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Jun
22
Interesting match-up in the 10th District
June 22, 2006 | 17 Comments
The race for Missouri’s 10th District seat in the Missouri Senate should be very interesting, especially between the top 3 candidates. The district includes Downtown, Midtown, the Plaza, Brookside, and Waldo – the most liberal part of the city.
Jolie Justus has been pointing out how opponent Jason Klumb introduced the Defense of Marriage Act in the Missouri General Assembly and how that conflicts with a district that voted over 70% against the recent constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. But Justus’ progressive credentials are not pure either. Her employer is a primary law firm for the tobacco industry, and until recently also represented the RIAA in their nasty campaign against consumers.
Ingrid Burnett is touting her experience on the KCMO School Board. While we salute her valiant service in that capacity, we wonder how eager voters will be to send anyone associated with 12th and McGee to Jefferson City.
Categories: Missouri, Politics
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ah gad – the only one i can even possibly stomach is Ingrid Burnett.
Actually, Jolie’s employment is one of her strengths – she has devoted her entire practice to pro bono services, helping children, battered women, and the elderly navigate the legal system. I hope she wins, she would be an excellent state Senator.
In a perfect world Jolie might indeed make a good senator. In the real world I don’t know how well an outwardly gay liberal woman will do influencing her fellow senators who for the most part are old-school conservative males.
Klumb? If money is your standard for judging ability, he’s your guy. He seems very proud of his fundraising ability. Me I don’t trust anyone that can ring up that much money for a little state senate race. My guess is the ink won’t be dry on the office door before he’s running for something else.
Burnett? KC School District. That’s all I need to know.
Flaherty? Is this guy even serious? I have received one mailing from him. That’s it. No yardsigns, no website that I’m aware of. He’s like the mystery candidate.
Hank,
Your argument, taken to its logical conclusion, is that we should only elect candidates that can relate to “old-school conservative males.” This makes no sense. Saying that Jolie’s — or any candidate’s — sex or orientation affects their ability to build coalitions or craft compromises or stand up for her constituents is bizarre. I don’t think we need to start using sex or orientation as a litmus test for who gets to hold elective office. But that’s just my opinion.
Jolie’s sexual orientation should not be an issue at all in this district, in fact could very well be an asset for her campaign.
However, it does seem ironic that someone who works for Big Tobacco is running on a platform of social justics and health care. It’s almost like a Saturday Night Live skit. All the pro bono stuff aside, it shows a lot about her character that she would choose to work for that particular law firm.
Good job painting with that broad brush, pendergasted. Do all of the hundreds-or perhaps thousands-of employees that work at that particular law firm all have questionable “character”? How’s the view from that high horse?
pendergasted is right on one count. Justus’ sexual orientation probably won’t have a negative effect on her campaign in this district. In fact it will probably be an asset given the high percentage of GLBT residents. But in my opinion to think that will not have an effect on her ability to work with other legislators in Jefferson City is a bit naive.
I like Jolie as a candidate. In fact, I’ll probably vote for her. But I’m not going to drink the koolaid and think that Jefferson City is some sort of unbiased utopia where judgements are not made based on someone’s demographic. We’re living in a state that passed a ban on gay marriage by 70% people. Wake up to reality.
Joe G you seem to be in the Justus camp and I respect your enthusiasm in defending your candidate. But let’s not wrap ourselves in a nice warm cloak of political correctness and condemn anyone who expresses an opinion.
Joe G is another attorney at Shook. Look at the attorney roster and listen to his defense of her and the firm. Jolie is lucky to have a professional associate and frien in Joe G. Justus is smart, but unseasoned and naive if she thinks she can navigate Jefferson City. She has no experience with economic development, community planning, urban infrastructure or any of the pieces crucial to advancing the 10th Sen. District. Her social service commitment is great, but short-sighted, esp. given her professional and personal alliances. Everywhere she goes, she self-identifies as the lesbian candidate. Even if we aren’t a homophobic society locally, many in Jefferson City won’t see past that label or listen to her.
