What's your opinion of Chris Koster?

[liberalpragmatist]

I voted for Margaret Donnelly in the primary for Attorney General (she was my state rep when I was a student).

What do you guys think about Koster? I know he was a moderate Republican who switched parties last year. Do you think he's progressive enough? Though it's a stupid, superficial thing, I admit seeing him speak on an ad gave me some good vibes -- it's a change to see a Democratic politician in Missouri who doesn't have a Southern-Missouri-twang. (And yes - I realize that many good progressive Dems came from Southern or rural Missouri.)

[MoJoWorkin]

1. So you are considering voting for the Repug? Koster is the Dem...

I am voting for him. He stood up to the Republican party---disavowed it--said it no longer represented his values, and ran as a Democrat. He won the Democratic primary. Case closed.

I am sick of this "is he progressive enough" stuff. You cant be a flaming liberal and win in the state of Missouri. I don't like it, but it is the facts, man.

Oh yes, I live in Springfield. I am sure most around here think Koster IS a flaming liberal. LOL

[liberalpragmatist]

2. Gah. No.

I have no illusions about Dems who can get elected in Missouri. I'm not some progressive-purist-type.

I'm only asking about Koster because I don't know much about him beyond the fact that he left the Republican Party. I'm voting for him without a doubt. I just wondered how progressive he is. And there is some room for progressives in Missouri -- no, you won't get a raging liberal, but you don't necessarily need to have a DINO either. I just wondered where Koster falls along the spectrum and, more importantly, how DU'ers or other Missouri voters who have interacted with him feel about him. Were they impressed?

That's all. Just trying to learn more about our candidates. Nothing more.

[Telly Savalas]

3. Jay Nixon is kicking ass in the polls and he opposed Blunt's Medicaid cuts.

Nobody is expecting a Dennis Kucinich clone to win a statewide office in Missouri, but it would be nice to have someone running for AG who hadn't spent much of the last several years kissing Matt Blunt's ass. 70% of the Democrats who voted in the primary seem to agree with me, since they voted for someone besides Koster.

I'm planning on voting for the candidate who would do the best job using the AG's office to serve the people of Missouri and appropriately advance the agenda and values of the Democratic Party. Right now, I'm not entirely convinced Chris Koster is that person.

Other than having a "D" after his name, what are some specific things he brings to the table that his opponent doesn't? If he's a reasonably qualified candidate, that should be an easy question to answer.