My father was in the publishing and newspaper business all his life.

He knew that what he wrote and what news he decided would go in the newspaper had the potential to influence people's thoughts and attitudes.

He believed he had a moral duty to his subscribers and readers to explore every aspect of a story, especially a controversial story. He was a strong believer in fact checking.

I used to help him out with the fact checking. In those pre-internets days it was a lot harder to do it than it is now.

A story in today's SN-L demonstrates the need for fact-checking and a red pen.

The story, Billy Long outraises Scott Eckersley six- , attributed to SN-L staff, appeared in today's SN-L. Excerpted below, it appears the reporters made a rookie mistake and the editors didn't catch it:

In the race for 7th District, Republican Billy Long raised six times as much money as Democrat Scott Eckersely, according to reports filed in mid-October.

According to Open Secrets.org Long reported raising $1.3 million. Eckersley reported $201,897. Long has been campaigning about a year and a half, while the Eckersley campaign kicked off in March 2010.

The largest individual expenses listed by the Long campaign in September were to Axiom Strategies for $19,919; followed by $18,000 to Public Opinion Strategies for polling. Axiom got eight payments totalling $51,308. The J. Harris Company, LLC, a consulting firm received $12,494 for consulting and travel.

The largest individual expenses listed by the Eckersley campaign were a $15,005 and a $6,500 media buy, followed by $5,000 for Campaign Strategy Research Services, an Arlington, Va., firm.

OpenSecrets.org said the organization making the largest contribution to Long was Med-Pay, $17,000.

The largest organizational contributor to Eckersley was ActBlue, $10,650.00

Did you catch it?

Federal election campaign limits the amount an individual can donate per election cycle, usually $2400 to a candidate. The chart below is from the FEC website:
The article's reporters said, "OpenSecrets.org said the organization making the largest contribution to Long was Med-Pay, $17,000."

Read the chart above. Medpay's $17,000 contribution exceeds the contribution limit in any category.

Something ain't right here. Let's take the bus over to opensecrets.org and look up Long's top donor list. The chart below is a screen shot of the top half of the page which lists Long's top donors and the amounts given:
Just to be fair and balanced, here is a screen capture of the bottom half of the page which lists Eckersley's top donors (I could not get the entire page in one screen capture but you can see the entire page onOpensecrets.org.

Oh my.

Oh my, my, my.

Look at that disclaimer that is at the bottom of the screen capture of Eckersley's top donors.

Why, parts of it are even highlighted in bold print:

This table lists the top donors to this candidate in the 2009 - 2010 election cycle. The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.

Open Secrets even explains the statement:Writing on the SN-L boards as 'Busplunge', I left the following comments on this story:

"OpenSecrets.org said the organization making the largest contribution to Long was Med-Pay, $17,000."

Are there any fact checkers at the SN-L?

Contribution limit per election cycle is $2400.00 per election cycle.

How can Med-Pay legally contribute more than $17,000 then?

From the Opensecrets web page: "The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families."

ah, jeez

Jim Lee
10/30/2010 8:28:59 AM

and a short time later, this comment:

When a donation is made to a political candidate, there is usually a form to fill out listing the donors employer. A lot of employees at MedPay or lots of Gordon Kinney (sp) family members donated to Long.

www.opensecrets.org/races/contrib.php?cycle=2010&id=MO07

Also, Long told Steve Grant this about farm subsidies (Long wants to end them): "They're bringing milk in from out of the area. Our farmers here have to pay to have milk trucked in from other states. So there's a lot of things in the farm subsidies that have to be looked at."

The California Dairies Federal PAC gave Long a substantial donation.

Why is Long accepting money from the California Dairies PAC when he told Grant that "Our farmers here have to pay to have milk trucked in from other states"?

Haliburton, Arch Coal, Exxon, General Motors, Koch Bros, Beer Wholesalers, Great Southern Employees all donated to Long's campaign.

The FEC site: www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/HSProcessContributorList.do

Jim Lee
10/30/2010 8:46:03 AM

The "our farmers here are having to pay to have milk trucked in from out of state" can be found here: "There's been many a slip between the cup and the lips"-- Billy Long KY3 News.

