http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/index.php Copyright 2010, Joplin Globe webadmin@joplinglobe.com (Joplin Globe) en-US SPHPBLOG 0.4.5 http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/index.php?entry=entry090915-102726 taken to task by Auditor Susan Montee over the practice of soliciting lobbyists to pay for meals, parties and retirement receptions.

The Associated Press reports that in separate but similar audits of the House and Senate, some expenses paid by lobbyists were not reported to the Missouri Ethics Commission. Lawmakers should "reconsider the practice of soliciting donations from lobbyists," Montee said.

The House and Senate responded by saying it's up to lobbyists to report to the state, not lawmakers. Tony Messenger, of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has more details about the "party" fund. ]]> http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/?entry=entry090915-102726 webadmin@joplinglobe.com Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:27:26 GMT http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/index.php?entry=entry090908-145030
Bill Lant, owner of Lant's Feed Store in northern Newton County, has announced his intent to run for the seat held by Rep. Marilyn Ruestman. Lant said that he was approached by Ruestman, who terms out of the House in 2010, about a month ago.

"I have always been interested in politics," Lant said. "This was one of those opportunities to put up or shut up."

Lant, 62, ran against Jerry Carter for the Newton County Commission about 10 years ago, he said. He currently is serving the final year of a three-year term on the Seneca R-7 Board of Education, of which he is president.

He attended school in southern Illinois and moved to Southwest Missouri after high school graduation. He attended Missouri Southern State University and Pittsburg State University before beginning a career in sales. He started the feed store 12 years ago.

If elected, Lant said he will work on health care and that he will lean toward his conservative, Republican views. But that won't dictate his votes, he said.

"My primary desire is to represents constituents," Lant said. "If I do that, then my values will be the way people here want them to be."]]> http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/?entry=entry090908-145030 webadmin@joplinglobe.com Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:50:30 GMT http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/index.php?entry=entry090908-134632
Bill Buening, a technician for Mediacom and a former member of the Diamond R-4 Board of Education, said he is running for the Dist. 131 seat as a Republican. A campaign Web site, www.billbuening.com, should be online soon, he said.

Originally planning, and filing, to run for the seat in 2004, Buening dropped out for family reasons. Five years later, the father of three daughters said the time is right to run.

"I'm an average, everyday guy," Buening said. "I work hard for my money, and I look at my check and see more and more taxes going out of sight. We have to control our spending."

Buening, 46, was a member of the Diamond board of education from 2005 to 2008, and was president for the middle year of his three-year term. He lost his bid for re-election. He grew up in Southwest Missouri and graduated from Miami High School.

If elected, he said he would work to control spending, get health care spending under control and help schools upgrade facilities.

UPDATE, 2:10 p.m. Sept. 8: My apologies to Buening: This should have been posted about a month ago. It didn't because of a strange computer problem called a "PEBKAC" error. I don't know what that means, but our network administrator says that I have these sorts of problems quite often. Maybe I should look up what that means.

UPDATE, 2:15 p.m. Sept. 8: That's not funny. ]]> http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/?entry=entry090908-134632 webadmin@joplinglobe.com Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:46:32 GMT http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/index.php?entry=entry090824-131847
Steele appeared last Friday on the Vincent David Jericho show, on KSGF-AM and -FM in Springfield. The interview has caused a buzz on the blogosphere. Headline after headline have pointed to what Steele said: That Blunt, Boehner and other Republican leaders should be cleaned out of "the crapper."

The context of those controversial quotes are interesting:

JERICHO (11:54): The Republican party is supposed to stand for something, why don't they stand up and lead, because some of the leadership, with Boehner and some of these other guys, they are a joke. You can't say anything, but they are an absolute freaking joke."

STEELE: I'm trying to do that. I'm with you, I'm a thousand percent with you, I agree with you. When I use the word "healing" i absolutely agree with you. It's about leadership, first and primarily ...

A few mintues later, the infamous "crapper" comment comes up as a response to a rant about Republican scandals:

JERICHO (14:46): I've also made my career here by challenging baby (former Gov. Matt) Blunt and the way he just absolutely betrayed every single Missourian that worked so hard to get elected on the ridiculous stand he took where he redefined what cloning is. his is supposed to be a Republican governor, he's not gov anymore for good reason. His daddy (Rep. Blunt) screwed around with a tobacco lobbyist. Then slips language into the homeland security bill favorable to the tobacco lobbyist. I mean here is a guy that has committed adultery multiple times. Yet he had a senior position, and still does, in the Republican Party. Guys like Papa Blunt make us sick to our stomach. They aren’t conservatives, and they sure don’t reflect moral absolutes the way that we expect the Republican Party to stand up. You had the page boy scandal, you had all of that crap, and nobody stands up to it and says, ‘This is crap! What are you doing? ...

STEELE: (tries to cut in) Well, you know what, wait a minute...

JERICHO: ... Behave like a man – not like, not like little boys who are running around with their little toy and can’t behave themselves.”

STEELE: Look, now don’t, don’t – I mean, I agree with you. And when stuff gets in the crapper, you gotta clean it out."

JERICHO: And we didn't. Michael, we didn't. We sat back and watched it.

STEELE: But who's the we we're talking about?

