Roy Blunt's First Tea Party

Tea Partiers from the St. Louis area including St. Charles, Jefferson, and Franklin Counties rallied at the St. Louis, MO, GOP Headquarters on Watson Rd. The rally was partly to support Tea Party candidate Chuck Purgason (R-MO), partly in support of the Yes on Prop C initiative, and partly to disuade Michele Bachmann from endorsing Roy Blunt (R-MO).

Bachmann, who had been scheduled to appear at a Roy Blunt fundraiser, had to cancel late Friday after being admitted to a hospital for an undisclosed illness. Tea Partiers join mainstream Republicans in praying for a rapid and full recovery for this icon of the conservative movement. We need her voice back in Congress.

Purgason's campaign continues to revel in the results of a poll released Friday that shows the Caulfield, MO, Republican besting Robin Carnahan (D-MO) 56 to 44. The internals of that poll contain more good news for Purgason. In particular, he runs strong in Missouri's 7th Congressional District—Roy Blunt's district.

The 7th is easily the most conservative of Missouri's nine Congressional Districts. Roy Blunt won re-election in 2008 with 68% of the vote. Purgason out polled Carnahan in the 7th Congressional District 72% to 28%.

Purgason v Carnahan Poll

I just got this from the Purgason campaign:

PURGASON TROUNCES CARNAHAN IN GENERAL ELECTION

National Pollster Shows Chuck Leading Carnahan by 12 Points

Respected national polling agency Magellan Strategies has just released a poll showing State Senator Chuck Purgason as the clear favorite in November’s Senate race. The poll, which questioned 1234 registered voters in the state of Missouri, found that 56% preferred Chuck Purgason over expected Democratic nominee Robin Carnahan who received only 44% of the vote. The poll had a margin of error of only +/-2.79% and a confidence interval of 95%.

The poll was balanced, made up of 37% Republicans, 37% Democrats, and 26% Independent voters. Purgason bested Carnahan in every age group, as well as among men, women, and independent voters. All the data accumulated indicates that Missouri will be a safe Republican seat in the fall when Purgason moves on to the General Election.

This poll stands in sharp contrast to all recent polling on the Missouri Senate race which shows the state as a toss up. Just three days ago, Rassmussen released a poll showing Purgason's main opponent Roy Blunt leading in the race against Carnahan by only 6% with a +/- 4% margin of error and 95% confidence interval. In the Rasmussen Poll Blunt only garnered 49% of the total vote. This data reveals that if Blunt were to win the Republican nomination, the party would be in danger of losing the seat to Democrat Robin Carnahan.

When asked to respond to the poll, State Senator Purgason responded, "I'm not surprised with the results at all. Missourians are tired of these political dynasties. Integrity really does matter."

I sincerely believe that Purgason will have an easier path to victory in November than will Roy Blunt (R-MO). While this poll confirms my own bias, I have some concerns. The straight-up numbers for Chuck Purgason (R-MO) v. Robin Carnahan (D-MO), 56 to 44, tell me that Carnahan's upper limit is 44 and that "other" and "undecided" poll results rolled into Purgason. The pollster, Magellan Strategies, probably insisted each person polled choose either Purgason or Carnahan. Still, this is very good news for the Purgason campaign.

Russ Carnahan Dodges his Yacht Tax

Wednesday morning, Ed Martin, a Republican candidate for Missouri's Third Congressional district, called on Russ Carnahan to pay back taxes that he owes for the yacht he kept across the river in Alton, IL. Martin compared Carnahan to John Kerry who recently paid back taxes on a yacht he mored in Rhode Island to avoid paying taxes in his home state of Massachusetts.

Jake Wagman of the St. Louis Post Dispatch was there. I believe he contributed to a story about Russ Carnahan having sold the yacht a month ago. To the best of my knowledge no one at Ed Martin's press conference was aware of the sale; however, this does not negate Congressman Carnahan's obligation to pay the property taxes that he owes. 24thstate.com covered the Carnahan yacht story last Friday.

Galvanizing Your Opposition

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is coming to town. She'll be here on Saturday to phone bank for the US Senate campaign of Roy Blunt (R-MO). This has galvanized Missouri Tea Party groups which have issued the following press release (I've redacted the phone numbers and email address of the Tea Party contacts):

MISSOURI TEA PARTY GROUPS
28 Groups, Representing over 8,660 Patriots

MISSOURI TEA PARTY GROUPS HAVE NOT ENDORSED ROY BLUNT FOR U.S. SENATE

The following list of Tea Party organizations, from across the state of Missouri, have NOT endorsed Roy Blunt in his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat. When we received a notification that Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, a strong supporter of Tea Parties nationally, and the originator of a “Tea Party Caucus” in Washington last week, will be coming to Missouri on July 31st to make phone calls with Roy Blunt from the St. Louis GOP headquarters, and to be a featured speaker at a Blunt fundraiser that night, we were shocked. We believe she has been grossly misled if she understands him to be a Missouri Tea Party candidate.

Tea Party participants believe the spending in Washington has to STOP. Roy Blunt voted for TARP and Cash for Clunkers. For Michele Bachmann to come to Missouri and give the impression that all the Missouri Tea Parties support Roy Blunt is an abomination of everything we have been standing up for. “Most Tea Party supporters I know will be baffled by Michele Bachmann helping someone with a record like Roy Blunt before the primary vote,” said Jedidiah Smith, a Tea Party leader in Franklin County, Missouri.

"Missouri Tea Party groups are proud of our steadfast position not to endorse candidates and to remain independent of political parties. We encourage all voters to examine the voting records, positions, and values of all candidates, to determine whether they promote the core values of the Tea Party Movement: fiscal responsibility, constitutionally-limited government, and free markets." said Eric Farris, a Tea Party leader in Branson, Missouri. There are sixteen candidates running for the Missouri U.S. Senate seat and the consistent message, among Tea Party participants, has been to check each of them out before voting in the August 3rd Primary.

