Politics

I again asked students in my American Political Parties class at Columbia College if President Obama’s acceptance speech was a success and if it changed their minds about him.  Of the six who sought the bonus points, four went in supporting Obama and none changed their minds.  Most comments were about the emotional power of the speech and how good a public speaker he is.  The criticisms were of the lack of specifics.  One was very positive despite her feeling that he had made little progress on his promises from four years ago.

Lawmakers are returning to Jefferson City for their annual veto session, which begins Wednesday at noon.

House and Senate leaders will attempt to override Governor Jay Nixon’s (D) veto of a bill that levies local sales taxes on out-of-state vehicle purchases.  The issue has heated up, as Nixon’s supporters are running radio ads urging Missouri citizens to call their lawmakers and tell them not to override the Governor’s veto.

Nixon calls the bill a retroactive tax hike on anyone who’s bought a vehicle outside of Missouri this year, while GOP leaders say it will provide much-needed revenue to local police and fire departments and encourage car and boat buyers to shop in Missouri.  Speaker Pro-tem Shane Schoeller (R, Willard) admits the chances of overriding the veto of the vehicle sales tax bill are slim.

9/11 Finger Pointing: Could It Have Been Stopped?

Will be updated.

The Missouri Farm Bureau political action committee announced that it's sticking by its endorsement of Congressman Todd Akin as he faces incumbent Claire McCaskill in the race for US Senate.

In a release to the media, FARM-PAC, made up of trustees from the farm bureaus in every Missouri county, say that they again "overwhelmingly" voted to support Akin.

An interim committee examining Missouri’s response to natural disasters is holding its final meeting in Jefferson City today.