Bad News For GOP: Missouri Sen. Kit Bond Announces Retirement
The Republicans now have an open seat that they'll have to work very hard to retain: Four-term Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri has announced that he isn't running again.
Expect a tight race for this one. John McCain carried the state in a squeaker, but the Dems took over the governorship in a landslide and also hold a lot of other major offices. The Republicans have a deep bench, too, with majorities in the state legislature and in the House delegation.
At first glance, an obvious potential Democratic candidate might be Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, the daughter of the late Gov. Mel Carnahan and former Sen. Jean Carnahan. On the GOP side, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder would be an obvious choice as the only Republican other than John McCain to win statewide in 2008. But again, both parties could have plenty of candidates to pick from.
Late Update: Missouri Dems already appear to be coronating Robin Carnahan, though her actual candidacy isn't official yet.
Whooooa! Nice! ...Could I have a job back here in MO in 2010? It's possible. Especially if Carnahan runs. She'd be a great candidate, as far as I know.
January 8, 2009 11:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Again with the nepotism. Frustrating
January 8, 2009 11:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Um... If Robin Carnahan is ELECTED by the people, then it's...not technically nepotism. Now, if Mel was still alive and appointed her to fill a seat, then yeah, I'd agree.
January 8, 2009 11:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Um...technicality aside, the point is valid.
We frequently elect people because of name recognition rather than doing our homework to find the candidate with demonstrated judgment, skills and merit beyond such things as family connections. In other words, we're lazy voters, and I can't overstate how bad for our country (and our Party) such laziness is.
P.S. Track down the documentary, "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?" Robin Carnahan's brother plays a prominent role and illustrates my point nicely.
January 8, 2009 2:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know, I like that documentary, and I even agree that Jeff Smith would have been a better congressman than Russ Caranahan. On the other hand, Russ has not been a bad congressman, by any stretch of the imagination. He voted against FISA renewal, for instance. He came out early for Obama. He voted numerous times to trim Bush's war budgets. He is not perfect, but few elected officials are. Meanwhile, neither is Robin Carnahan perfect, but in my opinion she has been pretty good. She is not just a legacy candidate (à la GWB), and I think it is a bit of unfair of you to make out as if the mere fact that her dad was also successful in Missouri should somehow disqualify her from consideration.
January 8, 2009 2:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not saying or implying that family connections should disqualify her. I'm just saying that such connections shouldn't give her an unfair advantage over her competitors in the media or in the minds of the voters.
January 8, 2009 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fair enough. Not to change the subject, but who exactly do you have in mind when you speak of "her competitors"? I tried to raise this subject a few months ago, but got no response.
January 8, 2009 3:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
In New York some people are upset that legacy Caroline Kennedy is interested in replacing Hillary Clinton (also a legacy) but seem to prefer Andrew Cuomo who is the son of a former Governor and favorite son, Mario.
My only rule in no more Bush's, ever. Ban them.
January 8, 2009 11:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ms Carnahan is serving as Missouri Secretary of State with her first win in 2004 by five points and her current win in 2008 was by 26.2 points. She is very popular in the state and would be a very good Democratic candidate for this Senate seat.
January 8, 2009 11:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. Especially if Blunt throws his hat into the ring. Blunt is, unfortunately, very popular here in MO. If that happens, the Democrats need to front a very strong candidate. Carnahan would be the first that comes to mind in my opinion.
January 8, 2009 12:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree that Carnahan would be a good candidate. My only concern (and I do not know how big a concern this is) is that, as far as I know, she is still undergoing chemo for breast cancer. Running the Sec of State's office on chemo is one thing; running for U.S. Senate is another. Is she physically up to the challenge?
January 8, 2009 1:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good point. Of course, we've got a while to go before the actual election. Hopefully things will go well for her and she will be up to the challenge.
January 8, 2009 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
The GOP cannot afford to spread resources to MO. Any dreams of preventing a 3/5th majority of Dems in the Senate in 2010 have flown out the window.
It gives the PE a lot of elbow room to plan for "later on" after the GOP is sent packing.
On raw electoral terms, the GOP is in serious trouble. When prosecutions commence (and I believe they will; the GOP panic attack over Holder -- who they cannot stop -- tips a hand), they are going to have to change the name of the party.
Can we get a lil' governance with that?
Pax,
M.
January 8, 2009 12:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Any dreams of preventing a 3/5th majority of Dems in the Senate in 2010 have flown out the window."
Not yet they haven't. We have to see where the economy goes, the wars, health care, and general satisfaction. If little improves, no matter how grand Obama's attempts, the Dems could loose big. We have to deliver.
January 8, 2009 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good. I hope the Dems take this seat. We can "trade" for Harry Reid. I hope the fool loses in 2010, and I frankly don't care whether it's to a Republican.
BTW, what ever happened to that quaint "tradition" of electing House & Senate leadership at the beginning of each new Congress? Was Harry the Wimp re-elected, cause I never heard about it. He just seemed to step up to the microphone and no one objected.
January 8, 2009 12:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hooray. First Blunt retired, now Bond. I could not be more pleased.
January 8, 2009 1:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. Especially if Blunt throws his hat into the ring. Blunt is, unfortunately, very popular here in MO.
WHICH Blunt? Certainly you're not referring to MATT Blunt, right? The same one-term loser governor who decided, with his 35% approval ratings, didn't have a prayer to win a second term, and dropped out?
Matt Blunt is as dead as George W. Bush, politically speaking.
If you mean Roy Blunt, JR, even HE isn't 'very popular' anywhere in MO except the 7th District, the Land of Jesus Camp and Branson. I heard a rumor months ago that Bond would retire right about now, and that Matt would appoint his father to the rest of Bond's term. At least half of this rumor has come true today--Bond IS retiring. If any more shenanigans are forthcoming, we will very, very soon find out.
Any mention of Robin Carnahan and nepotism is extremely ill-informed. The Carnahan family has served this state ADMIRABLY--especially Mel, when he was governor during the entirety of the Clinton administration. Moderate, intelligent, hardworking, etc. The worst I can say about them is that Jean voted for every Bush initiative that came across her desk--the Iraq Invasion, two Bush tax cuts for the rich--in an unsuccessful effort to appease the conservative base in MO. Jim Talent defeated her in the midst of the Iraq-Invasion Fever that swept this country in the fall of 2002, for the remainder of Mel's term.
Any other state should be so lucky to have nepotism like the Carnahan family. They aren't perfect, but we all know that perfect is the enemy of...
January 8, 2009 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
As I suggested above, consider tracking down and watching the excellent documentary "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?" You'll find that Russ Carnahan was the least prepared, least informed, least curious candidate one could imagine (yes...even worse than G.W. Bush). Despite this truth, Russ won the Dem primary in his district because the media gave him an unfair advantage due to his family connections, Mommy threw her unlimited funds at Russ' opponents, and Russ told a pack of lies about the significantly more progressive and better prepared opponent. As we see so often, the media was happy to repeat such lies without substantiation.
Also, voting for every Bush initiative that came across her desk and serving "admirably" strike me as mutually exclusive notions.
One last thing...stating that one should vote for Robin because "the Carnahan family has served this state ADMIRABLY" supports the point I was making. We should vote for a person because that individual demonstrated the best judgment and skills...not because of name recognition arising, perhaps, out of family connections.
January 8, 2009 2:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, it looks like the odds are favoring Robin Carnahan as the democratic candidate.
January 8, 2009 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink