Subject: Russ Carnahan

• Forget Dying for the Pro-Life Cause. Let's Send Postcards Instead!

  In November St. Louis' archdiocesan administrator, Bishop Robert Hermann, made headlines when he told church clergy: "I think any bishop here would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow to bring about an end to abortion." The bishop went on: "If we are willing to die tomorrow, then we should be willing to, until the end of our lives, to take all kinds of criticism for opposing this horrible infanticide." Now that's what I call conviction! So what, then, is up with the articl

  January 2, 2009

• Sleeping Under the Arch

  More than just a film festival

  March 30, 2005

• Brain Drain

  December 6, 2006

• All Aboard!

  August 30, 2006

• Missouri Representin'!

  July 26, 2006

• Unreal News Challenge 2005!

  Time again to take the year-end quiz

  December 28, 2005

• Not for Attribution

  A name-calling, race-baiting word war between two anonymous columnists? Unreal demands to mediate! Plus: Russ Carnahan goes to camp, a local blogger talks politics, and we try on a Beer Bra.

  August 10, 2005

• News to Muse

  The Year in Review: A Quiz

  December 29, 2004

• The Lamest Duck

  In his final term, Dick Gephardt goes AWOL

  December 8, 2004

• Farr Out Campaign

  A loose-lipped former train conductor is looking to get his long-shot congressional bid on track

  October 27, 2004

• October Surprise

  October 27, 2004

• Jerry Baby!

  We try to track down Jerry Berger, investigate what Carnahan is doing on the Flipside and learn about a Cosmological Flight Machine; plus, Bill Haas dishes the dirt and Unreal gets schooled at a "Rock, Paper, Scissors" tourney

  August 4, 2004

• WMDs Found at Last!

  Our favorite inanimate objects celebrate birthdays, Russ Carnahan snags the Hefner endorsement, and Silver Dollar City gets political; plus, we find the real WMDs (in St. Charles!) and Bill Haas phones it in

  July 28, 2004

• The Absurd Third

  Last-minute campaign shenanigans mark the final days in the race to replace Dick

  July 28, 2004

• Cowboy Him

  A hometown boy's skills on the open range could win him $25K, Mariano Favazza offers a money-back guarantee, and Unreal gets to the seat of the issue at the new ballpark; plus, won't someone from the STL break the marathon-bowling record?

  January 21, 2004

• Best Member of the Loyal Opposition

  Jeanette Mott Oxford

  September 25, 2002

• Motley Crew

  June 6, 2001

• Letters

  February 28, 2001

• The Redundant-Component Campaign

  August 16, 2000

• A Twist of Faith

  July 19, 2000

• Missouri Gets $23 Million for Clean Energy

  flickr.com/photos/jkgrooveRep. Russ Carnahan office today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy has released $22.9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Missouri."As Congress continues working on comprehensive energy legislation designed to create new clean-energy jobs here in the U.S., I am pleased to see $23 million headed to Missouri today," says Carnahan in a statement today. "Missouri has presented a de

  June 25, 2009

• Flour Flies as McArthur's Bakery Declares War on Russ Carnahan

  If the Daily RFT were a bakery and wanted to show our displeasure with our local congressional representative, we'd ply him with gooey butter cake and stand over him and make sure he ate it all, until he was thoroughly sick. www.stlbeacon.org Revenge, thy name is McArthur.David McArthur, proprietor of McArthur's Bakery in, among other places, Lemay, decided to go for the shaming route which, we have to admit, was probably more effective in the long run.McArthur's victim: U.S. Representati

  July 7, 2009

• Getting to the Bottom of that Puzzling Claire McCaskill Tweet

  Earlier today Daily RFT blogger Bill Streeter posted a quizzical "tweet" made yesterday on Senator Claire McCaskill's Twitter feed. Curious as to what McCaskill was discussing in this post, I just conducted a grueling two minutes of Internet research to arrive at the bottom of the matter.Not surprisingly, the St. Louis Tea Party is at the center of the debate.

  July 21, 2009

• St. Louis Tea Party and MC Hammer: Kindred Spirits

  ​By its own admission, the St. Louis Tea Party has yet to make much impact on the public policy of President Barack Obama and the Democratically controlled Congress. But that's beginning to change, states St. Louis Tea Party organizer Bill Hennessey in a message to his flock. Following his group's protest of Sen. Claire McCaskill's office last month -- and its subsequent coverage on Fox News -- the St. Louis Tea Party  is suddenly like MC Hammer circa 1991. That's right. They're too legit

  August 3, 2009

• Milton "Skip" Ohlsen -- The Man Behind State Sen. Jeff Smith's Possible Downfall

  Ohlsen arrested last summer for an outstanding warrant. ​Last time I reported on Milton "Skip" Ohlsen was back in February when he'd just been indicted on gun charges and mortgage fraud. Back then, a source of mine hinted that Ohlsen might make news again on an unrelated matter but couldn't go into details. Apparently what my source was alluding to made headlines this weekend. As Daily RFT reported Friday, Jefferson City was abuzz last week that state Sen. Jeff Smith (D - St. Louis) might resi

