Press Release: Carnahan Applauds Obama Administratino for Easing Burdens on Military Families

MEDIA RELEASE Congressman Russ Carnahan (MO-3) carnahan.house.gov | twitter.com/repcarnahan | youtube.com/congressmancarnahan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sam Drzymala

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

CARNAHAN APPLAUDS OBAMA ADMINISTRATION FOR EASING BURDENS ON MILITARY FAMILIES

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, February 15, the Obama Administration has unveiled a new report outlining opportunities and best practices for states to better support military spouses serving in professions with state licensure and certification requirements. Rep. Carnahan commended the Administration for offering guidance to the states on an important issue for military families.

“I commend the Obama Administration for taking action to support military spouses and their families,” Carnahan said. “Right now, state licensing laws are a patchwork that vary from state to state and cause unnecessary hardships on military families. That’s why I introduced the bipartisan Military Spouse Job Continuity Act to make it easier for military spouses to transition among states with varying professional licensure requirements. Our nation’s military families sacrifice alongside members of the armed services to keep our nation safe—we have a responsibility to all our service members and their loved ones to ease the burdens of military life.”

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders frequently require service members and their families to move from state to state and overseas—at a rate ten times that of their civilian counterparts. As a result of the frequent moves associated with military life, military spouses bear significant financial burdens related to professional relicensing fees and complicated administrative processes varying across state lines. Up to 35 percent of military spouses in the labor force require licenses or certifications for their professions.

Rep. Carnahan’s Military Spouse Job Continuity Act, with 50 bipartisan cosponsors, addresses sacrifices made by our nation’s military spouses. It offers a tax credit up to $500 to any military spouse who has to renew or transfer a professional license due to a PCS order that takes them across state lines. The tax credit would only apply to administrative fees paid to licensing boards or certificate-granting institutions, expenses that are not covered by existing programs.

In a time when our economy is struggling, jobs are scarce, and people are having trouble making ends meet, this legislation alleviates the burdens on our military families whose, sacrifices keep our nation safe. It helps military spouses quickly re-enter the workforce, easing the stress of PCS transfers and bolstering local economies.

Correcting Roll Call: No, Carnahan was Not "Tipping His Hand"

Roll Call reported today, based on a KMOX story, that Russ Carnahan might have tipped his hand about running in the 1st Congressional District against Lacy Clay. Roll Call says that a Carnahan aide said that he'd be running "in the district he lives in," which would currently mean running against Clay. However, they actually left out a key part of the quote (which was included in the KMOX story); the full quote was: “Umm, I’m not trying to be flippant but he will run in the district he lives in.”

The "I'm not trying to be flippant" is a clue that the aide knew that the question wasn't actually being answered. According to Missouri law, Carnahan could move to a new district and run there, so "running where he lives" doesn't really mean much. And this has been confirmed in quotes from Carnahan's office who said that the quote was misinterpreted. Roll call also cites an anonymous "Missouri Democratic source" as saying that Carnahan has been "sniffing around the 1st District for a long time." I wouldn't be surprised if he's exploring his options, but please keep in mind that both Antonio French and the St. Louis American have pointed out that there are St. Louis political operatives who have a vested interest in pushing for a primary fight.

I suppose it's possible that saying he'd run "where he lives" is a way of testing out some messaging he would use if he decided to run against Clay, but reading too much into a quote from an aide who was clearly instructed not to reveal his decision would be a mistake.

What Does the State Supreme Court Decision Mean For Carnahan?

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled today that the Missouri House would have to start from scratch on their state senate redistricting and that a lower court would have to revisit a previous decision to leave the new U.S. House districts intact. It's pretty chaotic since the election cycle is starting up and filing deadlines are approaching, but in general it seems like this might be good, though not perfect, news for Representative Russ Carnahan.

