Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Patch is speaking with the former U.S. Ambassador-turned-U.S. Representative-Elect Thursday afternoon.
In a few weeks, Ann Wagner will be sworn in as the next U.S. Representative for Missouri's 2nd district, following her November victory over Democrat Glenn Koenen. Before she goes to Washington, D.C., she's sitting down with Patch Thursday afternoon. We have a good idea of where to start with questions, but we'd like your input. What would you like to know about what she's been doing since election day, or what her plans are once she's seated? What does she think about the looming "Fiscal Cliff" and other matters. Give us your questions in the comment section and we'll try to get them answered.
Monday, August 6, 2012
The high-stakes battle between incumbent members of Congress will come to an end Tuesday. Our 'Blue Arch' Panelists also weigh in on implications for other Democrats.
When a panel of influential Democrats were asked who would win Tuesday's primary election pitting U.S. Rep. William 'Lacy' Clay and U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, a majority picked Clay to represent the party in the redrawn First Congressional District come November. More than 50 influential Democrats were asked using an automated survey tool what they thought about a variety of questions tied to the Clay-Carnahan race among other topics. Twenty-nine responses were collected with fifty-eight point six (58.6) percent favoring Clay, 34.5 percent backing Carnahan, and 6.9% percent having no opinion. No respondents chose Candice Britton, who is also running in the primary. The survey also asked if the result of the Clay-Carnahan primary will have …
Thursday, July 12, 2012
A bill has been introduced in the United States Senate that would raise the federal minimum wage to $9.88 an hour. Good or bad idea?
A U.S. Senator from Iowa had introduced legislation in Congress that would raise the national minimum wage by more than $2. Now, the national minimum wage stands at $7.25 an hour. U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, a Democrat, wants that minimum wage workers making $9.88 an hour. NPR reports that, according to the Economic Policy Institute, if Harkin has his way and the minimum wage was actually raised to $9.88 an hour, it would increase wages for 30 million Americans — 10 percent of the country. Harkin, in the NPR report, argues that most people making the minimum wage spend just about all their money because they don't have much left. Giving them a raise, he says, woudl mean more for the nation's gross domestic product. From the report: Harkin …
Friday, April 27, 2012
Represenative Russ Carnahan gets a notable endorsement in his bid against Representative Lacy Clay.
Reps. Russ Carnahan and Lacy Clay each snagged labor endorsements in their bids to stay in Congress. The two St. Louis City Democrats are both running in the 1st Congressional District, an area that encompasses all of St. Louis City and portions of north St. Louis County. It’s a race that’s expected to be quite heated, as evidenced by the barbs traded between the two on the first day of filing. A few weeks ago Clay received an endorsement from the Missouri branch of the AFL-CIO, one of the largest labor unions in the state. This week, Carnahan nabbed endorsements from firefighters unions that encompass St. Louis City and St. Louis County. It’s not that surprising because the St. Louis City union commended Carnahan for his work retrieving …
Thursday, April 26, 2012
U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt each won passage of amendments to slow the down the process of closing post office branches.
Patch recently reported on efforts by Missouri's U.S. senators aimed at forestalling closures at rural post offices. This week, versions of both amendments made it onto a broader bill aimed at restructuring the United States Postal Service. That broader piece of legislation passed Wednesday by a 62-37 margin, and puts off the potential for ending Saturday delivery for another two years. The bill now goes back to the U.S. House. Sen. Claire McCaskill's (D-MO) amendment, modified from the original version, would essentially place a yearlong moratorium on closing rural post offices, unless there is not “significant opposition” from a particular community. Once that moratorium expires, the USPS will have to follow a specific criterion before …
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Randy Jotte says the nation must "get off the merry-go-round" to solve problems.
Randy Jotte, an emergency room doctor at Barnes Jewish Hospital, has officially announced plans to run for the Republican nomination in the race for the second congressional district. Jotte, who is also an associate professor of Emergency Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, made the announcement during a news conference this morning at the St. Louis Carousel at Faust Park, in Chesterfield. "The Washington, D.C. politicians are taking us around and around, going nowhere," Jotte said, and gesturing toward the historic carousel behind him. "Our country is suffering. We're ready to stop the merry-go-round," he said. The Webster Groves native is joining former RNC Co-Chair Ann Wagner and Attorney Ed Martin in the race for the …
Thursday, December 1, 2011
This week is also about movement as Ed Martin thinks about his next move and new state legislative maps cause some chaos.
With the Republican nomination for governor all shook up, so to speak, there’s increased speculation that Ed Martin might bolt from the 2nd Congressional District race. Martin didn’t help pare down curosity when he went on KMOX to say that he would consider switching races once again during the election cycle. Martin already bowed out of the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate after U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Wildwood) decided to run for the nation's greatest deliberative body. Beyond having to answer for his propensity to switch races midstream, Martin may have to deal with yet another well-funded opponent in Dave Spence. The Frontenac businessman gave himself $2 million for his gubernatorial bid. He also has the backing of Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder…
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Ed Martin and Ann Wagner traded light jabs on endorsements and disagreement over immigration policy in the first debate between candidates for Missouri's new second district U.S. House seat.
Ten months before next August's primary, voters had their first chance over the weekend to see the two candidates vying for the Republican nomination to represent Missouri's newly redrawn second congressional district in Congress stand side by side and debate the issues. Ed Martin and Ann Wagner, who were both in the audience on the May day in Creve Coeur when Todd Akin announced he would run for the Senate instead of another term in the House, were back together for the debate at the Drury Plaza in Chesterfield Saturday afternoon. Click here to read our live blog from the debate While there were opportunities to see some differences both candidates directed most of their fire at President Obama and Congress. The hour-long session gave …
Monday, June 6, 2011
U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis City, was one of 97 lawmakers to vote to raise the debt ceiling.
U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay told reporters Monday that Congress should not be “playing political games” with the debt ceiling, adding that lawmakers should look at cutting a variety of programs. Republicans in the U.S. House are seeking to forestall increasing the debt ceiling until there is an agreement on spending cuts. Earlier this month, the House voted against raising the debt ceiling – a move seen as showcasing that an increase won’t happen without cuts in spending. Clay—a St. Louis City Democrat who represents portions of Maryland Heights in Congress—was one of 97 Democrats who voted for increasing the debt limit. He said such a move was needed to ward off an economic catastrophe. “After the House Democratic Caucus met with the president …
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Who will win the 2nd Congressional District seat?
Forget trying to compare politics in the St. Louis region to musical chairs. A more fitting analogy is comparing the political shuffle currently underway to completing a jigsaw puzzle in the dark and with a missing piece. In a previous column, I outlined a speculative theory making the rounds, which I called “The Long Con.” It also happens to be the title of the 38th episode of the TV show Lost. I still find this to be the most intriguing theory. The announcement on Tuesday by Rep. Todd Akin, a Republican, that he is officially entering the 2012 race for Senate to try and replace Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, is a key development in the political plot. For those of you just joining, a lot was riding on the decision by Akin. In …
Mike Fogarty
1:23 pm on Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Ann, not everyone in your district wants Missouri to be a "Right to Work" state. Evidence shows that this merely destroys middle class wages in a "race to the bottom. more ›