Talent lowers expectations for Romney

Former U. S. Sen. Jim Talent, R-Missouri, just attempted to lower the bar for his candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney during an interview on MSNBC.
Talent said the Romney camp will be satisfied with "a competitive result.
"That's all we ever really wanted for Iowa."

No matter what happens during today's caucuses, Talent said, "I don't think this ends it tonight either way. This will go to New Hampshire and Michigan."

Former Hollinger CEO named Canada Newsmaker of the Year

Former Hollinger International CEO Conrad Black, recently sentenced on fraud charges, has been named Canada's Newsmaker of the Year by the Canadian Press:

Black's downfall fascinated Canadians, generating impassioned expressions of both support and condemnation as he faced the trial of his lifetime and lost, leaving the 63-year-old British peer to grapple with the daunting prospect of years in prison.

Even with his foot in the jailhouse door, Black vows with characteristic defiance that victory in the case that "began spectacularly and is evolving unusually" is still within his grasp.

"It is no secret that we expect to win the appeal," Black wrote in an e-mail to The Canadian Press.

At one time, Hollinger owned The Carthage Press and Neosho Daily News, as well as several other Missouri newspapers.

Loopholes coming fast and furious for new Congressional lobbying regulations

The new lobbying regulations, designed to bring ethical standards to Congress, are already leaking like a sieve and they have only been in effect for three days.
An article in today's New York Times explores the way lobbyists and special interests are simply tweaking their game so it can business as usual:

One much-ballyhooed provision in the new law is being delayed indefinitely. Carrying out the requirement, that lawmakers disclose the names of lobbyists who “bundle,” or gather campaign contributions, is being held up by a deadlock in the Senate over nominees to the Federal Election Commission.

Four of the election commission’s six seats are vacant, leaving it unable to take any action like issuing new rules on how bundled contributions are to be disclosed or giving formal legal advice to presidential campaigns.

Good-government advocates say this highlights a point that they have harped on for years: strict regulations are useless without strict enforcement.

“Just like the campaign finance rules, the ethics laws mean little unless they are effectively enforced,” said Don Simon, a Washington election lawyer who is counsel to the group Democracy 21. “And just as with the campaign finance laws where there has been a longstanding problem with lack of enforcement, so too, with the ethics rules.”

Huckabee wows Tonight Show audience

Much of the talk on the cable news stations revolved around former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee's decision to leave Iowa for a few hours to appear on Jay Leno's program.

While it remains to be seen what effect, if any, his appearance will have on his performance in the Iowa caucuses, it seems Huckabee's performance is likely to have a positive effect on his candidacy in other states.

The first time an Arkansas governor from Hope appeared on a late night talk show, it put Bill Clinton put on the map as he entertained Arsenio Hall's audience in 1992 by playing the saxophone with the band and exchanging small talk and a few witty comments with the host.

Huckabee, also from Hope, followed much the same pattern tonight, playing bass guitar with the band, and coming up with more one-liners than Leno.

The pundits are saying Huckabee doesn't have the money or the staying power to remain in the race for the Republican nomination. Huckabee may not be the eventual nominee, but it appears he is in this race for the long haul.

Two new links added

Two new links have been added in the links area on the right hand side of this page.

Newsprint in My Blood, is the brainchild of Missouri Southern State University Publications Manager T. R. Hanrahan, while Corner of the Sky is a politically-oriented blog from southwest Missouri.

Please feel free to leave any other suggestions for links.

Neosho Daily addresses Cope's departure

The resignation of Randy Cope from his position as co-president and co-chief operating officer of GateHouse Media was finally addressed in today's Neosho Daily News. Cope, of course, was a longtime publisher of the Daily and his family, on the Cope and Bush sides, had been involved with the Daily for the past 55 years.
The Daily waited until the effective date of his resignation, which was today. The information became public one week ago when GateHouse Media filed the news of Cope's resignation with the Securities and Exchange Commission:

“Randy’s service to this newspaper was vital to its success,” (Daily Publisher Rick) Rogers said. “Even though the Cope and Bush families will no longer be directly involved in the newspaper, they will always have a place in our family. This newspaper would not be where it is today without the leadership provided by Howard Bush, Ken and Anne Cope, and Randy Cope. It is now our goal, as the current staff of the Neosho Daily News, to continue the tradition of publishing a strong daily newspaper with important local news content, with a value to our advertisers, and as a source of information to our readers.”

