We just need to replace Lacy Clay. Lacy Clay even voted to not allow churches to provide welfare services to his constituents. It seems he does not even want churches to help people locally. If a church wants to help people, why should they not be allowed to.

Q. While you have been politically active, you are not a Washington or even a St. Louis political insider. What makes you qualified for this position?
A. No, Lacy Clay is not even a St. Louisian. He was raised and schooled in DC. He moved here later on and he has it (his house seat) because his father had it and because of name recognition.

Q. So you think your being an outsider is a good thing?
A. Yes, I don't owe any political favors.

Q. You mentioned Clay's father. In Missouri we have seen political dynasties on both the right and the left with the Clays, Carnahans and Blunts. What do you think of political dynasties?
A. I do not believe in any political dynasties and they don't serve to represent the people ver well. This is not England with a monarchy. We are supposed to have representatives not hierarchies.

Q. What are you going to do, specifically, to benefit the First District?
A. I am going to work with our state reps and senators to represent Missouri. Missouri is a sovereign state. How can anyone go to DC and report they represent the district when they do not talk to Missouri legislatures to see what the state needs or doesn't want from the federal government. That is the job of a representative.

Q. So you are going to be the lobbyist on behalf of the state?
A. Exactly

Q. Are there any committees that you would especially want to participate in, should you be elected?
A. I would love to be on the ethics committee, the education committee. The water committee is another one.

Q. Why those?
A. There are a lot of things that need to be taken care of. We have a lot of things going on in our water rights. This committee is working on a lot of things that are farmed out. We have agencies like the EPA who creates rules that are not laws

We do not have any representation anymore. Slowly our representatives do not represent us anymore.

Q. Reading your website, it reads like some of your positions are things we have heard from the St. Louis Tea Party; is that what you are running under or as a part of?
A. No, I think a lot of people don't realize that these are people that have the same values getting together to express their frustration. This is not a political party. This is more of a movement to put our county back on track to following the rules.

Q. The president gave him self a solid B+, what do you give him.
A. Maybe, if he was looking at another constitution.

It is really difficult to have someone who has never run a business or anything trying to tell people how to run something. It is like people who have never raised kids trying to tell you how to raise children. Much like children, being the president does not come with instructions, but the president should know how to run something.

Q. The president was a community organizer, isn't community organizing like running a business.
A. You can organize anything you want but it is not the same as running a business. There is a lot to running a business like obtaining permits, documentation and finances. A business owner knows and understands how things like owning stock can effect your finances and the way you claim your taxes. A community organizer does not do any of that. A community organize gets people together.

Q. You work in the insurance industry and have been a single mother raising a child. In your opinion, how do we fix healthcare.
A. The government needs to quit mandating benefits and getting in the way of people who contract with businesses. I can contract with someone or a business to provide certain services to me. The government then comes along and mandates the contract that I made with someone but now be changed and they must provide more services. Now I have to pay for services that I did not contract for and that effect the costs. Their heart may be in the right place, but I do not think they look at the long term repercussions when they do something.

If they really wanted to do something to promote the general welfare of the country the insurance companies would be allowed to sell a basic plan that would cover routine accidents and illnesses in addition to the comprehensive plans they sell now. On the basic plans if they were offered with no pre-existing conditions but a requirement that people must keep the plan at least a year and offer a $250 to $500 deductibe, then have 80% co-insurance, a maxium out of pocket of $1000, and a maximum calendar year benefit of $25,000 to $50,000 many people who currently don't have coverage would jump at a chance to buy a contract like that, but can't because the government gets involved and mandates so many benefits.

The average person does not go to the hospital every year. Congress should allow companies to sell something that promotes the general welfare (not put the county on welfare) and can handle day to day issues. A common sense policy like this would cover appendectomies, bronchitis, broken bones, colds, maternity, and thinks like that. There are many people who would still buy the more comprehensive plans as an individual or have more comprehensive employment based benefits.

