Did The SEIU Get The Memo?
Posted by: Jon Prouty | 11:25am | Permalink

Why is the SEIU spending $450,000 on an ad buy to boost Jay Nixon’s campaign when everyone and their dog knows Nixon is cheap when it comes to selling out? At last check, Nixon’s going rate for a political sellout was roughly $20,000, which is based on the Ameren scandal and his acceptance of a $20,000 check sourced to his embattled political guru, who drubbed Nixon in a high-profile court case shortly after the donation was made. Apparently, the SEIU believes their objective, the reimplementation of ex-Gov. Holden’s collective bargaining order, is worth the $450,000.

Liberal Democrat Umbrella Group Caught Denying the Obvious
Posted by: Jon Prouty | 11:50am | Permalink

As Missouri Pulse readers know, we’re not big fans of the media’s usual tip-toe act around the transparent partisan affiliations of Democrat-aligned advocacy groups and coalitions. However, yesterday’s exchange between Missourinet’s Brent Martin and a paint-by-numbers Democrat umbrella group known as Health Care for Americans Now gives us renewed hope that reporters are starting to see things for what they are.

As Martin’s colleague Steve Walsh noted in a subsequent blog post, “Pointing out the obvious is not, in any way, condemnation of the action. It is simply an acknowledgement of reality and the subsequent search for information in light [of] that acknowledgement.” Now, if only reporters would apply such logic to the HillaryCare flunkies at Families USA and the MDP foot soldiers at Pro-Vote.

Nixon’s Pollution Hypocrisy
Posted by: Jon Prouty | 9:30am | Permalink

Jay Nixon’s latest exercise in election year pandering finds him acting the part of an environmental champion against a developer who he accuses of polluting a stream near Hartsburg. It’s times such as this when I am reminded of something Democrat Rep. Belinda Harris said of Nixon’s failure to lift a finger against his family’s pollution-plagued Jefferson County sewage dump, which has been deemed one of the worst plants in the state: “I know we can't control everything our family does, but I feel that it is his [Nixon’s] father and I would appreciate it if somehow he could maybe help him understand that this is a very important issue and it needs to be rectified.”¹

_____
¹ P-D, December 12, 2005

More... YouTube slideshow of Missouri Department of Natural Resources photos taken of a stream near the Nixon family sewage dump.

A New Low For Panderer Nixon
Posted by: John Hancock | 1:50pm | Permalink

Earlier today, Jay Nixon may very well have become the first politician with a D-minus grade from the NRA to praise a court decision that favored the right to bear arms.

Much like last month’s gay marriage fiasco, Nixon’s pandering on the Second Amendment will likely isolate Democrat base voters who thought he was as a Clinton-era gun control advocate while generating laughter from conservative and independent voters who support the right to bear arms and know that Nixon is a Clinton-era gun control advocate who opposes conceal-and-carry.

Background: Nixon & Second Amendment Rights

Missouri’s Law Breaking Attorney General
Posted by: Jonathon Prouty | 10:00am | Permalink

For the second time in less than a year, Attorney General Jay Nixon, the self-professed “top law enforcement official” in Missouri, has been caught breaking the law. Last year, he was caught misusing his taxpayer funded car and staff for political campaign events, and yesterday he was busted for illegally depositing a $630,000 settlement check into an office trust fund.

Nixon’s latest gaffe should teach his weary handlers an important lesson. Nixon is the MacGyver of political scandal. You can muzzle him, hogtie him, and even hide him from the public, but the fact is that he will always find a way to foil your best-laid plans.

Top 10 Concerns About Obama
Posted by: John Hancock | 8:30am | Permalink

Here’s a Top 10 list, courtesy of conservative pundit Bill Bennett, that won’t make you laugh.

Save AB Day

We interrupt this political season to announce that TODAY is SaveAB.com Day. Wherever you are today, please take a moment to raise your voice in concern over the hostile takeover attempt by the Belgian company, InBev.

Sign the on-line Petition today at www.SaveAB.com. Mark your calendar for the SaveAB.com Freedom Rally on July 5th at Al Hrabosky's Ballpark Saloon next to Busch Stadium. And please pass this information on to a friend.

