Volume 25, Edition 1  •  March 7, 2008

DEBUT: The GOP Video Voice

The GOP is proud to announce the debut of our new video feature, The GOP Video Voice. The Video Voice is just another way for Missouri Republicans to spread our message of lower taxes, fiscal responsibility and commitment to Missouri families to an even larger audience. Each week, the Video Voice will discuss the issues important to Missouri Republicans and provide information we need to succeed this busy election year and beyond. We also hope to have interviews with leading Republicans ready to share their vision for our party and our state. So sit back and enjoy the first edition of The GOP Video Voice.

John McCain Ready to Move America Forward

It is with a great sense of pride that we announce John McCain is the presumptive Republican nominee for President of the United States. McCain, who won the Missouri Presidential Preference Primary on February 5th, is now the standard bearer of our party as we prepare for victory in November. Here are just some of the reasons that Republicans and Americans will join John McCain leading up to November:

John McCain Has The Experience, Judgment And Character To Lead As Commander In Chief From Day One. In a dangerous world, John McCain is uniquely qualified to lead America. McCain has been involved in every major national security issue over the last two decades.

  • McCain served for 22 years in the US Navy, including 5 ½ years as a POW and as commander of largest attack squadron in the Navy. During his military career, McCain was awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and a Distinguished Flying Cross.
  • McCain served 20 years in the US Senate, leading American policy on military and national security issues as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

John McCain Is Rallying Our Party Around Conservative Principles On National Security, Fiscal Responsibility, Health Care Reform And Traditional Values

NATIONAL SECURITY: John McCain will stay on offense to defeat the threat of radical Islamic extremism. The Democrats have demonstrated no resolve to defeat this threat.

  • McCain had the judgment and courage to call for a change in strategy in the war in Iraq -- a strategy that is now succeeding. He has vigorously supported Gen. Petraeus’ successful strategy, while the Democratic candidates continue to call for retreat.

TAXES AND SPENDING: John McCain will get our economy back on track by cutting taxes, spurring investment and innovation and ending wasteful spending in Washington.

  • McCain will cut taxes and stop the outrageous wasteful spending in Washington. McCain will make the Bush tax cuts permanent, eliminate the AMT, and cut taxes on American businesses to help our companies remain competitive. McCain will stop the wasteful and pork barrel spending and enforce the conservative vision of smaller government by vetoing any pork-barrel bill that comes across his desk.

HEALTH CARE: John McCain will reform our health care system using free market solutions to reduce the skyrocketing costs that threaten to implode the system. McCain will provide all individuals with a refundable $2,500 tax credit ($5,000 for families) as incentive to buy health insurance.

TRADITIONAL VALUES: John McCain will protect our traditional values. McCain has a consistent 24-year pro-life record, and believes that Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that should be overturned. McCain believes that the institution of marriage should be protected and defined as a union between one man and one woman. John McCain will nominate strict constructionist judges to the bench.

To learn more about John McCain and his vision for America, please visit: http://www.johnmccain.com.

Missouri Job Growth Tied to Republican Policies

Thanks to the leadership of Governor Blunt and Republican leaders, Missouri employers and entrepreneurs have created 94,700 jobs since January 2005 based on revised data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. "The pro-jobs, pro-growth changes we have enacted are working to revitalize our state’s economy," Governor Blunt said this week. "The failed policies of the past had created an economic climate in Missouri that was antagonistic to job creators and causing entrepreneurs and employers to flee our state. During the previous four years Missouri lost 34,000 jobs. Now, three years later, after lawsuit reform, regulatory improvements, and working with rather than against farmers and small business owners, we have helped Missourians create nearly 95,000 jobs." Missourians created 3,300 jobs in January 2008 with gains seen in administrative and support services (+2,200); professional, scientific and technical services (+2,000); transportation, warehousing and utilities (+1,400) and retail trade (+900). Missouri’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was at 5.5 percent in January 2008. Republicans inherited a devastated state economy in January 2005 that was $1.1 billion in the red and had lost 34,000 jobs in the previous four years. The governor enacted real lawsuit and workers’ compensation reforms within his first months in office and created the Missouri Quality Jobs Act which has helped create more than 22,000 new jobs across Missouri. Governor Blunt turned the $1.1 billion deficit he inherited into three surpluses in a row without raising taxes. In fact, he enacted three major tax cuts for Missourians including tax relief for health care, manufacturers and seniors. This year, the governor has proposed a fourth major tax cut for Missouri veterans.

