Dave Spence, candidate for Governor, on January 10: 

[Spence] acknowledged that the description of his degree on the campaign's website may be misleading — "If you want me to change it, I will," Spence said Monday — but as of Tuesday afternoon, the biography section was unchanged. 

And then Dave Spence's campaign for Governor insists on making the situation worse, on January 11: 

“The website was accurate,” a campaign official said in an email to PoliticMo.

Out of the goodness of their hearts, the Missouri Democratic Party put together a compilation of last night's teevee news coverage of Dave Spence's dishonest education claims.  

While governor wannabe Dave Spence continues to lie on his website about his educational background - as of 9:00AM this morning he has yet to correct his biography - his opponent in the republican race for the nomination, Bill Randles, has released all of the records pertaining to his bachelors, masters, and law degrees.

At least one of the republicans is trying to be marginally truthful.  That said, I wonder what conservative republican Missourians will think about the fact that Randles was a classmate at Harvard Law of our esteemed marxist-socialist-fascist President Obama.  Eek.

Dave Spence wants to be governor of Missouri.  Dave Spence wants you to believe that he didn't use a single penny of the $42 million bailout his bank received and never returned to taxpayers.  Dave Spence also wants you to believe he has a degree in Economics from the University of Missouri.

Well, Dave Spence has been lying: on Spence's OWN WEBSITE, he lists that he attended the University of Missouri-Columbia and earned a degree in economics.  But that's a lie.  Dave Spence earned a degree in HOME economics:

Let's define economics and home economics for Mr Spence:

economics

home economics

A marked difference, I'd say.

Dave Spence, what say you?  Is home economics actually economics because I don't see a lot of similarities and I'm a little confused, could you clarify?  Please?

Or better yet, just stop lying about your past.

via @caitleg

2012's "I voted for it before I voted against it."

Legislative sessions are gearing up all over the country.  In Indiana, the first thing radical republicans took aim at were rights of workers, immediately attempting to pass a Right to Work for Less bill; and here in Missouri we have a number of different versions of Right to Work for Less which have already been filed in addition to other egregious attacks on workers like Kinder's and other radicals' attempt to eliminate the Prevailing Wage.  Of course there were last year's fights in Wisconsin over collective bargaining and Ohio's defeat of Senate Bill 5 which would have eliminated a significant number of workers' rights.

This past weekend, the New York Times had an excellent, must-read article regarding Right to Work for Less, striking at the heart of the issue of these sorts of attacks on workers: bad economics and cynical politics.

Attacking workers and their rights isn't about jobs, it's not about boosting the economy, it's not about solving the budget issues our states face.  No.  Attacking workers and attempting to pass bills like Right to Work for Less, Paycheck Deception and an elimination or suspension of the Prevailing Wage is about politics and silencing workers in the political arena.

Continuing Assault on Unions

Along with their shameful campaign to curb the collective bargaining rights of public sector workers in Wisconsin and Ohio last year, Republicans in statehouses around the country are taking aim at private sector unions. [...]

Many Republican leaders are adopting model legislation proposed by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a national corporate-financed conservative organization that is also assisting the Republican push to require voter identification cards to suppress the vote of minorities, young people and other constituencies that tend to favor the Democratic Party.

There is little doubt that politics is also behind the Republicans’ push for right-to-work laws: they see an opportunity to further weaken unions, which are far more likely to support Democrats — as well as health care reform and a higher minimum wage — by slashing their funding and their donating power.

The G.O.P. and its allies, like the Chamber of Commerce and brethren organizations, are trotting out the charge that unions reduce economic growth and jobs. [...]

Unionized workers earn more and get more generous benefits. In 2010, wages of workers in unionized manufacturing companies in Indiana were 16 percent higher than in nonunion plants. One study concluded that the decline in unionization since the 1970s is responsible for one-fifth to one-third of the growth in inequality in this country. Voters, unionized or not, should recognize the new “right to work” push for what it is: bad economics and cynical politics.

Emphasis added.

Via The Plum Line: "Reuters published a blockbuster story today on GS Technologies, a steel mill in Kansas City that was acquired by Bain Capital, leading to the layoffs of some 750 workers. In this case, the workers lost promised severance pay and health insurance; their pension benefits were slashed. and a federal government insurance agency had to bail out the company’s pension plan — even as Bain raked in millions and millions of dollars in profits. Now a man who says he worked at the plant for 34 years — a self-described conservative — is speaking out about Romney. Glen Patrick Wells, who lives in Peculiar, Missouri, agreed to appear in a new MoveOn.org video in order to speak out about what the layoffs did to the surrounding community. He excoriated Romney for his role in the deal. Wells appears in the new video with his friend, Donny Box, who appeared in an earlier MoveOn ad, and Wells is the one in the green cap:

A really effective new ad from Newt Gingrich's Super PAC: 

Ted Kennedy's campaign made similar arguments in his 1994 campaign against Mitt Romney. Here are a few ads from Kennedy ...

This morning from Missourinet: "A fourth candidate and second state senator is joining the Republican race for Lieutenant Governor.  State Senator Lu Ann [Ridgeway of Smithville served ten years in the House before serving her two terms in the Senate."

The Saturday panelette was a bit tame. Diane Sawyer did her best to get some fireworks started, but even she got bored after a while. Flip Flopper Romney pretty much got a pass. There weren’t many highlights. You gotta love Suits Santorum repeatedly saying “when I left the Senate.” Does he think no one remembers that his opponent won by the largest margin of victory for a Senate challenger in 2006?

Newt seems to be surrounded by liars. Paul was his target on Saturday. I have noticed Callista wearing the three strand pearl necklace. I thought that was a first lady prerogative. Maybe she thinks it’s now or never.

