This week The American had the unique and perhaps unprecendented opportunity, in the black press, to ask a sitting U.S. president a direct question about an upcoming local election. After appealing to our readers to vote in the midterm elections on Nov. 2, President Barack Obama fielded our question about Democrats who are running away from him on the campaign trail and not publicly embracing his legislative accomplishments. “There is a disconnect between the things we have done and the successful branding of these things by Republicans,” Obama said. “When you look at what Democrats did in the last two years for the good of the American people, the good they have done on behalf of African Americans, then I say don’t worry so much about a bunch of TV ads.” Though Robin Carnahan has not run as a strong ally of President Obama or positioned herself publicly as the progressive Democrat we expect her to be, we take the president at his word that he needs Democratic control of the Senate and its committees to realize his agenda and that he looks past some of the posturing of the current campaigns and to see reliable Democrats running in conservative clothing. Certainly, we can expect no help for Obama and his progressive agenda from Carnahan’s Republican opponent, Roy Blunt, a congressman her campaign has aptly dubbed, and drubbed, as “the very worst of Washington.” Carnahan and Blunt are contesting a seat being vacated by a Republican, and we want Carnahan to join Claire McCaskill in the Democratic Senate Caucus. We strongly endorse ROBIN CARNAHAN FOR U.S. SENATE.
The balance of power in the U.S. Senate is critical for this president, and it is in play in the Nov. 2 elections. The story of the Missouri Senate is different, in that Republicans are certain to maintain a confident, lopsided majority and control of the floor and committees. Due to parliamentary process in the federal and Missouri legislative bodies, however, each individual senator has tremendous power to stymy wrongheaded or abusive legislation and initiatives. Missouri has lost a proven Democratic gadfly and progressive battler in state Sen. Joan Bray due to term limits, and Barbara Fraser is running for her open seat in the 24th District with Bray’s endorsement. A scrapper with legislative experience and progressive policy stands who annihlated a primary opponent with solid name recognition, Fraser is a worthy heir to the impressive legacy of Joan Bray. She faces a well-funded, but inexperienced Republican, John Lamping, who opposes local control of the City police and has not opposed the dire threat to the City’s fiscal viability in Proposition A, as has Fraser. The choice for our community is clear. We strongly endorse BARBARA FRASER FOR STATE SENATE.
PREVIOUSLY ENDORSED
Proposition A, which is being decided by a statewide vote, could be devastating for St. Louis and Kansas City and bad for other municipal governments, which deserve local control over their tax decisions. We also think now is a critical time to show billionaire Rex Sinquefield that you can’t buy public policy. We strongly endorse a vote of NO ON PROPOSITION A.
Russ Carnahan endorsed Barack Obama early and got squarely behind the progressive agenda formulated by the new president, helping him to pass key legislation to protect and benefit consumers and citizens. His Republican opponent is the poster boy of the angry, divisive white right. With all our might, we endorse RUSS CARNAHAN FOR U.S. CONGRESS.
