Cross posted from Show Me Progress with permission of the author.

by Blue Girl

In the classic 1947 movie by the same name, a reporter decides to pass himself off as Jewish in order to 'get the story' on anti-Semitism in post-war America. In short order he comes to realize that labels do matter.

I don't think the Missouri Department of Transportation had this in mind as an acceptable manifestation of their Adopt a Highway program. On Missouri Highway 13, approximately two and a half miles north of the intersection of U.S. Highway 50, the following text is painted in three foot high letters (readable as you drive south):

OBAMA
IS
AMERICA'S
HITLER!

GOOD BYE
FREEDOM

Crossposted from Show Me Progress.

As I approached the press entrance to the Truman Memorial Building I stopped to take a photo of the media trucks. This very nice lady stopped and asked me, "Are you with the Kansas City Star?" I replied that I was not, I was a blogger. She then asked me, "Would you like to take my picture with my husband he's just around the corner?" I thought, "Why not?" and told her I would. As we walked back to the line of people around the corner I asked her if she had ever been to an event like this before. She replied, "No, never before. This is historic." We found her husband in line and I took this photo. They reminded me of my parents.

I waited my turn to go through security at the press entrance. The uniformed officer had me take out and start up all of my electronic equipment, including my camera. As he peered through the viewfinder he took this photo. He quipped to me, "If you publish this I should get credit." He's got it.

I attended a campaign event for Hillary Clinton at the William Chrisman High School gymnasium in Independence on Saturday night.

We got in line a few minutes after 5:00 p.m. There were five or six television trucks (along with their film crews) from the various Kansas City affiliates.

The doors opened a little before 7:00 p.m. and we took seats in the bleachers with a good view of the podium. We estimated about 1200 people were in the gym (bleachers and in seating on the floor). We learned later that there was an overflow room, but I have no idea about the numbers there.

A school band played between the early speakers {including Representative Emmanuel Cleaver, State Senator Jolie Justus, and Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders) and Bill Clinton.

Blue Girl and I attended this event in Kansas City yesterday. It was posted at Show Me Progress - we collaborated on the content, though all of the crappy writing is solely my fault.

Saturday after noon the Hillary Clinton campaign headquarters held a grand opening in Kansas City.  The doors opened at 10:00 a.m. and volunteers started phone banking, then at 2:30 a group of local and state elected officials who are endorsing Senator Clinton in her bid for the White House spoke to the standing-room-only crowd.

The headquarters is located at 7442 Holmes, on the northeast corner of 75th and Holmes, across the street from the northeast corner of Tower Park.  The office space is being donated by local businessman, developer, community re-investor and Democratic fundraiser Nick Abnos, owner of the Abdiana Futon chain.  

I arrived at the headquarters at about 2:00, with the local politicians who have endorsed scheduled to address the crowd at 2:30.  State Representative Rachel Storch, State Senator Jolie Justus, Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders, and United States Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver.  They were great speakers one and all - well-spoken, articulate in their expression of why they are supporting Senator Clinton - but Congressman Cleaver spoke last, and that man can move a mountain with his oratorical skills.

He had a lot of things to say, and much of it quotable - but I am sharing this post with fellow  SMP blogger Michael Bersin, so I will just relay  one of them before I turn it over to him below the fold...speaking about the Republicans and the concern-trolling of certain factions of the Democratic Party - "We are all Democrats.  We can't let them separate us."  

Amen, Mayor (Congress is only national) you got that right.

I wonder if there was a settlement conference that didn't go so well.

I read this item....

Suit alleges illegal destruction of state e-mails
By Jo Mannies
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
01/09/2008

...The suit includes allegations about a meeting convened last summer by Blunt's general counsel at the time, Henry Herschel. At the meeting, the suit contends, Herschel told lawyers for all departments under the governor that e-mails about state business "would not have to be turned over in response to Sunshine Law requests if they were destroyed and not retained."

The suit also contends that Blunt's chief of staff at the time, Ed Martin, ordered all staff members to make sure they were deleting e-mails. Martin and other top Blunt aides also are accused of orchestrating the destruction of the state's computer backup system for such e-mails.

I called the office of the filing attorney in Springfield, but he was out. Then I contacted a few other sources and found out that the lawsuit was on file at the Jackson County Court Annex in Independence. I decided to drive there to get a copy.

Posted at Show Me Progress

In the interest of full disclosure: I am chair of the 31st Senate District Democratic Committee. I have communicated with Chris Benjamin in that capacity and as an individual party member who is pleased that he has joined the Democratic Party.

Chris Benjamin, former Chief of Staff for Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton (r), has announced that he has joined the Democratic Party and will be running for the open senate seat in the 31st District. The seat is currently held by Chris Koster, a Democratic Party candidate for Attorney General. Previous to that, the seat had been held by Harold Caskey (D), one of the legendary legislative "lions" in the Missouri General Assembly. David Pearce (r) has already announced his candidacy for the senate seat.

The 31st Senate District includes Bates, Cass, Johnson, and Vernon counties. Chris Benjamin is a resident of Cass County and currently practices law in Harrisonville.

Benjamin resigned as the speaker's Chief of Staff on December 21, 2007:

Cass County Democrat Missourian

"...Chris was an invaluable Chief of Staff because of his knowledge of the legislative process," Jetton said. "But he was also someone who meant a great deal individually to the majority caucus and to me personally for his advice and friendship..."

With supportive past statements like that it will make it more difficult for the usual republican suspects to disparage Chris Benjamin's abilities and motivation.

It just goes to show, even for so-called "family values" right wingers in Missouri, IOKIYAR. I read this item in Sunday's Kansas City Star:

....The Mike Huckabee bandwagon appears to be racing through Missouri.

On Monday, Missouri backers of Huckabee are set to announce endorsements from 27 state lawmakers. Among them are a slew of Kansas City-area Republicans, including state Sen. Matt Bartle of Lee's Summit and state Reps. Brian Baker of Belton, Will Kraus of Raytown, Brian Yates of Lee's Summit and Bob Nance of Excelsior Springs....

*it's okay if you're a republican

The paper's resident political stenographer did mention that Jeff Roe, notorious republican poltical operative, is on board with Huckabee's Missouri campaign, but neglected to mention the irony of the juxtaposition of those "family values" republican politicians with the former Arkansas governor's previous history with Missouri.

The Missouri problem: As governor of Arkansas Huckabee intervened with the state board of pardons and paroles to release Wayne Dumond who had been convicted of raping a young woman who just happened to be a distant relative of Bill Clinton. The Dumond case had become a cause for right wingnuts. Dumond was released and moved to Missouri where he raped and murdered at least one woman. Dumond was convicted in Missouri and later died in prison.