Graves' Energy Policy

Lee Judge's cartoon is only funny because it is true.

Barnes One of Top 10 Races Nationwide

I'm a lawyer, so I am prone to overstating my case. Kay Barnes, however, is running one of the top 10 campaigns in the nation. The #1 reason is that she is a wonderful person, a great candidate and has assembled a winning team.

The #2 reason is that most districts have been carved our to either be a safe Democratic seat or a safe Republican seat. There's just not that many places you can knock off an incumbent from either party. The 6th District is one of them. It was held by a Democratic for many years, it voted for Sen. Claire McCaskill, Auditor Susan Montee and for stem cell research. The district can and will vote for Mayor Kay Barnes.

Don't believe me, look at the recent ad buy from the House Democrats.

House Democratic Campaign Arm Broadens TV Buy

Moving quickly to capitalize on their massive financial advantage, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has reserved television time in nearly two dozen more House districts, bringing their total investment in competitive contests to $53 million.

The new buy encompasses 20 districts and comes ten days after the DCCC dropped an estimated $35 million on ad time in 31 House districts. (A full list of districts in the new DCCC buy is after the jump.)

It also comes on the heels of the latest fundraising figures that show the DCCC outraised the National Republican Congressional Committee $22 million to $15 million over the last three months and, more importantly, ended June with $55 million in the bank, $46.5 million more than the NRCC.

With such a massive fundraising edge, the DCCC is smartly moving to expand their target list into a series of Republican-leaning open seats and GOP incumbents representing marginal districts.

Of the 20 new districts, seven are open seats being vacated by Republicans including several strongly Republican southern seats (Alabama's 2nd district and Louisiana's 4th) where Democrats have recruited their strongest potential candidates and have the potential to pull an upset. In Alabama's 2nd the DCCC has reserved nearly $600,000 in ads while in Louisiana's 4th district the buy exceeds $700,000.

Eight districts currently held by Republican incumbents make the list including a trio of south Florida seats (Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Mario Diaz-Balart and Lincoln Diaz Balart) as well as several incumbents underperforming what should be safe seats -- New York Rep. Randy Kuhl and Idaho Rep. Bill Sali.

The remaining five districts in the buy are either held by freshman Democrats (Arizona's 8th, California's 11th, Illinois' 14th, and Mississippi's 1st) or are being vacated by a Democratic incumbent (Alabama's 5th district).

When examining all 51 districts in which the DCCC has so far reserved ad time, 34 of the districts (66 percent) are Republican held while the remaining 17 are controlled by Democrats.

Unlike elections past, however, House Democrats are focusing as much on incumbents as open seats. Of the 34 Republican seats, 17 are open while 17 are held by members. That speaks to the treacherous national environment in which the GOP currently finds itself with a far larger number of incumbents in jeopardy than previous elections.

* An ad buy of 1000 points means the average viewer will see the ad 10 times during a given week.

4 Dem Incumbents 8 GOP Incumbents 8 Open Seats

District - Incumbent - Early Buy Amt. - Early Buy Pts.

MO-06 - Graves (R) - $798,000 - 5,600 (multiple mkts.)

BARNES: Kick Graves out With Bush

You couldn't buy this kind of press from the St. Joe News:

Democratic congressional candidate Kay Barnes came to St. Joseph Tuesday night with a set of directions for Republican officeholders: President Bush is headed for the door, and incumbent Rep. Sam Graves should go with him.

The challenger for the Missouri 6th District seat spoke to more than 40 local supporters at the opening of her St. Joseph campaign office.

A native of St. Joseph and graduate of Central High School, Ms. Barnes recited a list of economic ills — rising food and gas prices, increasing health care premiums, escalating unemployment numbers — as an indication of the nation gone astray.

She asked if Americans had better lives now than when Mr. Bush and Mr. Graves took office in 2001.

“I’m willing to bet that very few of us would be able to give a very resounding ‘yes’ or even a very weak ‘yes,’” she said.

She accused the Bush administration of presiding over years when record budget surpluses became record deficits, when pork-barrel projects doubled in number and when five million more illegal immigrants entered the United States.

