Karl Rove

I'm shocked – just shocked – that Karl Rove thinks Roy Blunt is a "stellar" candidate and is financially backing him. Aren't you? 

Blunt was an early supporter of George W. Bush's first presidential bid, joining Rove on the campaign's "exploratory committee" in May 1999. 

-----------------

This story provides a good a reason as any to share this photo from Speaker Ron Richard's Flickr photostream.

The Economic Freedom Alliance, a right-wing business organization whose members include the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, is currently running billboards and online ads attacking Claire McCaskill, Ike Skelton, Russ Carnahan, Emanuel Cleaver and Lacy Clay. The ads, which some of you may have seen on billboards or online, accuse the Democratic members of Congress of "killing jobs" because they've been supported by labor organizations and support the Employee Free Choice Act.

The ads are based on a "thoroughly discredited study" funded by the "corporate-friendly, anti-union 'Alliance to Save Main Street Jobs" and "based entirely on decades-old data from a handful of Canadian provinces."

George W. Bush and Dick Cheney aren't available, so Peter Kinder is flying around with Karl Rove to stand up for corporate greed, and fight back against basic workers rights.

Kinder previously committed to attend a rival anti-worker rally being held today by Associated Industries of Missouri.  But now, Kinder has reportedly welched on that commitment to join Rove for an invitation-only event sponsored by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce.

Upgrade?! 

Could you have a worse spokesman when your organization is trying to convince the public that you're not the side with a demonstrated record of intimidation, strong-armed tactics, smashing folks' basic rights in the Employee Free Choice Act debate?

Rove to address St. Louis business leaders on how to fight Employee Free Choice Act
By Jo Mannies, Beacon Political Reporter

Karl Rove, one of the top advisers to former President George W. Bush, is slated to address St. Louis area business leaders at the St. Louis Club in Clayton on Monday afternoon.

The event is organized by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and will focus on the proposed federal Employee Free Choice Act.

The act, which has yet to pass Congress, would make it easier for unions to organize by allowing a majority of the employees at a business to agree to form a union by signing cards, and without a vote. (A secret ballot vote would not be required, but could be held if the workers request it.)

I was really hoping that 2009 would mean a lot less Karl and Dick Cheney on the teevee.  But on the upside, their insistence on remaining very public spokesmonsters is making it really easy to identify the Dark Side in a lot of these public policy debates.

A new web ad from the DNC:

Newt was just in town, Karl Rove is working with Ed Martin, and Cheney, well, his evil shapeshifting abilities allow him to be anywhere he wants.

(via CNN)

A clever new ad from the DNC:

Karl Rove is collaborating with Eddie Martin and the Missouri Roundtable for Life.

That pretty much tells you what you need to know about the group and its true intentions.

Update: MissouriNet's Steve Walsh was on the call and has audio.