  August 17, 2009

• Ohlsen's Former Wife Testified that He Was Behind "Voters for Truth", Used Multiple Aliases

  Jeff Smith​The former wife of Milton "Skip" Ohlsen testified last year that her ex-husband operated Voters for Truth, the political committee at the center of a federal probe into state Senator Jeff Smith (D - St. Louis) and state Rep. Steve Brown (D - Clayton).  Smith and Brown are reportedly both under investigation for political postcards that Voters for Truth (VFT) mailed out in 2004 when Smith was running for U.S. Congress and Brown was assisting his campaign. The postcards attacked

  August 19, 2009

• What the Post-Dispatch Missed About Milton "Skip" Ohlsen

  Ohlsen's mug shot as it appears in an arrest report from March 2008 when police in Ladue found him in possession of a stolen .40 caliber Glock handgun. ​If you didn't see it yesterday, the Post-Dispatch ran a front-page article on Milton "Skip" Ohlsen, the man behind a federal probe into state Sen. Jeff Smith and state Rep. Steve Brown. The P-D article brings to light many of Ohlsen's previous criminal transgressions as well as his work with the Missouri Democratic Party. As the daily reported

  August 24, 2009

• Jeff Smith Resigns Missouri Senate, Pleads Guilty to Two Felonies

  Jeff Smith​Jeff Smith pleaded guilty today to two counts of obstructing justice. The first stems from an initial investigation into his failed 2004 campaign for U.S. Congress. The second charge comes from a follow-up investigation into his 2004 campaign conducted this year. According to a breaking-news item on stltoday.com, Smith admitted that he authorized a "close friend" to raise money for a committee that mailed out anonymous postcards attacking challenger Russ Carnahan, who ultimately won

  August 25, 2009

• Former State Senator Jeff Smith Facing 20 Years in Prison, Maybe More

  ​A little over a month ago, Jeff Smith was still considered a rising star in Missouri Democratic politics. Now his political career is more than likely over. Smith admitted in federal court today that he tried to cover up his involvement in a federal elections violation not once -- but twice. Smith told U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson that in the course of his 2004 race for Congress, he authorized Steve Brown to raise money for a mailer targeting his opponent, Russ Carnahan. Smith also said

  August 25, 2009

• The Postcards That Brought Down a Senator

  Here are a few images of the postcards Jeff Smith's congressional campaign mailed out back in 2004 to some 25,000 constituent attacking fellow candidate Russ Carnahan. Convicted felon, Democratic Party strategist, and suspected bomber Milton "Skip" Ohlsen allegedly assisted Smith in the mailings, which pointed people to the now defunct website, www.rustycarnahan.org. Today Jeff Smith (now a state senator) pleaded guilty for twice lying to officials investigating the anonymous mailings, which vio

  August 25, 2009

• Twenty-two Page Criminal Case Against Jeff Smith and Posse is Engaging Read

  Nope. But he can go to prison.​I could attempt to reconstruct the federal complaint filed against Missouri state Senator Jeff Smith and cohorts (state Rep. Steve Brown and campaign worker Nick Adams) for lying to federal authorities during an investigation into campaign violations. Or I could just pull quotes from the complaint, such as this one where Smith is discussing his involvement with convicted felon Milton "Skip" Ohlsen -- identified in the complaint as "John Doe." "We weren't fucking

  August 26, 2009

• RFT Reporters Make Milton "Skip" Ohlsen's Shit List, Court Records Show

  Milton H. "Skip" Ohlsen​Milton H. "Skip" Ohlsen is in federal custody awaiting sentencing on weapons and bank fraud charges. As has been reported in recent days, Ohlsen is also a person of interest in the bombing that hurt attorney John Gillis last year. No charges have been filed in that case. So what makes the feds think that Ohlsen, the one-time mixed martial arts promoter and restaurateur wannabe who dabbled in campaign work, may be good for the crime?During a search of Ohlsen's North Thir

  August 26, 2009

• Jeff Smith Campaign Documentary Makes for An Interesting Post-Mortem, Particularly in the Case of the Dead Campaign Worker Caught Up in Smith's Crime

  ​Somebody told Daily RFT there was a striking moment in Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? when an independent campaign consultant talked about what a nice, smart, capable guy Jeff Smith is -- but that to win in politics the then-29-year-old needed to get more cutthroat. We couldn't find said commentary in the documentary made about Smith's 2004 Congressional race. But in light of Smith's guilty plea to two serious corruption charges stemming from that very campaign, practically every th

  August 28, 2009

• Crack-Dealing Coaches, Lying Politicians, Suspected Bombers and a Hummer Dealer: What Do They All Have in Common?

