Missouri Senator Eric Greitens?

Eric Greitens wants to be our next Missouri US Senator?

--He sexually abused and tried to exploit and blackmail his hairdresser; --He stole from his Veterans' charity and from taxpayers; --He resigned hours after a judge ordered him to reveal his dark money donors. No. Heck no. Hell no.

So You Want To Run For Governor of Missouri...

Think about this.

It's 2016.

You're young. 

You were a Navy Seal.

You're done some fundraising for the Seals---you say--and it was supposed to be successful.

You're a reasonably well-spoken guy. Not bad looking (sadly, that matters in America).

You're Right Wing and a gun lover and the nation is awash in all that at present so you figure "What the heck. I'm going to run for governor in my state of Missouri."

But...

In 2015, just one year earlier, you had a sexual affair outside your marriage.

You're married and the father of two children.

The woman with whom you had the affair is married. Her husband--later ex-husband--is aware of the affair.

That's all.

That's it.

That's enough.

Tell us. Please.

Tell us how you didn't think this would get out.

Please.

We're waiting.

Republican State Senator From My Hometown Making Us Proud

Yes sir, St. Joseph's own Republican Representative Rob Schaaf, no less, is asking questions and trying to hold our very Republican Governor, Eric Greitens, to task for what he said and claimed and challenged during the now-Governor's campaign for that job.

Bait-and-switch 

Some of the article:

When Eric Greitens was seeking the Republican nomination for governor last year, he claimed to support transparency in the funding of political campaigns. He said in one interview, “What I’ve found is that the most important thing is that there’s transparency around the money,” continuing, “I’ve been very proud to tell people, ‘I’m stepping forward, and you can see every single one of our donors, because we are proud of our donors and we are proud of the campaign that we are running.’ ”

Since that time, Greitens has turned his back on transparency, accepting millions of dollars from undisclosed donors and now disavowing donor disclosure altogether. With this reversal, he has betrayed the Republican Party and the people of Missouri. His new stance threatens the integrity of our republic.

It's a great article, I think, and even important. Any and every voting age Missourian would do well to  read it so they know what's going on in our state and what should likely change.

Two Surprising Results From Two Different Right Wing Sources

Two men, neither of which I voted for or would vote for or whom I hoped would become either our next president or Missouri state governor, Right Wing extremists as they are, have taken two separate political stands.  And I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprise by both.

Donald Trump took this one:

Shaming Firms That Export Jobs 

Has Worked For Trump So Far

And our "Pretty Boy" Governor-elect, Eric Greitens, this:

Greitens stands firm: No state funding 

for stadium project

So even though both men represent nearly everything I am against, at least we got these 2 very separate rays of sunshine.

Here's hoping this isn't the first and last thing we can be thankful for from these two.

The Real Eric Greitens, Part IV

And this may be one of my, to date, favorite "real Eric Greitens" videos out there. It's not good quality video since it's video of a video on someone's television but it gets the message across.


To borrow a phrase, "I'm lovin' it."

2016: The Year Guns Took Over Election Campaigns

It really does seem as though this campaign year, 2016, has been the year guns, somehow, inexplicably, took over in our election campaigns. They've nothing whatever to do with the office the candidate is running for but there they are, the men, the boys and their guns.

This was the first one I was aware of locally, here in Missouri. Mr. Eric Greitens, former Navy Seal--he wants to make sure you know--goes out in the countryside and "blows things up real good."


As if that weren't enough, unfortunately, a candidate I'm for very recently--just this week, I believe--released this video.


I ask you, what does assembling an automatic weapon, especially one meant for the battlefield, have to do with running a government, a bureacracy efficiently, intelligently and at small a cost as possible?  The boys seem to have to have their guns and show them off.

Tell me we're not getting more stupid.

This seems to be further proof, further reason More Women Need to Lead the World.

