Suspected socialist infiltrates Jasper County Republican Women's Ice Cream Social

As I stepped into Memorial Hall in Carthage Tuesday night, I wondered if anyone in there suspected.

They had to know.

These were the people who were there to eat the ice cream and hear the candidates speak at the Jasper County Republican Women's Ice Cream Social. These were rock-ribbed Republicans. 

Did they suspect they had a man in their midst who voted for Joe Biden?

Why would anyone in the Joplin area not vote for Joe Biden? After all, when he spoke at the Joplin High School dedication ceremony in October 2014, he expressed sorrow for the 161,000 people who died in the tornado.

He only missed it by 159,839.

Did the Republican faithful in Memorial Hall have an inkling that not only did I vote for Joe Biden, but I (shudder) voted for Barack Obama twice?

And that was just in November 2012. (I'm kidding!)

If anyone challenged my being there, I planned to mention my vote for Ronald Reagan in 1988. I thought about saying that while I didn't vote for either President Bush, I was fired twice by Richard Bush when I was editor of the Newton County News and once by his nephew Ralph Bush when I was editor of the Carthage Press, but I decided against it.

Thankfully, I never had to say anything. There were so many Jasper County Republicans squeezed into Memorial Hall, they had no problem with allowing one heathen to hang out.

I'm glad they did, not only because of the ice cream (and that was reason enough), but because I saw many old friends, people who like me and pray that someday I see the error of my ways.

Now for a few thoughts about the event:

1. Married to my wife

I won't mention the candidates who did this, but please can we stop saying, "I'm married to my wife."

Of course, you are. 

If I find out, you're married to someone else's wife, it's going to be in the Turner Report, buddy. Why not just say, I'm married to (fill in the name) and she thinks this might get me out of the house.

2. How dare you support Mitt Romney?

I had missed this, but apparently Sen. Eric Burlison of Battlefield, a candidate for 7th District Congress has been using former Sen. Jay Wasson's campaign contributions to Mitt Romney in 2012 in negative advertising.

Since when it is a crime for a Republican to donate to the party's candidate for president?

That's not me saying that- Jay Wasson made that point.

Apparently, when Wasson made his contribution, he should have known that 10 years later Romney would become a RINO.

3. The threats against Mark McCloskey

 

No wonder U. S. Senate candidate Mark McCloskey waved his gun at those protesters. McCloskey claimed that they "threatened to kill me, rape and murder my wife and kill my dog."

To be fair, he may have been talking about threats he has received afterward, but he was speaking too loudly, and his voice was somewhat distorted at times.

If the protesters were the ones that made those threats, action should have been taken.

You can't threaten a man's dog.

Thankfully, John Hacker took the photo that accompanies this post so I will have a memory of the night I met Mark McCloskey.

4. Banking on Donald Trump (or how stupid can Billy Long be)

Billy Long was a no-show Tuesday night.

For a congressman who represents this district to not attend an event that has such a rich tradition is candidate malpractice.

Vicky Hartzler was there.

Mark McCloskey was there.

Eric Greitens was RINO hunting elsewhere.

Billy Long's only hope of winning the primary was for Donald Trump to endorse him. That's not going to happen and even if it does, he is still not going to win.

His time as an elected official is nearing its end and a visit to Memorial Hall should have been a no-brainer.

After all, it is one of many places where Billy Long has never held a town hall.

War on Mexico

Shame on me.

I did not write down the name of the Seventh District candidate who suggested the U. S. declare war on Mexico to stop our problems on the border.

He bragged that he was the only candidate who would do that.

No one doubted it.

He's not going to win, and I don't want to give anyone any ideas.

Powerful endorsements

Eric Burlison boasted of being endorsed by Ben Baker and Jim Jordan.

Big deal.

That's like being endorsed by Moe and Larry but being rejected by Curly.

Final serious thoughts

The candidates for county positions spent their time detailing their qualifications. That was refreshing and much appreciated.

The most interesting race in this area, as far as I am concerned, is for state senate, where incumbent Bill White is being challenged by Jill Carter. Carter clearly had more support in Memorial Hall and her attacks on White's record have clearly rankled White.

Carter noted she was the only candidate endorsed by Missouri Right to Life, while White countered by pointing out he was the only candidate endorsed by the National Rifle Association.

This reminded me of the 1994 32nd District race when I covered a press conference at the Holiday Inn in Joplin where Missouri Right to Life and all three Joplin state representatives at the time, Gary Burton, Mark Elliott and Chuck Surface, endorsed former Rep. Roy Cagle, who was running against the incumbent Marvin Singleton.

Singleton defeated Cagle handily.

Cagle wasted the endorsements by sleepwalking his way through the campaign.

Jill Carter is not making that mistake. She hit the ground running and has never let up.

Four years before the Singleton-Cagle race, Singleton ran against Carthage attorney Jim Spradling for the seat that had been held for so long by the late Richard Webster. Spradling concentrated on Jasper County, the largest county, which he won handily, but Singleton outworked him and piled up votes in Newton, McDonald and Dade counties and received enough votes in Jasper County to beat Spradling by a narrow margin.

Bill White is not making Jim Spradling's mistake.

Jasper County may be his base, but he has been working the other counties in the district.

This is the race to watch.