Q. Are they kowtowing to special interest groups?
A. Yes

Q. What is the one thing you want to accomplish should you be elected?
A. Boy, there are a couple things I would like to accomplish in my first term. One is to raise awareness on why we need to audit the Federal Reserve and to make the definition of undocumented what it really means, illegal. Congress does not seem to understand the definition of illegal and undocumented. Many of the undocumented workers are not undocumented, they are illegal aliens and it needs to be discussed in those terms. If the are illegal and we know it, why do we allow them to stay?

Q. Why audit Federal Reserve?
A. To find out how many generations have been pledged to pay interest on loans. To find out who and how we are indebted to, whatever countries and private banks. The federal reserve is a private bank that our country basically hired to keep the value of our money stable. Have they done this or has the value of our money been devalued?

Q. Reviewing your website, I see a lot of mentions regarding rights and taxes. In addition, I see you mention the founding fathers a lot. A lot of people do not believe the founding fathers are relevant any more. In your opinion, what do the founding fathers have to do with our government today?
A. Our constitution was setup for the sole purpose of keeping the people free and protecting our liberties. It has passed the test of time. There are many other papers that are older than our constitution. Those papers, like the Bible, are not considered outdated. The constitution and the Bill of Rights are not outdated.

The founding fathers listed some things that the federal government should not encroach on. Being taxed without representation is a major item. How many times are there taxes and fees in the name of the Federal Government that we or our representatives have never voted on. We have gotten so far away from what the founders came up with that it is going to take major work to get it back. It is kind of like trust, it is easy to lose trust, but you have to work hard to get it back.

Q. You work in the Insurance industry, are you afraid that your opponent or opponents will make this an issue, especially considering the healthcare issues now?
A. If they did, it wouldn’t hurt because I am the one on the front line explaining to customers and small businesses why their premiums went up because a new mandate was passed.

I have this example on my website. Let’s say you just bought new tires for your car and it cost you over $800. You decide to purchase tire insurance that would replace all your tires if you have a flat. The premium is $5 per month. A group of people then discover that it does not cover hub caps and they become very angry. They complain to their congressmen who then decide to issue a mandate stating that all companies that offer tire insurance must now cover hub caps. You get your next bill in the mail and your premium has gone from $5 to $7.00. You never wanted hub cap coverage but now have no choice and are forced to pay for it.

Q. As readers of my blog know, Lacy has a cozy relationship with the Rent To Own industry. I see you are a member of the Rental Property Owners Association. Is that the same thing?
A. No it is not. It is an organization for landlords and renters to know when legislation is passed. It is important to know if there is a new regulation that effects the way you rent property. The EPA has came out with a new regulation that can keep you from fixing something like a broken window, it is important to know this. If a tenant were to break a window, I could get in trouble for replacing it without being certified by the EPA. This organization keeps us informed of those types of situations.

Q. You are also a member of Get Out Of Our House. They want to "evict" all of the current career House members. Are there any members of the House that you think are doing a good job and if so why?
A. I have been a watcher of that group. There are a few members that are doing a good job. Most of them though, do not represent their states. You see, a majority of them go to DC and forget the reason they go there. Normally, when you get a new job, you get a rule book that tells you what you can and can't do. You follow those rules and get to keep your job. When they go to DC they get this rule book too, it is called the Constitution. The problem is, over time, they just quit following it.

I feel bad for states that have made bad budget decisions, but should the federal government bail out those states? Should Missouri taxpayers bail out those states that make bad decisions? No! The federal government is supposed to proved common currency, protect our borders and keep states from fighting with one another.

Q. What is your background? Tell my readers more about you?
A. I was born in North St. Louis City and lived in several parts of the St. Louis area. I attended Lutheran grade schools in St. Louis City and Florissant and public schools for middle and high school. I attended high school in Alton Illinois where I was active in sports (lettered in varsity volleyball), student council, and graduated in the top 10% of my class. I Was a member of FBLA club (Future Business Leaders of America), Junior Achievement, and Girl Scouts.

Over the course of several years I worked for three different insurance agencies and learned the good and the bad of the industry. While holding down two separate jobs, I started a commercial cleaning business with money I had saved. This business was quite successful.