The documentation for the contribution from the California Dairies Federal PAC can be found here: "The two sides of Billy Long: "They're bringing milk in from out of the area. Our farmers here have to pay to have milk truckedin from other states." Billy Long accepts California Dairies Federal PAC donation to Long campaign."

Other areas of this story that need explanation to the readers:

Who the Axiom Strategies principals are and their history and why did Long pay them so much money: "Decision awaited on libel suit against Billy Long advisor".

James Harris' connection to the fake Scott Eckersley 'withdrawing from the race' email: "Billy Long consultant James Harris pushes false rumor about Scott Eckersley"

"There's been many a slip between the cup and the lips.*" Billy Long and Missouri values

Anti Billy Long ad runs on KY3. KY3 explains why the ad is run:

The content of it will upset some people because of the use of the "n word" -- a word that is not usually used in broadcasts -- but KY3 and all other stations can’t prevent it from airing, and can’t censor or change it because of federal law.

“I have been asked by viewers as well as staff why we allow certain political ads to air. The truth is that television stations are required by federal law to provide reasonable access for ads for federal candidates. The law also says that, if the candidate appears in his or her own ad, then we cannot censor or edit it,” said KY3 General Manager Mike Scott.

The "n word" is not spoken in the commercial. It is shown on the screen as a part of the letter Case wrote to the Eckersley campaign.

In context, the statement Case attributes to Long: “We need to take back this country from the niggers and women running it… that’s the problem in D.C.”

In vino veritas.

*"There's been many a slip between the cup and the lips." Billy Long

More hyperbolic statements from auctioneer Billy Long: "I've yet to find anyone that's happy with 'Obamacare'. "

Long says 'the people' are furious from top to bottom on 'Obamacare' -- well, except him. Remember when he said this about 'Obamacare'? It's on the video below: "There are lots of things about the healthcare bill that are good"

Long sings a different song to Steve Grant during the KY3 interview:

The people are furious from top to bottom on Obamacare...I've not, I've have yet to find anyone that's happy with 'Obamacare'.

Well, apparently the auctioneer Billy Long didn't look very hard. Isn't that Billy saying in this video excerpt from the Joplin debate, isn't that Billy saying, more than once, that there are "Lots of things about the healthcare bill that are good"?

Yeah, I thought so.

On October 13, Cory deVera, reporter for the SN-L wrote an article based on an email distributed to her by the Long campaign spokesperson Jason Klindt:

Jason Klindt, spokesperson from Billy Long's campaign, distributed an e-mail Tuesday to the News-Leader regarding Eckersley's "criminal history," citing 11 "apparent" traffic violations, including three from Utah and two from Arizona.

Who is Jason Klindt? I recalled there was a legislator from up in northern Missouri named Klindt, was this the same guy?

No, it wasn't him, the legislator's name is David Klindt.

Maybe Jason is related to David? Nope. David Klindt has a wikipedia page on which he lists his children and grandchildren, no Jason Klindt listed there.

I knew I recognized that name from somewhere, but I couldn't place where from.

Jason Klindt, Jason Klindt.

And I knew I knew of him through some political connection. I just couldn't remember the connection.

Turns out I didn't have to. Bungalow Bill has a lengthy post about Jason Klindt and his affairs:

Jason Klindt

Remember Billy Long told the Springfield he was tired of negative campaigning? From October 3, 2010,"I deal from a positive prospective," he said. That's one thing about this political world I don't like: all the negative. I finally decided I just have to let it go like water off a duck's back."

For someone who claims to be sick of the negative in campaigning, Billy Long sure keeps some interesting company. Yesterday, we saw how deep the Long campaign is willing to dig to go negative, laying out a story of traffic tickets to Cory DeVera busy in the News-Leader, and delivering this attack propaganda was Jeff Roe operative Jason Klindt. Like I said, for Billy Long to claim he is sick of the negative in campaigning, he keeps some interesting company.