The Democrat said the Iraq war cost the 6th District more than $1 billion.

“Just think what even a part of $1 billion could do ... to improve the lives of people in Northwest Missouri,” she said.

Ms. Barnes cited British statesman Winston Churchill’s assessment that Americans can be counted on to do the right thing ... “after they’ve tried everything else.” In this election, she said, voters are ready for a new direction.

“The good news is that Americans know how to make change when it is necessary,” she said. “We have to make the change in Northwest Missouri.”

Though most of her speech aimed at Republicans, Ms. Barnes has an opponent in the Aug. 5 Democratic primary, though Ali Allon Sherkat of Riverside, Mo., has done little campaigning.

Mr. Graves, unopposed in the primary, is seeking his fifth term in the U.S. House. Dave Browning of Oak Grove is the lone Libertarian in the race.

Steelman Takes on Hulshof's Big Spending

Want to know what real Missouri conservatives hate about Congress - watch Sarah Steelman's latest attack on Congressman Hulshof.



Here's the deal, all this hurts Republicans in the race against Jay Nixon and hurts Congressman Graves in his losing race against Kay Barnes. Steelman and Graves have both hired Jeff Roe (who runs nasty and pretty effective Republican primary campaigns). Roe can't run an ad without mentioning San Francisco. Given the amount of wine he drinks at the Capital Grill, one has to wonder if he is drinking good American wine or the stuff from France (you know, that evil country that gave us Lady Liberty).

Here's my bold predictions - the attack campaign will get Steelman out of the primary, but she loses to Nixon by two points. 6th District voters are sick of Graves/Roe and Graves loses by 1.5 points.

Republicans Attacking Republicans

This is Sara Steelman's ad attacking Kenny Hulshof for his wasteful spending in DC. According to Steve Kraske at the Star, Jeff Roe isn't running this ad in N.W. Missouri.

Here's a thought, Jeff Roe ain't making the decisions, Sara Steelman is. She may have determined what Kay Barnes has decided; that the voters in the 6th Congressional District ain't that conservative. She knows what Jeff Roe and Congressman Graves know, that the 6th voted for Claire McCaskill, Susan Montee and stem cell research. Steelman is spending her ad dollars where Republican primary voters live, and that ain't the 6th.

Wait until Hulshof gets attacked for being the only Republican Congressman or woman to vote to require Medicare to pay for Viagra.

St. Joe Abandons Graves

Buchanan County / St. Joe - one of the 3 most populous counties in the 6th district -(the other two are Clay and Platte and all three voted for Sen. McCaskill, Auditor Montee and for stem cell research) is abandoning Congressman Graves.

The St. Joseph News ran a poll on Congressman Graves racist attacks on Mayor KAY (not Gay) Barnes. Here is the result:

Are Sam Graves' attack ads on Kay Barnes fair game? Response Percent

Yes. No one said politics was nice. 34%
No. The ads are shameless and misleading. 65%

The letters to the editor are also telling, like this one from the Rev. Chases Peoples:

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Graves should issue apology for imagery in attack ad

Sam Graves’ TV ad attacking Kay Barnes for “San Francisco values” may be off the air for the moment, but the racist and homophobic images used in it remain in our area’s consciousness. I have no objection to Graves attacking Barnes for having a fundraiser with Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco or for any other issue he may want to raise. I do, however, object strenuously to the way he went about it in this ad, which demeans people who are African-American and/or gay and lesbian.

The ad displays a picture of three people dancing and drinking — an African-American female, an African-American male and a Caucasian female — in what I guess is supposed to be stereotypical gay attire (although my gay friends rarely seem to wear mesh tank-top and cowboy hat combinations). While this image plays, the announcer mentions that “San Francisco values” include support for gay marriage and other stances. It seems fair to me for Graves to attack Barnes for her positions — whatever they may or may not be — but what I object to is the imagery.

