Showing posts with label U.S. Senate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U.S. Senate. Show all posts

Monday, November 1, 2010

We interrupt our Halloween coverage to ask Missouri to VOTE FOR ROBIN CARNAHAN FOR U.S. SENATE

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Robin Carnahan For Senate

Tomorrow is election day in the U.S. Last night supporters of Robin Carnahan, the Democratic candidate for senator, held a rally in Forest Park. In attendance was our other senator, the brilliant Claire McCaskill; Sen. Dick Durbin from the neighboring state of Illinois; Rednecks For Robin (we are rumored to have a few); and Gov. Jay Nixon, with Robin and brother Russ, my congressman, in the background. At the bottom, Mrs. C. and Sen. McCaskill share a moment of party unity.

This blog tip toes into politics only occasionally but this is something I feel very strongly about. We do advertise the occasional rant. While every politician and political party has flaws, I proudly stand with the Democrats. The way I see it, our two main parties have distinct views about the roles of the individual and government in society. The Republicans promote individual liberty unfettered by government regulation. Unless, of course, they don't like your behavior. It's code for letting business have its way to screw individuals and foul our nest. Democrats like business (I own a business, after all) and want the country to be to be prosperous, but we ask for the balance of power to be more equal, evening the playing field between the small and the powerful.


Carnahan's opponent, Roy Blunt, a long-time congressman, is the consummate government corporate insider. He has received astounding amounts of contributions from corporations, their lobbyists and now, since the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case, buckets of cash from anonymous sources. He has the hubris to refuse to answer questions about it. This is corruption, pure and simple.

So I'd like my fellow Missourians to think long and hard before you cast your ballot tomorrow. Maybe you disagree. That's healthy. Write something about what you think.

We're back to Halloween pictures tomorrow because Wednesday morning could present a scary landscape.


Senator Claire McCaskill

Senator Dick Durbin

Rednecks For Robin Carnahan

Governor Jay Nixon

Carolyn and Senator McCaskill

Thursday, March 5, 2009

STL DPB On The Road: Who I Met Yesterday, or, The Halls Of Power

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A remarkable thing about the United States is that ordinary people can have personal access to their congresspeople and senators. Our little group of Missourians from the Arthritis Foundation had appointments yesterday to see one of our senators, Christopher Bond, a Republican, above left, and the U.S. representative for the district where I live, Russ Carnahan, a Democrat. Neither had much time to spare (Carnahan had to run off for a vote on the floor) but both were congenial and welcoming. The House and Senate office buildings are open to the public. Anyone can walk in to petition their government.

Bond has been in the senate for 22 years. Today is his 70th birthday. He announced recently that he will not run for a fifth term when his present one expires in two years. Carnahan has been a member of the House of Representatives for four years. His father was governor of Missouri. Mel Carnahan ran for the U.S. Senate but was killed in a small plane crash during the campaign. His name remained on the ballot and he won. For the strange story of what happened after that,
click here.


I'm giving the Thursday Arch Series a week off. There will be something or other from back in The Lou tomorrow.