Most people had previously assumed that Rep. Carnahan would be stuck with bad pair of options under the current map, passed by a veto proof majority when three Missouri House Democrats sold their souls to Republicans. Carnahan could either run in Congressman Lacy Clay's safe Democratic district, thus setting up a potentially bitter primary fight, or he could run in the new 2nd District which leans Republican. This dilemma has been the subject of previous discussion on this blog.

However, this court decision potentially changes the dynamics of Carnahan's choice. Though many politicos suggested that the judge might rule that a strange "teardrop" in the Kansas City area would need to be changed but not mess with Carnahan's district, the decision in fact cites the new 3rd District (which contains some previous Carnahan territory) as being problematic in addition to the 5th District in the Kansas City area. Here's the language from the summary of the ruling:

The applicable standard of review for a court in reviewing an article III, section 45 claim is the language of the constitution itself: whether the General Assembly divided Missouri into districts of “contiguous territory as compact and as nearly equal in population as may be. As long as the districts comply with these constitutional requirements, the circuit court shall respect the political determinations of the General Assembly and allow for minimal and practical deviations required to preserve the integrity of the existing lines of our various political subdivisions. Yet the duty to draw district lines of a contiguous territory as compact and as nearly equal in population as may be is one that is mandatory and objective, not subjective.

Here, Plaintiffs have alleged that various districts, and the Map as a whole, violate the compactness requirement of article III, section 45. Districts 3 and 5 are alleged to be particularly suspect, as can be confirmed by any rational and objective consideration of their boundaries. However, it is a question of fact, yet to be tried, whether those districts are “as compact and nearly equal in population as may be.” Mo. Const. art. III, sec. 45 (emphasis added).

I'm not a lawyer, but this language doesn't seem particularly strong to me. So it seems that while this makes it likely that the boundaries of the 3rd district will change (which will change the dynamics of Carnahan's decision, for better or worse), it doesn't make it a foregone conclusion.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court did rule against the claims that the new maps should be changed because they unfairly stacked the deck against Democrats. Now, they probably did stack the deck against Democrats, but unfortunately (and undemocratically if you ask me) this in itself isn't something the courts can legally take action on. From the Beacon's analysis:

But the Supreme Court said that Green was correct in dismissing some arguments -- such as the assertion that the new 3rd was crafted to curb the congressional influence of the St. Louis area and that it unfairly targeted Democrats. The critics contended that the new map leaves the statewide congressional delegation skewed improperly toward Republicans by protecting the six GOP incumbents.

The court stated in its opinion that the U.S. Supreme Court's "inability to state a clear standard" regarding gerrymandering has made it difficult for the state Supreme Court to make a ruling on that argument.

So there's nothing forcing the lower courts to make the districts more friendly to Carnahan. On the other hand, the Supreme Court seemed to think that the 3rd and the 5th districts would need to be redrawn. Given that the last boundary drawings were done by a hyper-partisan crowd doing whatever they could to maximizing Republican chances, any possible changes will most likely result in a somewhat better map for Carnahan. I already think he should run in the 2nd against Ann Wagner or Ed Martin, but if that district shifts a little more Democrat then the decision hopefully becomes a lot easier.

I Agree With Antonio French (and mostly with the American) on Russ Carnahan's Options

Antonio French is back blogging at Pub Def for what seems like the first time in eons and offers a pretty strong argument that Russ Carnahan should not run in Missouri's First District against Democrat Representative Lacy Clay. French offers several important reasons for Carnahan to avoid a Democratic showdown including tarnishing the family name and the threat of constant primary challenges even if he pulled off a victory. But what I think is the most interesting point is this one:

Some people are encouraging Carnahan to run against Clay for very selfish reasons, such as to increase turnout in their own elections. A well-financed, racially charged Congressional primary fight is sure to bring out voters for lower profile races down ballot. Like the treasurer’s race, for instance. Carnahan shouldn’t allow himself to be a tool of self-serving people who care less about the Democratic Party and the principles it stands for (such as inclusion) than they do their own ambitions. And even if Carnahan squeaked out an Election Night win, he will have so divided the district and the city that there would be little to celebrate.

