Roy Blunt a Tax Cheat? Give Me a Break . . .

It turns out that Roy Blunt, one of my least favorite Missouri politicians, owes $6,820 in taxes on the house he owns in DC with his second wife, as a result of a mistake by the DC tax assessors.

Making hay while the sun shines, one of the big national progressive blogs has used the confusing little snafu as an opportunity to label him as follows: "Roy Blunt (R-MO): Congressman, GOP leader, Senate Candidate and Tax Cheat". He is also described as a "typical Republican" for "trying to cheat on his taxes."

There are plenty of good, solid, legitimate reasons to oppose Blunt's candidacy for Senate, just as there are plenty of good, solid, legitimate reasons to support Robin Carnahan's. Roy Blunt being a tax cheat because of a mistake on an exemption for DC real estate is not one of those reasons.

CCP - Late and Early?

Yesterday evening, the CCP gave Harry Wiggins Public Service Awards to Jim Nutter, Sr. and Dutch Newman, and then endorsed Robin Carnahan in her race for the US Senate seat in 2010. The Wiggins awards were well-chosen, and two such stalwart supporters of good government richly deserved their recognition. If anything, they should have received the awards years ago, but it is sometimes difficult to stop and recognize people who are constantly and consistently doing dedicated work, without seeking to draw attention to themselves.

As if to balance out the lateness of their recognition of Nutter and Newman, the CCP also became the first major local political organization to endorse Robin Carnahan for Senate. Personally, I was surprised to see them jump the gun and issue such an endorsement before I announced my own decision about whether to run. When I asked a couple members about that, they assured me that they could rescind the endorsement and jump on my bandwagon when it starts rolling . . .

Final Looking Down Ballot - Robin Carnahan for Secretary of State

This one is easy. The Republican candidate wants to impose restrictions on voting that will disenfranchise thousands of the poor and elderly. Robin Carnahan supports Missouri voters, and supports early voting.

The fact that Robin Carnahan has demonstrated competence in her job for the past 4 years is even more reason to vote for her. Her common-sense use of the internet for businesses to get licenses and to enhance state records access has saved money and opened up our government.

Not only will Robin Carnahan be a great Secretary of State, she already is one. Stick with a winner.

Gone Mild Endorsements for August 2008

Two weeks from today, the primary season of 2008 will be completed. The Star will start issuing its endorsements this week, so I thought I would beat them to the punch with my own. I'd hate for anyone to think that the Star's analysis influences me . . .

I'm tempted to put in a cautionary note on the difference between endorsements and predictions. Sometimes, the better candidate doesn't really stand much of a chance, but, in this cycle, I'm feeling pretty confident that each of my favorite candidates will win his or her respective race, so these are both predictions and endorsements.

In order of the ballot:

FOR GOVERNOR
Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon - By no means is Jay Nixon my favorite Democrat, but he's the best candidate in the governor's race by a long shot. He has the ability to win the general, and the experience to be successful in the Governor's Mansion.

FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Sam Page - Sam Page may be one of the nicest people I've met in politics, and his sincere desire to serve the public as our Lieutenant Governor is exceeded only by his qualifications. He should win the primary easily, and then the real race begins. Look for Sam Page to oust Peter "Crooked Cash" Kinder from the office of Lieutenant Governor.

FOR SECRETARY OF STATE
Robin Carnahan - She's served us well, and will win the general in November, too.

FOR STATE TREASURER
Clint Zweifel - This is going to be an interesting race. I like Andria Simckes a lot, but Clint has the edge in qualifications and savvyness. Either would be great in the office, but Clint has had a sharper campaign team.

FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL
Jeff Harris - No surprise here for regular readers. Jeff has experience, integrity, and a willingness to outwork his opponents. As a result, he has better poll numbers without selling his soul through unethical campaign finance shenanigans. Jeff is just plain solid - a great guy with a good sense of humor and an outstanding sense of himself. If you want to see Missouri's Attorney General's office function as one of the best and most ethical AG offices in the entire nation, then vote for Jeff Harris.

FOR U.S.REPRESENTATIVE
5th District: Emanuel Cleaver, II - He's had a couple surprisingly bad votes (favoring the credit card companies over his constituents was particularly egregious), but Emanuel Cleaver is one of our best, most dedicated public servants. I hope he serves a long time.

FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE
40th District: John Patrick Burnett - This is not my district, but I cannot understand why Rizzo would try to unseat John Burnett. John is smart, hardworking and effective. He deserves to retain his seat.

44th District: Jason Kander - This comes as no surprise - I've admired Jason as a person of integrity and serious purpose since I met him before he went to Afghanistan. When I started this campaign, I thought he was a great candidate running against two good candidates. I haven't changed my feeling one iota - Jason's integrity and class have proven to be exactly as I thought they would be. Less importantly, but still persuasive, is the fact that he is precisely the kind of straight-shooting, dependable, competent, hard-working, thoughtful leader who will stand out in the legislature. He doesn't waffle, he doesn't flinch, he doesn't whine. He will get things done in Jefferson City, and he will be a spark for the entire Democratic team in our Capital.

FOR PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
Jim Kanatzar - Jim is a fine prosecutor, and will continue to serve us effectively.

FOR SHERIFF
John Bullard, Jr. - John Bullard is simply the kind of guy you want in the Sheriff's office. Law enforcement is what he thinks about when he wakes up, and he stays on point all day long. He has great plans to increase cooperation among the local departments, and he has the credibility to pull it off. He will also make the Sheriff's office more accessible and visible.

DEMOCRATIC COUNTY COMMITTEEMEN
8th Ward, Stephen Bough - Stephen Bough is fair-minded, has solid values, and is the hardest working politico in Kansas City. We disagree often enough that I know my endorsement isn't solely due to lockstep agreement - he's just a great volunteer, and belongs on the County committee.

DEMOCRATIC COUNTY COMMITTEEWOMEN
8th Ward, Mary Frances Weir - Mary is a solid Democrat with a solid grounding in social justice. In 2006, she received the prestigious Tiera Farrow Community Award from the UMKC Association of Women Law Students for her work on behalf of victims of domestic violence.