Signed by the following Tea Parties (# of members), Contact Person:

Branson Tea Party Coalition (246), Eric Farris
Buffalo Tea Party (102), Paul Beaird
Callaway Tea Party (52), Jeff Kauffman
Cape County Tea Party (150), Tom Young
Cass County (10), Dan Duckworth
Cassville Tea Party (100), Judith Mouser
Cooper County Tea Party (75), Daryl Bowles
Eureka Tea Party (497), Jeannine Huskey
Franklin County Patriots (860), Jedidiah Smith
In God We Trust PAC, Kansas City (500+), Kristi Nichols
In God We Trust Tea Party, SW MO (40), Greg Bartlett
Jefferson County Tea Party (600+), Ken Horton
Johnson County Patriots (100+), Jeff Merrick
K & N Patriots (O’Fallon) (650+), Janet Allquist
MID MO 9/12 Patriots (Columbia) (100), Chris O’Conner
Missouri As A Mom (415), Jacquelyn Ehrlich, Missouri ChairMOM, www.asamom.org
*Missouri Sovereignty Project (1,825)
Patriots of the Constitution (Salem) (167), Jan Abney
St. Joseph Tea Party (185), Maggie Siegmund
Show Me Patriots, Greater St. Louis Area (360), Cindy McGee, www.showmepatriots.org
Sikeston Tea Party (400), Pam Yant
Springfield 912ers (203), Mike Crites
Springfield MO Tea Party (457), Janice Ellison
Sullivan 912 Group (50), Sandra Davidson
SW MO Conservative Network (Joplin) (280+), John Putnam
We Surround Them 912 Project, Jefferson Cnty & S. St. Louis Cnty (126), Rick Blowers
We The People . . . St. Francois County (55), Tammy Holmes
912 We The People of Monroe County MO (55), Ron & Martha Staggs

Individual Statements from Various Groups Follow:

Eureka Tea Party
“Eureka Tea Party believes that for Congresswoman Michele Bachmann to form a "Tea Party Caucus," and then openly endorse a Missouri candidate (Roy Blunt) before the Primary Election as a candidate believed to be representing the views of the tea party movement, is extremely premature on her part. She is either working directly for the GOP as an endorser for GOP backed Republican candidates, or she is completely misinformed and/or attempting to mislead the tea party groups. The Republican Party, or any other political party here in Missouri, should not assume that everyone in this patriot uprising will follow their lead when told to do so, as we are more informed and aware of who we believe will represent the people by adhering to state sovereignty, fiscal conservatism, and the U.S. Constitution. Candidates should not be promoted based solely on popular endorsement by other politicians and special interests, but by the people reviewing candidates' past performance in office and their stand on current political issues.

We believe that Michele Bachmann is risking the status of her "Tea Party Caucus" by taking this stand in Missouri before the Primary Election on August 3rd, and respectfully ask her to reconsider by NOT promoting Roy Blunt as the "tea party" choice.”

In God We Trust PAC
“In God We Trust PAC has not endorsed and would never endorse Roy Blunt for the U.S. Senate. Roy Blunt does not stand for the conservative values and principles the Tea Party movement represents. He is a career politician and Washington insider who has sold out his constituents for special interest money. Roy Blunt is, in fact, what we are endeavoring to "purge" out of Washington. Michele Bachman is a woman of integrity, character, and honor. She needs to remove herself from this venue and gather more details of the "real" tea party groups and candidates.”

Jefferson County Tea party
“Big spending Republicans that voted to increase the size and scope of Government during the Bush years are part of the problem, not the solution. During the Bush years Congressman Blunt voted for the Prescription Drug Bill, bloated farm bills, TARP, and many other spending bills that grew the size of the government. Recently, he voted for Cash For Clunkers (4 Billion Dollars) and then voted a 2nd time to increase the program by another 2 BILLION dollars. Congressman Blunt and President Obama are two of the top ten recipients of donations from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were the main cause of the financial meltdown. If posing as a fiscal conservative were a crime, Roy Blunt would be on top 10 wanted list. The Tea Party loves Michele Bachman, but we feel she has been seriously misinformed if she thinks the tea party is a supporter of Congressman Blunt.”

K & N Patriots
“K & N Patriots has not endorsed Roy Blunt for the U.S. Senate. Any representation that we have is incorrect. We would view it as engaging in "the same old politics" and an attempt to deliberately mislead our members and Tea Party voters at large. K & N Patriots does NOT endorse or campaign for candidates. In addition it is our opinion that those who believe in Tea Party values do not admire strategies "cooked up" by slick, overpaid political consultants with the objective of misleading or fooling voters. That's precisely what Tea Party organizations and their supporters are trying to GET RID OF! We would advise Michele Bachmann and all candidates who agree with independent conservative values to avoid being involved in such activities.”

MID MO 9/12 Patriots
“Roy Blunt is not a true Conservative. He is the Number one taker of donations from Freddie and Fannie, he voted for TARP, and convinced other Republicans to vote for TARP as well. He is not a true Conservative and he has not and will continue to not uphold our Constitution, both State and U.S. We sponsor no candidates but if you were to sponsor someone, (name deleted) is the one to sponsor. The Tea Party is not the Republicans to claim. This is the citizen’s movement and we will not stand for any politicians to try to use us for their own political gain.”

Missouri As A MOM
“The Missouri As A Mom organization does NOT endorse any candidate nor any political party.
Our Mission Statement includes the 9 Principles and 12 Values of all 9/12 groups.
We support "Boldly speaking out against deficit spending" as stated in our Mission Statement. Law makers who voted FOR "TARP" and "Cash for Clunkers" are NOT against deficit spending.
It would be in Rep. Bachmann's best interests to remain NEUTRAL until after the August 3rd Missouri Primary since she herself has a record of voting against deficit spending.”

*Missouri Sovereignty Project
"The Missouri Sovereignty Project supports all candidates who sign its pledge to uphold and support the Bill of Rights' 10th Amendment. Both Republican Senate candidates Mr. Blunt and Mr. Purgason have done so. If a poll of over 720 of our 1,800 members and the voting public (http://www.missourisovereigntyproject.com/us-senate.html) is a testament to which of these gentlemen more closely adheres to constitutional principles, Mr. Purgason, by a 71% to 29% margin, would be their choice.

"We have a tremendous amount of respect for Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and look to her steadfast national leadership in the Tea Party cause. The Missouri Sovereignty Project is perplexed that she would publically participate in campaign efforts on behalf of Mr. Blunt, thereby rejecting the potential Tea Party credentials of all other candidates. We join Tea Party groups across the great state of Missouri in asking Ms. Bachmann to reconsider her August 31 fundraising efforts for Mr. Blunt."

Sikeston Tea Party
“We, in the Sikeston Tea Party, do not endorse or even want Roy Blunt for our next Senator. We do not appreciate Michelle Bachman coming here as a representative of the Tea Party and making that endorsement and campaigning for him. She does not represent the views of the Sikeston Tea Party on this issue.”