If you recall, in late December I reached a fairly similar conclusion with different arguments.

French also links to the latest Political EYE in the St. Louis American which also argues, as I did, that Carnahan should run in the slightly Republican leaning 2nd District rather than against Clay. While I agree with much of what is said in the American, some of it is a bit perplexing. First of all, the title is "The growing isolation of Russ Carnahan," which strikes me as needlessly antagonistic. Carnahan might be somewhat isolated if he decided to run against Clay, but he hasn't decided that yet, so there's no reason to use that terminology. The EYE then goes on, I guess in support of their "isolation" thesis, to say the following:

Carnahan’s increasing isolation in this legal battle was made most painfully evident when the three judges on the Supreme Court appointed by Democratic governors – Chief Judge Rick Teitelman (appointed by Gov. Bob Holden), Judge Mary Russell (Holden) and Judge George Draper (recently appointed by Nixon) – recused themselves from the case.

If the EYE were to look suspiciously for evidence of behind-the-scene power-playing by party giants, such as Nixon or U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, this is the place to look. With these recusals, the EYE would conclude, the Missouri Democratic Party abandoned Russ Carnahan and all but doomed this legal effort to failure.

This claim doesn't make much sense to me. McCaskill and Nixon, as the EYE points out elsewhere, don't want a contested primary. So why would they tinker with the courts in a way to make a contested primary more likely?

But there's one part of the EYE that I think would be an especially good lesson for Democratic activists in the St. Louis area:

Democrats, both in Missouri and nationally, who do not want to see the black base antagonized by a primary challenge to Clay have pledged Carnahan all but limitless financial support to run against Akin, the EYE is told.

We need to remember that both sticks and carrots are important. Many people are spending their time telling Russ Carnahan about all of the bad things that will happen if he runs against Clay. But it's just as important for people to be committed to making good things happen if he decides to run in the 2nd. If Carnahan makes the right decision and engages the Herculean task of trying to win in the 2nd (while leaving Lacy Clay a cakewalk, and perhaps one he really doesn't deserve given the way the redistricting fight played out), then Carnahan should be rewarded with serious energy and money from St. Louis Democratic activists. He got screwed in this mess, but if he decides to do the right thing in spite of his raw deal, people should make sure that he gets the praise and support he deserves.

Jeff Smith Is Using The Wrong Sense of 'Should' And Carnahan Should Run In Missouri's 2nd District

Hotline has posted a thorough analysis from Jeff Smith arguing that, with the newly redrawn Congressional district lines, Russ Carnahan should run for Congress against fellow Democrat Lacy Clay in Missouri's 1st District. Writes Smith:

So Carnahan shouldn't put too many eggs in his legal basket. Instead, he should be raising money and canvassing the new 1st CD.

As you would expect from a Political Science professor and former State Senator, the analysis is detailed and insightful. However, the fatal flaw in Smith's argument is that he's relying on a self-interested notion of 'should' where saying that a person should do action A is equivalent to saying that A is in that person's best interest. This certainly is a common usage of the term and one used to make many decisions. However, this isn't the correct notion of 'should' for a public servant like Congressman Carnahan.

As a Congressman, Carnahan ought to be making his decisions based on a moral 'should,' where saying that someone should do action A means that A is in the best interests of the country, in the best interests of the constituents, or in the best interests of the Democratic party, or better yet, that A is the right thing to do. And on any of these senses of the word 'should,' I think it's pretty clear that Carnahan should run for office in the Republican-leaning 2nd District. Yes it would be an act of altruism, since Carnahan's chances of winning might be slightly lower in the 2nd, but it nevertheless would be the right thing to do.

In fact, one doesn't even have to stray very far from Smith's own analysis to see this is true. First, as Smith has noted, the Democratic Congressional leadership is urging Carnahan to run in the 2nd. Now, Lord knows, the Democratic Party is not always the best judge of what's in its own interest, but the fact that they think Carnahan should run in the 2nd is at least solid initial evidence that someone has crunched some numbers and decided that the best thing for the Democratic Party is to put up a good fight in the 2nd District.

