McCaskill visits Democratic leaders to discuss possible Senate bid

[scratchtasia]

WASHINGTON - Missouri state Auditor Claire McCaskill was in the nation's capitol Tuesday to meet with Democratic leaders who want her to run for the U.S. Senate next year.

"I had a nice invitation by some very important people and I wanted to hear what they had to say," McCaskill said after emerging from the office of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

She declined to comment on the subject of her meetings, but sources told the Associated Press last week that officials from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee wanted to discuss a possible challenge to GOP Sen. Jim Talent in 2006.

Democrats have been urging McCaskill to run, believing she gives the party its best chance to unseat Talent. She narrowly lost the governor's race to Republican Matt Blunt last year, but allies say she would bring strong credentials to a Senate contest.

more: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/11612674.htm

[Darkhawk32]

1. Well, whoever decides to run for Senate needs BIG, BIGGG, BIIIGGGGG time..

backing from other members of the U.S. Senate and Congress. We need to pull out ALL the stops, ALL the celebrities, EVERYTHING. Quite playing around.

[loyalsister]

4. Chuck Graham appeals to rural voters

He has potential to be a rising star ala Obama.
Adversity, humble beginnings, etc. AND he talks like a good 'ol boy which is something a Democrat has to be able to do to relate to middle of the road rural Democrats.
It's a much better idea to run Chuck.

[STL_Social_Democrat]

12. from very progressive Columbia

"Chuck Graham appeals to rural voters"

*Opposed conceal carry
*Endorsed by Planned Parenthood and NARAL

His campaign website claimed that he had been opposed to gay marriage ban amendment and that he is also in favor of a single payer healthcare system.

Personally I'm comfortable with Chuck Graham and his positions. However, those positions are not going to fly in the majority of this state. Would I support him and donate money, of course. I'm not drinking the state party's cool aid and buying in to the idea that anyone they nominate can win.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. YES

:woohoo:

I like Claire.

[loyalsister]

3. Too bad most of rural Missouri hates her

Democrats begrudgingly voted for her. I don't see her beating Talent. The trouble with him not having done much is there is no reason to get out and vote against him. I think that the dislike for her at a state level would do nothing but hurt state elections.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. She is very popular here in KC

And I have met her and can testify she is a great person.

Why is she so hated in the rural areas?

[loyalsister]

7. Are you serious????

She is honestly one of the very least likable politicians I have met in my entire life.
If it isn't an event for her specifically, she tends to move on to potential doners and ignore the general public. I have seen her in action many times.
Even worse--- The current propaganda for the mediciad cuts is courtesy of Claire McCaskill. It came out last year on an audit right when we were fighting this stuff. Now we see what has happen thanks to a brilliant base for an ad campaign from her.
Rural territories are full of medicaid recipients.
The issue of nursing home ownership also leads people to hold their noses. It's about like having a candidate whose spouse is a pharmacuetical exec.
At the end of the day, she's sleeping with the enemy, and she acts like she's too good. I saw her the other day. You can't deny that she really struts. It turns people in rural areas off.
In contrast, Roger Wilson, Joe Maxwell, Jean Cahrnahan, Chuck Graham get into a room and act like they're just one of the rest of the crowd no matter who they're with. "Southern charm" is still important in MO.
She doesn't have an ounce of it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. She opposes the medicaid cuts

You have a link that proves otherwise?

[loyalsister]

11. Reread my post......

"The current propaganda for the mediciad cuts is courtesy of Claire McCaskill. It came out last year on an audit right when we were fighting this stuff. Now we see what has happen thanks to a brilliant base for an ad campaign from her."

This came out right when she was kicking off her Gubernatorial campaign. She started talking about going after medicaid fraud when she was trying to out Republican Bob Holden. She made a big deal out of it. Believe me, I remember because. That very week, many people were working on this very issue. It totally threatened the chances of killing a less drastic version of a terrible bill that was recently passed.
They found their talking points for this year if they could pull it off and it worked. What line did they use to convince the public that it was okay to kick 100,000 people off of medicaid? "Waste fraud and abuse." Straight out of the State Auditor's office.

http://www.auditor.state.mo.us/press/2004-29.htm

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. It was her JOB to do that audit

From your link, some of the problems with Medicaid uncovered in McCaskill’s audit:

Management Weaknesses Increase the Risk Ineligible Recipients Remain Active in the Medicaid Program.
 
More than 40 percent of Medicaid recipients had no recent eligibility reevaluation
 
Social security numbers not being obtained on all recipients
 
State allowing some recipients to remain Medicaid eligible beyond their age limit.
 
Some deceased recipients are not being identified
 
Matches to wages and unemployment benefits not being done
  
Faulty edit causes unnecessary program costs

It is the state auditor’s job to uncover wasteful spending. Nowhere in this report does it say that McCaskill is recommending the draconian cuts in Medicaid that Blunt et al have pushed through. Read the entire audit and you can see the recommendations. Now maybe if it had been managed better, Medicaid wouldn’t have been the target it turned into once Blunt was elected. Running Medicaid was never McCaskill’s job. You can’t blame her for the problems.

[loyalsister]

15. She decides what to audit when

She did that audit when they were trying to pass a bill similar to a draconian measure just passed.
Then she incorporated the spin into her campaign as she moved to the right of Bob Holden.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. Sorry I don't buy it

She was doing what she was elected to do as state auditor. You can spin it if you want but I see it as her fulfilling her responsibilities.

[loyalsister]

17. She loves that part of the job

The fact that she makes those decisions. She said so in a speech I heard her give. she said that she wasn't sure about running for auditor, but when she found out she could do "whatever the hell she wanted to do" she thought she would.
It sounds like she's running. I may hold my nose and vote for her, but that's about it. Noone could even convince me to wear a sticker in her favor.

[usregimechange]

6. Looke here!

http://www.cafepress.com/mccaskill4sen

[xmas74]

9. I'd still back her.

I live in a more rural area. I've heard the complaints about Blunt and how some now wish that they had voted for Claire. She might have some momentum from that alone.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. I don't think the repukes in Jeff City

would battle Claire the way they did Holden. I think she could get more out of them. And it would be nice to have a balance we'd get with a Dem governor.

[Darkhawk32]

10. We have to support anybody that runs. Regardless. n/t

[Desert Liberal]

18. Exactly!

I've been saying this for months now. We have to be united and stand together regardless of our personal feelings about the candidate. The important thing is the Democrats getting into office. The more the merrier, I say! Claire may not be everyone's favorite but she'd be a damn sight better than Talent.