Pew Center Recognizes GOP Successes for Missourians

Under the leadership of Governor Blunt and Republican leaders, Missouri tied for fourth in the country in the management of state government and received a higher grade than every surrounding state in a report card issued by Governing Magazine and The Pew Center on the States. Missouri received a "B+," the second highest grade issued to states this year by Pew. The magazine article about the survey stated, Missouri "has a track record of extremely conservative fiscal management and currently is in strong structural balance." Missouri is one of only 13 states awarded a grade higher than the national average of B-. No states received an A, three received an A-, and five received a B+. Missouri’s grade improved from a B ranking when the survey was last released in 2005. In the current survey Missouri scored a higher grade than all the surrounding states. Kansas, Kentucky and Tennessee received a B-; Oklahoma a C+; Arkansas and Illinois received a C; and Iowa and Nebraska received a B. Grading the States 2008 is a partnership of Pew’s Government Performance Project and Governing. The Government Performance Project is a non-partisan, independent research program housed within the Pew Center on the States. This is the fourth in the series of the project; the last study was released in 2005. It is the only 50 state assessment of its kind to evaluate and grade each state based on a range of areas, from budget and finance to roads and bridges. All fifty state governments were rated on the efficiency and effectiveness of their management systems, central to the delivery of public services. Results of the study have been published in the March issue of Governing, released this week. "Missouri’s excellent showing is another sign that effective management has put our state back on the right track and we have done it by putting Missouri families, Missouri values and Missouri taxpayers first," Governor Blunt said. "Change is working and Missouri is prospering. We turned a $1.1 billion deficit into three surpluses in a row without raising taxes, Missourians have created nearly 90,000 jobs since January 2005, we ended the withholdings and cuts to education and crafted budgets that increase education by $1.2 billion and we attacked waste and fraud to run a smaller, more efficient state government. Our sound economic and management policies are paying dividends for Missourians." The report card can be accessed online at the following sites: www.pewcenteronthestates.org/gpp and www.governing.com.

Higher Education Benefits from Republican Leadership

Governor Blunt this week highlighted his actions and Republican leaders’ support for ensuring that Missouri’s students are the given the opportunity to receive a world-class higher education. Republican leadership on behalf of Missouri’s colleges and universities resulted in an historic higher education package that provides Missouri students with unprecedented assistance in attending quality higher education institutions in Missouri. The higher education package more than doubled scholarship funding for students through the needs-based Access Missouri scholarship program. The Access Missouri scholarship program was created to level the playing field for scholarship applicants and ensure that Missouri’s neediest students receive the support they need to make an investment in their future. Governor Blunt’s budget this year quadruples funding for the Access Missouri scholarships. More than 8,000 University of Missouri students are attending school with the help of Access Missouri scholarships, with a total of more than 38,000 students receiving these scholarships at colleges and universities around the state. The program has distributed more than $60 million in needs-based assistance so far this school year. The Governor’s higher education package also is providing $335 million for state-of-the-art learning centers for students through his innovative Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative. The Republican Legislature recently passed $31.2 million from the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative for the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center to help deliver high-quality, comprehensive cancer care in a new, state-of-the-art facility and help to increase the capacity of cancer clinics to accommodate projected increases in new cancer patients due to an aging population. The University of Missouri-Kansas City will receive $15 million through the initiative to provide needed space for new educational and instructional areas in nursing and pharmacy with enhanced student services and state-of-the-art classroom and clinical simulation laboratory spaces. "Higher education is an investment and students who choose to attend a college or university in Missouri can be assured that they will receive a high-quality education that has a good return on their investment," the governor said. "We want students in Missouri to know about the opportunities available at our colleges and universities and to give more students the opportunity to attend them which is why my budget quadruples funding for Access Missouri scholarships."

Governor Discusses Republican Commitment to Children

Governor Blunt this week commended the March of Dimes and their volunteers on their work to ensure the health and well being of Missouri’s children. The governor also outlined some of the positive changes his administration has made over the last three years to increase health screenings for newborns. The governor has made screening of newborns for serious genetic conditions a priority, and since taking office has increased the number of conditions screened for from 5 to 28. Today, Missouri performs 28 of the 29 conditions recommended for testing by the March of Dimes. The 29th will be added this year, making Missouri just the 14th state in the nation to test for all of the recommended diseases. Last year Governor Blunt signed legislation that allows screening results to be released to health professionals providing care to a child. It also allows Missouri universities, researchers and scientists to access newborns’ screening specimens as long as a newborn’s identity remains anonymous and the newborn’s parents or guardians agree. The specimens can be used to study the genetic basis of many diseases. "The March of Dimes has been a tremendous partner with state government to improve the health of newborns," Governor Blunt said. "Under the old way Missouri was only screening newborns for 5 of the 29 conditions recommended for testing by the March of Dimes. With the strong support of the March of Dimes we sought to change this system and we succeeded. Missouri now performs 28 of the 29 recommended screenings and will add the final recommendation this year."