Nothing that gets into political commercials is by accident, especially when it comes to people of minority ethnicity and/or sexual orientation. One needs only to think of the Willie Horton ad in 1988 or the ads run against Harold Ford Jr. in 2006 to realize that images of African-Americans in political ads are routinely used to arouse prejudice in white voters. The list of negative portrayals of gay and lesbian people in political ads is an even longer one. Graves’ ad falls right in line with this tradition of dehumanizing and stereotyping a minority to appeal to voters’ worst fears and biases.

I think it is fair to ask why the ad depicted not one, but two African-Americans in a manner that implies a hedonistic lifestyle. Why not an African-American, a Hispanic-American and a Caucasian-American? Why not three Caucasians? The inclusion of two African-Americans seems intended to provoke a certain kind of reaction in a majority white district. Furthermore, the evocation of the gay boogeyman also seems intended to incite prejudice in a district where most homosexuals by necessity must keep their orientations below the radar. It’s not a new tactic, but an old one: play to the majority’s fears about the minority. Unfortunately, we have too many examples of that kind of tactic not only helping win political races, but also reinforcing systemic prejudice.

I call upon Sam Graves to apologize for the imagery used in the ad, and I hope that people in Northwest Missouri of every political party will reject the dehumanization of minorities for political gain.

The Rev. Chase Peeples,
St. Joseph

People are sick of the Graves/Roe/Bush/Rove attack machine. They are sick of congressmen who take money from oil companies and then vote them tax breaks for exploring for oil. Graves' nastiness does not breed loyalty; just ask Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo) who can't distance himself from Graves fast enough.

Graves Attacks "GAY" Barnes

Congressman Sam Graves has pulled a Fred Phelps-like attack on Kay Barnes, including the voice over calling her "Gay Barnes."



KC Blue Blog broke this story and we join with that group in calling for an apology by Congressman Graves and for him to fire Jeff Roe. The dirt is flying, like we knew it would, but this is disgusting.

Barnes Race in 6th Upgraded by Cook

Kay Barnes race for Congress in Missouri's 6th District has just been upgraded as one of the top races in the entire nation.

Charlie Cook, and before that Stu Rothenberg, have pointed out this is one of the top races to watch. 85% of the districts are safe for incumbents (whether R or D). There are very few, maybe as few as 10, where an incumbent has a chance of being knocked off. Congressman Graves way be the most vulnerable incumbent in the entire nation.

#1 - Graves is in the pocket of Big Oil. With $4 per gallon of gas, that ain't gonna fly with the rural tractor drivers.

#2 - he's attached at the hips (and pocket book) with Bush/Cheney. Graves is the only Congressman in the entire nation to have fundraisers thrown by both Bush and Cheney.

#3 - Kay is a great leader. She is originally from St. Joe. This district includes Clay and Platte Counties, where the voters are used to her successful leadership. The 6th voted for Sen. McCaskill (D), Auditor Montee (D) and to support stem cell research. Democratic state representatives have been winning in Northwest Missouri and the areas North of the Missouri River, but still in Kansas City, are electing Democratic city council people.

The common sense voters in Clay, Platte, Eastern Jackson and Buchanan Counties will vote for Kay Barnes

BARNES to Graves: Answer One Little Question

BARNES TO GRAVES: "IN ECONOMIC TIMES LIKE THESE, JUST ANSWER ONE QUESTION"

Kay Barnes, 6th District Congressional Candidate, called on incumbent Congressman Sam Graves to answer one simple question.

Barnes asked, "Congressman Graves, do you agree with President Bush's statement yesterday that the United States is not in a recession. Or do you agree with the 74% of Americans who believe we are in a recession?"

CNN reported yesterday:
"President Bush denied Tuesday that the United States' economy is in recession, calling it instead a 'slowdown'."

CNN reported in March:
"Seventy-four percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey say the economy has entered a recession."

Here's betting that Graves/Roe won't disagree with the Bush/Cheney machine. Graves has been their water boy for the last seven years, he's not going to start slapping the hand that feeds him now. Since Graves is the only congressman in America to get a fundraiser by both Bush and Cheney - the economy is just fine in the Graves world (especially with the Graves family getting all those fee offices from Blunt).