Eventually, I started my own insurance agency and gave up the profitable cleaning business because I felt more people could be helped by putting all my efforts into the insurance business. When there is a claim or enrollment problem, I put in countless hours fighting for my clients’ rights and I don't get paid extra for this. I am persistent and get the job done.

I love animals, enjoy gardening and home improvement projects. Using money I had saved, not borrowed, that evolved into investing in a few small houses and fixing them up so I could rent them out to people who needed a home.

I raised my son as a unwed mother. My son's father and I get along, we just are not a couple. I am devoted to my family, my district, my country and my God. This is why I involved myself in politics. I got involved with politics in my early twenty’s as a precinct coordinator. I want my country back as it should be and I want career politicians out of Congress.

Q. The St. Louis Post Dispatch appears to do what it can to protect St. Louis Democrats like Lacy Clay and Russ Carnahan. How are you going to get your name and positions out there?
A. Well, I have a pretty good strategy to do that. I am going to try my best to get coverage with them. That is all I can do. If they cover all of the candidates in a non partisan fashion that would be excellent. If not, there is nothing I can do about that. I will continue to move forward.

Q. Have you approached or are there any plans for you to debate Lacy Clay? If so, when?
A. I would love to, but I doubt he will. We will see if the opportunity will present itself.

Q. In one sentence or less, what is your platform?
A. Protect our liberties and speak for the state of Missouri

As you can see, Robyn has some very interesting points. Please check out her web page and reach out to her via her website or twitter at @Hamlin4Congress.

I hope you found this as informative as I did. Please comment your thoughts on here and let Robyn know what you think.

2/23 - Candidate Filing Day In MO

I just thought I would just share this. As of this evening, here is what the primary election cycle looks like for St. Louis. This information comes from the Missouri Secretary of State website.

It looks like the two St. Louis Democrats in the House are both up against some competition from both Republicans and Democrats.

I know that it does not mean anything as they have until March 30th, but I thought it was interesting that Lacy Clay has yet to file his candidacy.

This is going to be a very interesting election cycle. I wonder if the Democratic National Committee will give up on ole Russ to keep Clay in office.

As a side note, I want to welcome Robyn Hamlin, Robb Cunningham and Julie Stone to this years election for the first district. Let it be known that I would welcome and they have an open invitation to, an interview with me on this website. The same goes for Congressman Clay, although I think he will stay in the friendly confines of people like Charles Jaco and such.

A Call for Help

Since the beginning of this blog, I have made my beefs with Lacy Clay known. It is obvious that I am native of the North County area that he represents. My work and research to shed the light of truth on Lacy Clay has been read by many people throughout this nation. Thanks to the great program from Google called Analytics, I know for a fact that I not only have readers in the St. Louis area, but also in the US House of Representatives, the US Senate, the Washington Post, the New York Times and many others.

With that said, it upsets me that others have not gathered with me to expose Lacy Clay for the charlatan that he is. Instead, the focus continues to be solely on Russ Carnahan

There are many in the St. Louis area who feel the way I feel. There are Democrats, Republicans and Independents who have all emailed me, thanking me for bringing to light Clay's lack of service to his entire constituency. Here is just one of them.

This is just one of many emails I receive. I have talked and emailed with local businessmen who are afraid to speak out against Clay and even local county officials who represent North County because as one person told me, "you are the only one covering it. Until more people start talking, no one at the Post or anywhere else is going to pick this stuff up."

I know Russ Carnahan is an easier target than Clay, but that does not mean we shouldn't try. Lacy Clay continues to run uncontested. He is able to do so, because no one is willing to stand up and show the community that he is not a representative of them. No, instead he is the child of a Congressman who was raised and schooled, mostly, in the DC area and did not come to St. Louis until he wanted to start his political career. As a politician, he has done nothing but ride on the coattails of his father and pretend to take care of his constituents, when in reality he is doing nothing but trying to suppress them. Why not go after both Clay and Carnahan? If we can show the community that Clay is vulnerable, someone will take the chance to run against him and have a chance at winning. Let's not just give up because it is hard.

