At the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, 100,000 came to see the Democratic presidential nominee.

In Kansas City: 75,000.

Senator Obama also took time out to visit a campaign office and phone banked with other volunteers.

PALIN TODAY: "And then there are those like John McCain who use their careers to promote change. Americans, this is a moment when principles and political independence matter a lot more than just a party line."

REALITY: MCCAIN HAS BEEN A RELIABLE VOTE FOR GEORGE BUSH AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

• McCain Has Voted With Bush 90 Percent Of The Time In The Senate. According to Congressional Quarterly, McCain has voted in support of President Bush's position 90 percent of the time since the beginning of his administration. [Congressional Quarterly, 8/15/08, http://www.cqpolitics.com/cq-assets/cqmultimedia/flash/votestudy/index.html]
• Arizona Republic Headline: "In Tight Senate Votes, McCain Not A Maverick. When It Matters The Most, He Seldom Bucks His Own Party." "Over the years, Sen. John McCain has publicly condemned Republican Party leaders and occasionally voted against the GOP on selected issues. But an Arizona Republic analysis of his Senate votes on the most divided issues in the past decade shows that McCain almost never thwarted his party's objectives." [Arizona Republic, 5/7/08]
• McCain: On The "Most Important Issues Of Our Day, I Have Been Totally In Agreement And Support Of President Bush." In a June 2005 interview on NBC's "Meet The Press," John McCain stated that he was a strong supporter of President Bush: "I have agreed with President Bush far more than I have disagreed. And on the transcendent issues, the most important issues of our day, I have been totally in agreement and support of President Bush." [NBC, "Meet The Press," 6/19/05]

PALIN TODAY: "Senator McCain has called the two of us a team of mavericks and knows that we've done some shaking up there in Alaska."

REALITY: PALIN IS PART OF THE SAME OLD CORRUPT ALASKA REPUBLICAN ESTABLISHMENT

• Palin Has Refused to Say If She Will Support Indicted Senator Stevens' Re-Election Bid. "Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is not saying whether she will vote in November to send the indicted Ted Stevens back to the Senate for a seventh full term. The indictment has put Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) running mate in a tricky position. If Palin endorses Stevens, it will appear that she is undermining her message of taking on the GOP establishment and cleaning up corruption in her state. But should the popular governor oppose his reelection, it could deliver a blow to Stevens's campaign and give Democrats ammunition as they try to pick up one more Senate seat. Palin's spokesmen in the McCain campaign have not responded to several inquiries seeking comment on the governor's position on Stevens. A spokesman for the McCain campaign told the Alaska-based Peninsula Clarion that Palin has yet to endorse Stevens, the paper reported on its website Friday." [The Hill, 9/5/03]
• The Usual Alaska Suspects - Ted Stevens, Don Young, And Lisa Murkowski Fundraised For Palin. "Will we see Ted Stevens stumping for Sarah Palin? Palin said this morning that Stevens appeared at a fund-raiser for her in Ketchikan and gave a speech about 'moving Alaska forward.' But does that mean he'll pop up in any advertisements? (Remember his arguably pivotal role at the end of the Knowles and Murkowski Senate race?) Palin said she doubts it and hasn't asked… She said Don Young came to one of her fund-raisers two days ago, and she expects Lisa Murkowski at an upcoming event. Tonight she planned to talk with John Binkley, who she says is writing a letter to his supporters on her behalf, and she planned to meet with Frank Murkowski tomorrow morning." ["The Trail" blog, Anchorage Daily News, 10/13/06]

PALIN TODAY: "I champion earmark reform. You'll hear about this from the Senator. To stop Congress from wasting public money on things that don't serve the public interests."