Kay Kicks Butt

Here's an email I got from Mayor Kay Barnes Chief of Staff, Corey Platt:

Yesterday, something incredible happened. Our campaign reported virtually the same amount of money raised for the first fundraising quarter as Congressman Graves. This is the same quarter that Congressman Graves had George Bush in town to raise money for his struggling campaign. Many of you answered the call to stand up to the Bush/Graves money machine, and your voices were heard.

Kay Barnes has taken away the incumbent advantage from Congressman Sam Graves. Having raised the same amount of money, in a quarter that should have been Graves' easiest, shows that Kay is in the driver's seat. This past quarter, Kay reported raising $402,068, her highest total to date, bringing her total raised in only 10 months to more than $1.4 million and our cash on hand to over $950,000.

In just the first three months of this year, over 1,100 individuals contributed to Kay's campaign. Compare that to just 137 people who contributed to Congressman Graves-- I'm not joking; Kay has ten times more donors than the incumbent Congressman. It is now more clear than ever that Congressman Graves is relying on his special interest friends to send him back to Washington, including another $5,000 this quarter from Exxon. Luckily, we have over 4,000 people who have joined Kay and donated to the campaign. There is no way that Congressman Graves, George Bush and Exxon Mobil can compete with all of you.

Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do. I'm honored to be working with all of you.

Corey Platt
Campaign Manager
Kay for Congress

This is a huge deal. Taking on an incumbent is hard work. Graves/Roe is the only campaign in the entire nation to have both Cheney and Bush do fundraisers.

Let's be real honest, Kay Barnes for Congress could be the final nail in the coffin for Congressman Graves/Roe. Graves took this spot from a Democrat and then used it as a spring board to 1) build Jeff Roe's company and 2) run the Democrats out of office in Northwest Missouri. Well, folks in that part of the state have had enough.

Sen. Claire McCaskill and State Auditor Susan Montee had great performance in the 6th District. Other things are happening, like Sandra Aust being a strong candidate for state senate in the Clay County area. How about Rep. Ryan Silvey (R) being in bad shape with a very strong Josh Reed running the best grass roots campaign for a house seat in the entire state.

Up and down the ticket, Democrats are looking great in the northland and Kay Barnes is going to win.

Roe Loses - AGAIN

Who does anonymous hatchet jobs? Who does sleazy robocalls? Who loses with more and more regularity? Jeff Roe.

Jeff Roe is the Karl Rove for Congressman Sam Graves. The dirty tricks, the spreading of rumors (like Rove planting the rumor in the S.C. presidential primary 8 years ago that McCain had a love child), the game playing - all indications of Roe. Well, according to Prime Buzz Blog, Jeff Roe has being doing it again in the KC Bus Tax Renewal. And, to make it uglier, he slams Mayor Kay Barnes just for fun.

I'm glad that the Bus Tax Renewal passed. It passed in the Northland, where Jeff Roe blasted Kay. Jeff Roe's tactics have grown old. Jeff's school yard tactics fail in the Northland, just look at Councilman Russ Johnson's huge victory despite Roe's last minute anonymous robocalls. Congressman Graves gives Roe his legitimacy. Once the head is cut off this fall by Kay Barnes, the beast will die.

Barnes Added to Top Races in the Country

We all knew Mayor Kay Barnes was going to run one of the top races in the nation. According to this Roll Call Article, the DCCC has determined the same. Of course President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney already knew that Graves was the most vulnerable incumbent in the nation, why else would Graves be the only Congressman in the country to have fundraisers with the President and the VP?

DCCC Expands Its ‘Red to Blue’ Program
March 12, 2008
By David M. Drucker,
Roll Call Staff
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is scheduled today to unveil the next slate of candidates it has chosen to participate in “Red to Blue,” a fundraising and infrastructure program that focuses on flipping Republican-held House seats. While the first batch of candidates — unveiled in January — are running in 11 Republican-held open districts, this second group includes 13 Democrats who are set to challenge GOP incumbents this fall. The DCCC’s national network of donors is encouraged to contribute to Red to Blue candidates, as are sitting House Democrats, with the committee providing strategic advice and infrastructure reinforcements directly to the participants’ campaigns.