Second, as Smith acknowledges, there's no clear reason to think that Carnahan winning Clay's seat would make Congress any more progressive. Here's what Smith writes:

Although I've seen both congressmen in action, I don't have a strong opinion on who would be a more progressive or effective representative.

So while Carnahan might gain something by beating Clay, it's not at all clear what anyone else would gain (other than the pundits and insiders who would love to cover the race).

But finally, and most importantly, a heated primary between Clay and Carnahan could be tinged with racial acrimony and possibly jeopardize turnout in the general election. Again, here's what Smith writes:

It would be nice to have a high-minded debate about the direction of national policy in a time of gripping economic anxiety, but anyone who knows St. Louis politics or the two principals doubts the likelihood of that. It won't be a race between a modern-day Bobby Kennedy and Barack Obama. Instead, given both candidates' limited crossover appeal, observers should prepare for a racially polarizing campaign in the long, sad tradition of St. Louis politics.

Even without any intentional shenanigans, a bitter primary might turn off voters from a general election if they felt like dirty tactics were used in the primary. And in the reddish-purple state of Missouri, with important Senate and Gubernatorial races and a legislature that's on the brink of a fully veto-proof majority, we just can't afford to have people sitting at home during the general elections. And it's actually worse than that, because the reality is that there will be shenanigans, as sadly both people in the Democratic Party and Republicans have cynical reasons to stoke racial divisions among Democrats. A primary battle would very likely be a bloody fight, and that might be good news for pundits but would only create new scars in an already damaged St. Louis political landscape.

So while Smith is right that Carnahan's own short-term self-interest might be better served by running against Lacy Clay, it would be better for the citizens of St. Louis, for the Democratic Party, and, yes, for the country if Carnahan ran in the 2nd District against Ed Martin or Ann Wagner. He might be slightly more likely to lose in the Second, but at least he would be fighting for the right reasons.

Jake Wagman To Begin Transcribing the History of the Universe

Jake Wagman, reporting on the fact that Russ Carnahan's Chief of Staff is selling her house:

That means any development, however small and potentially unrelated, will be subject to political scrutiny...

Carnahan Congratulates St. Louis and University City on Green-Lighted Loop Trolley Project

Press Release:

Today, Russ Carnahan (MO-3) congratulated residents of St. Louis and University City on news that $2.8 million of the $25 million federal grant has been committed for the trolley project planned for the St. Louis and University City Loop. These funds will help to manage the design phase of the project.

“Residents of St. Louis and University City worked hard on this proposal,” said Carnahan. “Their dedication and effective advocacy has secured the money needed to complete the Loop Trolley and make this vision a reality.”

The project was selected for a federal grant on a competitive basis from the Urban Circulator Program, and the project selection was first announced in March. Notice of the final award amount was given today, September 19, 2011. When finished, the Loop Trolley will serve as a fully-modern 2.2 mile fixed-rail streetcar system for passengers in St. Louis and University City.

Representative Carnahan To Give Update On Progress At Cochran Medical Center

Press release:

Tomorrow, August 30 at 12:15 p.m. Central Time, Russ Carnahan will hold a press availability to update the members of the press on progress at John Cochran Medical Center in St. Louis. Carnahan will discuss his recent oversight work on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and corrective actions taken at Cochran Medical Center to correct problems and give St. Louis-area veterans the quality care they deserve:

A turn-around plan to correct problems

Planned development of a new, state-of-the-art sterilization facility

Last week, Rep. Carnahan met with the Director of the Cochran VA Medical Center, Rima Nelson, to discuss the progress made at Cochran following the release of Veterans Affairs Inspector General and Government Accountability Office reports on Cochran earlier this year. In addition to the meeting with Veteran’s officials, he is scheduled to meet with area Veterans at a forum to be held tomorrow.

Rep. Carnahan will be available for questions from the press at 12:15pm tomorrow, Tuesday, August 30. The availability will be held at Carondelet Rec. Center in St. Louis.