REALITY: PALIN STILL SEEKS AND GETS MILLIONS IN EARMARKS FOR ALASKA

• In 2008, Alaska Got More Earmarked Federal Funding Per Person Than Any Other State. "Arizona, the second fastest growing state in the nation, will receive just $18.70 per capita in federal earmarks this fiscal year. By comparison, Alaska -- with roughly a tenth of Arizona's population -- is set to receive $506.34 per capita, the highest in the nation, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group which tracks earmarks. The state of Alaska receives about three times as much as Arizona receives in actual dollars, $346 million to $119 million." [USA Today, 3/22/08]
• Alaska Asked for Over $589 Million in Federal Pork Requests During Palin's Tenure as Governor. According to Citizens Against Government Waste, www.cagw.org, under Palin's tenure as Governor the state of Alaska has asked for $589,599,715 in pork barrel projects. [2007 and 2008 Pig Book, www.cagw.org]
• Washington Post: Palin's Administration "Remains Eager For Many Other Earmarks." "But her administration remains eager for many other earmarks. In February, Palin's office sent Sen. Stevens a 70-page memo outlining almost $200 million worth of new funding requests for Alaska." [Washington Post, 9/2/08]

PALIN TODAY: "We took on the old politics as usual in Juneau and we broke the monopoly that had controlled our state and that was the special interests and the lobbyists surrounding the big oil companies."

REALITY: PALIN HAS CLOSE TIES TO THE OIL INDUSTRY

• In Her 2002 Campaign for Lieutenant Governor, Palin Raised 'About 10 Percent Of Her Campaign Fund' From Veco, An Oil Company Under Federal Investigation. "While mayor of Wasilla, Palin ran for lieutenant governor in 2002. She gathered $5,000 -- or about 10 percent of her campaign fund -- from Veco officials or their wives along the way." [Anchorage Daily News, 9/6/06]
• Palin Said She Had Begun Working With the White House and Even Talked With Dick Cheney About Alaska's Energy Policy. In her 2007 State of the State Address, Palin said, "Of course, the primary focus of our long-term energy plan can be summed up in three words -- NATURAL GAS PIPELNE! This gasline will fuel our homes, our economy, and careers for Alaskans - for generations. The gasline is critical not just for our future, but for the nation's future. It's also an essential component of our nation's energy policy. Truly, for energy independence, the nation will look to Alaska. We've already begun working with the White House. In fact, I had a nice conversation with Vice President Cheney today. And we are also blessed to have a strong ally in former State Senator Drue Pearce, who's been tasked by the President to get the gasline built. The energy industry is also engaged and I look forward to working with Congress and our legislators - our "partners" to deliver our natural gas to market." [Excerpt from January 17, 2007 State of the State Address]
• Palin Took $13,000 from Lobbyists Representing the Oil Industry in Her 2006 Campaign for Governor. The lobbyists who donated to her campaign represent a range of industries, including oil and gas, tobacco, education and the Native Alaskan community. "She's fought oil companies and party bosses and do-nothing bureaucrats and anyone who puts their interests before the interests of the people she swore an oath to serve," Mr. McCain said Friday at an Ohio rally to introduce her as his running mate. But since Mrs. Palin leads a major oil-producing state, that industry is one of her top donors. She collected nearly $13,000 from lobbyists who represent oil and gas industries in her primary and general campaigns, according a review of her campaign donations and 2006 registered state lobbyists. [Washington Times, 9/1/08]

PALIN TODAY: "I told Congress thanks, but no thanks, for that bridge to nowhere. If our state wanted to build a bridge, we would build it ourselves."

REALITY: PALIN FLIP-FLOPPED ON THE BRIDGE TO NOWHERE

• Palin Was for the Bridge to Nowhere Before She Was Against It. In 2006, Palin was asked, "Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?" She responded, "Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." [Ancorage Daily News, 10/22/06, republished 08/29/08]
• Politifact: Palin's Stance On "The Bridge To Nowhere" Is "A Full Flop." Politfact, a service of CQ and the St. Petersburg Times wrote, "McCain said Palin has 'stopped government from wasting taxpayers' money on things they don't want or need. And when we in Congress decided to build a bridge in Alaska to nowhere for $233-million of yours, she said, we don't want it. If we need it, we'll build our own in Alaska. She's the one that stood up to them.' Nevermind that Alaska didn't give the money back. It spent the money on other transportation projects. The context of Palin's and McCain's recent statements suggest Palin flagged the so-called Bridge to Nowhere project as wasteful spending. But that's not the tune she was singing when she was running for governor, particularly not when she was standing before the Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce asking for their vote. And so, we rate Palin's position a Full Flop." [Politifact]

Tonight, families are balancing checkbooks at kitchen tables, trying to stay on budget. Yet as Americans take responsibility, this White House has spent our taxpayer money hand over fist —numbers so big, it’s hard to believe they are real.

