Capitol Calling
Missouri's irreverent and vital news source.
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Here’s a video of St. Louis County Councilwoman Colleen Wasinger, R-Town and Country, discussing why she voted against a bill allocating $3 million to a group angling to cement a international trade hub at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
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St. Louis County Health Department Director Dolores Gunn talks about proposed changes to farmers market guidelines.
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I wrote an article for the St. Louis Beacon yesterday about potential cuts to St. Louis County parks. And I filmed a pretty lengthy video of St. Louis County Council Chairman Steve Stenger disputing that those reductions are necessary.
On a side note, this is the first video I made with the iPhone 4S. The quality is decent, but I do enjoy holding up that instead of an iPad. Now I guess I won’t get made fun of anymore.
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There have been a lot of competitive congressional races in the past couple of election cycles. In 2008, numerous serious candidates on both sides of the aisle took aim at the U.S. 9th Congressional District. And last year, Republicans made strong challenges for the usually tranquil 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts.
But truth be told, those aforementioned contests are the exception as opposed to the rule. Most incumbent congressmen draw relatively unknown candidates who are destined to lose by a wide margin.
Such was the case in the U.S. 2nd Congressional District, where Democrat Arthur Lieber tried to oust U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country. He was unsuccessful, but he managed to encapsulate his race in writing.
More from the Riverfront Times:
Lieber ran an idealistic campaign, pledging both to refuse all campaign donations and to stay positive. (He spent $50,000 of his own money — enough for a voter database, a billboard and a TV commercial that you probably missed if you blinked.)
Not so surprisingly, he lost. And now he’s written a book about the experience.
“I ran for Congress in 2010; got my butt kicked,” the book begins. “But all was not lost.”
As the book makes clear, and he confirms in a chat with Daily RFT, Lieber knew he was tilting at windmills, but he still found himself hoping against hope that he could win. “Yes, I woke up every morning and I looked at it in terms of, ‘What can I do to increase my chances of winning,’” he says. -
Former House Budget Chairman Allen Icet, R-Wildwood, fell short in his bid to become state auditor last year, losing in a GOP primary to Allen Icet.
But Icet - who attended Saturday’s St. Louis County Lincoln Days event in Sunset Hills - is keeping busy. Not only is he paying the bills with his engineering consulting business, he’s also working with Missouri Club for Growth.
I spoke with Icet about what he’s been up to, whether he was a disappointed with the outcome of the state auditor primary and what Republicans need to do in St. Louis County to prevail. Click on the audio clip for part of that interview.
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I caught up with Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder on Saturday right before he spoke to St. Louis County Lincoln Days. I asked him about the importance of the St. Louis region to Republicans, as well as what the GOPers in St. Louis County need to do in 2012.
I also asked about the timetable for his next statewide campaign. Kinder is widely expected to run against Gov. Jay Nixon in 2012.
Click on the audio clip above to hear the interview.
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St. Louis County Republicans had some notable successes in the 2010 election cycle. But those who gathered at this year’s Lincoln Days event in Sunset Hills say there’s still work to do.Here’s a snippet from my article for the St. Louis Beacon:
There was a time when St. Louis County was fertile ground for Republican candidates. Republican Gene McNary won four terms as county executive, while Jim Talent — a St. Louis County native — performed well there in his victorious 2002 Senate bid against then-U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan, D-Mo.
But Republicans have faced a downturn in recent election cycles. Talent lost to Democrat Claire McCaskill by a wide margin in St. Louis County in 2006, while both John Kerry and Barack Obama soundly beat their respective Republican opponents there in 2004 and 2008. in 2010, even though Roy Blunt and Tom Schweich won their bids for U.S. Senate and state auditor, respectively, both lost St. Louis County to their Democratic rivals.
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder (right), a likely Republican contender against Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, said in an interview with the Beacon that Republicans need to pay attention to St. Louis County — even if winning it outright may prove difficult.
“I am often criticized for spending too much time here,” said Kinder, who added he was not ready to announce his 2012 intentions. “None of us has carried St. Louis County for several election cycles now. We have to try and cut our losses here. But I remain convinced that there are persuadable folks here — and that’s why I spend a lot of time here listening to people.”
Click here to read the whole article. I’ll post some more audio from the event later this afternoon.
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The congressional redistricting process is coming next week to St. Louis County.Via press release, Rep. John Diehl, R-Town and Country, announced that House Special Standing Committee on Redistricting will hold a hearing at 2 p.m. March 4 at the St. Louis County Courthouse. Diehl is the chairman of the aforementioned committee.
“Our goal is to have a fair and open process that utilizes the census data and the input we receive from the public,” said Diehl in a statement. “There is no preconceived plan about how the districts will be drawn. We will look at the numbers and listen to the testimony and use that information to draw lines that ensure each Missourian is given adequate representation.”
Here’s the schedule for the other House hearings:
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Tuesday, March 1 at Moreland Ridge Middle School in Blue Springs at 5 p.m.
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Wednesday, March 2 at the Mexico Chamber of Commerce in Mexico at 3 p.m.
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Thursday, March 3 at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff at 6 p.m.
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