I know I will continue to go after any politician, Democrat or Republican, who does not represent the people and continues to do things in their own personal interest. Is there any other blogger, reporter, or commentator who is with me?

The Importance of the 2010 Census

A few weeks ago I wrote an entry on the 2010 Census and the importance of this census. As you are probably aware, Lacy Clay and most of the Democrats are pushing to allow illegal immigrants to be counted towards the census and how it defines representation in the United States. Senator David Vitter attempted to add an amendment which would require all respondents announce their citizenship status.

I then saw that Lacy Clay was adamant that this amendment not pass and wondered why. As I always do, I began investigating this and what I found floored me. What I am going to talk about here is a lot of educated speculation and leans on multiple sources here, so come along with me if you will.

Based upon current population models, it looks like Missouri will lose a representative. Now, this is where the state politics of this get interesting. If Missouri loses a representative in the house, the state legislature and governor will redistrict the state. If you look at the state government, you have a GOP controlled House and Senate and a Dem Governor. Historically speaking, this type of split tends to lead to favoring incumbents and keeping historical strongholds. For more information on this, I suggest you Google redistricting as there are some very interesting sites out there (As a side note, I found that there are some people whose hobby is to create formulas and create redistricting maps. This is where I was able to get a lot of my information).

Based upon some of these models, if Missouri were to lose a representative in the House, all things seem to indicate that the one to be removed would be the current 3rd district. Based upon the models that some people are coming up with, Lacy Clay and the 1st district would expand out into more of the county and south city eating up part of the 2nd and 3rd district and the 2nd district would take over the remainder of the 3rd district and possibly some of the northern areas of the 1st district near northern St. Charles county. Now, if this were to occur, these changes would not go into effect until the 2012 election, but it could potentially pit Russ Carnahan, should he retain his district against Todd Aiken. While Jefferson County and south city tend to vote Democrat, Aiken would probably win as he would retain West County, St. Charles and possibly gain part of North County. That said it would probably mean a tough fight for anyone wanting to run for the 2nd District. To get a good idea of what I am talking about, go to Swingstate.com and do a search within the site for some MO projections. This is just one of many sites that have projections like this. The lines may change but the outcome seems to be universally the same, MO loses a seat. That is....

If Missouri is able to somehow prove population growth or at least no decline, Missouri may be able to keep the 9th seat. Lines will still be adjusted for population, but for the most part things would stay the same. So how does one work to keep MO population in check and help retain a Democratic seat within the House. To that I quote Lacy Clay's biography page on his website.

Congressman Clay is the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives, which regulates the federal government’s information and privacy standards and also oversees the operations of the Census Bureau. One of Congressman Clay’s primary goals as chairman is to work with the Census Bureau to eliminate the undercount of African Americans, Hispanics and other minorities from the upcoming national census in 2010.

Nowhere does he say legal immigrants or citizens. What Lacy Clay wants to do is to count illegals in the city and outlying areas so that it can help save a House seat. Lacy Clay is not the only one that needs illegals to save seats. You see, population is decreasing in the North, Northeast and Midwest. Even though some of the major cities of the United States are in the North and Northeast (Boston, New York, Detroit, etc.) people are moving south. Based upon some projections by groups like POLIDATA, areas that tend to Republican will pick up many of the seats that Democrat states will lose. Here is a graphic that will better explain it.

Based upon this map, the GOP would have substantial gains in the House, helping to lower the current Democratic majority. The Democrats know about it and are very worried about this. Quietly they have already been talking about it as witnessed by this article written in December of last year. So how do you keep this from happening? How can the current Democratic majority keep a new wave of potential Republicans from coming into power. They count illegals. By counting illegals as citizens in the 2010 Census, the Democrats may be able to save some seats in California, Massachusetts and New York. This may work against them in Texas and Florida, but it seems it is a risk they are willing to take. Plus counting illegals in Texas and Florida, even if redistricted to give Republicans most if not all of the new districts, will give Democrats a chance at some of these new districts since it may thin out the Republican domination in areas. Why else would the Democrats want to work with a corrupt organization like ACORN to help with the census.