“These candidates have come out of the gate strong, and the Red to Blue program will give them the financial and structural edge to be even more competitive in November,” DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.) said. Julie Shutley, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, did not appear all that concerned, referring to the DCCC’s latest group of Red to Blue candidates as “fatally flawed and doomed to failure no matter how much money they spend on their campaigns. In fact, four of the 13 Democrats selected for the second round of Red to Blue lost their House bids in 2006, arguably the best environment for the Democratic Party in a generation.”

The 13 new Red to Blue participants include former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes, challenging Rep. Sam Graves (R) in Missouri’s 6th district; former Senate aide Anne Barth, challenging Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R) in West Virginia’s 2nd; 2006 nominee Darcy Burner, seeking a rematch with Rep. Dave Reichert (R) in Washington’s 8th; and Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Robert Daskas, challenging Rep. Jon Porter (R) in Nevada’s 3rd.

Additional participants include Ohio state Rep. Steve Driehaus, challenging Rep. Steve Chabot (R) in Ohio’s 1st; Greenwich Democratic Party Chairman Jim Himes, challenging Rep. Christopher Shays (R) in Connecticut’s 4th; 2006 nominee Christine Jennings, challenging Rep. Vern Buchanan (R) in Florida’s 13th; 2006 nominee Larry Kissell, challenging Rep. Robin Hayes (R) in North Carolina’s 8th; and former state Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, who is competing for the Democratic nomination and the right to challenge Rep. Tom Feeney (R) in Florida’s 24th.

Also added to Red to Blue were 2006 nominee Eric Massa, challenging Rep. Randy Kuhl (R) in New York’s 29th; former Michigan Lottery Commissioner Gary Peters, challenging Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R) in Michigan’s 9th; state Sen. Mark Schauer, challenging Rep. Tim Walberg (R) in Michigan’s 7th; and marketing executive Dan Seals, challenging Rep. Mark Kirk (R) in Illinois’ 10th.

The DCCC credits Red to Blue with raising $22.6 million for 56 campaigns during the 2006 cycle, an increase of $15.1 million over what was spent in the 2004 cycle, when 27 Democratic House candidates benefited from Red to Blue at an average clip of $250,000 per campaign. The infrastructure and strategy component of the program is lauded for stabilizing the campaigns of several 2006 House Democratic candidates, ensuring they could capitalize at the ballot box on a political environment that favored the Democrats, and helped the party take control of Congress for the first time in a dozen years.

Democratic Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), Artur Davis (Ala.) and Bruce Braley (Iowa) are co-chairmen of the Red to Blue program this cycle. The DCCC continues to maintain a significant financial edge over the NRCC, and this advantage could come in handy as House Democrats seek to expand their 17-seat majority. As of Jan. 31, the DCCC possessed a hefty $30 million lead over the NRCC in cash on hand, having outraised the Republican committee by $18 million since the beginning of the election cycle.

But Republicans are clearly banking on money not being everything. “With the weight of the Democrat Congress’ approval ratings and the Democrat majority’s lack of accomplishments on their backs, these challengers are going to be facing a steep uphill climb,” Shutley said. “Our Republican incumbents are battle tested.”

Best Friends Forever: Bush/Cheney/Graves

Quick Quiz - who is the only Congressman to have BOTH president Bush and Vice President Cheney host fundraisers? Nope, not felon Tom Delay. Nope, not arm twister Roy Blunt. It is our very own Congressman Graves.

Graves hitched his wagon to Bush/Cheney and is in for the ride of his life. Graves stuck with the hugely unpopular administration 95% of the votes. For a great video detailing the BFF relationship, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJQ0zCL31BU

Rothenburg Sums up Graves v. Barnes

Here's the (almost) unedited report from Roll Call

“At-risk” incumbents come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes their vulnerability follows from their voting records or their personal lives. Other times, it has nothing to do with them personally and everything to do with the quality of their opponents or the makeup of their electorates. And sometimes, it’s the fault of broad national trends.