The Real Eric Greitens, Part III

Speaks for itself. Here's the real Eric Greitens, from another former Navy Seal on KTRS 550.

The Real Eric Greitens, Part II

Here's more of the real Eric Greitens, as promised, Part II. This is from a radio show with a Navy Seal, giving the lowdown on the man.

The Real Eric Greitens, Part I

I'm loving all the "real Eric Greitens" ads that are coming out. Here's the first.



I love this spoof.

Again, Missourians, Your Government Is Being Bought

Yes sir, Missourians, your government is being bought and it's by the already-wealthy and corporations who have the money to do it. First, the very famous and disgusting St. Louis billionaire Rex Singquefield, trying to buy the governor and Lieutenant Governor of his choice and now this:

And check this out, too. It's happened twice this year, so far. First there was this article back at the end of July.

Eric Greitens Nabs Single Largest Campaign 

Contribution in Missouri

The race to become Missouri's Republican candidate for governor is, to put it charitably, a shitshow of clashing egos and bulging bank accounts. On Monday, one of the candidates' campaign war chests got a little bulgier — by about $2 million dollars.

As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes, the $1.975 million donation to Eric Greitens' campaign this week marks the single largest political contribution in Missouri history to an individual candidate.

And now, yesterday, there's this. He's outdone himself. Mr. Greitens and his big money pals have outdone even that earlier, biggest contribution. Nearly the same headline, of course, just yet more money.

Greitens receives biggest campaign 

contribution in Missouri history

On most normal days (for Missouri, at least) a candidate receiving a $265,000 contribution as Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Koster did today from the CHIPP Political Fund in St. Louis, would be on top of the world.

Unfortunately for Koster, that amount left him nearly $1 million behind his Republican opponent, former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens.

A 48-hour report filed today with the Missouri Ethics Commission shows Greitens received the largest campaign contribution in state history, $2.5 million from the Republican National Governors-Missouri, which received it earlier in the day from the Republican National Governors based in Washington, D.C.

I'm telling you, folks, we're being bought here. We're being bought. Our government is being bought and sold. And it's all by the wealthy, not just of the state, but of the nation. And Mr. Greitens has no government experience whatever, none, of any kind yet they're trying to buy him the highest government office in the state. All we know is he loves guns, hates everything Obama and wants "small government", whatever that means.

And we're letting it happen.

We have got to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling and fight to end campaign contributions. We have to get the money out of our elections and politics. It's the only way we'll get the government back for the people. For all the American people.

Link:  Get the Big, Ugly Money Out of Our Election System and Government 

So Who Does the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police Endorse for Governor?

So who does Missouri's Fraternal Order of Police endorse for the state's next governor?

Do they endorse the gun-totin', shoot 'em up, extreme Right Winger who hates President Obama and all he represents and who also, by the way, has no government experience?

Koster Endorsed by Missouri Fraternal Order of Police

Don'tcha' just love irony?

The Real Eric Greitens

It's clear Eric Greitens, Republican candidate for Missouri Governor this year, wants to tell one tale of  himself, that of Navy Seal, good or even  great American soldier, etc.  And that's fine. He can say anything and all he wants about himself, naturally.

But this is what his fellow Navy Seals have to say about him, in sharp contrast.



And for proof, for backup on this video, there is this, from earlier this year:

Navy SEALs claim credit for video 

critical of Greitens

I hope plenty of people will see this video. At 2:49, these actual Navy Seals point out that, and I quote, "Despite the opportunity, Greitens has never served in a Seal Platoon."

I think it's important to know this all and to get it out there to as many Missourians as possible.

Eric Greitens' Latest Political Ad

The stupid just pours out of the screen.


"Obama's Democrat machine"?

Really?

Eric Greitens Has Started Getting Into Trump Territory

Eric Greitens, Republican, far Right Wing candidate for Missouri's next Governor (shudder) is starting to send out messages that he's very like Donald Trump. That is, not just wrong but misguided and downright scary. His latest TV ad got me both scared and even angry.