Veterans’ issues are a priority for Rep. Carnahan who has served on the House Veterans Affairs Committee since January 2011. Tuesday’s forum is a continuation in a series of meetings and events hosted by Rep. Carnahan for area veterans.

Rep. Carnahan Kicks Off Week Dedicated to St. Louis Area Jobs and Businesses

Press release:

(St. Louis, MO) – This week, Rep. Russ Carnahan, will visit small businesses across the St. Louis region and work with businesses to promote jobs and development, including an “Export Workshop” presenting resources available to St. Louis businesses who want to start exporting products to foreign markets – one big step toward growing the Missouri economic recovery and creating jobs in St. Louis.

“Jobs need to be our top priority,” Carnahan said. “Small businesses are the engine of our economy. That’s why I’ll visit with small business owners across the St. Louis region – to listen to what they need to expand their businesses and create jobs.”

Rep. Carnahan will make stops at 10:00 am Central Time on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week at St. Louis businesses Seiler Instruments, Shelter Works and PrintFlex Graphics to meet with owners and employees, learn about the companies and tour their operations.

The week will culminate with an Export Workshop at Washington University’s Knight Center hosted by Rep. Carnahan and featuring Suresh Kumar, Director General of the U.S. Department of Commerce for international trade. The forum will focus on federal programs in place to assist U.S. business who would like to expand and export to international markets.

These events are the latest in an effort by Rep. Carnahan to meet with members of the community and advance business and job growth throughout St. Louis and surrounding communities.

St. Louis Fire Department to Award Russ Carnahan With Ceremonial Fire Helmet

Press Release:

(ST. LOUIS, MO) – To thank him for his efforts to help secure a federal grant that helped save 30 firefighters’ jobs, the St. Louis Fire Department will present a ceremonial firefighter’s helmet to U.S. Representative Russ Carnahan this Thursday, August 4, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time. This event officially recognizes Congressman Carnahan’s efforts, which were informally conveyed by members of the Firefighters’ Union Local 73 in May.

In April of this year, St. Louis was awarded a $3.2 million SAFER grant to rehire 30 firefighters who were laid off due to budget cuts. Carnahan worked with the Department of Homeland Security, which administers the grants, the City of St. Louis and local firefighters to help secure the grants.

The ceremonial fire helmet will be presented by Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson on behalf of the department. Representative Carnahan and Chief Jenkerson will be available to members of the press after the presentation.

Breitbart Blogger Trashes Ed Martin In Favor of GOP Establishment Candidate Ann Wagner

On Andrew Breitbart's site Big Government, a new post by Dan Riehl is dissing Email Ed Martin and suggesting that Ann Wagner is a better candidate for the Republicans. Riehl kicks it off by citing this quote from Bungaloo Bill slamming Ed Martin:

He threw his name in the US Senate race. In time, Ed Martin realized he was no match for Sarah Steelman's lackluster campaign. How sad is that! Steelman's last two fundraising quarters has many in the media calling the campaign in real trouble.

So Martin wandered off into another US House race only to have Ann Wagner join the race too. Once again, we see the lack of enthusiasm for Mr. Martin.

Riehl then adds many of his own negative observations about Martin:

In fact, some of what I’ve seen on and from Martin is at least mildly troubling – enough so to raise a red flag, or two....

Ed Martin bailed on a Senate race when the mountain looked too steep to climb. While I have no desire to question his dedication, or commitment, it simply doesn’t speak well for him going into a potentially challenging raise against an experienced, likely well-funded and slick hand like Carnahan...

In addition to those concerns, Martin not only dropped his Senate bid, he did it for a House race in a District in which he doesn’t even live. Unfortunately, that makes him look like someone more interested in calculating his way to the easiest path to Washington, not someone ready for a fight no matter the odds, as he might proclaim.