Missouri is the Show-Me State because words alone don’t mean much to us. The other party may talk about fiscal responsibility, but we know better, and we aren’t going to fall for that line this time around.

This November, we can’t afford to sign up for four more years of the same deficits and cronyism.

If we want to rein in spending, root out waste, and get America out of the economic ditch this administration spent eight years driving us into, let’s elect Barack Obama our next president of the United States!

Thank you.

How did we get here? Well, it started with few strong Americans. My great-grandmother Mildred was a single mom, which was tough. Thankfully, she was strong and independent and wasn't afraid to state her opinions, even when women weren’t supposed to be heard from.

There was my grandfather, McCaskill, whose father taught him to never back away from a fight, especially if it's about your family or something you believe in. And then there’s Mimi, my 80-year-old grandmother, who has been working for Democrats since Missouri's own Harry Truman ran for president. She made my mom say, "Trick or treat and vote for JFK" when she was seven.

But the real reason we are here is because we believe in our mother and Barack Obama. We started bugging our mom over a year ago that she needed to get out there and fight for Senator Obama. My sister Maddie wouldn’t leave her alone, and one January night, as Mom was tearing up over Senator Obama’s victory speech in Iowa, Maddie said, "Mom, you taught us that if you believe in something, you are supposed to claim it, work for it, fight for it with all you have."

Maddie was right and Mom knew it. Because this year, what's at stake is too important. So my mom stepped up and went to work for a man we can believe in, for change we can believe in. She’s here tonight to do it again.

Our mother, Senator Claire McCaskill.

But with John McCain flip-flopping on the off-shore drilling moratorium, Vice President Dick Cheney and a slew of House Republicans decided to add yet another myth to their bag of tricks.

What do the following Republicans have in common?

Vice President Dick Cheney
Representative Michele Bachmann (MN-06)
Candidate Brian Davis (MN-01)
Candidate John Gard (WI-08)
Representative Sam Graves (MO-06)
Candidate Melissa Hart (PA-04)
Candidate Luke Puckett (IN-02)
Representative Jean Schmidt (OH-02)
Representative Tim Walberg (MI-07)

They're all making the same false claim that China is drilling for oil off the coast of Florida in Cuban waters.

It is silly, I know, but that is the latest talking point Republicans are pushing. Even former Republican National Committee chair and sitting Florida Republican Senator Mel Martinez knows just how silly that claim is:

The renewed efforts prompted Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, who opposes drilling off Florida's coast, to take to the Senate floor Wednesday to -- as his office put it -- ''debunk the myth'' of China drilling in Cuban waters.

''Reports to the contrary are simply false,'' Martinez said, his remarks delivered just before Cheney spoke. "They are akin to urban legends. China drilling off the coast of Cuba only 60 miles from the Keys, that is not taking place. . . Any talk of using some fabricated Cuba-China connection as an argument to change U.S. policy has no merit.''

Though the fate of the Democratic race to the nomination remains uncertain, one thing is for sure: voters are turning out for the Democratic primaries in number that absolutely shatter previous records — which may be a troubling sign for Republicans looking ahead to the general election.

We may not have a nominee yet, but I'll tell you this, when you look at these numbers from the across the country, one thing is for certain: our Democratic nominee will be competitive anywhere.

STATE: MISSOURI
PREVIOUS RECORD: 528,000
VOTES TONIGHT SO FAR: 778,000 (98% reporting)
% CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS RECORD: +47%

STATE: ILLINOIS
PREVIOUS RECORD: 1,504,000
VOTES TONIGHT SO FAR: 1,809,000 (91% reporting)
% CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS RECORD: +20%

STATE: NEW YORK
PREVIOUS RECORD: 1,575,000
VOTES TONIGHT SO FAR: 1,744,000 (99% reporting)
% CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS RECORD: +11%

STATE: NEW JERSEY
PREVIOUS RECORD: 654,000
VOTES TONIGHT SO FAR: 1,104,000 (99% reporting)
% CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS RECORD: +69%

