Talent to McCaskill: "Are you a natural blonde?"

The third senate debate 'twixt our boy, Jim and Clare McCaskill was televised last night. It took place down here in Springfield. I missed the 1st 15 minutes of it since due to a ridiculous amount of rain all day yesterday we had to take the long way home from the dance studio because our regular route was flooded. This always adds about 15 minutes to the drive time.
I fired up the tv as soon as we got home and listened and sometimes watched while I cobbled up a late din-din for the younguns.

Nothing real spectacular to report. Clare came off like a librarian, annoyed at Talent like he was a noisy little boy in her reading room. Poor Jim, dude, I like ya- but steer clear of mean...mean don't look good on ya. And trying to mask it with some little passive/agressive humor don't help. This could have been a real moment to shine and mop the floor with this hag, but instead you faltered. Bummer. We know you can do better than that, Jim. We've seen it.

Halfway through they allowed the candidates to ask one question to each other. (it was at that point I barked out that question which is the headline to this post...I couldn't help myself...I'm a smartass.) Jim asked Clare about her tax returns and whether she would allow ALL of them to be made public.
Some of her financial records are suspect....as are those of her immediate family. There were insinuations of tax shelters, off shore holdings and other 'creative' and out and out illegal money wrangling on her part. She of course denied it all and had somewhat plausible, although confusing, explanations for her actions.

The panel was stacked in her favor I feel, one guy from the local paper which kinda shakes to the left, a rep from the local PBS station and a reporter from the tv station hosting the event. The questions submitted by the viewers were handpicked to make Clare look good, but represented the concerns of us hillbillies-namely illegals and national security.
Stem cell research got a mention as did the big tobbacco tax amendment on the ballot. Clare railed Jim about not being in favor of the cig tax or the minimum wage issue which Jim wisely said it really didn't matter...these were issues the voters should decide and he would go along with what the people decided. It wasn't up to him.
That's a very broad paraphase, but that was the gist of it.

The debate was only an hour long but afterwards I really didn't feel there was any clear winner. Both were so in attack mode it was hard to filter any answers. It didn't get shouty in-your-face ugly, but I was really hoping for some real clear debate of the issues. Instead it became a He said/She said deal, both on the defensive.
Dang.

(photo credit to KYTV, who managed to use the one pic that makes Talent look like Al Franken.)


In a related story:
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- "The Missouri Supreme Court struck down a new law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls. The decision upholds a lower court judge, who ruled last month that the ID requirement is an unconstitutional infringement on the right to vote... the ID requirement would harm poor, elderly and disabled people, who may be less likely to have driver's licenses."

The only bright spot in all this is that voters WILL have to show i.d. in this upcoming state election...but afterthat...anything goes! Gee, just in time for the one that really matters: The Presidential election. Thanks alot, morons.

Ok, so by extraplolation I hereby declare that I will no longer have to show my i.d. when writing a check, buying a 6 pack, or getting a carton of Luckys. I got the state Supreme Court on my side on this. It may take some convincing if I ever get stopped by the local law authorities, but hey, it's worth a shot.

WTH kinda madness is this??? Anyone with half a brain KNOWS this isn't a hardship on the poor. Every friggin' state in this country issues photo i.d. cards besides driver's licenses...and the state i.d.'s are CHEAPER than the driver's licenses! In this state the difference is by nearly 5 bucks or more, if I recall.
The article stated that cases of voter fraud are rare.

Clearly, they've never been to St. Louis.