Assistance Secured for Tornado-Ravaged Businesses

Governor Matt Blunt has helped secure assistance for Missouri small business men and women in seven counties impacted by the January tornadoes. The governor’s request for assistance has been approved by the Small Business Administration which means citizens and businesses qualifying for assistance will have access to low-interest loans to help them recover. Businesses in the declared counties will be eligible to apply for low-interest economic impact loans from the SBA. The seven Missouri counties are Christian, Dallas, Douglas, Greene, Laclede, Webster, and Wright. “The tornado damage in these counties was devastating for many families and small business owners,” Governor Blunt said. “In addition to their losses they have experienced the unexpected costs of clean-up, debris removal and other recovery expenses. Small businesses are the engine that drives Missouri’s economy and I am pleased the Small Business Administration has honored my request for this important assistance to help our small business men and women recover.”

Democrat Daze: Will Nixon Finally Come Clean?

With fractured Missouri Democrats headed to Hannibal this weekend without a presidential nominee to rally behind, Jay Nixon is expected to be on hand and perhaps may finally have to answer critical questions Missourians have been asking for months. Here are the dirty half-dozen issues that Nixon has never had to personally address:

  1. Nixon admitted one year after a 2006 audit of his office that he was using a taxpayer-funded car for personal and political purposes. Who in his office falsely "represented," as Auditor Montee has said, that he was only using his state car for official purposes? And how long has Nixon been using his state vehicle and staff for political purposes since he was elected in 1992?
  2. Nixon has proposed a billion tax increase in order to access federal dollars for his proposal to return to the old, broken Medicaid system that failed many Missourians. Why is Nixon proposing this massive tax increase on Missourians?
  3. Nixon filled out a public questionnaire which showed he supported providing taxpayer dollars for illegal immigrants. Nixon should explain to Missourians why he supports this policy when the majority of Missourians support the Republican Party’s strong stance against illegal immigration.
  4. Nixon received campaign contributions from Ameren while he was investigating the utility. Who specifically from his campaign asked for this money or did Nixon solicit the contributions himself? Also, why have those contributions not been returned and in fact found their way back into Nixon’s campaign coffers despite his false claims the money was returned?
  5. Nixon has been sued by a quadriplegic state worker who was fired from her job because of her disability. With a settlement near and taxpayer dollars on the line, why did Nixon discriminate and how much is the settlement going to cost Missourians?
  6. Nixon has sought to attack Republican health care reforms in the media. But Nixon has yet to explain how he can launch those attacks when he himself defended Democrat-enacted Medicaid cuts that sought to reduce or eliminate benefits to over 300,000 Missourians. What has changed besides the Party membership of the governor?

Carnahan Demands $91,000 to Turn Over E-Mails From One Person

Now that the cost of Sunshine Requests has become an issue in Missouri, the Missouri Republican Party felt obligated this week to report that Robin Carnahan wants to charge nearly $100,000 for the e-mail records of one person and take six months to turn over her e-mails in response to an open records request by the GOP. Notably the original request excluded e-mail attachments which significantly narrowed the request. In a response to a Missouri Republican Party request dated November 27th for her e-mail records, Robin Carnahan said in a January 25th letter, after months of stonewalling: “Based on an estimate, it will cost approximately $91,000 and take a minimum of 6 months to sort, review for confidentiality under Chapter 621, and copy the records requested by the Missouri Republican State Committee. Our office will require payment of the above amount prior to you receiving the documents.” (You can view the original request and final response here.) If the issue of Sunshine Law request costs is going to be discussed, then Missourians deserve to know what Democrats like Robin Carnahan are charging and how long it is taking them to respond. Any liberal media reporting on this issue should include context and evaluate Democrat responses to Sunshine requests as well. More will follow on Jay Nixon’s legal maneuvering and stonewalling in response to Sunshine Requests.