STATE: MASSACHUSETTS
PREVIOUS RECORD: 793,000
VOTES TONIGHT SO FAR: 1,170,000 (98% reporting)
% CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS RECORD: +48%

STATE: ARIZONA
PREVIOUS RECORD: 239,000
VOTES TONIGHT SO FAR: 314,000 (67% reporting)
% CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS RECORD: +31%

Senator Jim Webb's office provided details last September:

* Establishes an independent, bipartisan eight-member Commission on Wartime Contracting to study federal agency contracting for logistics support, reconstruction, and security functions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Commission will issue interim and final reports on its findings and recommendations, including an evaluation of which functions are inherently governmental and which functions are appropriate for performance by contractors in a contingency operation, especially whether providing security in an areas of combat operations is inherently governmental.

* Requires an assessment of the extent of waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement of wartime contracts, and the extent to which those responsible have been held accountable. The Commission will have the authority to refer to the Department of Justice any violation or potential violation of law it identifies.

* Expands the jurisdiction of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) and a newly-created Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) beyond reconstruction to include security contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also requires an expanded series of audits of wartime contracts by the inspectors general of the Department of Defense and other executive agencies.

Update: It turns out that the commission championed by Senators Webb and McCaskill was one of four items listed on a signing statement issued by President Bush.

Senator Webb will be speaking on the Senate floor about the signing statement shortly.

Stay tuned.

It all started when a Fann campaign worker put together a piece of campaign literature with a picture of Fann and Pagano on the back, with words of praise from Pagano about Tom. [...]

The substance of Bond's conversation with Pagano was: THREAT--according to a well connected birdie I know. St. Peters is waiting impatiently on FEMA funds needed to complete the Highway 370 project there. Bond said he could make those FEMA funds go away permanently. He also mentioned that there were still a few days left before the filing deadline in the mayoral race and that if Pagano didn't disavow endorsing Fann, the Republicans would find themselves a primary challenger.

In a statement that shocked political leaders in both parties, Blunt released a TV address "announcing that having achieved virtually everything he set out to accomplish when he ran for governor, he will not seek a second term.

The unexpected announcement was so shocking because, as observers note, Gov. Blunt launched television ads as far back as 2006 and was running online advertising.

State parties will publish their delegate selection rules and clearly explain how to participate in the summer of 2007.

Missouri Democratic Party
208 Madison Street
Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-636-5241
573-634-8176 (fax)

District-Level Delegates: 47
At-Large Delegates: 16
Pledged Party Leader & Elected Official (PLEO) Delegates: 9
Unpledged Delegates: 16
TOTAL Number of Delegates: 88

Alternates: 12

TOTAL DELEGATION SIZE: 100

System type: Primary

State convention page: Available
State plan: Plan Available (PDF)
State filing form: Not available online. Please contact the state party to receive a copy.

** This information is prepared by the DNC's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection and may be subject to change. For more information, please call 202-863-8000.

“President Bush’s failed, ‘stay the course’ rhetoric is not only bad for America but has been a drag on Republicans on the ballot who have rubberstamped the White House’s failed agenda,” said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. “The President continues to stand by his failed Iraq policy that actually creates more terrorists. With today’s reports of more dangerous incompetence, it is clear that President Bush is determined to stay the course at all costs and with no oversight. You simply can’t trust Republicans to keep us safe. The American people are fed up and want to change course. Democrats are offering the American people a new direction that includes a strategy for victory in Iraq that redeploys our troops to better fight the war on terror.”

Dangerous Republican Incompetence On Iraq

Bush Administration Put Iraqi Nuclear Bomb Blueprints On The Internet. “Last March, the federal government set up a Web site to make public a vast archive of Iraqi documents captured during the war. The Bush administration did so under pressure from Congressional Republicans who had said they hoped to ‘leverage the Internet’ to find new evidence of the prewar dangers posed by Saddam Hussein. But in recent weeks, the site has posted some documents that weapons experts say are a danger themselves: detailed accounts of Iraq’s secret nuclear research before the 1991 Persian Gulf war. The documents, the experts say, constitute a basic guide to building an atom bomb.” [New York Times, 11/3/06]