Ingrid Burnett has little self-direction. Name one effort she will be remembered for on the School Board? Could you identify her in a room of strangers? If she could win, she will be driven by her husband, John Burnett, a state representative, and his very close friend, Senator Victor Callahan.
Mike Flaherty’s campaign is openly directed by Victor Callahan’s legislative aid, Tom Hoppe. Hoppe was an ineffective menace during his tenure in Jeff City. When Hoppe was termed out, he couldn’t find real work, until Larry Sells picked him up. Now Hoppe works for Victor, jumps for Sells, and stumps for Flaherty. If Flaherty wins, he won’t know whether to answer to Hoppe or Victor – fun choices…
My vote is with Klumb. He may not be perfect, but at least he understands Jefferson City, thinks independently, and has dedicated himself to service.
Next time the seat is open, maybe the incumbent will be a little less selfish and give the party some time to plan and we can find better suited candidates all around.
I know both Jolie and Jason. They are both honorable professionals and great Democrats.
Jolie does work at Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Simply because others at her firm represent Big Tobacco, mega-drug companies and other corporations that some find distasteful, it is simply not fair to cast the lawyer in the same light as the client. There are many wonderful people (who happen to be lawyers) at Shook and Jolie is one of best. When Ashcroft was in our state trying to keep families from being able to end Nancy Cruzan’s needless suffering under life support, Shook Hardy lawyers represented the Cruzan family for free, all the way to the Supreme Court. Several Shook lawyers are currently working for free on a death penalty case. I don’t like some of Shook’s client’s, but most of the lawyers are smart, decent people (including Jolie). Jolie is talented, smart and compassionate. Because she is employed at Shook or because she is a lesbian are irrelevant – she’s a great person.
Jason Klumb is one of the finest Democrats we have in our party. When he worked for Carnahan, he was great. When he was a state representative, he fought for our issues. He got his law degree at MU and has a masters in economics from the London School of Economics. He currently serves as a JAG Officer in the Army Reserves. Jason has previously recieved endorsements from GLBT organizations and has several gay and lesbian supporters (one gentleman knocks on doors with Jason every week). It’s easy to say that he supported the defense of marriage act over a decade ago, but without talking to Jason (as the GLBT groups did prior to endorsing him), the logic for passing a bill that was ruled unconstitional never comes out. Jason is a great human, does not discriminate and is a passionate advocate for Democratic values. He is more than a great fundraiser (he’s raised more than all the other candidates COMBINED), but he’s also knocked on more doors than the others and has 100 X more experience in Jefferson City, too. We are supporting Jason and trust that we will have a bright, energetic State Senator who we can be proud of his experience and abilities.
Joe G says: “Actually, Jolie’s employment is one of her strengths – she has devoted her entire practice to pro bono services, helping children, battered women, and the elderly navigate the legal system. I hope she wins, she would be an excellent state Senator.”
lmfao. She was an RIAA lawyer man… they don’t get any worse than that. She is a corporate shill ready to suck dick for money all day. Fuck the RIAA and fuck it’s lawyers.
I’d like to point out Jason Klumb’s offensive voting record while a member of the state house:
- Voted in favor of “conceal and carry”
- Voted in favor of making English the official language of Missouri
- Voted in favor of raising the minimum interest payday loan operations could charge
Add this to his reprehensible support of the Defense of Marriage Act. (And, might I add, Klumb has NO defense for co-sponsoring that bill. Additionally it’s absurd to suggest Klumb is sympathetic to the LGBT community because he has a gay man canvassing for him. There are also thousands of self-loathing Log Cabin Republicans across this great country.)
Does this voting record represent Kansas City’s values?
Stephen Bough said he fought for our issues when he was a State representative. Klumb sponsored two pieces of legislation in 1996. One revises provisions on probate law, and the other allows directors of non-profits to serve longer. I’m not sure whose issues those are. Are they ‘our’ issues? Someone fill me in.