Republican Rep. Sam Graves (Mo.) has more than one of these problems this cycle, and he’ll need all his political skill to fend off a high-profile Democratic assault on his seat.

Graves, who served in both the Missouri state House and state Senate, was first elected to Congress from his Northwest Missouri district in 2000, when he won an open-seat contest against Steve Danner, a Democratic state legislator who was trying to succeed his mother, retiring Rep. Pat Danner (D).

Graves hasn’t had a tough race since, winning with more than 60 percent of the vote each time. His 2004 opponent, Charlie Broomfield, was hyped for a time by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as a challenger with deep pockets and the potential to upset Graves. But that race never developed.

Missouri’s 6th district is politically competitive, but it isn’t quite the tossup district that Democrats like to portray it. Most of the state legislators who represent it in Jefferson City are Republicans, and George W. Bush carried it handily (winning all 26 counties in the district), with 57 percent, in 2004.

But Graves definitely is in for a fight for his re-election.

First, he has drawn a formidable opponent in Kay Barnes (D), who served two terms as mayor of Kansas City, the largest city in the state. She left office last May.

Barnes takes credit (and has received plenty of it) for revitalizing the city’s downtown, and like many Democrats, she is offering a “time for a change” message that should resonate with voters. She already has the backing of EMILY’s List, the pro-choice Democratic fundraising group, and she has the look of a feisty campaigner and a strong fundraiser.

Second, the national and state environments are not likely to benefit Graves. The president’s poll numbers are low, Congress is not held in high regard, and the state’s sitting governor, Republican Matt Blunt, who is up for re-election in November, has more problems than GOP strategists would like.

Third, Graves has not always helped himself. While the state’s senior Senator, Kit Bond (R), has endorsed the Congressman for re-election, the two GOP officeholders have not always had the warmest of relations.

In December, a Roll Call investigative piece by reporter Paul Singer raised questions about free use of an airplane that the Congressman received from a contracting firm in his district. Graves’ office has said that there is nothing wrong with him borrowing a plane. But in the wake of several recent articles about his financial holdings, Graves has amended his personal financial disclosure forms to clarify his family’s investments in ethanol plants.

One of Graves’ campaign consultants/ strategists, Jeff Roe, is so controversial — The Kansas City Star said he has a reputation for “ruthlessly laying waste to his opponents” — that he has rubbed even some Republicans the wrong way. For example, Missouri Speaker Rod Jetton (R), who has had his own run-ins with Roe, has been more than kind to Barnes’ Congressional bid.

Barnes portrays Graves as too conservative, criticizing his votes against the Democrats’ SCHIP proposal last year, against a bill that would have strengthened penalties against those involved in dog fighting and against a Democratic proposal to increase the minimum wage. And she promises to outwork him.

If Barnes is correct, the 6th district’s rural areas are accounting for less and less of the Congressional district’s vote, and even those voters in the rural areas have shown a greater willingness to vote for popular Democrats.

Democratic strategists are absolutely euphoric about Barnes’ candidacy, and during my interview with her late last year I found her to be both energetic and articulate.

But while Barnes is a strong challenger, she certainly isn’t a perfect one. Democrats seem to gloss over her weaknesses and liabilities in their understandable enthusiasm for her.

For example, while her work in Kansas City is an asset, only part of the city is in the 6th district, and it’s the more Republican part. Most of the city is in the very Democratic 5th district, which won’t help Barnes.

Unlike the last Democrat to hold this Congressional seat, Barnes will have trouble presenting herself as a cultural moderate. Her support from EMILY’s List means campaign cash, but it also tags her as pro-choice in a district that is culturally more conservative.

And Barnes’ appearance on the cover of a magazine published by Kansas City’s gay- lesbian-bisexual-transgender community isn’t likely to go over well in the district’s rural counties, where she hopes to make inroads because she was born and raised in St. Joseph.

Finally, Barnes’ “change” argument may not be so easy to sell as she hopes. Not only is she 25 years older than Graves, but she may not be helped by the kind of “change” epitomized by the Democratic presidential nominee, whether that is Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) or Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).

