The following is a statement by Doug Russell, Chairman of the Missouri Republican Party, in response to Senator McCain’s selection of Governor Sarah Palin as a running mate and vice presidential nominee.

Jefferson City - “Sarah Palin is a strong conservative and the Missouri Republican Party is proud to have her as the vice presidential nominee for the Republican Party. Throughout her career she has proven herself to be a true reformer, and a tough executive, someone who has a record of delivering on change and reform. Missouri voters can take comfort in knowing that she understands the problems facing the country and will do all that she can to protect our values and keep America safe and strong.”

Jefferson City - Four years ago in the critical weeks before the general election, John Kerry withdrew all Democratic paid staffers from Missouri and moved them to Colorado. This year Barack Obama promised things would be different but as is so often the case – his rhetoric rings hollow.

“Based on the Missouri Democrat Delegation being seated in the nose-bleed section at the Democrat National Convention it does not appear as if anything has changed – Missouri is not a priority for Democrats,” said Tina Hervey, communications director Missouri Republican Party. “Obama’s elitist attitude toward Middle America and his disregard for Missouri was reinforced when he decided to use a Missouri family as a prop during his wife’s convention speech only to forget where he was. First he was in Kansas City, then St. Louis, then back to Kansas City. Obama continues to prove that he is nothing more than glitz and glamour, basking in the light of his own celebrity and hoping that no one looks at the facts of his record.”

Other indicia of the lack of commitment to Missouri included network televisions’ coverage of Claire McCaskill’s remarks. Many networks didn’t cover her entire address but rather had commentators speaking and asking who she was. If the Democrats cared about Missouri, they would have briefed the media on the importance of her remarks.

John McCain is a common sense conservative who believes in winning the war on terror, growing our economy and protecting the traditional values Missourians hold dear. He understands the importance of Missouri as evidenced by the rally he is holding here the day before the Republican National Convention.

Jefferson City - A recent survey by the New York Times of the delegates to the Democrat National Convention found the delegates to be more liberal than most American voters including other Democrats.

“Tonight Claire McCaskill will address the very liberal delegates of the Democrat National Convention.  She will no doubt fail at achieving the impossible - convincing Missourians and Americans that the Obama/Biden ticket understands their needs and the challenges our country faces,” said Tina Hervey, communications director, Missouri Republican Party.  “It is no wonder Claire asserted that
the low performance of the vacationing Democrat-controlled Congress ‘it is not as bad as it seems’ – she’s more worried about taking her kids to see Kanye West¹ than addressing issues that impact Americans’ lives.  Claire and Kanye have a great deal in common.  Kanye claimed that George Bush doesn’t care about black people and Claire thinks George Bush let people die on rooftops in New Orleans because they were poor and because they were black.  Disappointing, ridiculous and hurtful rhetoric that divides rather than brings people together”

Senator McCain’s vision for our country including lower taxes and a strong national defense are in stark contrast to the tax-and-spend liberalism of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Missourians are confident that John McCain is the best person to secure the future prosperity and security of both our country and our state.

¹ August 24, 2008 St. Louis Post Dispatch

Jefferson City - In the days leading up to the election many articles will be written about Jay Nixon and his lack of vision for the future. Below is a helpful reminder for everyone of the top eight most common phrases used to describe Jay Nixon.

1. “Opportunistic swashbuckler”: Nixon’s an opportunistic swashbuckler, they say, who goes beyond the authority of his office to grab headlines and the political dividends that come with them. (P-D, July 2, 1995)
2. “Disembowel his grandmother”: “I know several prominent state Democrats who believe their party colleague, Jay Nixon, is evil. They think that the attorney general would disembowel his grandmother for a headline, that he’s a publicity-seeking opportunist who doesn’t mind destroying a reputation in his quest for personal political gain.” (Henry Waters, CDT, July 2, 1995)
3. “Ceaseless glory-hound parade”: Nixon careened across the state in a ceaseless glory-hound parade without precedent in Missouri’s political life. . . . [Nixon] has appeared more interested in seeking headlines than in using his bully pulpit for genuine consciousness-raising about the dangers of organized gambling in Missouri. (KC Star editorial, October 23, 1996)
4. “Opportunism”: . . . opportunity is Jay Nixon’s middle name. (Or maybe it should be Opportunism.) There is no one quicker to jump up with a press release or press conference if it means a chance to claim the spotlight. (Laura Scott, KC Star, July 9, 1998)
5. “Spasms of self-aggrandizement”: Wolff also had the handicap in that contest that he insisted on discussing issues that were relevant and important, impediments that never seemed to impede Nixon’s spasms of self-aggrandizement. (Rich Hood, KC Star, August 16, 1998)
6. “Publicity shark”: In 2000, the SNL endorsed Nixon over Jones but deemed him a “publicity shark.” (SNL editorial, October 26, 2000)
7. “Grandstanding antics”: Nixon has been Missouri’s attorney general since 1993, but it seems so much longer because of his relentless highly public self-promotion campaign. (KC Star editorial, November 5, 2000)
8. “A 10-year old boy kicking a trash can down a cobblestone street just to create a commotion”: Nixon reminds me of a 10-year-old boy kicking a trash can down a cobblestone street just to create a commotion. . . . He can sprint to a microphone faster than Maurice Greene, and if a television camera is within the postal ZIP code, Nixon almost always manages to land directly in front of the camera’s lens. (Hood, KC Star, December 24, 2000)

Jefferson City - The Missouri Foundation for Health, which was established and is overseen by Jay Nixon for the purpose of helping uninsured Missourians has announced another round of grants to radical pro-abortion interest groups Planned Parenthood and NARAL. The latest grants, which includes $193,200 for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and $92,966 for NARAL’s Pro-Choice Missouri Foundation, puts the Missouri Foundation for Health’s aggregate grant tally to pro-abortion groups at nearly $775,000 since 2003.

“In the coming months, I hope Nixon explains to the people of Missouri how doling out a quarter of a million dollars in grants to NARAL and Planned Parenthood benefits the uninsured,” said Tina Hervey, communications director, Missouri Republican Party. “From what the Missouri Republican Party can see, Nixon’s plan to help the uninsured includes three steps: 1. Work three years to develop a health care plan with a $265 million dollar mathematical error; 2. Increase taxes to return us to an old failed system that was bankrupting the state and 3. Reward pro-abortion interest groups instead of providing funding to families in need. If Jay Nixon is truly serious about helping uninsured Missourians, he should condemn his foundation’s decision to award these grants to pro-abortion interest groups and promise Missourians that it won’t happen again.”

Since 2003, the Nixon-controlled Missouri Foundation for Health has diverted millions of dollars in grants to liberal think tanks, Democrat front groups and pro-abortion groups. Nixon created and oversees the foundation via appointment powers, and he has received campaign donations from appointees, board members and foundation staff. Recent Republican scrutiny of the foundation’s grants and Nixon’s oversight has stirred cause for concern with the foundation’s top executive, who has sought independence from Nixon’s control and repeatedly aired his concerns to a top Nixon deputy in e-mails last year.

Link to foundation executive communications with Nixon deputy: http://missouripulse.com/production/Portals/0/07-11%20Nov/Kimmey_emails.pdf