Visiting his site, I noticed a call by Martin for both he and Wagner to pledge allegiance to Reagan’s so-called 11th Commandment – thou shalt speak no ill of a fellow Republican. Why is that? He doesn’t cite any attack from Wagner, so it comes off as weak, even defensive somehow.

Riehl then goes on to mention Email Ed's ethical problems when he was Chief of Staff for Matt Blunt, and claims that even Gateway Pundit supports Ann Wagner over Martin!

Anyway, Riehl's post reads like a list of talking points from the Wagner campaign, so one has to wonder if Reagan's 11th Commandment hasn't already been breached. But if even Breitbart bloggers including Hoft are supporting Wagner, it looks like Ed Martin's nonstop political campaigning might finally be over in 2012.

Russ Carnahan Posts Personal Record Fundraising Numbers

Pretty good numbers, especially for a guy targeted by the GOP during the redistricting process:


Of course, no one knows what Carnahan will be running for, but he'll have a solid war chest regardless.

Carnahan Calls for Scaling Back Afghanistan Presence

Statement from Carnahan's office:

With the capture of Osama bin Laden and other gains against Al Qaeda’s terrorist network in the region, it’s time to scale back our military presence using a balanced approach.

We need to move swiftly to bring our troops home, but the drawdown must be measured and responsible – further progress on training Afghanistan National Security Forces and improved governance is fundamental to ensuring a successful transition to Afghan control and stability.

Carnahan Pushing Back Against Paul Ryan's Plan to End Medicare As We Know It

Glad that Russ Carnahan is actively pushing back against Paul Ryan's budget plan which calls for privatizing Medicare:

RUSS CARNAHAN TO VISIT BETHESDA TERRACE INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTER

Carnahan will give a brief update regarding Medicare and answer questions from residents

(St. Louis, MO) – This Tuesday, June 21 at 10:30 a.m. Central Time, Rep. Russ Carnahan will speak to residents of the Bethesda Terrace Independent Living Center regarding the upcoming congressional budget proposals and how we can get our debt under control without ending Medicare and scapegoating our seniors.

Carnahan will discuss how Republican budget proposals will affect seniors, and will reaffirm his efforts to prevent deep cuts to the programs seniors rely on.

“I am working hard every day with the help of my Senior Advisory Panel to protect Social Security, strengthen and improve Medicare, and defend programs vital to our seniors,” Carnahan said. “Instead of scapegoating seniors, we should look first at cuts to taxpayer giveaways for oil companies and giant corporations who ship jobs overseas.”

Carnahan Cheers Governor Nixon's Veto of Hyperpartisan Redistricting Map

Press Release from Congressman Carnahan's office:

STATEMENT OF RUSS CARNAHAN RE: GOVERNOR’S VETO

OF PARTISAN GERRYMANDERED REDISTRICTING MAP

WASHINGTON, DC --- U.S. Representative Russ Carnahan (MO-03) today released the following statement regarding Governor Nixon’s veto of the partisan, gerrymandered redistricting map sent to him by the Republican-controlled Missouri State Legislature:

“This is a win for the people of Missouri, who will now have another chance at a map that places a higher value on respecting the needs and concerns of families and businesses than on consolidating political power for one party over another.

“There is no question that the map that was vetoed today was a partisan gerrymander that would have been bad for the entire state of Missouri. It sliced and diced the St. Louis region – the economic engine of the state – dividing communities of interest and weakening Missouri’s representation in Washington.

“This veto will provide an opportunity for a map that is better for the people and businesses of this state - one that is more representative of Missouri’s political balance and does not divide communities, counties and regions.

“The people of Missouri deserve nothing less.”

The Missouri State Legislature will now have an opportunity to either make a new attempt at drawing a Congressional map, or to attempt to override the Governor’s veto. In each of three votes already taken on proposed maps, the State House has fallen short of the 2/3 majority needed to override a Gubernatorial veto. During the most recent vote, 6 Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the map that was vetoed today.