The war on religion is replacing the war on Christmas. Newt is incensed at the anti Catholic bias, and Perry is ready to go after the anti religion folks as soon as he sends troops back to Eyerack.

Marriage and who can do it was another hot topic. Miss Liberty just loves it when Newtie talks about the sanctity of marriage.

When asked where they would be if not in new Hampshire having such an edifying debate, Perry said he would be on the shooting range (doesn’t he get enough practice while jogging?), Cranky Ron Paul would be reading economic tracts, Huntsman would be on the phone with his naval sons (small dig at Mitt’s 5 sons who don’t serve), Newt would be watching the basketball championship game (since that’s not til March, I suspect Newtie isn’t really a sportie), and Mitt and Suits would be watching football. As an aside, Miss Liberty is curious as to why we are still playing bowl games. What happened to the traditional big New Year’s Day blow out?

From Steve Kraske's latest column in the Star:

Here are seven other forecasts to bank on for the year ahead...

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill skates across the finish line with a re-election victory. It’s going to be ugly, but McCaskill bobs, weaves and glides just enough to win her second term against a gift GOP candidate.

That “gift” GOP nominee will be John Brunner, the St. Louis businessman who has enough money to buy himself a place on the Republican ticket in August over Sarah Steelman and U.S. Rep. Todd Akin. The deciding factor: Brunner’s experienced political team.

Two, count 'em, two New Hampshire panelette debates this week-end. Bet you were suffering from withdrawal, it's been so long since we saw these folks on the same stage. The full compliment of the still ins will be there, but no also runnings are invited. We might know beforehand if Flip Flopper Romney really won Iowa. Seems the vote count is being questioned. 

The knives have been out, with Gingrich and Santorum bad mouthing Romney, Paul slamming Huntsman for speaking Chinese and adopting foreign children, everybody slamming Paul for not bombing Iran, and the meanest cut of all, no one even acknowledging that Governor Good Hair Perry is running. 

Romney's trip with his dog on top of his car is getting replay, Suits Santorum says he is the Jesus candidate, Gingrich is saying blacks shouldn't take food stamps (reserving them for deserving whites?), and Mitt is getting some questionable help from McCain, who keeps misidentifying the enemy. Miss Liberty says to be prepared for multiple violations of Ronald Reagan's  eleventh commandment this week-end. There will be speaking ill of fellow republicans. Of course, they are all working overtime to make sure President Obama is blamed for this week's good economic news. Santorum's take was the most inventive - republican optimism, because they know they will win in November, is the reason for increased job creation!

So yesterday we wrote about John Brunner deciding to skip the first debate to be held for the GOP Senate wannabes, leaving it to Sarah Steelman and Todd Akin to appear on KTRS.

Today we find out that not only has Brunner decided to skip the first debate, but he's been given a second chance to debate in January, this time in Branson on the 30th, and he's chickening out of that one, too!

A spokesman for the 3^rd likely candidate, St. Louis businessman John Brunner, has said he is unable to commit at this time, saying the campaign’s original verbal commitment to Earls Family Broadcasting last November was to a debate, not to a specific date.

A debate in GOP-friendly Branson and Brunner can't commit to being in attendance.  Whatcha hiding, John?  Scared to answer questions about being a "job creator" who actually laid a bunch of workers off while getting rich? Terrified of questions about your refusal to answer other questions about the Ryan plan to privatize Medicare?

If I were scheduling/hosting debates, I'd go ahead and ask Brunner all the questions I had, and then play this in leiu of any actual answers:

Rep. Paul Curtman (R-Pacific) isn't giving up on his misguided effort to ban Missouri courts from consulting Sharia law.  Last year, he, Sen. Brian Nieves, Birther Tim Jones and even Speaker Steve Tilley attached their names to an Islamaphobic proposal written by a hateful man from Arizona named David Yerushalmi.

At the time, TPM reported:

Dr. S.I. Strong, a law professor from the University of Missouri, called the bill a “dangerous exercise” that could potentially open the Missouri court system to complex litigation. She told TPM the bill has a number of inconsistencies and would be difficult to implement.

This year, Curtman lists the legislation as his top legislative priority. 

Is John Brunner ever going to step out of the shadows of his handlers and show up to answer the questions voters have or participate in a debate?  Less than a month ago, Brunner sent Sarah Steelman and Todd Akin a letter requesting debates ASAP, then quickly changed course and decided not to be a part of the debates.  Then wanted debates.  Then didn't want to debate.

I'll be honest, there have been so many switcheroos that I can't even keep track!

The fact of the matter is that John Brunner is just too chicken to debate. Bwwwwak!

Earlier today, the first GOP Senate debate was announced:

First GOP debate set for Senate contenders, but without Brunner

The first debate among Missouri Republican contenders for the U.S. Senate is set for next week—Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 9 a.m. and carried live on KRTS Radio (550am) and KTRS.com

What is Brunner so afraid of? Why is it so hard to give answers to direct questions from voters? What is Brunner trying to hide?

Rep. John Diehl (R-Town & Country) is kind of a big deal when it comes to economic development (just ask him). He was the House’s chief negotiator of the amazing economic development bill which never made it out of the absolute, total failure of a special session last year which left Missouri's taxpayers on the hook for nearly $300,000 for a bunch of legislators who stood around making fools out of themselves on what turned out to be a really bad deal.

This leads to the question of why is one of Diehl's closest confidantes, Speaker Tilley (R-Perryville), kicking him off the Economic Development committee? Is someone being put in the time out chair? Diehl’s apartment may smell like rich mahogany and he may have many leather-bound books, but perhaps his incompetence has even his closest allies frustrated. And when your incompetence gets you kicked off, but others can do things like go 100% birther and question the President's citizenship and then turn around and be elected future speker… you should take a long hard look in the mirror.