A previous commentator said it best when they inferred Klumb would not even have an ass groove in his Jeff City Senate office chair before enlisting to run for a higher office. He has already established himself as a career politician with very little interest in whom he serves, but what looks best on his resume. It’s been said that he greatly disappointed many constituents in the Butler MO area when, after enlisting to run for their district Senate seat, he saw that the state Auditor nomination might be winnable. He then allegedly shifted dumped the Senate campaign, taking funds raised for the Senate seat to his state Auditor campaign. Oh and then had his ass handed to him in the primary by the Mayor of Arnold MO despite raising more money than all of the other candidates combined (which sounds quite similar to his current boasting about the size of his 10th District war chest)
Klumb has been in Kansas City less than two years. What makes him think he can represent this area? I’m guessing he’d have a hard time finding his way around the 10th District without mapquest, much less understanding the convictions and needs of its citizens.
Certainly his resume is impressive, but wouldn’t you prefer a candidate who knows the constituency of the district he wants to represent? This Senate seat is merely the next step in Klumb’s ambitious career trajectory.
One more thing Joe G. Regarding your assertion “I don’t think we need to start using sex or orientation as a litmus test for who gets to hold elective office.”
You should explain that to the Women’s Political Caucus whose primary agenda is to get women elected to office (using sex as a litmus test) and the Four Freedoms Democratic Club whose primary agenda is to get GLBT candidates elected to office (using orientation as a litmus test). Read their policies on candidate endorsement. I didn’t make them up. They did. At least they’re up front about it.
I might also add that I believe Justus has both those endorsements. If she shares the same belief as you about sex and orientation, she should have refused to even be screened by those organizations, let alone flaunt their discriminatory endorsements.
From all the comments on this blog I’m pretty discouraged with all the choices. Is there a candidate called “none of the above?”
Spare me the indignation Mr. Reardon. I don’t really understand why you seem to be taking this discussion so personally.
Let’s look at the facts here. WPC and FFDC do not impose any litmus tests on their candidates. WPC endorses and contributes to men; FF endorses and contributes to hetero candidates. How do they have gender or orientation litmus tests? These two organizations certainly strive to get more female and LGBT candidates in office, which is a worthy goal. But this is a far cry from a “litmus test” regarding gender or orientation, because these organizations support candidates off ANY gender or orientation. Nice try, but your analogy doesn’t quite hold.
I don’t presume to speak for Ms. Justus, so you’ll have to ask her about her stance on endorsements, etc., and I’m sure she would be more than happy to share them.
By Stacy Knowles logic any candidate without legislative experience is not a legitimate candidate.
“These two organizations certainly strive to get more female and LGBT candidates in office, which is a worthy goal.” Sounds like a goal based on sex and/or sexual preference to me. You can’t have it both ways. Either we’re all equal or we should be promoting female and LGBT candidates because it is a “worthy goal.” Which is it? Let me guess. My analogy/argument/statement doesn’t hold up/is bizarre? LOL
“Saying that Jolie’s — or any candidate’s — sex or orientation affects their ability to build coalitions or craft compromises or stand up for her constituents is bizarre.” Then the “logical conclusion to your argument” is we do not need organizations that promote a sex/preference based agenda. By your arguments counselor we’re all equal. No difference whatsoever.
“How’s the view from that high horse?” And you say I’m taking things personally? I just like yanking your chain! It’s too much fun to mess with someone on the politically correct bandwagon.
I don’t claim moral or ethical or any kind of superiority. I just challenge people’s premise’s. If you tell me I should vote for your candidate you better have a damn good reason other than “he or she is really great.”
I looked at Klumb’s website and saw lots of references to his experience, but virtually nothing about his stances on issues. Does anyone know where I can find information on his actual positions?
Jason Klumb is a clown…I saw him speak the other night and the other canidates blew him away. He doesn’t represent the people of the 10th…he represents his own interst in furthering his political career.