Now, as I said, this is all speculation, but it is an educated guess as to what is to come. 2012 is very important to both parties. It could be a change in the balance of power in the House, which could carry over into the White House. It's something to start thinking about. What do you think?

Hit Them Were it Hurts - An Update

My friends, I have been diligently working on collecting a list of corporate and PAC donations to all Missouri Democrats in the House of Representatives as well as those to Robin Carnahan. I must say the findings are very interesting. As you would guess, the unions are BIG donators to these guys and for some of them, make up a majority of their campaign fund donations, but insurance companies and healthcare related groups have donated a nice tidy some to these candidates.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE - This group has donated $5000 to Robin Carnahan and $3500 to Lacy Clay

AFLAC PAC - This group has donated $1000 to Cleaver, $1000 to Russ Carnahan and $1500 to Lacy Clay

EXPRESS SCRIPTS INC. POLITICAL FUND (A/K/A EXPRESS SCRIPTS PAC) - This group has donated $1500 each to Clay and Russ Carnahan

AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE - This group has donated $1000 to Skelton and $5000 to Russ Carnahan

There are also several smaller donations to various campaigns by hospital associations.

Looking at this makes me wonder. Why would groups that make money on healthcare choose to put their PAC dollars behind campaigns that are out to completely change healthcare. It makes you wonder, is there something in this bill for them? It is something I am going to have to look into.

What do you think?

Where in the World is Lacy Clay

I have called, I have emailed and I have looked online and nowhere can I find Congressman William "Lacy" Clay. He is not having any open house or town hall meetings. He is not responding to emails from his constituents. His staff is not returning calls from his constituents.

What ever shall we do?

I know that a lot of attention has been paid to Russ Carnahan in the third district and rightfully so. We still have another Congressman in St. Louis who is just as, if not more liberal than Russ. William "Lacy" Clay has been lock stop with the DNC and Barack Obama. He appears to have no concerns for his constituents who are not in St. Louis city and those municipalities nearby. Since redistricting in 2001, Lacy Clay represents Ferguson, Florissant, Hazelwood, Maryland Heights, Spanish Lake, St. Louis, and University City. Since that time he has done little to nothing to reach out to those not in or directly nearby the city. It appears that he does not care too either and once again it looks like he is going to run unopposed in 2010. I know that trying to find an opponent to run against Clay and win with his district is tough. At this point, many of us would settle for a RINO over one of the most unabashed Liberals in St. Louis.

In a related matter, my ongoing project to hit these Congressmen where it hurts is going well. I have found all of the company PAC's that donated to every Congressman in Missouri as well as Robin Carnahan. I am working on a letter that can be emailed to each company letting them know your displeasure and your willingness to not use their products/services if they do not pull their contributions or use their influence to listen to the will of the people.

Please let me know your thoughts, I would love to hear from you.

No More Town Hall Meetings?

This is coming from FoxNews.com. Per their website, they are showing that none of the Democrats in MO are holding any more town hall meetings in St. Louis. Right now the only ones that are planned in Missouri are Claire McCaskill's on 8/10/09. Those are:

• Three Rivers Community College, 2080 Three Rivers Boulevard, Poplar Bluff, MO at 02:30 PM
• Southeast Missouri State University, 1230 First Street, Kennett, MO at 09:00 AM

That's it, nothing from Lacy Clay, nothing from Russ Carnahan. If these guys are holding them, they are not publicizing them. I have calls into Lacy Clay's office asking if he is having any. I was told that a representative would call me back. Let's see if he will actually do it.

Updated 8/11/09

Lacy Clay has yet to call or email me back. I called his office again and was given the run around asking if I was a constituent. I am beginning to think that maybe he is not going to have any public forums. Unfortunately it does not look like anyone is going to run against him, so maybe he figures he has no need to.

We need someone to run against this man and expose him for the fraud that he is. Much like Russ Carnahan, Lacy Clay is running on his father's name and the fact that his district was re-districted so that those in the North County are lumped in with North City and get stuck with someone who does not care to represent all of the area he serves.