Akin Fails, Steelman Flails

I attended the Republican candidate forum at Hidden Valley in Eureka, Missouri recently. Both of the U.S. senate candidates, Congressman Todd Akin and former state treasurer and senator Sarah Steelman, participated (Brunner had not yet announced). The demeanor of the two seemed like a stark contrast between a polished DC insider and a down-home local politician.

While Steelman appeared sincere and fairly in tune with Missouri values, she did not seem quick on her feet with answers to ad hoc, off-the-cuff questions. Unless she gets better at this, the press will have a field day asking her “gotcha” type questions; questions she may actually have good answers to, but not be able to articulate.

Akin was much more smooth and polished than Steelman. However, based on his voting record this year, Akin appears to be morphing from the once “reliable conservative” we could count on to stand up for Missouri’s values to a dependable member of the Republican establishment who backs his “leadership” (Boehner) at every turn, regardless of what his constituents feel about a given issue. He has, on at least three occasions this year, voted for the continuing budget resolution that funds Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, NPR, and a litany of other liberal giveaway programs with taxpayer dollars (source). When questioned about his first vote to fund Obamacare last April, Akin hid behind the excuse of needing to “fund the military.” Funding the troops, of course, could have been broken out separately from the omnibus bill had his “leadership” (read: Boehner) chosen to do so.

The following inconsistencies by Akin should be noted:

Akin went as far as to speak against our governor’s potential executive order to implement Obamacare during a rally at the state Capitol just a couple weeks ago; he flew back to DC the same week to vote not once, but twice, to fund what he’d just railed against (source).

When asked at at the recent candidate forum to explain his position on the national debt, Akin portrayed a gloom-and-doom scenario without providing the audience any specifics. Assuming this debt scenario is true, why would he then vote for the continuing resolution that increases our debt? Akin will undoubtedly point to his noble vote against raising the debt ceiling this past summer, but this was only after he voted for the continuing resolution requiring the debt ceiling to be raised in the first place. This political sleight of hand is akin (no pun intended) to purchasing a big-screen TV at Best Buy on a “90 Days Same as Cash” plan, then refusing to pay for it after 90 days because it has to be charged on a credit card. This begs the question whether Akin would conduct business in such a manner in his personal life as well.

When answering a question from the panel at Hidden Valley about “public-private partnerships,” he stated his opposition to government subsidies. What he failed to mention was that he was an original co-sponsor of a bill floating around called the “Natural Gas Act,” which would give subsidies to companies for natural gas exploration. He eventually removed his name as a sponsor, but if he truly opposed subsidies on principle why would he even dip his toe in that cesspool?

Perhaps because he hadn’t yet announced, John Brunner did not attend the forum. Hopefully he will turn out to be a solid candidate who will stand with Missourians to challenge Akin’s inconsistencies. Some have concerns that Brunner could potentially split the vote between himself and Akin, allowing Steelman to win the primary. Perhaps. Keep in mind, however, the race could likely be decided on the issue of Obamacare as a referendum on the Obama/McCaskill ticket in the general election.

Current supporters of Akin may want to review his recent voting record for themselves. Steelman and Brunner have never voted to put Americans in even greater debt to foreign interests or fund Obamacare and Planned Parenthood.

In this new era of politics, Akin’s supporters should demand answers, especially as to why he would vote directly against the wishes of 71% of Missourians. If he wants to represent Missouri in the U.S. senate, he should explain why he used his excuse about funding the military earlier this year, clearly putting politics ahead of principle.

More to come as the votes continue to stack up this year…

- Gravelyvoice Jim

Oct 19, 2011
10:20 pm

Steve Phipps had this to say, #1

Jim, I’m not sure about congressman Akin’s voting, but I think you are being way too easy on Sarah Steelman’s record.

Oct 20, 2011
4:03 am

Gravelyvoice Jim had this to say, #2

Thanks for the comment, Steve. The point of this article was not to examine Steelman’s record, but rather to point out the shameful inconsistencies between Akin’s words & image here in Missouri and how he actually votes when he gets back “home” with his pals in D.C. on key conservative issues.

Should Akin win the Republican nomination, he will certainly travel across the state to demagogue support for Obamacare as a litmus test issue for Missourians’ votes – which it SHOULD be. He will contrast McCaskill’s record of voting in favor of the bill with his record of voting to “repeal” it during a bogus, symbolic, check-the-box vote held early in the current congressional session. Since his “repeal” vote, he has voted at least THREE times now to FUND it and once to expand it (and increase our debt).

Actions speak orders-of-magnitude louder than words. Based on their voting records, both McCaskill AND Akin fail the Obamacare litmus test to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate. In spite of what you think or know about Steelman or Brunner’s records, neither have failed this test as has Akin. If you know of something about Steelman’s or Brunner’s record that is more distasteful than VOTING TO FUND OBAMACARE and increase our national debt while acting in “our behalf” as a member of the U.s. Congress, please post it and share it with the rest of us.

Akin’s reliable, consistent support for Obamacare-related legislation in congress this year should disqualify him with conservatives to serve in the U.S. senate. Steelman, Brunner, you, me, and 71% of the rest of Missourians are more qualified to serve than Akin based on his votes this year for Obamacare funding and increasing the debt alone.

- GVJ

Oct 20, 2011
4:19 am

Gravelyvoice Jim had this to say, #3

One clarification to my previous comment:

While it is true that Akin did vote against raising the debt ceiling this past summer, his votes in favor of the continuing budget resolutions resulted in the necessity to raise the debt limit in the first place to pay for this spending. Yet another issue where his votes have muddied the waters enough to enable him to claim to stand for one thing when he is here in Missouri and vote differently – with a wink and a nod – when he’s back in DC with his establishment friends.

Oct 21, 2011
4:25 pm

Eric C. had this to say, #4

There is a blog by Bog Priddy with an interesting take on Brunner. The posting says takes a swipe about needing to explain the phrase entering a campaign with clean hands. Then the posting calls him sharp, but then says there is nothing of substance. I would find it hard to believe there’s an intellectual deficit with Brunner’s apparent business savvy. I tried to comment on the blog but still waiting for it to show up after days now.
http://missourinet.learfielddemos.com/2011/10/11/meringue/
I’ve always liked Todd Akin (I have donated at least twice) but I too was stunned about his votes on Obamacare.

Oct 30, 2011
11:50 am

Steve Phipps had this to say, #5

Thank you for your reply GVJ and I am taken back by his the Akin votes on some of this stuff. I don’t remember him being like that.

Oct 30, 2011
1:44 pm

Gravelyvoice Jim had this to say, #6

It appears to me, Steve, that Akin is afflicted with the “Drunk on Power” syndrome that so many other career politicians have. It’s easy for politicians to be “reliable” to their constituents when they are members of the minority party, which Akin has been for a good part of his career in Washington.

Now, however, he is a member of the majority with key committee leadership positions; so it appears that he has basically been bought off by the establishment. Compounding the matter, Akin now wants to graduate to the senate which will require him to align himself with the establishment even more than he already has. The only thing standing between the new “Establishment Todd” Akin, and the senate may be us in the grass roots shining, as Glenn Beck calls it, “The Bright Light of Liberty” on Akin’s recent shift from being a conservative Republican to an establishment Republican.

So keep tracking his votes and hold him accountable for those votes, not just the good-sounding words he spouts when he demagogues for conservative votes here in Missouri; otherwise telling us to “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”…

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