Change Consumers Can Believe In
Posted by: John Hancock | 10:25am | Permalink

More and more folks are beginning to wonder if the Pelosites running Congress will ever get with the program and realize that record gas prices dictate swift action that may not necessarily gel with their hard-left energy policies. While ANWR has been an almost eternal sticking point between most Republicans and Democrats, a recent editorial in Investor’s Business Daily notes how leading federal- and state-level Republicans who once opposed offshore drilling are changing their views not for political purposes, but because the increasingly dire energy situation dictates it. Hopefully, Pelosi & Co. will soon wake up and realize that the outcry for relief from record gas prices trumps their window dressing policies, which have included taxing already beleaguered consumers and meaningless rhetorical condemnation of OPEC.

Excerpt from the Investor’s Business Daily editorial:

As we've said, Democrats are quite content to send half a trillion dollars annually to despots who are not always friendly. "In effect," McCain said Monday, "our petrodollars are underwriting tyranny, anti-Semitism, the brutal repression of women in the Middle East, and dictators and criminal syndicates in our own hemisphere." And that's the way the Democrats want to keep it.

Maybe we can't drill our way completely out of our energy dilemma, but we can get every drop of domestic oil we can. American oil for American cars, American factories and American jobs: The GOP wants to drill for it; the Democrats don't.

What a simple choice this November.

WILL & WILL NOT
Posted by: Jon Prouty |1:30pm | Permalink

Presumptive Democrat gubernatorial candidate Jay “Press Hound” Nixon WILL pose for photo-ops with sandbaggers working to prevent flooding along the Mississippi, but he WILL NOT lift a finger for 15 years to help Jefferson County homeowners who have been hammered by the flood of sludge emanating from the Nixon family sewage treatment plant. What a guy!

Ex. Nixon was nowhere to be found when Mary Koeller’s home and pocketbook took a serious hit as a result of pollution problems at the Nixon family sewage treatment plant. Mary Koeller, who lives in the Raintree Plantation subdivision near Hillsboro, says she's had some graphic evidence of the need for a better wastewater treatment system for that growing area. . . . She said that six inches of sewage had backed up recently into the basement of her home on East Vista Drive. "It cost over $7,000 to have the place cleaned up," she said. Compounding the problem was that insurance didn't cover all the costs, and it also will cost more than $20,000 to repair the finished part of the basement, Koeller said. Her story was one of the worst examples of problems that homeowners in Raintree related to officials of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, who conducted the hearing at Jefferson College at Hillsboro. After hearing complaints about sewage discharges into the nearby Galligher Creek, troubles with sewage grinder pumps and the odor coming from the current treatment plant, DNR officials said they would take the comments under consideration and rule on the permit application in a timely manner. About 100 people attended the hearing. (Post-Dispatch, July 11, 2005)

Stammering Nixon Fumbles MOHELA Follow-Thru
Posted by: Jon Prouty | 8:50am | Permalink

As opposed as Jay Nixon has been to the Republican-enacted MOHELA plan, he sure sounded like a politician who would like to take advantage of the plan’s huge political upside as he stammered his way through a tit-for-tat with reporters during last week’s Missouri Press Association forum.

If Nixon actually believed his own over-the-top rhetoric that MOHELA has been put on life support by this innovative plan, then he should have no problem saying he would immediately pull the plug on the plan in the unfortunate event he is elected governor. However, after leading the blindly partisan charge against the plan for the past few years, Nixon’s comments at the forum suggest he may be preparing to hedge his bet.

One can only imagine how disappointed all the Democrats who have so blindly followed Nixon’s lead on this issue must feel, but then again this is the same gent who has betrayed them before (ex. desegregation, gay marriage, employee discrimination).

Waste, Fraud & Abuse
Posted by: Jon Prouty | 10:20am | Permalink

When reform-minded political leaders speak of ridding the government’s burgeoning welfare programs of waste, fraud, and abuse, they are almost always shouted down by defensive, nanny-state Democrats (with the exception of TN Gov. Bredesen) and their liberal advocacy group allies, who consider such programs to be untouchable.

With that recurring exchange in mind, it remains to be seen how Congressional Democrats, particularly a certain ex-Missouri State Auditor/self-described watchdog, will react to the blockbuster story in today’s Washington Post that uncovered evidence of more than $60 billion of Medicare-related fraud per year. Apparently, defrauding the Medicare program is about as easy as stealing candy from a baby or, in this case, the taxpayers. A sacred cow it is not.