Clay & Carnahan: Partisan Redistricting Plan Would Screw Over St. Louis Region

Ok, so maybe that wasn't their exact wording, but I think it covers the basic idea. Here's their joint press release:

Clay and Carnahan Say Missouri Congressional Redistricting Map Fails the Fairness Test, Weakens St. Louis Region

-WASHINGTON, DC- In a joint statement issued today Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri and Congressman Russ Carnahan (D) Missouri objected to the proposed congressional redistricting map for Missouri as "overly partisan, damaging to the St. Louis region, and unfair to communities of common cultural and historical interests.":

"We are extremely disappointed that the Missouri House Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting has produced a map that emphasizes partisanship over fairness," said Mr. Clay and Mr. Carnahan.

"The population of the St. Louis metropolitan area clearly justifies three congressional districts.

"We are surprised that the committee chose to weaken representation for our region, which is the economic engine that drives Missouri's economy.

"Historically, the City of St. Louis has been represented by two Members of Congress who strongly advocated for neighborhoods of like interests.

"This proposed map ignores vital historical and cultural considerations which should be taken into account in this process.

"The current proposal is unfair and it ignores the best interests of the people of Missouri and the entire St. Louis region."

BTW, I'm not so sure this plan doesn't screw over Kansas City as well. It sure looks like a blatantly partisan power-grab meant to disenfranchise half of the state's voters.

Gateway Pundit Outraged By Things He Did Less Than A Year Ago

Jim "Gateway Pundit" Hoft has naturally been looking for anything he can find to try to demonize the peaceful Wisconsin protesters whose rallies put the tea party to shame and showed the country what real grassroots looks like. Unfortunately for Hoft, however, most of the stuff he finds to be morally indignant about is stuff that he did last year.

First, Hoft was ranting about the left was "indoctrinating" children by teaching them chants against Scott Walker. Says Hoft:

Of course, the kids have no idea what they’re chanting about.

But apparently you're never too young to be taught to hate "evil leftists" since Hoft and other St. Louis tea partiers encouraged young children to throw boots at a picture of Congressman Russ Carnahan:


A little earlier, Hoft was outraged that Wisconsin Democrats protested at a Republican politician's home. Which seems to me like a reasonable criticism, except for the fact that Jim Hoft carried a coffin to Russ Carnahan's home the day after the health care reform bill passed, and after a week of saber rattling rhetoric from the St. Louis tea party (Bill Hennessy is speaking in the video, but Hoft is standing on the right side of the screen):


Hmmm, OK, so the tea party has young children participate in their actions, and they have no qualms about going to people's houses, but I guess there is one big difference between their behavior and that of the Wisconsin protesters. Namely, I haven't seen any evidence that the Wisconsin protesters have set fire to photos of Republicans. But that's exactly what the tea party and Hoft did last year (that's CNN contribute Dana Loesch's voice in the video, by the way):


So yeah, Hoft is morally outraged that the Wisconsin protesters are behaving better than he did. Figures.

Russ Carnahan on the Jaco Report

Russ Carnahan was interviewed recently on the Jaco Report. I really liked the interview, particularly because Carnahan was honest about questions like "was this essentially blackmail?" rather than trying to spin it. I also appreciate the fact that he's taking steps to change the conversation about Afghanistan at a time when other politicians don't want to look at it with clear eyes. After the last elections, it would have been easy for Representative Carnahan to try to turn into a "blue dog" and spout right-wing rhetoric. However, he clearly understands that his future in politics depends on being true to his principles, and I commend him for that.

Judge for yourself:
 

Wagman "Has To Try To Be That Bad"

Jake Wagman continues to embarrass the actual journalists at the Post-Dispatch. A day after Wagman's new-low-for-journalism-at-the-Post-Dispatch blog post (which, I am told, made it into today's print edition under the guidance of tea party-coached Political Editor Christopher Ave), I received an email pointing to his latest and observing that Wagman "had to be trying to be this bad." And, as I looked at his most recent article about Carnahan, I couldn't help but agree. Yesterday, as featured on ForwardSTL and the Beacon, Russ Carnhan wrote an op-ed to The Hill saying that we need to shift our focus in Afghanistan from war to peace:

It’s time to get smarter about how we approach this phase of our operation, to think creatively about how we integrate security, diplomacy and development.