The Long campaign is about to go extremely negative. I have no doubt about it. This little traffic story was the warning shot, and Billy Long's handlers have quite the reputation for launching some very nasty campaigns, and Klindt is closely connected to what has been labeled as the Goon Squad. A group even detested by many in the GOP across the state of Missouri, most recently noted by Republican Brian Neives and his supporters. These Goons threaten unity within the ranks of Missouri's GOP.

Any Republican connected to the Goons mentions above deserve a level of scrutiny in their character and judgement. There seems to be a good reason Klindt was brought into the Long campaign. As you know Billy Long doesn't like to be asked questions in uncontrolled environments that may show Long's weakness on the issues. Klindnt has a history of being the attack dog against any moves the media may make against the candidate he serves and insulating the candidate from the media. Long has been successfully insulated from the local media since Klindt showed up on the scene. Consider the following description of Klindnt's work with Conrad Burns and apply it to what you know about Billy Long.

In addition to his role as one of a half-dozen or so folks charged with making sure an actual reporter doesn’t get anywhere near Conrad Burns, and maybe turning hot laps around Billings in his Mazda, Klindt will also have another title while he’s in the Treasure State: Tourist.

Consider how distant Long keeps from the media and how controlled the situation is when Long is in front of the media. It's obvious why Klindt was called into the Long campaign.

Dirty campaigning is part of Klindt's specialty and he is one of the reasons people around Sam Graves came to be known as the Good Squad.

"They're evil," says Clay County Assessor Cathy Rinehart, who challenged Graves in 2002. "Their tactics are evil."

These tactics are well known with both republicans and democrats across the state of Missouri. A well reported story about Klidnt's role in the Goon Squad told across multiple Web sites, includes intimidation of many by shoving cameras in their faces. It's funny how Billy Long doesn't like these tactics used against him, but he hires people well familiar with the tactic.

In 2004, when Klindt was Graves’ deputy press secretary in his race for the 6th District house seat in Missouri, Graves took part in what could only be described as the Intimidation of a Missouri Senior Citizen. As he walked to his car, 66-year-old Charlie Bloomfield – Graves’ opponent in the race – was approached by a man hiding his face with a camera. The man, who refused to give his name, got in Bloomfield’s face with the camera while yelling at him and snapping pictures, then jumped in a waiting car and sped away. Bloomfield jotted down the plate number for the car, a Mazda sedan owned by none other than Jason Klindt. Half an hour later, Bloomfield filed a report with the Gladstone, MO police. “I think it was fairly close to assault, if not actually assault,” he said at the time.

And as it turns out, this wasn’t exactly an isolated incident.

"Their tactics are the worst I've ever seen, and I've been in politics fifty years," says former Kansas City Councilwoman Teresa Loar, who opposed Graves in a Republican primary in 2000. "It's truly incredible what they get away with."

So, as Billy Long's Minister of Attack propagranda launches the first negative attacks against Scott Eckersley, after Long claimed he was sick of the negative in politics, it's interesting who Long has befriended in his quest for Congressional power. Long picked the most negative campaign team he could, which shows as much hypocrisy on Long's part as about everything else he has claimed to be.

If you think your food prices are high now....

I will support the elimination or reduction of obsolete agricultural subsidies. Our food supply is important and should be able to operate in a free market without the distortions of government’s politically motivated subsidies.
Billy Long, CAGW Survey, June 17, 2010.

And he also thinks you only need to get mail three days a week.

Billy's new BFF doesn't answer questions either

This is important because Think Progress is reporting the Chamber of Commerce (which endorsed Roy Blunt) is using foreign money to buy political ads.

1) The Chamber acknowledges that it receives foreign sources of funding.
2) The foreign funds go directly into the Chamber’s general 501(c)(6) entity.
3) At least $300,000 has been channeled from foreign companies in India and Bahrain to the account.
4) The foreign sources include foreign state-owned companies, including the State Bank of India and the Bahrain Petroleum Company.
5) The Chamber’s 501(c)(6) entity is used to launch an unprecedented $75 million partisan attack ad campaign against Democrats.

This is scary stuff. Read more here.

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