AM Levity … Well, Not Really
Posted by: John Hancock | 8:35am | Permalink

Since Speaker Pelosi’s ascent to power, gas prices have spiked by 75%, yet she continues to cling to a caribou-first-policy when it comes to ANWR. The cartoon below is courtesy of Investor’s Business Daily.

Hot Under The Collar
Posted by: Jonathon Prouty | 9:50am | Permalink

If Jay Nixon’s recent decision to succumb to Republican pressure concerning California’s gay marriage ruling did not sit well with his party’s liberal base, then Claire McCaskill’s decision to side with Kit Bond and other Senate Republicans in opposition to a massive climate change boondoggle, a top priority of liberals, must have put them in a Bobby Knight chair throwing frenzy. Now, what was it McCaskill said during her 2006 Senate campaign to reassure liberals about her views on climate change?

McCaskill’s red meat global warming rhetoric, KC Star, 7/21/2006: “Global warming is a threat that must be taken seriously as well. In Missouri, warmer average temperatures could increase heat-related deaths in the summer months and infection of insect-born diseases, such as West Nile Virus. It will also contribute to droughts and floods that lead to property damage. Over time, these higher temperatures are expected to alter the state's environment - changing the trees in our forests, the fish in our rivers and further reducing the state's vanishing wetlands. For Missouri's many hunters, fishermen and sportsmen, global warming threatens our way of life. The current Administration is still questioning the science of global warming. I believe we must seek innovative and responsible solutions to slow the rate of global warming before it's too late. A big part of addressing global warming is ensuring America's energy independence by investing in clean energy technologies and lessening our reliance on foreign oil.”

Nixon’s Divisiveness Making A Comeback?
Posted by: Jonathon Prouty | 12:50am | Permalink

In the past week, Jay Nixon’s long-held reputation as a divisive force within the state Democrat establishment roared back to life on the heels of news that he settled a 3-year employee discrimination suit and his decision to succumb to GOP pressure over a California gay marriage flap.

Not surprisingly, both flaps have riled prominent factions within his party as evidenced by the reaction of Stonewall Democrats to Nixon’s gay marriage capitulation. Moreover, some liberal advocacy groups and activists that have been supportive of Nixon were reportedly taken aback by his heavy handed efforts to stifle the discrimination suit, which was filed by a former state lawyer who is a quadriplegic. (It is not clear if the activists were truly upset or were simply angling for more funding from Nixon’s slush funders at the Missouri Foundation for Health.)

And if ticking off gay voters and liberal activists is not breeding enough division and resentment within the Democrat ranks, the word is that Nixon’s decision to throw his support behind Barack Obama only after Obama vanquished Hillary Clinton is not being received all that well by folks in the African-American community, which has long been at odds with Nixon and played a key role in his 1998 defeat to Sen. Kit Bond.

All things considered, it is becoming increasingly apparent why Nixon’s handlers have done their best to keep a muzzle on him for the past three years. No Democrat in Missouri can stir internal party rancor quite like Nixon.

Nixon Succumbs to GOP Pressure In Gay Marriage Flap
Posted by: John Hancock | 6:20pm | Permalink

After a few short days of heated Republican criticism, Jay Nixon has finally decided to join 10 Republican attorneys general in asking California to delay the finalization of a controversial court ruling that legalized gay marriage in that state.

One can only imagine how proud the state Democratic Party’s liberal base must be to know their standard bearer so easily succumbed to Republican pressure on this hot-button issue. A few months ago, he shirked his 15-year record as a Clintonian gun control advocate (NRA grade: D-) in an effort to change his stripes on 2nd Amendment issues, and now he’s joined an all-Republican challenge to a gay marriage ruling. What’s next for Nixon? How about a competent defense of a pro-life law?

Mum’s The Word On SIF
Posted by: Jonathon Prouty | 12:40pm | Permalink

Despite all the sniping in the Democrat race to replace Attorney General Jay Nixon, none of the contenders have yet to breach the sensitive subject of the Second Injury Fund’s (SIF) looming insolvency, which has transpired on Nixon’s watch. What would Jeff Harris, Margaret Donnelly and Chris Koster do to rectify the SIF? Would they follow in Nixon’s footsteps and use the SIF as a de facto campaign depository for trial lawyer largesse while pretending to ignore its dire financial state, or would they exercise independence and seek to make it fiscally accountable to the small businesses that sustain it?