Springfield 912ers
“We invited Roy Blunt to attend a Missouri U.S. Senatorial Candidate Townhall, along with all other 17 candidates in the race. Mr. Blunt did not respond.”

SW MO Conservative Network
“We invited Congressman Blunt to several of our meetings over the last year and were told by his scheduler that he would not attend a candidate forum until after the Primary.”

Sullivan 912 Group
“Our word for those who are endorsing others: One should really check out the candidate's representation of his area and the desire of the constituents before jumping on board to endorse one of their playmates. That makes grassroots wonder if we should maybe look into our "misplaced" trust a little more thoroughly. One who uses grassroots tea party groups and our strength, to push forward their own agenda, and to build public support for their cause, is not playing with the standard routine playmates. We are more knowledgeable of the game and know when we are being hoodwinked. This is not to say that, occasionally your cause may fit with our agenda. We may like the message, but not support the messenger. Thanks, but no thanks.”

I was surprised that the St. Louis Tea Party was not listed. It's our policy to never endorse candidates, but rather to ask candidates to endorse the principals of the Tea Party.

I think that Blunt was trying to burnish his reputation with Tea Party voters by inviting Bachmann to town. Perhaps it will help him. I know that it's galvanized his primary opposition. Kristi Nichols didn't waste any time getting her name on the press release above. Like Kristi, Chuck Purgason has garnered the endorsements of Tea Party groups from that list.

CBO on the Federal Debt

CBO Director's blog: Federal Debt and the Risk of a Financial Crisis:

Although deficits during or shortly after a recession generally hasten economic recovery, persistent deficits and continually mounting debt would have several negative economic consequences for the United States. Some of those consequences would arise gradually—but a high level of federal debt, combined with an unfavorable long-term budget outlook, would also increase the probability of a sudden fiscal crisis prompted by investors’ fears that the government would renege on the terms of its existing debt or that it would increase the supply of money to finance its activities or pay creditors and thereby boost inflation. The resulting abrupt rise in interest rates would create serious challenges for the U.S. government. For example, a 4-percentage-point across-the-board increase in interest rates would raise federal interest payments next year by about $100 billion; if those higher rates persisted, net interest costs in 2015 would be nearly double the roughly $460 billion that CBO currently projects for that year. Such an increase in rates could also precipitate a broader financial crisis because it would reduce the market value of outstanding government bonds, inflicting losses on mutual funds, pension funds, insurance companies, banks, and other holders of federal debt.

Yes on Prop C Radio Ad

Missourians for Health Care Freedom is running radio ads across the Show Me State. You can listen to one of their Yes on Prop C spots online.

Phone Banking for Yes on Prop C

I got the following email this morning about phone banking opportunities leading up to next Tuesday's vote on Prop C. The St. Louis Tea Party is encouraging everyone to vote for healthcare freedom by voting Yes on Prop C:

Thank you, thank you, thank you. We do need to focus our efforts on those who will be voting for Prop C: the republican primary voters. If you can send some people our way to make phone calls, we can reach more Republican primary voters in one hour of calling than two or three hours of door to door or rallying on the corners.

Revised schedule for phone banking at Pillar in the Valley for Prop C. Bring your own cell phone for Saturday phone banking (we have a couple of cell phones available on Saturdays for those who don't have cell phones) and we have three cell phones available for the Monday through Friday calling.

Monday 7/26 10 am to 8:00 pm
Wednesday 7/28 10 am to 5 pm (then over to The Columns for the Prop C bash!)
Thursday 7/29 10 am to 6:00 pm
Friday 7/30 10 am to 6:00 pm
Saturday 7/31 9 am to 11:30 am
Monday 8/2 9 am to 8 pm

The Tea Party is entering a new phase of activism. We need your help and your enthusiasm. With the primary a week away and one of our signature issues on the ballot, it's time for Tea Partiers to pickup their phones, call their fellow Show Me Staters, and ask them to vote Yes on Prop C. You can contribute directly by phone banking at Pillar. Missourians for Health Care Freedom has other ways for you to get involved: request a sign or bumper sticker, donate money for radio ads, or plan to pass out literature on election day outside a polling place next Tuesday.

Keep up the fight!

GOP Primary Debate for US Senate

Macon County Patriots and Preserving American Liberty have arranged a U.S. Senate Candidate Debate - Macon, MO August 1, 2010:

The U.S. Senate seat is vital to the future direction of America. We are co-hosting a much awaited debate between, who we believe are, the top 4 candidates of the conservative party running in Missouri's August 3rd primary election. This is an opportunity to equip Missouri voters with the information needed to choose leaders who will best represent We The People in Washington D.C.
Join us:

Sunday, August 1, 2010
4:00 to 6:00 pm sharp
Macon Expo Center
(Macon County Fairgrounds)
1303 So. Missouri St.
Macon, Missouri
Seating is limited and will be on a first come basis.

The candidates invited are:
Congressman Roy Blunt, Senator Chuck Purgason,
Hector Maldonado & Kristi Nichols

Moderator for the debate is author of The Big Black Lie, The Black Sphere and
relentless front line warrior for Liberty and Truth: Kevin Jackson.

GOP Picnic in South St. Louis City

GOP candidates for both local and state-wide offices met with south St. Louis city conservatives for a BBQ picnic. The food and fellowship were good and the turnout easily filled the pavilion in Carondelet Park.

A Purgason TV Ad

It's an interesting ad. Hopefully it will sway a few votes to Chuck Purgason (R-MO) on August 3rd. Purgason is the leading challenger to Roy Blunt (R-MO) in the GOP primary for US Senate. The fascinating thing about the ad is the last line: "Paid for by Joe the Plumber and friends." I took that as a rebuttal of Tony Messenger (of the Post Dispatch) who suggested that Purgason was paying Joe the Plumber for the endorsement.

GOP Candidate Forum

The video above is from a candidate forum this past May for the four Republicans running for Missouri's 97th State House district. The candidates are Gary Fuhr, Jerry Little, Chris Brown, and Bill Zobrist. Earlier I posted the introductory statements from the four candidates.

First They Came for the Bloggers

First They Came for the Bloggers:

WordPress host Blogetery and 73,000 WordPress blogs were shut down, marking the beginning of a modern day 1984 society in the US. A chill rippled through the blogging world and the Internet sparking 1st Amendment fears and a Constitutional outcry from those paying attention.