There is a lot of back-patting and chest-thumping by Jericho throughout the interview. He had much to say about the success of his show compared to Limbaugh, about a movement of young conservatives and the Congressional candidate he's backing: OTC professor Jeff Wisdom. He also aired frustration about younger conservatives not being able to get involved.

But others note that Steele didn't rise to Blunt et al's defense. A former Blunt aide, Garrett Hartley, wrote on his Twitter site, "RNC Chair Michael Steele is an idiot. Past time for him to go. Party suffers every day he remains. I will contribute to the effort to oust." Later, he wrote, "RNC Chair Michael Steele should be preparing an apology to Congressman Blunt and submit his resignation."

The ironic part is that Steele was in Springfield for a fundraiser. David Catanese reported that Jericho's interview was the only media access granted.

The full podcast is here. ]]> http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/?entry=entry090824-131847 webadmin@joplinglobe.com Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:18:47 GMT http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/index.php?entry=entry090804-115742
"Our system was set up to send business leaders to D.C.," Long said at a kickoff event today in the office of attorney Kevin Checkett. We keep sending lifetime politicians. Too many of these guys have never met a payroll."

The Springfield auctioneer visited Carthage today to kick off his campaign to run for the House seat being vacated by Rep. Roy Blunt. He announced his candidacy eariler this year, and will run against Sen. Jack Goodman, Sen. Gary Nodler, Green County Prosecutor Darrell Moore and OTC professor Jeff Wisdom.
]]> http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/?entry=entry090804-115742 webadmin@joplinglobe.com Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:57:42 GMT http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/index.php?entry=entry090728-115535
Kinsley, who is running as a Republican, said that he would focus on family issues and fight for taxpayers.

"We live in serious, significant days," Kinsley said. "But this isn't the time to withdraw, or secede from the union. It's time to come to the union's aid."

Kinsley was introduced by Joplin Board of Education President Mike Landis and Rep. Marilyn Ruestman. He and attorney Shelly Dreyer are running for the Dist. 129 seat currently held by House Speaker Ron Richard, who term-limits out of the House. ]]> http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/?entry=entry090728-115535 webadmin@joplinglobe.com Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:55:35 GMT http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/index.php?entry=entry090723-192737 announced a run for Dist. 129 Representative. She said then that a tentative date for an official announcement would be Aug. 4.

She told us today that the event will be at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at the Children's Center, located at 931 E. 34th St.

Dreyer, who is running as a Republican, faces a primary in 2010 against radio talk show host Mark Kinsley. The seat in the House is currently held by Speaker of the House Ron Richard, who is serving his last term in the seat. ]]> http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/?entry=entry090723-192737 webadmin@joplinglobe.com Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:27:37 GMT http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/index.php?entry=entry090723-192618
"I want to serve in the district I grew up in," Jerome said. "These are the people I know the best, and they know me."

Jerome, 53, is a retired major in the U.S. Army. He teaches political science at Missouri Southern State University, and is currently working on his dissertation in order to earn a doctorate in public policy from the University of Arkansas. He

He is running as a Republican for the seat currently held by Rep. Ed Emery, who term-limits out in 2010. Emery is running for the Senate.
]]> http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/?entry=entry090723-192618 webadmin@joplinglobe.com Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:26:18 GMT http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/index.php?entry=entry090722-164734
The Associated Press reports that Mike Ferguson, of Grandview, has switched parties and endorsed U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt for the Senate. Blunt is running against Secretary of State Robin Carnahan to replace Sen. Kit Bond.

Ferguson said he defected because he doesn't want to "dilute the freedom-centered vote." In a long letter published Wednesday on his Web site, he calls himself a Reagan/Goldwater Republican, and said that the party is returning to those types of conservative values. He is the founder and director of Focal Point Communications.

Ferguson ran for lieutenant governor in 2004, and is a member of the Grandview Board of Aldermen. He makes no mention of another run for office in the announcement. ]]> http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/?entry=entry090722-164734 webadmin@joplinglobe.com Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:47:34 GMT http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/index.php?entry=entry090720-133320
The on-air personality at KZRG-AM has sent out e-mail invitations for an event at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 28, at Cycle Connection Harley Davidson in Joplin. During the event, he and his wife, Tara, will announce his candidacy for Dist. 129 Representative.

He will be joined on stage by Rep. Marilyn Ruestman, who said she supports his candidacy and would make a fine representative. The only thing keeping her from endorsing Kinsley is the technicality that he won't be a "candidate" until he files for office; the period to do that runs from Feb. 23 to March 30.

"This is about as close as you can get to an endorsement, until he becomes a true candidate," Ruestman said. "I've known him for a couple of years ... He's a nice young man, and we need some young blood up there."

Other guests named on Kinsley's invitation include Ruestman's husband, Dick, Joplin Board of Education President Mike Landis and his wife, Brandi, and Scott and Nancy Hutson.

His candidacy means Republicans will have a primary. Joplin attorney Shelly Dreyer has also announced her candidacy for the seat.

INTEREST IN RUESTMAN'S SEAT GROWS

Ruestman is one of five area representatives who term-limit out of the House next year. Though noone has announced a race for Ruestman's seat yet, she said interest is growing.

"Four people have come in to visit with me, and they are seriously considering it," Ruestman said. "Two of them could be potential candidates. I'm hopeful by the first of August we may have it narrowed down."]]> http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/blogs/money_in_politics/?entry=entry090720-133320 webadmin@joplinglobe.com Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:33:20 GMT