President Obama, the "worst President of (his) lifetime."

Forget that President Obama helped bring us back from the worst economic downturn in 8 years since the last Great Depression.

Forget that President Obama saw to the saving of General Motors which has since come roaring back, saving literally millions of jobs. 

Forget that the stock market has gone to new highs during his Presidency. Forget that employment has gone WAY up during this same Presidency.

Forget that the deficit has shrunk, actually, factually shrunk during our current President's administrations.

Deficit shrinks by $1 trillion in Obama era

Forget and ignore that 20 million more Americans have health care insurance than used.

More Americans Than Ever Have 

Health Insurance Coverage

And then ignore or forget that, because of "Obamacare", America is spending far less on health care.

Health spending post-Obamacare seen 

$2.5 trillion lower 

And a lot more. 

Yeah, forget all that. 

Just call President Obama the worst President in your lifetime, completely forgetting the laws broken by Ronald Reagan and the nationally and internationally illegal war George W. Bush got us into in Iraq, by his choice and lies. 

Iran-Contra and Arms-for-Hostages Scandals: 

Ronald Reagan

Then, also forget that the same George W. Bush totally and completely ignored his Daily Presidential Brief, warning him Osama bin Laden was planning and preparing an attack on our nation, resulting in over 3000 lives lost that fateful day, 9/11. 

Forget, too--if you ever even knew it--that George W. Bush flew planeloads, literally planeloads of our own money, US cash, straight from the Federal Reserve into Iraq after he "liberated it", only to have it squandered because, yeah, that really happened.

How the US sent $12bn in cash to Iraq. 

And watched it vanish

NY Fed's $40 Billion Iraqi Money Trail

So, yeah, if you forget and ignore all that and a lot more, I guess you could come to the rather bizarre, slanted and misguided conclusion that President Obama is the worst President of your lifetime.

It isn't President Obama and his work and his successes, his personal ones and his successes for our nation, that I find offensive.

It's Eric Greitens and his ads and lies and all like him and any who believe this scary nonsense.

Be afraid, people. Be very afraid when people like Donald Trump and Eric Greitens and heck, for that matter, Catherine Hanaway and others like them are all out there, successfully getting money from the wealthy and corporations, just so they can peddle their extremist, Right Wing fear and even, yes, lies.

Better yet. Get out there and vote.

Links:

THE List of 371 Obama Accomplishments so far, With Citations

Kansas, You're Killing Us Here

So Kansans elected and then re-elected the Right Wing, Republican, uber-conservative, "trickle down economics" demagoguing numbskull that was and still is Sam Brownback as governor and we all know how that's gone.

Deficits, slashed school spending, robbing children of state funding for programs, lowered state debt rating, etc., etc.

It's not gone well, to say the least.

And with all that, it seemed they were learning, finally, at long last. Kansans had and have a large disapproval rating of Mr. Brownback, albeit far too late. So you'd think they'd be learning, right?

Well, turns out you'd be wrong. This broke in the last 24 hours.

Poll: Trump leads Clinton in Kansas

What the freak?

Are you kidding me?

Do you people not know Donald "Don't Bother Me With the Facts" Trump supports the same kind of slash-the-taxes-for-the-wealthy policies as your failed and failing governor? Do you not know that?

Do you learn nothing?

Not only that but The Donald is far more emotional and less educated in politics and government than the Guv'. This guy is and would be a walking nightmare.

But what the heck. It isn't like we don't have our own problems over here in Missouri. Eric Greitens, Catherine Hanaway and the entire Republican roster for our own governor being the source of many.

Las Vegas billionaire contributes $200,000 to Greitens campaign

Link:  The Shameless Catherine Hanaway

Vulnerable GOP Senators In-Line with Dangerous Trump/Pence Agenda

The Shameless Catherine Hanaway

Catherine Hanaway is rather famously running for the position of Missouri governor this year. She's backed by moneybags, government- and legislator-buying, St. Louis billionaire Rex Sinquefield and her latest TV ad is just, as I said above, shameless.