Cancer claims KODE/KSNF news director

Larry Young, who has been the news director of KODE and KSNF since 1999, died this morning of cancer. A moving tribute to Young just aired on KODE, and I assume also aired on KSNF.
Mr. Young, 63, had worked at all three local television stations, having come to this area in 1984 to serve as news director at KOAM. He moved to KODE three years later and became news director at KODE and KSNF, when the dual arrangement between the stations began eight years ago.
Mr. Young is survived by a wife and two daughters.

Talent rips into Huckabee during 'Hardball" appearance

Claiming his candidate's campaign has not been negative, but simply pointing out the truth, former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent, the domestic policy chairman for the Mitt Romney campaign, just told the audience for MSNBC's Hardball, the campaign has been simply telling the truth about former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
"It's not an attack," Talent said, but an assessment of Huckabee's record in Arkansas. "He raised taxes half a million dollars and paroled 12 murderers. If we don't raise his record now, the Democrats are going to raise it in the fall."
The danger of Huckabee receiving the Republican nomination, Talent said on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, is "He's liberal from start to finish." With Huckabee, Talent added, the Democrats would be running to the right of him on several issues, including crime and immigration.
Hardball host Chris Matthews and Tim Hutchinson, representing the Huckabee camp, appeared to fluster Talent by cornering him on Romney's inconsistency on several issues, including gay rights, gun rights, and abortion.
"Mitt Romney has been consistent on the issues," Talent said.

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Check with The Turner Report tonight for continuing information and commentary about the Iowa caucuses.
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The Turner Report book can be purchased from Amazon.com.

Rod Smith to be inducted into Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith, a standout for the Missouri Southern State College football team in the 1990s, has been selected as one of 15 who will enter the Hall on Feb. 10 in Springfield.

Tropical heatwave for Jetton, Gibbons, Shields

Scantily clad dancers swaying to the beat of Latin music, bartenders who pose in bikinis for the company calendar, and the food's not bad either.
Mango's Tropical Cafe is a top tourist attraction in Miami Beach, and thanks to Monsanto lobbyist Frank Plescia, Speaker of the House Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill, Senate President Pro Tem (and attorney general candidate) Mike Gibbons, R-Kirkwood, and Sen. Charlie Shields, R-Kansas City, majority floor leader, had the pleasure of experiencing the ambience of Mango's first hand on Nov. 18.
Among the highlights of visiting Mango's, according to the restaurant's website, is bartender Nelly from Nicaragua (pictured), Mango's Star of the Month. "I love the music, enjoy dancing and meeting people from all over," Nelly says on her Star of the Month video. The dancing does come into play at Mango's since, in addition to the floor show, Nelly and other bartenders provide entertainment by actually dancing on the bar.
Documents posted today on the Missouri Ethics Commission website indicate Plescia treated each legislator to a Mango's meal worth $62.06.
It was not the only meal lobbyists bought for Jetton, Gibbons, and Shields Nov. 18 and 19 as the three attended the 11th annual leadership training program "for emerging state legislative leaders and experienced state government relations professionals (lobbyists) put on by the State Government Affairs Council (SGAC) at the Ritz Carlton. SGAC is essentially a group consisting of lobbyists (or the euphemistic "government relations" personnel). The Mango Cafe junket appears to be the only outing, however, which did not include Cassie Jetton, Brenda Shields, and Liz Gibbons.
Ethics Commission documents show that Plescia, who serves on the SGAC Board of Directors, also covered lunch for Jetton, Gibbons, Shields, and their wives on the same day, spending $40.62 on each of them, as they dined at Finnegan's Way.
Jetton apparently did not get enough lunch at Finnegan's Way, and also received a $49 lunch from Plescia the same day.
Lobbyist Sherry Doctorian, representing the law firm of Armstrong Teasdale, was not as specific with her disclosure report, but she also chipped in with $48.26 apiece for "meals, food, and beverage" for the legislators and their wives on Nov. 18 and paid $39.15 for meals for each of them on Nov. 19.
On the same day, she also paid $80.73 each for "meals, food, and beverage" for Rod and Cassie Jetton, according to the disclosure form.
Also keeping the elected officials and their spouses from going hungry was one of their old colleagues, former Rep. Carl Bearden, whose client AT&T footed the bill for $55.07 meals for all of them Nov. 19.

Bearden also paid $12 apiece in travel costs for Mr. and Mrs. Gibbons and Mr. and Mrs. Jetton on Nov. 17 and $11.25 for travel for the Jettons and Liz Gibbons on Nov. 20. The travel expenses were paid by Bearden representing himself, according to the Ethics Commission documents.