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DEF is a non-partisan, independent political blog based in the
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Branson has been selected as the host city for the 2008 Missouri Republican Party State Convention from May 30 to June 1, Missouri Republican Party Chairman Doug Russell announced today. The State Convention will be held at Branson’s Chateau on the Lake.
"Branson is known internationally for its hospitality, entertainment and family-friendly atmosphere and we are very much looking forward to holding the 2008 Missouri Republican Party State Convention in this vibrant and exciting community," Russell said. "Next year will be an exciting one for Missouri Republicans and Branson is the perfect community in which to be selecting our delegates to the Republican National Convention and adopting our state platform."
Branson was chosen by the 11-member Site Selection Subcommittee of the Missouri Republican State Committee during meetings in Kansas City this past weekend. The Republican National Committee has tentatively assigned Missouri 58 delegates and 55 alternates to the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from Sept. 1 to Sept. 4, 2008, where the Republican nominees for President and Vice President will be selected.
Brandon Davis, former political director for Senator Claire McCaskill, has been hired to serve in the same position for the SEIU MO/KS State Council. Davis had for weeks been lobbying to become the new executive director of the Missouri Democratic Party.
It had been rumored that former Gov. Roger Wilson's sudden departure as chairman of the Party stemmed from his strong objection to hiring Davis.
The press release:
"We are thrilled to have Brandon part of our political program," said Sherwin Carroll, President of the SEIU MO/KS State Council. "Our union and our members understand the need to have a strong political program and plan, and Brandon can help us build that."
Mr. Davis most recently worked for the Claire McCaskill Senate campaign as Political Director and played a key role in her successful election.
"Brandon will be joining SEIU State Council Executive Director Lenny Jones, giving us a powerful team as we move into the next election cycle," said Mr. Carroll.
SEIU played a major role in passing Proposition B, which raised the minimum wage to $6.50 an hour. Besides monetary contributions to the effort, Lenny Jones was the campaign manager and SEIU staff Sara Howard was communications director. An additional 35 members worked full time on the campaign in the final nine weeks.
SEIU is the fastest growing union in the country, and one of the nation's most influential political operations. In Missouri, SEIU represents thousands of janitors, nursing home workers, factory workers, municipal, state, and school workers.
We got a tip this afternoon that Roger Wilson, the chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party, had resigned today at a meeting of party officials in Jefferson City. We called State Committeewoman Mattie Moore to confirm, but she said it was not so. But apparently it is.
One possible reason for Wilson's departure is the controversy surrounding who will be the next executive director of the party. The state's highest ranking Democrat, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, has committed to having an African-American fill the post. Word is Wilson as well as Attorney General Jay Nixon (next year's Democratic candidate for governor) also agreed to a black E.D. But who?
Brandon Davis, McCaskill's former deputy campaign manager political director, interviewed for the job and has been lobbying officials for weeks. But word is that Wilson told Black Caucus members this week "no way" on Davis.
Readers may remember that McCaskill was instrumental in Wilson getting the chairman's seat after her defeat of former Gov. Bob Holden in the 2004 Democratic primary. If McCaskill wants Davis, who is Wilson to say no, some may wonder.
Meanwhile, sources say another African-American candidate, recommended by Kansas City State Rep. Mike Talboy, interviewed for the post. Marlin Marshall is said to have the support of Nixon. And Wilson, we're told, was more supportive of him than Davis.
Just how much this subplot played in Wilson's sudden departure remains unclear.
The Missouri Republican Party sent out a press release this afternoon attacking State Senator-elect Jeff Smith, a Democrat, on his decision to oppose Gov. Matt Blunt's appointment of Donayle Whitmore-Smith to the State Board of Education.
"Smith today showed that he is more interested in bowing to Democrat Party bosses than doing what’s right for Missouri students," said the Republicans.
"Smith contradicts himself by praising Whitmore-Smith's efforts on behalf of urban education in the St. Louis area then in the same breath rejects her nomination because of a lack of experience," said Paul Sloca, communications director for the Missouri Republican Party.
"Jeff Smith’s politically-motivated rejection of Donayle Whitmore-Smith is a slap in the face to the African American community and to our urban schools. Jeff Smith is turning his back on his constituents in order to garner favor with Democrat leaders who have opposed Whitmore-Smith’s nomination," said Sloca.
"It is this kind of dismissive attitude toward our urban schools that have led to problems like those currently surrounding the St. Louis Public School District. It’s a disgrace."