Donald Berwick: Rationing for Thee, but not for Me

Donald Berwick’s Motto? Rationing for Thee, but not for Me:

Berwick praised the heavy-handed rationing methods of Britain’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and said, “The decision is not whether or not we will ration care; the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open.” Unfortunately, the interviewer failed to ask the obvious follow-up question: “Who’s we?” It turns out that what the good doctor really means when he says “we” is “you.” For himself and his wife, he has arranged to opt out of the health care system he plans to impose on the hoi polloi.

Women's Voices Raised in Silence

Women's Voices Raised for Social Justice and other groups that sought to stop Missouri's first-in-the-nation referendum on healthcare reform, have decided not to appeal their court loss. Prop C will go forward on the August ballot. The Missouri Record's Off the Record above observes that, thankfully, raised voices can be silenced.

The Country Class and the Ruling Class Face Off

Rush Limbaugh assigned his students a reading from The American Spectator: America's Ruling Class -- And the Perils of Revolution:

Establishing, even reestablishing, a set of better institutions and habits is much harder, especially as the country class wholly lacks organization. By contrast, the ruling class holds strong defensive positions and is well represented by the Democratic Party. But a two to one numerical disadvantage augurs defeat, while victory would leave it in control of a people whose confidence it cannot regain.

Wow. It really is required reading, but set aside some time—it's long. I may have more to say about it in a future post, but for now I want to take exception with the notion that the country class (non-elites) is unorganized. My perception in St. Louis, Missouri, is that we are not nationally organized but we are locally and often vertically organized which is to say that the country class is not well integrated.

I also thought of a couple of related articles. Here's my well worn copy of the Practical Rules of Bureaucracy, and equally interesting is the Fiction and Tyranny of "Administrative Law" which closes with this helpful, if revolutionary, list of principles:

In light of this, the following legal principles should be adopted:

1. No actions by government agents or agencies are free of the restrictions imposed by the Fourth Amendment or other articles of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
2. There are no legal actions apart from the criminal and the civil, with the full Constitutional protections established for each.
3. There can be no courts or judicial proceedings apart from duly constituted components of the Independent Judiciary, wherein the protections of Trial by Jury cannot be suspended or restricted.
4. Legislative bodies cannot delegate the power of making laws, or confer upon anyone the power of making any rule or regulation that has the force of law.
5. The only Constitutional exceptions to these rules concern the military, military discipline, military justice, and (in times of war, invasion, or rebellion) martial law.

These principles will not prevent any further bad laws or tyrannical practices, but they will defuse the structural tyranny that has been created through "administrative law," its "inquisitors," its regulatory extra-constitutional legislators, and its fraudulent "courts." Further restrictions would concern the use of civil law for government actions, treated elsewhere.

County Exec Race: Corrigan v Dooley

Republican Bill Corrigan out-raised Charlie Dooley (D) in second quarter:

In the quarter that ended last month, Republican challenger Bill Corrigan significantly outraised incumbent Democrat Charlie A. Dooley. Corrigan raised $340,000 and spent $71,000 in the reporting period; Dooley raised $210,000 and spent $170,000.

Corrigan's successful quarter spooked a desperate Dooley who immediately sent the offering plate back around.

Herman Cain and Nate Whigham Speak on NAACP

Lacy Clay Throws the Dice

Lacy Clay (D-MO) supports the proposed Spanish Lake casino:

After St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley weighed in against it in May, the odds have appeared stacked against the Spanish Lake area getting the state's 13th and final gaming license.

The Gaming Commission is considered unlikely to award the license in a community that doesn't want one. Nonetheless, the proposal got an endorsement this week from U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis.

Charlie Dooley used tax payer funds to poll that issue among likely voters, so he knows that 58% oppose it. One wonders whether he shared that ill-gotten result with Congressman Clay.

At least one of Clay's Republican challengers, Robyn Hamlin, has come out against the casino:

What people in our area want are jobs that have a future. We are not Las Vegas. Does Lacy Clay think that casino jobs are going to be able to replace the manufacturing jobs he keeps voting to run out of our area? They have taxed the manufacturing jobs right out of our area. A casino is not going to employ factory workers.

Yes on C Rally in St. Louis

Yes on C Rally in south St. Louis city (Photo by Rob Brenner)

The fight for healthcare freedom came to St. Louis on Saturday. About fifteen activists showed up to handout Yes on C literature to passing motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists. Two of those activists are running for state rep in the Missouri House: Patricia Verde in the 64th and Curtis Farber in the 67th. At least, two bloggers were handing out literature: HennessysView.com and GatewayPundit.com. A thousand flyers were distributed as well as 20 to 30 yard signs. Even in traditionally Democrat south St. Louis city support for "Yes on C" was strong.

There were opponents. Curtis Farber posted to facebook about one encounter:

Prop C opponent quote of the day: "if we just tax everybody for health care then no one will have to pay for it."

The guy later admitted he had enough money in his savings to cover his health care costs, but he wanted someone else to pay for it because he wanted to leave his savings to his children. If this guy isn't willing to spend his own money to pay to save his own life why in the hell should we have to pay for it?

For up-to-date news on the fight for healthcare freedom, follow @HCFreedomAct on twitter.

Why We Took a Stand Against the NAACP | Hennessy's View

Bill Hennessy explains why the St Louis Tea Party took a stand against the NAACP's smears:

Then, on Monday, we heard the cruel lies and invectives hurled by Ben Jealous and other NAACP representatives. Their attacks were aimed at the women and men who answered our invitations. People of good character and reputation were being labeled racists simply because they deigned to say, “enough” to the the government we, the people, created.

We could not let the NAACP’s baseless accusations stand. We did not want this confrontation, but we will not be silenced.

Parenting Princesses

I recently came across the video above from DadLabs.com. Here's a brief description:

Are you a princess parent? Does your baby girl have more princess paraphernalia than you can fit in your mini van? As a parent, it’s nearly impossible to avoid the inevitable onslaught of princess culture. In this episode of The Lab, Daddy Brad and Daddy Clay compare who is the bigger princess parent by adding up their daughters’ princess gear.

Missouri Political News Service

Missouri Political News Service is reporting that Martin Baker, a Republican candidate for Missouri's First Congressional District, has released a statement to the NAACP:

When it was first brought to my attention that the NAACP had used their bully pulpit to condemn the Tea Party movement in one of its first acts of its national convention, branding those who associate themselves with it as racist, I laughed at the absolute duplicity of it. I asked myself, "at what point did the Tea Party movement become such a threat to the coffers of the NAACP that they felt the need to fire a broadside salvo against them?"

Read the whole thing.