She's back to the same, old, very tired Republican campaign tactics of running a fear-based campaign and it's not just disappointing, it's disgusting.

It's also a lie.

Missouri is not, in fact, in any way "lawless" or getting close to devolving into any state remotely resembling lawlessness. Not even close.

The ad mentions rioting in Ferguson, totally ignoring the fact that an American was killed, needlessly in that city and that the area is shown, statistically, to have police incidents that target blacks for arrests and prosecution.

Justice Department finds racial bias 

in Ferguson police

Ferguson Police Routinely Violate 

Rights of Blacks, Justice Dept. Finds

If there were any true "lawlessness", it might well be in the Police Department itself. And if not lawlessness, then certainly not just injustice but gross injustice.

I wrote about this some time ago, Rex Sinquefield and his clear, even blatant attempts to buy this political race and election, outright, as well as other legislators and elections:

Missourians, you and your government 

are being bought---and sold

Not satisfied to merely buy---and own---Missouri's governor, Mr. Sinquefield is also trying his utmost to also buy himself his own---our--Lieutenant Governor:

Missouri's big money man gives 

$1 million to 2016 lieutenant governor

Here's more of Mr. Sinquefield's political handiwork:

At $37 million and counting, mega-donor 

Sinquefield says he's not going anywhere

So let's be clear here, Missourians, let's be aware:

--First, our state is no way devolving into anything remotely close to "lawlessness.

--Second, these are just ugly, in our face fear-mongering tactics on the part of Ms. Hanaway and it's very typical, Republican campaign tactics we should no way fall for;

--Third and finally, Rex Sinquefield is, again, trying to buy his own government representatives and so, our government, our legislators.

Let's not fall for any of it, Missouri. It's shameful, again, all of it, ugly, and very clear attempts to scare us into voting Ms. Hanaway and people like her into government office.

Links:

Hanaway ties University of Missouri events, Ferguson and murders

 Missouri, a Best Example of the Worst in American Politics

Pay-to-Play Politics: How Money Defines the American 

Democracy

Kansas' Governor Brownback Finally Gets At Least One Thing Right

I can't think of one thing--not one--Kansas Governor Sam Brownback or his Republican cohorts have gotten right in that state in the last several years.

They infamously pulled the tired, old, failed "trickle down economics" wherein taxes for the wealthy and corporations are slashed so "jobs will be created."

Brownback cuts higher ed funding

Kansas slashes annual tax revenue 

estimate $159 million

Governor Sam Brownback's tax reforms 

cast as 'failure'

Only it never took place, as we warned, as we predicted and as is now shown by the states drained coffers. The same Republicans are taking money from children and schools and school budgets and the states pensioners, all because they went down this ignorant road.

I was sure the Guv could not and would not get anything right.

Fortunately for Kansans and now, even Missourians, he finally, finally got and did something good:

Brownback proposes truce in development border war

A bit from the article:

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback made a proposal Thursday to end the economic development border war with Missouri.

Brownback’s plan calls for both states to agree not to actively recruit companies in Wyandotte, Johnson, Leavenworth and Douglas counties in Kansas and Jackson, Clay, Platte, Cass and Ray counties in Missouri.

And thank goodness. This should have taken place years ago. It slashes budgets from schools and all kinds of very necessary government programs. It puts more burden for taxation on the middle and lower and working classes. And finally, it puts the companies in a kind of "catbird seat" where all they have to do is threaten to go across the state line. Then these cities and counties, as well as the state, throw themselves at their mercy and give up money they desperately need just to function.

Hopefully this goes through this time. A year and two ago, Missouri offered this but Kansas didn't take them up on it. Hopefully Missouri will now wisely reach out to this olive branch, of sorts, and stop giving away needed tax money.