Democrats view Missouri’s 6th as an example of their ability to widen the playing field in 2008 by putting into play districts that were not seriously contested in 2006. They are right about that. But it’s too early to know whether they really can win it this year. Neither party can take this race for granted, which makes this a race worth watching.

Barnes Plaza at Sprint Center

In 2003 Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes put forth a vision for a downtown arena. A public/private partnership formed among AEG, Sprint and the the National Association of Basketball Coaches resulted in Kansas City's newest landmark, Sprint Center. In recognition of Mayor Barnes efforts, the City of Kansas City and AEG have named the plaza in her honor.

The dedication ceremony is December 15th from 1:30 - 2:15. Come join is this great celebration. Congratulations Congresswoman Barnes!

Barnes is the Top Democratic Challenger in the Country

Kay Barnes represents one of the best chances in the nation for a Democrat to knock off a Republican, according to Congressional Quarterly. Below is some relevant portions of the article.


Best-funded House challengers for 2008

1) Jim Ryun, R, Kansas’ 2nd, $880,000 (Nancy Boyda, D)
2) Sandy Treadwell, R, New York’s 20th, $822,000 (Kirsten Gillibrand, D)
3) Francisco “Quico” Canseco, R, Texas’ 23rd, $819,000 (Ciro D. Rodriguez, D)
4) Andrew Saul, R, New York’s 19th, $782,000 (John Hall, D)
5) Deborah Honeycutt, R, Georgia’s 13th, $708,000 (David Scott, D)
6) Kay Barnes, D, Missouri’s 6th, $656,000 (Sam Graves, R)
7) Jim Hines, D, Connecticut’s 4th, $618,000 (Christopher Shays, R)
8) Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, R, Texas’ 22nd, $607,000 (Nick Lampson, D)
9) Christine Jennings, D, Florida’s 13th, $592,000 (Vern Buchanan, R)
10) Dan Seals, D, Illinois’ 10th, $567,000 (Mark Steven Kirk, R)

The races:
. . .
6) Missouri’s 6th District (St. Joseph, part of Kansas City)

Challenger: Kay Barnes, Democrat ($656,000 raised, $578,000 cash on hand)

Incumbent: Sam Graves , Republican ($948,000 raised, $756,000 cash on hand)

Barnes this year finished an eight-year run as mayor of Kansas City, part of which is included in a district that also takes in suburbs of that city — and substantial rural territory in northwest Missouri that is Graves’ political base. Barnes surely will be the toughest Democratic challenger faced to date by Graves, who won narrowly in 2000 to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Pat Danner but has easily beaten subpar Democratic opposition in subsequent elections.


What does this mean? Unlike former candidates up against Graves and his hatchet man, Jeff Roe, Mayor Barnes will have the tools she needs to win. Holding Graves accountable for his votes on SCHIPS, making sure people know of Roe's in your face attacks - everything can be put before the voters.

"Bad Sam" Graves gets Slammed by Rep. Pete Stark

Here's what the Congressman from California's 13th District has to say about people like Sam Graves:

First of all, I'm just amazed they can't figure out, the Republicans are worried we can't pay for insuring an additional 10 million children. They sure don't care about finding $200 billion to fight the illegal war in Iraq. Where ya gonna get that money? You going to tell us lies like you're telling us today? Is that how you're going to fund the war? You don't have money to fund the war or children. But you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President's amusement. This bill would provide healthcare for 10 million children and unlike the President's own kids, these children can't see a doctor or receive necessary care. [...]

But President Bush's statements about children's health shouldn't be taken any more seriously than his lies about the war in Iraq. The truth is that Bush just likes to blow things up. In Iraq, in the United States and in Congress.

Believe it or not, Sam Graves still voted against insuring children. He needs to go. If you're outraged, go here to make a contribution to Kay Barnes.

Catholics Support SCHIP; oppose Graves

In one corner we have Bush and Congressman Graves - in the other we have Senator Kit Bond, Mayor Kay Barnes and social justice Catholics. The boxing match is over whether we should provide health care to poor kids.