  ​The Ass Clowns seem to be crawling out of the woodwork this week, especially following Jeff Smith's guilty plea and resignation. Outside the political arena, there were also a few worthy candidates. So you know the rules: Vote for the following headline-maker whose actions or deeds this week you believe to be the most detestable and/or ludicrous. And the nominees... 1. Todd Lockhart: The poor parents who send their children to the Alton public schools. Earlier this month it was revealed that

  August 28, 2009

• Oh, Meth! New Campaign Against Meth Use Hopefully as Catchy as Old One

  As we reported last week, U.S. "Drug Czar" Gil Kerlikowske is in St. Louis today to unveil the White House Office of National Drug Policy's new anti-meth campaign. Here's hoping the campaign is as good as the last one featured here.  Continue on to view the full press release of today's announcement and see a spirited cover of the PSA above! 

  September 1, 2009

• Why I Quit the Gravy Train Tea Parties: Confessions of a Former Political Swag Seller

  King says his buttons -- from Obama "Hope" to Obama "Dope" -- sold very well at political rallies.​Errol Hosea King was shaking his head watching TV coverage of the Tea Party Express all last week. The 16-day, cross-country rally ended Saturday in Washington, D.C., with different news outlets suggesting wildly different attendance numbers for the final day. Whether hundreds or thousands, a fired-up crowd equals easy money to a button-seller like King, who says that could have been him out ther

  September 17, 2009

• How St. Louis Area Congressmen Voted on Last Week's Hate Crime Bill

  Matthew Shepard, a gay Wyoming college student murdered in 1998 and an inspiration for the revised hate-crimes law.​You've probably heard by now how the House of Representatives passed a measure last week that broadens the definition of a "hate crime" to include incidents committed because of the sexual or gender orientation of the victim. The controversial measure largely fell along party lines, with many Republicans arguing that the proposed law was unnecessary. "The idea that we'r

  October 12, 2009

• Who Is Daily RFT's "Ass Clown of the Year"?

  ​Over the course of the past 12 months, you -- the readers of Daily RFT -- have cast thousands of votes for your favorite "Ass Clowns of the Week".  Now comes an even greater decision. Ladies and gentlemen, who is Daily RFT's "Ass Clown of the Year"???You know, the person whose idiocy and hubris makes them jack-ass maximus of 2009?  Continue on to see all the nominees and cast your vote!(Note: Nominees appear in chronological order based on when their action made the news.)

  December 28, 2009

• Paul D'Agrosa Steps Into the SEIU/Tea Party Legal Fracas

  Wikimedia CommonsSEIU hopes D'Agrosa will trounce on the charges called for by Tea Party activists.​Elston McCowan and Perry Molens face misdemeanor charges for allegedly assaulting a political button-seller last year; the defendants have pulled out the big guns by retaining St. Louis criminal defense attorney Paul D'Agrosa.St. Louis County Counselor Patricia Redington is pursuing the charges in municipal court; tonight is the first appearance, at a courtroom in south county. D'Agrosa will ent

  January 21, 2010

• Ed Martin's Race to Unseat Russ Carnahan Gains Traction, Attention

  edmartinforcongress.com​Got an email the other day from Ed Martin with some "big news" for the Republican candidate for Missouri's 3rd Congressional District (map here). According to a non-partisan report issued last week, Martin is now being pegged as a somewhat legitimate threat to unseat Democratic incumbent Russ Carnahan. I say "somewhat" because the survey from the Cook Political Report still anticipates the predominately Democratic 3rd District to vote for Carnahan in November. Still, ea

  February 22, 2010

• Patriot Dame: Dana Loesch, Tea Party co-founder and rising star of conservative talk radio, reporting for duty!

  February 24, 2010

• How They Voted on Health Care: Missouri and St. Louis Area Representatives

  The health care reform bill passed the House of Representatives last night with a 219 to 212 vote. No Republicans supported the measure. Thirty four Democrats also voted no, including Missouri rep Ike Skelton.The bill now heads to the Senate. Here's how local reps voted on the issue... In Missouri, only three reps voted in favor of the bill. Six voted no.Todd Akin (R) - NoRoy Blunt (R) - NoRuss Carnahan (D) - YesLacy Clay (D) - YesEmanuel Cleaver (D) - YesJo Ann Emerson (R) - NoSam Graves (R) -

  March 22, 2010

• Tea Party Goes Crazier: Burn Russ Carnahan in Effigy, Spit on Mo. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver

  St. Louis Tea Party lights it up for Carnahan.​This weekend's health care vote in the U.S. House brought out the radical, right-wing fringe (again). At a St. Louis Tea Party rally outside of Russ Carnahan's St. Louis office on Saturday, an angry mob threw shoes at a photo of the congressman before lighting the image on fire. Meanwhile in Washington D.C., Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D - Kansas City) was spit on Saturday in Capitol Hill by an angry protester. Cleaver was also one of several Afr

  March 22, 2010