CHANNELING BILL WEBSTER? The word in the capital is that Nixon has accepted upwards of $250,000 in political donations from lawyers handling SIF claims since he raised the maximum settlement amount from $40,000 to $60,000 in 2001. Ironically, Nixon campaigned for Attorney General in 1992 on a platform that revolved around cleaning up the scandal plagued SIF.

Nixon: “As Attorney General, I will stop political abuses such as the Second Injury Fund scandal, where politically connected lawyers made millions at taxpayers’ expense.” (Lebanon Daily Record, October 26, 1992)

Nixon: “Right now, hundreds of thousands of tax dollars are lining the pockets of politically connected lawyers embroiled in the Second Injury Fund scandal. I will end the corruption and clean house.” (SE Missourian, October 23, 1992)

Nixon noted that he has promised to change the program [SIF] by barring any participating lawyers from contributing to the attorney general’s political campaigns. (P-D, October 22, 1992)

Nixon said he wants to change how the fund operates by barring lawyers from making campaign contributions to the Attorney General ... (AP, October 26, 1992)

Where’s Nixon?
Posted by: John Hancock | 1:00pm | Permalink

Over the past 15 years, Attorney General Jay Nixon has not been shy about teaming up with his colleagues in other states on an array of legal matters. In fact, he’s made a career out of taking credit for every benefit or penny Missouri has received each time he joined other attorneys general in multi-state legal actions.

Apparently, Nixon has yet to see any benefit in joining 10 of his colleagues in urging the California Supreme Court to delay the finalization of its controversial ruling to legalize gay marriage. Four years ago, a whopping 70% of Missouri voters supported a constitutional ban on gay marriage. That alone should have given Nixon enough reason to intervene alongside his 10 colleagues in opposition to the ruling in California. What’s the hold up?

The Circus Continues
Posted by: John Hancock | 8:55am | Permalink

It’s not often you read about a POTUS frontrunner resigning—yes, resigning—from his controversial church or a political party that allegedly abides by an “every vote counts” mantra deciding—over heated intra-party objections—that delegates from two critical, vote rich states will be granted half-votes. Yet, Democrats managed to squeeze both fiascos into a weekend news cycle. And to think there are still a whopping 84 days until this Democrat primary circus touches down in Denver!

FROM THE MAILBAG: Re: Nixon’s Discrimination Suit
Posted by: John Hancock | 11:50am | Permalink

From a Missouri Pulse reader:

“Where have all the liberal advocacy groups been during this 3-year discrimination suit against Nixon? Even with an office of lawyers at his disposal, Nixon couldn’t get himself off the hook for discriminating against a quadriplegic, and still these groups remain silent. Is it because Nixon is bankrolling them through his health care foundation, or is it because they want to see him become governor at any cost? I guarantee if it had been a Republican in Nixon’s shoes we would have heard from these groups a long time ago.”

LINK UP: Legal Newsline story on Nixon’s $26,000 settlement

Nixon Settles Discrimination Case
Posted by: John Hancock | 10:00am | Permalink

“State government should be a leader, not a shirker, on issues of discrimination and should not be allowed to treat its employees as second-class citizens.”   -Jay Nixon, official press release, 3/1/2001

Last year, Missouri Pulse broke word that Jay Nixon was the target of a discrimination suit filed by Marla Grothoff, a former state lawyer who claimed she was discriminated against because she was a quadriplegic. Yesterday, Nixon, a self-professed ADA champion, settled with Grothoff to the tune of $26,000 to be paid by taxpayers after months of legal wrangling that featured Nixon’s utilization of substantial taxpayer funded resources to handle his defense. However, not even the taxpayer-funded Matlocks and Perry Masons in Nixon’s office could put the kybosh on Nixon receiving the latest in a long line of black eyes that have tainted his tenure as Attorney General.

Link up: Settlement PDF

Cease & Desist
Posted by: John Hancock | 6:35pm | Permalink

If the Missouri Foundation for Health actually wants to create a perception of separation between itself and its founder/controller Jay Nixon, it should probably 1) stop bankrolling Missouri’s liberal attack groups, 2) stop running to Nixon’s official staff when millions of dollars in grants to such groups are scrutinized, 3) stop rolling out “studies” promoted by Democrat press gurus, and 4) stop attempting to bolster Nixon’s campaign theme with its resources. Key word: “if”.