Endorsements that Really Aren't My Business . . .

I already announced my endorsements on the races that I get to vote in (go Nixon, Page, Carnahan, Zweifel, Harris, Cleaver, Kander, Kanatzar, Bullard, Bough and Weir!!!!), but I can't help speaking up on a few other races. So here are my choices (not necessarily predictions, since I hate to put my sterling reputation for prescience on the line in races I haven't seen up close and personal) for races I won't be voting in.

FOR REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR - Kenny Hulshof - Come on, Republicans, you really need to get your stuff together if you want to rebound in 2012. Let the healing begin now. Sarah Steelman is too independent and too honest to be a dependable Republican, and you know it. Your party prefers authority and stodgy old ideas, and Kenny Hulshof is your man. In your heart, you know he's a return to the good old John Ashcroft days, and that's the only way you stand a chance of getting the rightwing mojo back. If you select Sarah Steelman, you're going to get stuck with a whole bunch of free-thinking individualists, and you know that's not your style.

FOR CONGRESS, 9TH DISTRICT - Steve Gaw - Steve Gaw is the candidate who will represent his district. He's not as liberal as I am, but neither is his district. But, really, the reason I'm supporting him is that I worked with him when I was a student intern in the Department of Revenue decades ago. There's no way he would remember me - I was a faceless worker bee, but I remember that he always treated me with respect and genuine kindness. They say that character shows through in the way you treat people who aren't in a position to help you advance, and Steve's character was sterling.

FOR CIRCUIT JUDGE, 17th CIRCUIT - Karl Timmerman - I've already written about my reasons for supporting Karl Timmerman. In selecting a judge, I care a whole lot less about party affiliation than I do about integrity. Karl Timmerman is an immigrant who has fought for this country in Vietnam and risen to be named the Missouri Lawyer of the Year in 2007. He will give all persons in his courtroom the same respect and fair treatment under the law that we all deserve.

Any other races I should be calling?

If You're Voting in the Missouri Republican Primary in Johnson or Cass Counties

Vote for Karl Timmerman.

I realize that the endorsement of a Jackson County liberal may not hold much water for a Republican voting in Johnson or Cass County, but I really encourage you to check out his page and talk to lawyers who have known him. In 2007, Karl was selected by the Missouri Lawyers Weekly as the Lawyer of the Year, and has the respect of his peers.

I've known Karl for years, both in person and through his weekly "Friday Night Ramblings" that he sends out to lawyers throughout the state. I frequently disagree with him, and we have had some intense exchanges, but he is honest, respectful, and completely bound to his principles.

I don't expect a lot of Republicans in the 17th Circuit to vote for Karl Timmerman because I say so. But I do expect that a lot of them will like what they see if they read his page or talk to him. He's a good man, and would be a fine judge.