That's right, Catholics have a lot of social justice left in them. Christianity is not all about abortion. Catholics United is starting a radio campaign today which is designed to hold Congressman Graves accountable for his votes on SCHIPS (health care for poor kids). The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities USA, and the Catholic Health Association have all urged Congress and President Bush to support SCHIP. Chris Korzen, executive director of Catholics United, said

“Building a true culture of life requires public policies that promote the welfare of the most vulnerable.At the heart of the Christian faith is a deep and abiding concern for the need of others. Pro-life Christians who serve in Congress should honor this commitment by supporting health care for poor children.”

To hear the radio ad which is being played on talk radio and Christian radio, go to Catholics United web site. There's a large Catholic presence in St. Joseph, Missouri - right in the heart of the 6th Congressional District. Here's a hearty AMEN to Catholics United for being pro-life, for the whole life of God's creation.

Republicans Seek to Override Bush (and Graves) on SCHIPS

You know the controversy, Congress passed an expansion of SCHIP (health care for poor kids). Congressman Graves voted against it (because he thinks it has something to do with illegal immigration). Senator Bond voted for it. Mayor Barnes said she would support SCHIP.

The end of times must be approaching because now Republican Senators are talking about an override of Bush's veto of SCHIP. Isn't that an override of Congressman Graves, too? How did Graves get so far out of step from the rest of the Republicans and the Country? Read the letter to the Wall Street Journal from Senators Grassley (R - Iowa) and Hatch (R - Utah).

Compromise Bill Sets Up A Less Expensive Schip
We were dismayed by the mischaracterization of the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2007 in your Sept. 28 editorial "Schip for Everyone." You did not accurately portray the work and diligence that went into crafting this truly bipartisan compromise, which passed the Senate twice with 18 Republican senators voting "aye." Due to our participation, the bill is significantly less expensive than the Schip reserve fund in the Democrats' budget, prohibits state waivers for covering adult men and non-pregnant women, and refocuses on low-income children by cutting federal matching dollars to states covering those over 300% of poverty.

In order to find and cover even half of the six million eligible but unenrolled kids, the Congressional Budget Office said we needed to spend more money than the president proposed.

Assertions that the bill expands coverage to higher-income children are baseless. In fact, the bill puts tremendous pressure on states to not cover higher incomes. Just like now, the only way a state may cover higher income families is with administration approval, which the Bush administration has given repeatedly.

We want this practice to stop, so our bill specifically targets Schip coverage to low-income children. It says that if states cover higher income families over 300% of poverty, then the money they get from the federal government is cut, and by 2010, they get no funding for such coverage if the state isn't covering most of its low-income children.

This is not an entitlement program. The legislation passed by the House would have turned Schip into an uncapped entitlement, but the compromise bill maintains the Senate position for a capped block grant.

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R., Utah)
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa)
Washington

Barnes v. Graves: SCHIPS makes the decision black and whte

Graves couldn't make the decision on who to vote for any easier. Do we provide health care insurance for poor kids or not.

You have Mayor Kay Barnes and Senator Kit Bond on one side, President Bush and Congressman Graves on the other. The House and the Senate both passed the expansion of SCHIPS. Bush vetoed the bill, Graves voted against the bill.

That crazy liberal, Senator Kit Bond, had this to say:

“SCHIP is a valuable safety net for needy children in families who don’t have the means to purchase affordable health care. Millions of children receive the vital well-child and preventative care, vaccinations, and emergency care they need to grow, learn and thrive thanks to the SCHIP Program. I am proud of my votes to create SCHIP in 1997 and to reauthorize the program today.”

Bond also has glowing things to say of Barnes

“Obviously the mayor and I are of different political parties, but the people of Kansas City expect elected leaders to work together to get things done,” Bond said in the release. “Because of [Barnes’s] commitment and dedication, Kansas City is a better place to live and work.”

Northeast Missouri voters (and 10% of those votes also come from Eastern Jackson County) have a black and white decision; do we want to support kicking kids off health insurance (vote for Graves) or do we follow the lead of Senator Kit Bond and vote for health care for poor kids and Mayor Kay Barnes.