Nixon Hiding Records on Discrimination Lawsuit Settlement

Settlement talks this week between Jay Nixon and a quadriplegic attorney who successfully sued him for discrimination have been sealed by a federal court, raising serious questions about Nixon’s willingness to publicly disclose to taxpayers how much of their money he spent defending himself in the case and why he discriminated in the first place. A docket entry regarding final settlement talks between Nixon and Marla Grothoff before Judge William Knox in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri carries the notation “MINUTE ENTRY (SEALED).” Minutes from a similar hearing held last month were considered public record, copies of which were easily obtained by the Missouri Republican Party and showed both sides ready to sign off on the settlement. Now, with details of this week’s meeting closed to the public, the case has been curiously delayed again and been transferred to another judge. The details of the meeting and final settlement must be made public under the Missouri Sunshine Law (RSMo 610.021.1) since taxpayer dollars are being used to defend Nixon, who fired Grothoff after he took over responsibility for staff attorneys within the Department of Social Services Enforcement Division. Nixon was sued both as the attorney general and as an individual. For the last three years, court records show that taxpayer-financed Nixon attorneys James McAdams, Carolyn Vasterling and Karen Mitchell have been defending their boss with McAdams pulling down a $96,622 state salary and Vasterling and Mitchell taking in $92,000 and $113,044 respectively. The case is clearly being paid for by taxpayers since Nixon’s campaign reports for legal fees show no expenditures for the Grothoff case even though he is also being sued as a private individual. Of course, this is the same Jay Nixon who once claimed: “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.” Nixon continues to use taxpayer dollars to defend himself in court for discriminating against an attorney for being a quadriplegic, and now he is trying to hide from those same taxpayers who deserve an explanation about how much of their money is being spent to pay for his illegal activity and why exactly he discriminated against Marla Grothoff in the first place. Nixon must publicly explain why he would discriminate against a disabled Missourian when he claimed to be an opponent of such despicable behavior.

Smith Playing Legal Games to Avoid Justice

Desperate to avoid taking responsibility for his illegal actions, Jeff Smith has again successfully delayed until the summer his trial for using false identification to enter a gambling boat. Smith’s trial, originally scheduled for this week, has now been delayed until July, nearly a year after Democrat Rep. Joe Aull illegally handed over his casino identification to Smith, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, during a lobbyist-sponsored night of drinking and gambling at the Isle of Capri casino in Boonville. Media reports have said that the Missouri State Highway Patrol surveillance tapes show that Aull gave his gambling card to a lobbyist, who then hung it around Smith's neck. Smith then showed the card as if it was his own and was allowed to enter the gambling floor. If this had been any other Missourian, justice already would have been served but instead Jeff Smith is dragging this case out at taxpayer expense with the hope that somehow he can escape justice. It’s just pathetic that a person who writes state laws is trying to avoid the consequences of those laws by playing legal games. It’s sad that while other Democrat lawmakers turned lawbreakers have accepted the legal consequences of their actions, Smith refuses to do so.

Serious Media Disconnect with Truth about Nixon

The media’s double standard when it comes to covering Republicans and Democrats has reared its ugly head in a major way this week. Jay Nixon was sued three years ago for firing a quadriplegic and the very public discrimination lawsuit has been vetted by Republicans but only one media report and a single non-media blog mention has been the result. It seems that the media are willing to wait and give Nixon the benefit of the doubt even though the facts in the Marla Grothoff lawsuit are publicly available. Clearly, Democrats are subject to a different standard of behavior than Republicans in the eyes of the media. There is no excuse for this kind of blind-eye treatment of Nixon, but it goes without saying that Missourians will ultimately hear about this lawsuit and read all about this lawsuit as November draws closer. Even if the media reports on this case, there will be plenty of media cover for Nixon’s malfeasance. But as we have seen in the case of Barack Obama, the media have to answer to their readers, listeners and viewers when coverage becomes skewed in favor of a particular candidate. Jay Nixon cannot hide forever and eventually he’ll have to answer the tough questions. If the questions aren’t asked by the media, then the public will begin asking themselves those same questions and at the end of the day, that’s what will make a difference on Election Day. To learn more about the case, see the above Democrat Follies item or visit: http://www.mogop.org/media/grothoff_complaint.pdf.

Post-Dispatch Bias Exposed With Tale of Two Stories

Although there is very little question about the bias of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a recent rewrite of a story regarding the political witch hunt surrounding emails should put any doubt about the newspaper’s Democrat sympathies to rest. On Thursday of this week, Jo Mannies of the Post-Dispatch wrote a story that put into context the costs of honoring email requests from Jay Nixon’s partisan investigation panel looking into the issue. In essence, the first version of the story was both accurate and fair by raising serious questions about the cost of the witch hunt and the political concerns of Republicans about the investigation. The story moved shortly after 3 p.m. and was seen as a fair representation of the facts. But, when the story appeared in Friday’s paper, it was clear that Democrats had gotten to Mannies as she eagerly complied with her political party’s new spin on the story. What had once been a fair piece of journalism turned into an attack associated with the legitimate costs associated with complying with the witch hunt panel. Go to http://www.mogop.org/media/pdarticles.htm to compare the first version of the story with the second, Democrat-directed version.