Repealing Obamacare and Restoring a Free Market in Healthcare

The Center for Freedom and Prosperity made the video above and provides this description:

Government programs and intervention were making a mess of the healthcare system, even before Obamacare was enacted. Repealing Obamacare is a good idea and will prevent a bad situation from becoming worse. This CF&P Foundation video explains, however, that repeal is just the first step if we want to genuinely restore a free market and create an efficient and cost-effective healthcare system.

Great Dennis Prager Video

Below the fold is a video of Dennis Prager at the University of Denver. It's one of the best videos I've seen in a while despite being almost nine minutes long.

Forgetting Robert C. Byrd

Glenn Reynolds:

HMM: University of Texas regents take KKK organizer’s name off dorm. Does that mean that all those buildings named after Robert Byrd in West Virginia will have to change?

I have long thought that Congress should require all public buildings and other structures named for someone who was once a member of the Klan to be re-named in honor of notable American blacks.

Currency Collapse?

World at Risk of Folding in on Itself:

'If we slide into deflation - the likely fate of the developed market - a Japan-style outcome will become inevitable,' he said.

'In Japan, the BoJ has lost the ability to create inflation and is condemned to deflation. Central banks may now need to talk about the necessity of inflation...before it is too late.'

Purgason Takes His Message to the Masses

The fundraising news out today shows that Roy Blunt (R-MO) raised $700,000 more than Robin Carnahan (D-MO) in the latest quarter: $2.2M to Robin's $1.5M. Of course, Robin had six times as many donors: 30k to Roy's 5k. Chuck Purgason (R-MO) raised $10k in the same quarter, but has raised $15,000 already this month.

Purgason is taking his message to the voters. I received the following email from his campaign Thursday evening:

Here's another opportunity to Meet Chuck Perguson, Candidate for US Senate. Call in and ask questions, get to know him, or just listen in. Take advantage of this great opportunity to get acquainted with one of the most viable alternatives to the GOP Party Player and Washington DC Insider - Roy Blunt.

Chuck will be having a conference call every night at 9:05PM (Central) Mon-Fri for any voter who wants to talk to him or ask him questions. They can connect to the call through this number:

Get the real scoop! Call in and Meet Chuck!

Conference Dial-in Number: (605) 477-3000
Participant Access Code: 1020755#

Mr Purgason Goes to Jeff City

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Lost Causes

A seen similar to the one above unfolded in Jefferson City Wednesday morning.

Governor Jay Nixon (D-MO) called the legislature back for a special session. The focus of the session was a tax incentive bill that would only benefit Ford. State Senator Chuck Purgason (R-MO) opposed the bill. He argued that we should provide tax incentives for small businesses rather than Ford.

Purgason refused to pass the bill out of his committee effectively shutting down the special session. Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields (R-MO) removed Purgason and placed himself on the committee to move the bill to the floor.

Purgason filibustered the bill once the floor debate started. He asked supporters to email him and promised to read their emails on the Senate floor. Which he did, for 21 hours. According to Purgason's campaign website, 21 hours is the longest filibuster in at least fifteen years.

I was listening live this morning via the Internet feed (linked on MO Senate home page) when Purgason ended his filibuster. Then I saw Tony Messenger's tweet:

It's over. Sen @ChuckPurgason just tossed down his microphone, walked out of chamber, and ended filibuster.

There were at least two motivations for Purgason's filibuster. First, he's in an uphill battle for the Republican nomination for US Senate. The second reason is captured in this sentence from someone on Purgason's campaign:

The main problem is a misunderstanding of the role of government and the co-opting of state power for private profit -- mercantilism.

The filibuster was covered well on twitter. Afterwards, Ross Carter observed:

I noticed some funny hashtags for @ChuckPurgason's 20+ hour filibuster: #purgabuster #purgatory #chuckapocalypse #purgasonafterdark

Purgason returned to the campaign trail after the filibuster with multiple radio appearances.

The Wall Street Journal: The Keynesian Dead End: "...the larger story is the end of the neo-Keynesian economic moment, and perhaps the start of a healthier policy turn..."

Yes on C Rally

Yes on C Rally (Photo by Rob Brenner)

Supporters of President Obama's healthcare takeover held a meeting tonight at Kirkwood Baptist Church. Opponents held a protest outside. Several Tea Partiers attended both the meeting and the rally and report that while the meeting was billed as non-partisan it, in fact, was all partisan. The protesters in the picture above are holding "Yes on C" signs to raise awareness about the country's first referendum on President Obama's healthcare takeover. That referendum is on the August 3rd primary ballot here in Missouri.

Black Panthers coming to Missouri Polling Places

Word on the street is that GOP poll workers will be wearing Black Panther costumes for Missouri's August 3rd primary. One hopes that the cat suit at right will only be worn in well air conditioned polling places!

The GOP's thinking is taken straight from the UN handbook: they want to bridge the gap between the GOP and the New Black Panther Party and foster a dialog that will allow them to compromise core conservative principals.

FEC Complaint about Russ Carnahan

On July 12th, 2010, Ed Martin, a Republican candidate for Congress in MO-03, filed an FEC ethics complaint about Russ Carnahan's Castle Ballroom LLC. The complaint alleges that Carnahan used the LLC to convert campaign donations to personal profit and that the LLC made illegal contributions to Carnahan's campaign.

Cross Coverage:

• Russ "Rezko Carnahan," Real Estate Mogul And Belle Of The Ballroom (24thState.com)
• Martin questions Carnahan on rent payments to himself (StLToday.com)
  

Washington Examiner: Obama postpones tax talk until after election:

'I hope some of these folks who are hollering about deficits and debt step up, because I'm calling their bluff,' Obama said. 'And we'll see how much of the political arguments they're making right now are real, and how much of it was just politics.'

Megan McArdle: "Random thought of the day: what if Lord Keynes was right . . . but only in 1932?"

Gateway Pundit: "Barack Obama finalized plans this week for his third vacation since the Gulf oil spill and explosion back on April 20"

UK Telegraph on Climategate: Reinstating Phil Jones means the CRU brand remains toxic:

...Russell’s “Not Guilty” verdict has been seized upon as an excuse to reinstate Phil Jones at the University of East Anglia CRU, this time as Director of Research. That is very good news. It spells out to the world that the climate clique looks after its own; that there is no more a culture of accountability and job forfeiture for controversial conduct in AGW circles than there is in parliamentary ones; that it is business as usual for Phil and his merry men. Or, to put it more bluntly, the brand remains toxic.