Republican Lawmaker Inserted Provision Into Law, Ending Oversight In Iraq. “Investigations led by a Republican lawyer named Stuart W. Bowen Jr. in Iraq have sent American occupation officials to jail on bribery and conspiracy charges, exposed disastrously poor construction work by well-connected companies like Halliburton and Parsons, and discovered that the military did not properly track hundreds of thousands of weapons it shipped to Iraqi security forces. And tucked away in a huge military authorization bill that President Bush signed two weeks ago is what some of Mr. Bowen’s supporters believe is his reward for repeatedly embarrassing the administration: a pink slip. The order comes in the form of an obscure provision that terminates his federal oversight agency, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, on Oct. 1, 2007. … The termination language was inserted into the bill by Congressional staff members working for Duncan Hunter, the California Republican who is the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and who declared on Monday that he plans to run for president in 2008.” [New York Times, 11/3/06]

Republicans Should Be Worried About Turnout

Bush Event Today In Iowa Will Draw One-Fourth The Crowd Of 2004 Rallies; “Lackluster Enthusiasm” Among Republicans. “GOP offices in Le Mars and Sioux City handed out all of the 2,500 free tickets soon after the White House announced the visit on Tuesday. … At two Bush rallies during the 2004 campaign, including one just a day before the election, more than 10,000 supporters packed the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City.” State GOP leaders sensed “lackluster enthusiasm among local GOP voters” in the area. [Sioux City Journal, 11/2/06]

Democrats Making Inroads In Places Like Springfield, Missouri. “Tucked in southwest Missouri, near Arkansas and Oklahoma, Springfield is home to 200 churches and five Christian colleges, including Jerry Falwell's alma mater, Baptist Bible. Republicans in Springfield outnumber Democrats by a 2-to-1 margin. … McCaskill thinks her close race against incumbent Jim Talent (R) will hinge on winning votes in places such as Springfield, where Democrats in recent years had virtually given up trying to break the GOP's lock on culturally conservative voters.” [Washington Post, 10/9/06]

Missouri - Senate
Claire McCaskill (D) 49%
Jim Talent (R) 49%

New Jersey - Senate
Bob Menendez (D) 51%
Thomas Kean, Jr. (R) 44%

Ohio - Senate
Sherrod Brown (D) 54%
Mike DeWine (R) 43%

Tennessee - Senate
Harold Ford (D) 44%
Bob Corker (R) 52%

Virginia - Senate
Jim Webb (D) 50%
George Allen (R) 46%

*These polls were conducted October 26-29, and have a 3% margin of error.

Federal support for stem cell research, a minimum wage increase, and the enactment of the 9/11 commission recommendations. Three reasons to vote for Democrats. Three reasons to hope for the future. And in these last seven days, three reasons to take action.

"We need a new direction in America's foreign policy that puts the focus back on fighting and winning the real war on terror, not more of the Bush Administration's failed stay-the-course rhetoric," said Democratic National Committee Communications Director Karen Finney. "Instead of more fear and smear, misleading assertions and half-truths from Dick Cheney, the American people want a new direction. Democrats will aggressively fight the war on terror and offer a new direction in Iraq that is both tough and smart."

Cheney Says He Would Have Stuck to the Same Failed Strategy. "It was the right thing to do and if we had to do it over again we would do exactly the same thing? ... Yes, sir." [NBC, 9/10/06]

Cheney Still Insists on Link Between Iraq and Al Qaeda; Said He Hadn't Seen Reports Rebutting the Connection. When asked why the Administration promoting the link between Iraq and Al Qaeda to justify the war in Iraq, Cheney stated, "So you've got Iraq and 9/11, no evidence that there's a connection. You've got Iraq and al Qaeda, testimony from the director of C.I.A. That there was indeed a relationship. Zarqawi in Baghdad, et cetera.I haven't seen the [Senate] report. We know that Zarqawi running the terrorist camp in Afghanistan prior to 9/11 after we went into 9-11, then fled and went to Baghdad and set up operations in Baghdad in the spring of 2002 and was there and then basically until the time we launched into Iraq." [NBC,9/10/06]]]> http://www.democrats.org/a/2006/10/cheney_brings_f.php http://www.democrats.org/a/2006/10/cheney_brings_f.php Iraq Fri, 27 Oct 2006 13:48:03 -0500