Cross your fingers.

What Does Rex Sinquefield Gain By Messing With Kansas City?

So once again, rich, billionaire, St. Louisan Rex Sinquefield tries yet one more time to have Kansas Cititans vote on and, for him, hopefully do away with our 1% city tax.

Here's a guy who's from St. Louis, for pity's sake and a billionaire but he wants to mess with this city across the state, a city he doesn't even live in---and he's already wealthy---yet he has to mess with Kansas City and Kansas Citians and their taxes.

What is his gain in this?

Why doesn't he leave us alone? Why doesn't he leave us all alone?

Is this not one of the best, if not the best example of a wealthy person trying to have his way with the rest of the state, with the middle-, lower- and working-classes, if not the rest of the nation?

Trying to buy the state's next governor  with Catherine Hanaway and the next Lt. Governor as he's been trying to do, I understand. It's still  wrong and deeply so but that I understand.

What he gets,real or imagined, from draining Kansas City's tax coffers, thatI don't get.

Republicans? "Small Government"?

Kansas Republicans in general but Kansas Republican Governor Sam Brownback, too, more specifically, keep proving, time and again, that Republicans in Kansas and really, across the nation, are no more into "small government" than birds are into concrete. We got further proof just this week:

Kansas conservatives advance bill 

on impeachment of judges

It seems "conservative" Republicans in that state don't like that the judges in their area are independently selected and placed. Enough of that none political nonsense, they think it should be done by political parties and partisan government representatives, instead. This in spite the fact that the current system has served Kansans very well the last several decades, at least.

To top it off, those same Kansas, conservative (and I use the term loosely, very loosely), "small government" Republicans also tried last week to have the governor, of all people, take over the distribution of the education budget. Check this little beauty out:

Kansas senator cancels hearing on control-of-school-finance bill

It's not enough Governor Brownback and all the Republicans in Topeka slashed taxes for the already-wealthy and for corporations, thereby putting the state in a downward spiral of tax revenue so they're in the red and had to slash their education budget:

Gov. Sam Brownback cuts higher education as Kansas tax receipts fall $53 million short

Now they want to hand over the reins of the state education budget to the Guv and make the court judge's appointments political ones, instead. Independent judiciary, be damned.

It seems there's nothing those people in the Kansas statehouse don't want to get their hands on.

Small government, my *ss.

The Republican, Right Wing Nightmare Kansas Has Become

Along with Republican Kansas Governor Sam Brownback wanting to take money from the state's pension fund in order to pay for his and the Republican Party's fiscal screw ups and nightmares, there's this, too:

Gov. Sam Brownback is cutting aid to Kansas schools by $44.5 million

I won't paste the entire article here, describing what these irresponsible putzes are doing or trying to do but here's a snippet:

Brownback’s plan takes $28 million, or 1.5 percent, out of elementary and secondary education, including $5 million from Johnson County schools. The districts taking the biggest hits will be Olathe, Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley. The Republican governor also sliced more than $16 million, or 2 percent, from higher education.

So much for the education and growth of our children for our own and their futures, huh?

It's a pretty important article. I would absolutely recommend any and every adult Kansan read it and see what these chuckleheads are doing or trying to further do to your state and take from your children and even you, yourself.  

Really, Kansas.  You're better than this.  You were always smarter, much smarter than this.

Could we dispense with that whole "trickle down", cut the taxes for the wealthy and corporations idea now, locally and nationally?

Please? Finally?  Forever?

Meanwhile, seems the Republicans just don't have anything going right for them over in our neighbor state:

Director of Governor's Council of Economic Advisors arrested after DUI

Put another way, this news makes much more sense:

Brownback advisor arrested on suspicion of drunk driving

For a "Brownback advisor" to be drunk. 

Yes, I have to say, that explains a lot.

It explains, maybe, the last several years of governance in Kansas.