We have fought the war against the Taliban and the extremists. Now we must fight for peace – a lasting peace that is every bit as vital to our global and domestic security.

Let us end this war in Afghanistan.

Yet, if you were one of the poor souls who exclusively relies on the Post-Dispatch for their news, you wouldn't know anything about this. All you would know is that Russ Carnahan lauded U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke, who recently passed away, in part of his column. In Wagman's entire post about the op-ed, he never even mentions the central point of a post titled, "End This War." It is a truly remarkable achievement in bad journalism and, as my emailer pointed out, must have taken some effort.

Compare this post to that of an actual journalist, Jo Mannies, in her post titled Carnahan calls for more attention on peace in Afghanistan:

Shortly before giving up his House oversight post over Afghanistan, U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan is laying out his view that the United States needs to shift its focus from war to peace.

"It’s time to get smarter about how we approach this phase of our operation, to think creatively about how we integrate security, diplomacy and development," Carnahan, D-St. Louis, said in an op-ed piece published Thursday on the Washington-based publication The Hill's "Congress Blog."

"We have fought the war against the Taliban and the extremists. Now we must fight for peace -– a lasting peace that is every bit as vital to our global and domestic security. Let us end this war in Afghanistan."

So, just to review, at a time where discussions of changing the course in Afghanistan are a relatively taboo subject in Congress, Carnahan went out on a limb to make a pretty courageous statement about the need to change our focus. Yet, a day after turning a mindless Ed Martin tweet about a Craigslist advertisement into a story for the Post-Dispatch, Jake Wagman amazingly manages to either miss or deliberately avoid the entire point of the column. Ed Martin could not ask for a better lapdog.

I guess that somehow, even at a time of crises for newspapers, the Post-Dispatch is complacent about their political coverage of St. Louis. But this will be a huge mistake in the long run. Just like a small stream of water can carve through rock over time, as enough people compare the garbage Wagman puts out on a daily basis with researched and meaningful pieces at other outlets like the Star, the Beacon or a number of blogs, they will slowly but surely begin to realize that relying on the Post-Dispatch for news about anything on Wagman's beat is a giant mistake. As long as they continue to allow Wagman to drop the ball on their political coverage, the Post-Dispatch will be hemorrhaging credibility. And credibility is all that a journalistic institution has.

Ed Martin Would Have Already Solved Crime Problem By Now!

Apologies for stealing that headline before Jake Wagman could think of it, but I couldn't help but notice that Ed Martin seems to be very bitter about the election. So bitter, in fact, that he's taken to suggesting that crime in St. Louis is somehow Congressman Russ Carnahan's fault:


This makes total sense because, as everyone knows, U.S. Congressmen are the people most responsible for crime rates in nearby urban centers (as well the arbitrary method CQ uses to declare "the most dangerous city"). If only Carnahan had voted yes on the Let's Make Sure to Stop Crime in St. Louis Amendment!

Since Ed Martin was so shamelessly willing to use this unfortunate news to attack Carnahan, I decided to check out what old Ed's amazing crime fighting plan was. And lo and behold, I found out that Ed doesn't include crime at all on his issues page. In fact, if you search his website for "crime", you'll find that he doesn't mention it at all except while busy ranting about terrorists, illegal immigration, or Russ Carnahan. In other words, he says nothing at all about crime in St. Louis, yet is now using it to attack Carnahan.

Anyway, given tonight's weather, I thought I'd add my own contribution to Ed Martin's thoughtful discourse:

Update: Ed Martin gives a really lame explanation:

Eric Hoffpauir weighs in on Martin's claim:

Also worth noting, I searched Ed Martin's website for mentions of funding police in St. Louis and Jefferson County and found none. Again, it's silly for him to be making this an issue now when he didn't talk about it at all during the election.