MissouriPulse.com Post of the Week

Don’t Cross The Boss

For years, red light cameras have been a controversial topic in the city of Arnold, but the debate was taken to a new level last week when a lawsuit was filed that challenges the city’s use of the cameras. To date, the clash over the cameras has ensnared its share of prominent Democrats, including Arnold Mayor and State Treasurer aspirant Mark Powell, red light camera “consultant” and Democrat boss Joyce Aboussie and Aboussie’s whipping boy, Attorney General Jay Nixon.

According to a weekend article in the Meramec Journal, Nixon refused to discuss the pending suit, which marks a continuation of his longstanding trepidation to breach the subject of red light cameras. However, there was a time when Nixon, once aptly deemed “the greatest press hound” by a fellow Democrat, was not scared to voice his opinion on red light cameras. In August 2005, he had this to say in a Post-Dispatch article that focused on the push for red light cameras in Arnold and other cities:

“I think it’s pretty clear these pictures can’t be the sole or only evidence to cite drivers for violating state traffic laws,” Nixon said. . . . Nixon said the state, city, or anyone else can snap as many photos as they want of people on the road. But those photos alone won’t prove a legal case. “A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a picture in and of itself is not a conviction,” he said. (P-D, August 9, 2005)

Unfortunately for Nixon, his comments came at a time when Aboussie was working as a “consultant” for a company that was making a push for red light cameras throughout the St. Louis area, including Arnold. As The Riverfront Times reported, Nixon met Aboussie “for a private meeting” (i.e. browbeating) shortly after he made his comments to the Post-Dispatch. It goes without saying that Nixon has not been heard from since on the subject of red light cameras. Incidents like this, which populate Nixon’s 22-year record as a career politician, makes one wonder how he can prattle on about fighting so-called special interests when he can’t even stand up to those who have the ability to muzzle him.

Excerpt from The Riverfront Times story:

“In early September, [former ATS consultant Jay] Specter adds, Aboussie asked Nixon for a private meeting at her south-city office. Specter does not know what transpired at the meeting because he wasn't there, but Nixon has made no public statement about the cameras since.

Nixon declines to comment on whether he met with Aboussie.

‘We're not going to confirm any meetings we had on this,’ says John Fougere, chief spokesman for the Attorney General's office.

The Cornerstone - Caucuses Just One Week Away – We Need Faithful Republicans to Participate!!!

Our local caucuses are just a week away! On March 15th at 10 a.m., every county, the City of St. Louis and every township in St. Louis County will hold their local caucus. If you are a registered voter of Missouri and consider yourself to be a strong and faithful Republican, this is your call to caucus. At these caucuses, Republicans from across the state will meet to elect delegates and alternates to their respective congressional district conventions, to state convention and they will discuss our Party’s Platform and offer proposed amendments and resolutions. Make sure you mark your caucus date, time and location on your calendar and be a part of the process as our Republican Presidential candidate, John McCain, sets course for victory in November! To learn more or locate your caucus, visit our website at www.mogop.org/convention.

Thoughts and Prayers

The Missouri Republican Party encourages Republicans across the state to keep these individuals in your thoughts and prayers:

Paul Busiek, husband of Mavis Busiek. Paul’s health concerns continue.

Senate President Pro Tem Michael Gibbons who is being treated for prostate cancer.

The family of Mike Keathley, Commissioner of Administration, who passed away this week.

Rosemary Kochner, former 13th District State Committeewoman, who has continued health concerns.

Mary Mallien, 14th District State Committeewoman, who has continued health concerns.

Bob Schwartz, 3rd District State Committeeman, who has cancer.

Dawn Sprick, daughter of 21st District State Committeeman Gary Harris, who has cancer.

Key Dates in 2008

March 15
Local county/city caucuses.

March 25
Candidate filing for state primaries ends.

April 19
Congressional district caucuses.

May 30-June 1
Missouri Republican State Convention, Branson.

July 9
Last day to register to vote for August 5 Missouri State Primary.

August 5
Missouri State Primary.

August 19
County Central Committee Reorganization

August 20
Legislative Committee Reorganization

August 23
Senatorial Committee Reorganization

August 26
Congressional Committee Reorganization

September 1-4
Republican National Convention, St. Paul, Minnesota

September 2
Judicial Committee Reorganization

October 8
Last day to register to vote in the November 4 General Election.

November 4
General Election

November 22
State Committee ‘Member’ elections
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