Greg Mankiw: The Trilemma of International Finance:

What is the trilemma in international finance? It stems from the fact that, in most nations, economic policy makers would like to achieve these three goals:

• Make the country’s economy open to international flows of capital...
• Use monetary policy as a tool to help stabilize the economy...
• Maintain stability in the currency exchange rate...

Raghuram Rajan: How Inequality Fueled the Crisis:

...the political response to rising inequality – whether carefully planned or the path of least resistance – was to expand lending to households, especially low-income households. The benefits – growing consumption and more jobs – were immediate, whereas paying the inevitable bill could be postponed into the future.

Retro: James Burke's Connections, the Roman Empire, and the Printing Press

About a week ago I saw a post from The Anchoress about a 1970s television series: Connections. Connections was a documentary narrated by James Burke and each episode focussed on the historical roots and innovation behind some modern bit of technology. Above, is the five part YouTube playlist for Episode 4, "Faith In Numbers". The total show time is just under 50 minutes. The Anchoress writes:

At about the 3:30 mark, you find Burke once again presenting past as prelude:

The last time a world empire fell apart, it was about 1500 years ago. Then, the empire was Roman…. … What led the Barbarians walk over Rome is something that won’t take you a second to sympathize with. The taxes were too high, to pay for the army that was losing all the battles, and a bunch of freeloaders in government, and of course, and to pay for thousands of civil servants.

At its height, the Roman empire extended into the British Isles, up to Hadrian's Wall. Early in the fifth century, the Romans withdrew from Britain as their empire gradually disintegrated and outlying territories were returned to the natives.

Recently, I've heard others compare the United States and ancient Rome (like InfoWars.com). For a few months now I've been pondering Clay Shirky's indirect reference to Rome in the context of complexified business models:

In 1988, Joseph Tainter wrote a chilling book called The Collapse of Complex Societies. Tainter looked at several societies that gradually arrived at a level of remarkable sophistication then suddenly collapsed: the Romans, the Lowlands Maya, the inhabitants of Chaco canyon. Every one of those groups had rich traditions, complex social structures, advanced technology, but despite their sophistication, they collapsed, impoverishing and scattering their citizens and leaving little but future archeological sites as evidence of previous greatness. Tainter asked himself whether there was some explanation common to these sudden dissolutions.

The answer he arrived at was that they hadn’t collapsed despite their cultural sophistication, they’d collapsed because of it. Subject to violent compression, Tainter’s story goes like this: a group of people, through a combination of social organization and environmental luck, finds itself with a surplus of resources. Managing this surplus makes society more complex—agriculture rewards mathematical skill, granaries require new forms of construction, and so on.

Early on, the marginal value of this complexity is positive—each additional bit of complexity more than pays for itself in improved output—but over time, the law of diminishing returns reduces the marginal value, until it disappears completely. At this point, any additional complexity is pure cost.

The next straw, the next regulation or expectation, breaks the camel's back, as they say. It's not that these cultures don't want to simplify, it's that they can't.

In March 2009, Shirky wrote another article. I consider this one to be the most important blog post of that year. It's about newspapers and their inevitable collapse—one wonders if broadcast media will face the same fate. Shirky begins by explaining how newspapers continue to experiment with business models that will not work (micro-payments, paid subscriptions, etc) in the Internet Age:

Revolutions create a curious inversion of perception. In ordinary times, people who do no more than describe the world around them are seen as pragmatists, while those who imagine fabulous alternative futures are viewed as radicals. The last couple of decades haven’t been ordinary, however. Inside the papers, the pragmatists were the ones simply looking out the window and noticing that the real world increasingly resembled the unthinkable scenario. These people were treated as if they were barking mad. Meanwhile the people spinning visions of popular walled gardens and enthusiastic micropayment adoption, visions unsupported by reality, were regarded not as charlatans but saviors.

When reality is labeled unthinkable, it creates a kind of sickness in an industry. Leadership becomes faith-based, while employees who have the temerity to suggest that what seems to be happening is in fact happening are herded into Innovation Departments, where they can be ignored en bloc. This shunting aside of the realists in favor of the fabulists has different effects on different industries at different times. One of the effects on the newspapers is that many of their most passionate defenders are unable, even now, to plan for a world in which the industry they knew is visibly going away.

And we see how collapse becomes unavoidable. Newspapers have devolved into a cargo cult worshiping an unsustainable business model. They are slated to collapse in bankruptcy courts around the country at a time and speed that has not yet been set. They know this and it's why they're seeking government assistance. The truly visionary newspapermen hope for a future as a government agency. They understand that bureaucracies never enter bankruptcy.

Shirky continues with the revolution caused by the printing press:

Elizabeth Eisenstein’s magisterial treatment of Gutenberg’s invention, The Printing Press as an Agent of Change, opens with a recounting of her research into the early history of the printing press. She was able to find many descriptions of life in the early 1400s, the era before movable type. Literacy was limited, the Catholic Church was the pan-European political force, Mass was in Latin, and the average book was the Bible. She was also able to find endless descriptions of life in the late 1500s, after Gutenberg’s invention had started to spread. Literacy was on the rise, as were books written in contemporary languages, Copernicus had published his epochal work on astronomy, and Martin Luther’s use of the press to reform the Church was upending both religious and political stability.

What Eisenstein focused on, though, was how many historians ignored the transition from one era to the other. To describe the world before or after the spread of print was child’s play; those dates were safely distanced from upheaval. But what was happening in 1500? The hard question Eisenstein’s book asks is “How did we get from the world before the printing press to the world after it? What was the revolution itself like?”

Chaotic, as it turns out. The Bible was translated into local languages; was this an educational boon or the work of the devil? Erotic novels appeared, prompting the same set of questions. Copies of Aristotle and Galen circulated widely, but direct encounter with the relevant texts revealed that the two sources clashed, tarnishing faith in the Ancients. As novelty spread, old institutions seemed exhausted while new ones seemed untrustworthy; as a result, people almost literally didn’t know what to think. If you can’t trust Aristotle, who can you trust?

We're living in interesting times... A revolution spawned by the Internet is underway.