Meanwhile, Gov. Blunt is also voicing his displeasure with Smith's decision.
"I am deeply disappointed that one of the Senator-elect's first actions is obstructing the appointment of a well-qualified African-American woman who would have done a magnificent job on the State's School Board," said Blunt.
"Donayle Whitmore-Smith was one of two African-American leaders I appointed to the State Board of Education. I am pleased that Reverend Stanley Archie of Kansas City will at least be given the courtesy of a hearing even though the same courtesy was not extended to Donayle."
A special school board meeting is tonight at 5:00 p.m. in the Foundation Room at the Administrative Building, 801 N. 11th Street. Click here for the agenda.
And the Central Democratic Committees of both St. Louis City and St. Louis County are hosting their Second Annual Holiday Party tonight at the Electrical Workers Hall, 5800 Elizabeth, from 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
After losing his latest campaign for the Republican nomination for Congress, Leslie Farr says he is now a Democrat.
"I came to a point where I had to ask myself if the Republican Party was right for me and obviously that answer was no," wrote Farr in an email to the media and supporters.
"For five years, I served the Republican Party and my reward was a Primary loss to a person that had only been in the Party for three months. There is obviously no loyalty to African-American people from certain people within the Republican Party," said Farr.
Maybe Farr should ask a few black elected Dems about their party's loyalty before he hops on the donkey.
You know, you don't have to register with a party to vote in Missouri, Leslie.
"Pony Up": Groups Call on Safe Dems to Put their Money Where their Mouths Are
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Wednesday, October 25, 2006 at 1:21 PM
Two liberal websites are asking their readers to demand their Democratic members of Congress who are all but assured re-election to give some of their campaign money to Democrats in close contests.
MoveOn.org and MyDD.com have identified several dozen "safe" Democrats, including St. Louis Congressman Russ Carnahan, and given their readers specific instructions on how to pressure them to help their fellow Democrats in more competitive races.
One such Democrat in need is U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill who is in a very close contest with incumbent Republican Sen. Jim Talent. Back in August, PUB DEF's camera caught Carnahan using some strong language in telling a group of Dems that Talent needed to be defeated.
"There's a long list of reasons to fire his ass!," he said standing on a chair while rallying the crowd to support McCaskill.
It appears some Dems are still waiting for Carnahan to put his money where his mouth is.
We are expecting a response from Carnahan's campaign shortly. Check back soon.
UPDATE: Representatives of Congressman Carnahan say he has given nearly a quarter million dollars to fellow Democrats through the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and direct contributions since taking office in January 2005.
The campaign sent over the following numbers:
Contributed to DCCC= $100,000 Raised for DCCC= $52,000 Contributions to DCCC targeted races= $12,600 Pending Contributions to DCCC targeted races= $15,500 Raised for other Democratic members of Missouri delegation= $65,000 Grand Total = $245,100
It's not clear from the information provided when those contributions were made or whether MoveOn.org's target number for Carnahan of $60,831 (roughly 30% of his war chest as of 9/30) was met during this campaign cycle.
The Missouri Republican Party filed a complaint yesterday with the Federal Elections Commission against the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) citing reports by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and PubDef.net of problems with the organization's voter registration activities.
"The complaint against ACORN filed yesterday with the Federal Elections Commission alleges that the radical non-profit group is making illegal contributions to [Claire] McCaskill by using street workers to gather voter cards and urge people to vote for McCaskill," said the Republicans in a press release issued today.
"We will act promptly and aggressively to protect the honesty of the coming election," said Missouri Republican Party Executive Director Jared Craighead. "The actions we charge are egregiously unlawful. Because our evidence includes videotape, our complaint has a history-making quality. In Missouri’s long and sad history of urban vote fraud, this has to be the first time the vote-creating machinery can be followed on videotape."
The complaint specifically refers to PUB DEF's recent interview with fired ACORN worker Josephine Perkins, a ten-year veteran of the organization who told us that she was fired after she told co-workers to disregard orders to ask people to vote for McCaskill while they registered new voters.
Yesterday, the Post-Dispatch and KWMU reported that nearly 1,500 voter registration cards recently turned in by ACORN have been flagged as "potentially fraudulent" by the St. Louis Board of Elections.
Republicans also said the Kansas City Democratic director of elections identified about 3,000 of the 16,000 applications collected by ACORN examined so far bore discrepancies, including suspicious signatures, applicants being too young, and birth dates and Social Security numbers not jibing with state databases.