Reminiscing with Peggy Noonan

Peggy Noonan reminisces about town halls and tea partiers in her column in The Wall Street Journal, The Town Hall Revolt, One Year Later. Below I intersperse my video coverage with excerpts of Ms. Noonan's column:

But the biggest political moment, the one that carried the deepest implications, came exactly one year ago, in July and August of 2009, in the town hall rebellion. Looking back, that was a turning point in both parties' fortunes. That is when the first resistance to Washington's plans on health care became manifest, and it's when a more generalized resistance rose and spread. President Obama and his party in Congress had, during their first months in power, done the one thing they could not afford to do politically, and that was arouse and unite their opposition. The conservative movement and Republican Party had been left fractured and broken by the end of the Bush years. Now, suddenly, they had something to fight against together. Social conservatives hated the social provisions, liberty-minded conservatives the state control, economic conservatives the spending. Health care brought them together. The center, which had gone for Mr. Obama in 2008, joined them.

Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats saw it coming. But it was a seminal moment, and whatever is coming in November, it started there.

It was a largely self-generated uprising, and it was marked, wherever it happened, in San Diego or St. Louis, by certain common elements. The visiting senator or representative, gone home to visit the voters, always seemed shocked at the size of the audience and the depth of his constituents' anger. There was usually a voter making a videotape in the back of the hall.

Ah, the heady days of the summer '09. Conservatives had developed friendships at Tea Parties in the Winter, Spring, and early Summer and those friendships allowed us to coordinate our coverage of townhall events.

When Rep. Russ Carnahan held a town hall meeting at a community college in Missouri on July 20, he tried patiently to explain that ObamaCare not only would be deficit-neutral, it would save money. They didn't shout him down, they laughed.

Oh, yeah... that was hilarious:

And props to Kevin Jackson of TheBlackSphere for his excellent question during that exchange: "If it's so good, why doesn't Congress have to be on it?" At the end of that townhall Russ Carnahan walked away from me rather than take my question about sovereign immunity. Not to worry, though, Carnahan recently claimed that his door is always open, but a simple investigation proved otherwise. Back to Noonan:

There were almost always spirited speeches from voters.

My favorite was Paul Curtman's demand for an apology from Senator Claire McCaskill:

Curtman is running for the state house here in Missouri. He's running in a traditionally Democrat district, so he could use your help. He's also written a book which is available at his campaign website. More Noonan:

Mr. Obama won on more than health care; he won on the stimulus package and the Detroit bailout. And yet his poll numbers continue to float downward. He is not more loved with victory. To an unusual and maybe unprecedented degree his victories seem like victories for him, and for his party, and for his agenda, but they haven't settled in as broad triumphs that illustrate power and competence.

Two reasons are that his favoritism of big businesses and even bigger government.

While Noonan's column focuses on townhalls, there was also an insurgency among small businesses. Randy and Dave McArthur of McArthur's Bakery have been outspoken about the impact of Cap and Trade on their business:

And their need for customers, not loans:

After the 2010 November election, I expect Congress to better reflect the will of the people and the President either to follow suite or continue his self-marginalization.

Thornberry on Tea Parties and the 2010 Election

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) talks about Tea Party influence in the 2010 election cycle and the prospects for Republican gains in the US House and Senate.

Say What!?

Haaretz is reporting that Obama thinks Israelis distrust him because his middle name is Hussein:

During the interview Wednesday, when confronted with the anxiety that some Israelis feel toward him, Obama said that 'some of it may just be the fact that my middle name is Hussein, and that creates suspicion.'

'Ironically, I've got a Chief of Staff named Rahm Israel Emmanuel. My top political advisor is somebody who is a descendent of Holocaust survivors. My closeness to the Jewish American community was probably what propelled me to the U.S. Senate,' Obama said.

That exchange sounds racially tone-deaf. It's not racist, but it's clear that President Obama thinks of Jews and Israelis as The Other and that means that this "Lightworker" may have taken leave of his own transcendence.

Congressman Mac Thornberry on Ed Martin

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) explains what Ed Martin needs to do to beat Russ Carnahan (D-MO) in the November 2010 election.

A New Declaration of Independence

Bill Whittle of PJTV is in the process of remaking Hollywood with his new venture: Declaration Entertainment. In the video above Bill provides a short introduction. His longer PJTV piece goes into more detail about why we need Declaration Entertainment and what the Declaration Entertainment vision is.

Keynes vs. Hayek

Gerald P. O'Driscoll in The Wall Street Journal Keynes vs. Hayek: The Great Debate Continues:

The debates raging over what policies will pull the U.S. economy out of its Great Recession replicate one that occurred during the Great Depression. Thanks to the efforts of Richard Ebeling, a professor of economics at Northwood University, we have compelling and concise documentary evidence. He has unearthed letters to the Times of London from the two sides that mirror today's debates.

...

Prof. Ebeling's rediscovery of these letters has unleashed a torrent of comments on blog sites. As New York University economist Mario Rizzo put it, "The great debate is still Keynes versus Hayek. All else is footnote." Economists have clothed the debate with ever greater mathematical complexity, but the underlying issues remain the same.

Was Keynes correct that savings become idle money and depress economic activity? Or was the Hayek view, first articulated by Adam Smith in the "Wealth of Nations" in 1776, correct? (Smith: "What is annually saved is as regularly consumed as what is annually spent, and nearly in the same time too.")

Is all spending equally productive, or should government policies aim to simulate private investment? If the latter, then Mr. Obama is following in FDR's footsteps and impeding recovery. He does so by demonizing business and creating regime uncertainty through new regulations and costly programs. In this he follows neither Hayek nor Keynes, since creating a lack of confidence is considered destructive by both.

Finally, is creating new public debt in a weakened economy the path to recovery? Or is "economy" (austerity in today's debate) and thrift the path to prosperity now, as it has usually been considered before?

The debate rages on because the answers to those questions are not settled.

Banks: Too Big to Bail

Dr. Doom, Nouriel Roubini, has coined a new phrase: Too Big to Bail:

'A year ago we had all these policy bullets,' he said. 'We could push down rates to zero, we had (quantitative easing), we could do a budget deficit of 10 percent of GDP (or) backstop the financial system.'

'Banks at this point are too big to fail, but also too big to be bailed, especially in Europe where the sovereigns are in trouble and therefore the ability to backstop the financial system is not there,' he said.

Rome didn't collapse in a day, but Rome didn't have interdependent banks lined up like dominoes. What's the over-under on the European Union unraveling in a day?

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Retailers offer loans to consumers: "Wal-Mart's Sam’s Club is introducing a program in which it facilitates loans for shoppers of up to $25,000, backed by the Small Business Administration." At least it's not some fly-by-night mom and pop dime store offering these loans. No sir! Those loans are backed by the full faith and credit of Too Big To Fail!

Our New Founding Fathers

That's Bill Hennessy and Dana Loesch of the St Louis Tea Party. Thanks to Ed Schultz for the link.

Nobility in Modern America

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States

—Article 1 Section 9 of the US Constitution

Our founders hoped to protect America from dynastic rulers when they prohibited the Federal government from granting titles of nobility. I believe that this prohibition is why the dynasties that we have seen—Kennedy, Clinton, and Bush, for example—bother us as Americans.

I think we have unwittingly evolved a new noble class. "Congressman", "Representative", and "Senator" have become the equivalent of Titles of Nobility especially in light of the pension perks that allow these modern nobles to collect revenues on their titular properties from tax paying serfs.

Purgason's Primary Path

In March I attended the Senate Candidate Forum in Jeff City. Roy Blunt (R-MO) wasn't there, but most of the other Republican candidates for US Senate from Missouri were. Robin Carnahan also declined, so Roy wasn't the only big name not to show. Those with name recognition never want to acknowledge their competitors for fear of lending them credibility. That's how the game is played.

I liked Hector Maldonado the best—he's the owner of the always salient domain HectorForFreedom.com. I also thought Kristi Nichols and Chuck Purgason rounded out the top three. My informal post forum straw poll had Nichols as the favorite. The problem I have with both Maldonado and Nichols is that they lack any legislative experience. While Purgason has more legislative experience than I would prefer, all of that experience is in the Missouri House and Senate. I assume that long serving politicians develop a sense of entitlement for elected office, but I know that Purgason is committed to the idea of citizen legislators and term limits, so I can overlook his fourteen years of legislative service. (Complete video interview.)

Since March, Purgason has recruited a volunteer base and added some staff; had his website redesigned; gained national attention when he announced he would no longer wear a wig; gained the endorsements of the Jefferson County Tea Party, fellow GOP US Senate Candidate Jim Schmidt when Schmidt dropped out, and now Joe the Plumber. However, Purgason's path to a primary victory on August 3rd is a long one.

Let's take a look back with this bit from Bill Hennessy:

It would be nice if a national pollster would check on Blunt vs. Purgason. The last poll of that primary race was in March and Blunt led 48 to 18 percent. Again, though, Purgason seems to have caught a bit of a tailwind in recent weeks, at least in the St. Louis area.

With support of only 48% of the GOP base in March, Blunt is beatable, but Purgason has to secure the lion's share of that other 34% while also eroding Blunt's lead.

I believe that Purgason's strategy should be to focus on securing the endorsements of his other primary opponents. While an endorsement from a national figure like Sarah Palin would immediately put Purgason in the lead, I doubt that such endorsements are forthcoming. Nonetheless, David Cantanese of Politico reports that Purgason's people are talking with Palin:

Despite Palin's financial support for Blunt, Purgason's not giving up on netting an endorsement from the former vice presidential nominee.

"I've talked with some of her people recently," he said. "She's a very thorough person and [sic] she's looking at some of the things I voted on. I think she'll have a decision in the near future."

"She gave him money. She has not endorsed," Purgason emphasized. "We'd love to have Gov. Palin on board."

Roy Blunt is in the Republican leadership of the US House of Representatives. Until last year, he was the Republican whip. I would be surprised to see endorsements from nationally recognized GOP figures on the because of the potential risk to the endorser's political capital.

Therefore, Purgason has to convince Maldonado, Nichols, and the other GOP candidates to dropout and endorse him. Schmidt has blazed this trail and is setting an example by volunteering on Purgason's campaign. Maldonado and Nichols are great candidates who will have successful political careers in the future. Bob Praprotnik, Deborah Solomon, Davis Conway, Mike Vontz, and Tony Laszacs may distinguish themselves in future races, but I believe that the greatest contribution that each of them can make to the conservative cause today is to rally to the flag of Chuck Purgason.

As the field narrows, Purgason's conservative credentials will distinguish him from Roy Blunt's votes for TARP, Cash for Clunkers, the Medicare expansion, federal involvement in local education (No Child Left Behind), and ethanol mandates. When I've challenged Blunt supporters on these issues, they always respond that Blunt's got the money to challenge Carnahan in the Fall and Purgason doesn't. If you're voting in the GOP primary on August 3rd, you need to decide whether you want to vote for Purgason's principals or Blunt's war chest.

Joe the Plumber endorses Chuck Purgason

Joe the Plumber has announced that he's endorsing Chuck Purgason (R-MO) for US Senate. Purgason faces a difficult Republican primary against Roy Blunt (R-MO). As a leader in the House of Representatives and the father of former Governor Matt Blunt, Roy Blunt is the favorite in the GOP primary for US Senate. However, Blunt lacks the grassroots support of Tea Parties. Those Tea Parties that have been critical of some of the Congressman's votes. I have found that supporters of Blunt don't even try to defend the Congressman's votes for TARP and Cash for Clunkers, but argue instead that Blunt's substantial war chest is required to beat Robin Carnahan (D-MO) in the Fall.

Rasmussen's latest poll of the Missouri Senate race shows Blunt leading Carnahan 48% to 43%, with 6% undecided and 3% committed to voting for one of the other fifteen candidates in the race. Perhaps the endorsement from Joe the Plumber will help Purgason pull away from the pack of eight trailing Republicans and challenge Blunt on August 3rd. One GOP candidate, Jim Schmidt, has already dropped out, endorsed Purgason, and volunteered to help the Purgason campaign, but Purgason will need more volunteers and more endorsements if he's going to move those polling numbers and win on August 3rd.

Previously:

• Chuck Purgason Interview: Full Video Coverage
• Jim Schmidt drops out and endorses Chuck Purgason

Update: Tony Messenger of StLToday.com's Political Fix writes:

(It should be noted, that in Missouri and elsewhere, Joe-the-Plumber-endorsed candidates have been criticized for paying an honorarium to Joe to come to campaign rallies to speak in favor of candidates).

I contacted Purgason's campaign to ask whether Joe was paid for his endorsement. My contact at the Purgason campaign told me Joe was NOT paid. My contact added that they had recently heard Purgason say: "I don't pay people to be my friend." That will surely distinguish Chuck Purgason if he's elected to serve in DC!

Missile Defense Test

DVIDS reports on the successful June 29th test of the THAAD anti-missile system:

The Missile Defense Agency and U.S. Army soldiers of the 6th Air Defense Artillery Brigade from Fort Bliss, Texas, successfully conducted an intercept test for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense element of the nation's Ballistic Missile Defense System today.