U.S. Presidential Election

No MO Money For a Former Bellwether

Once upon a time, Missouri was the bellwether of the Presidential elections. You could always count on us to pick the winner. Remember 2008 when Barack Obama rallied beneath the Arch and even John McCain paid a few visits here? Oh, those glorious days. But then, by just .1 percent of the popular vot ... More >>

7 Presidential Election Watch Parties, Freebies and Food Specials [Updated]

Gut Check is ready for the 2012 presidential election. Months of punditry, the presidential and vice-presidential debates and our Facebook newsfeed have prepared us ad nauseam, all leading up to tomorrow's presidential election. Naturally, watching the returns is a lot more exciting for Gut Check w ... More >>

The Fitz's Election Results Are In: Did Romney Beat Obama in Root Beer Sales?

With the 2012 Presidential election cycle coming to a close next Tuesday, November 6, we at Gut Check need to check in with our ever-so-technical election predictor, the election-themed root beer sales at Fitz's Bottling Company (6605 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-726-9555), one final time. ... More >>

U.S. Deer Collision Map Curiously Similar to Red State, Blue State Divide

West Virginia leads the nation in something. And, no, we're not talking about obesity or smoking or party schools. West Virginia is the most likely place in America for motorists to crash into deer!  According to State Farm insurance claims and statistics from the Federal Highway Administratio ... More >>

Update: Fitz's Presidential Election Root Beer Battle Wages On

The presidential debates might be over but with the election just weeks away, a final heated two weeks loom large on the political landscape. Will Governor Mitt Romney beat President Barack Obama? We're not soothsayers or Nate Silver, so we don't have answers about which candidate will triumph. Ins ... More >>

Is Fitz's Limited Edition Obama Root Beer Bottle Still Outselling The Romney?

Election day is fast approaching, and with the implacable persistance of a robo-pollster Gut Check continues to track the polls sales of soda at Fitz's American Grill & Bottling Works (6605 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-726-9555) to see who has the edge in this year's election. Last time w ... More >>

15 Presidential Debate Dinner Ideas Inspired By Obama and Romney Campaign Spending

Last week Politico broke down information from a recent review of Federal Election Commission reports detailing Mitt Romney and Barack Obama's campaign spending. It contains everything from office supplies and gas expenses to which hotels and restaurants the respective campaigns patronize most often ... More >>

Fitz's Releases Limited Edition Obama and Romney Root Beer Bottles

There are many ways to track a political race, from the traditional polling the electorate to wunderkind Nate Silver's statistical analyses on New York Times' Five Thirty Eight blog. Gut Check, however, does things a little differently. You see, during this election season, Fitz's American Grill & ... More >>

Digging Deeper Into Paul Ryan's iPod Playlist: From AC/DC to Zeppelin and Beyond

Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. When Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan spoke at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, he pok ... More >>

Gut Check's Ten Snacks to Pair With Republican Convention Coverage

The 2012 Republican National Convention, or RNC, wraps up its four-day festivities tonight at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida with a speech by GOP candidate Mitt Romney. Over the course of the convention, speeches have been made by former governors (and presidential hopefuls) Tim Pawlent ... More >>

Romney Calls on Akin to Drop Senate Bid, Akin Tells Romney to Mind His Own Damn Business

The Washington Post reports that Mitt Romney has joined the overwhelming chorus of Republicans calling on Todd Akin to drop out of the Senate race today. The Romney campaign reportedly released a statement from the presidential candidate: As I said yesterday, Todd Akin's comments were offensive a ... More >>

Romney Attacks Obama's Pro-Union Stance With Video Ad Vilifying St. Louis' Local 42

Yesterday, after presumptive GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney attacked President Barack Obama for his ties to teachers' unions, Daily RFT went a-digging for some background and found an interesting precursor: Back in September, the Republican blasted Obama by training a spotlight on one of St. ... More >>

US Marine from St. Charles Gets Super Intense Dissing the Wars and Obamney

Here's a compelling vid from the Third District GOP convention last weekend (which seemed to be, in essence, a rally for third-party libertarian candidate, Ron Paul): This is US Marine Major Christopher Miller. Over multiple tours in the Middle East, he defused bombs, Hurt-Locker-style. But clearly ... More >>

Straight Shootin': The firepower at the NRA convention is incredible, just like the rhetoric

Campaign Attack: St. Louis Penguin Bites Newt Gingrich

When Newt Gingrich lashed out at Fox News the other day, accusing it of unfairly slanting its coverage toward GOP primary rival Mitt Romney, you might say the candidate was biting the hand that fed him over the past decade. Last Friday in St. Louis the former speaker of the House received his own ... More >>

St. Charles GOP Caucus Goes Big for Ron Paul

Well, that was comparatively easy. On the day Rick Santorum suspended his presidential campaign, the St. Charles County Republicans picked Ron Paul as their man at the party's do-over shot at a caucus. There were no arrests, no embarrassment and no cries of unfair tactics.But Paul's victory last nig ... More >>

If You Like Guns, Ted Nugent, Mitt Romney & More Guns, the NRA's Got a Deal for You!

Next weekend, more than 60,000 people are flocking to downtown St. Louis for the 2012 National Rifle Association Annual Meetings and Exhibits! This is a huge deal because, first of all, I will have a tougher time finding a parking spot. Secondly, an important national figure will be present: Ted Nug ... More >>

Birther Bill Gains Initial Approval in Missouri House -- Are You Shitting Me?

​Representative Lyle Rowland (R-Cedarcreek) successfully moved his "birther" bill through its initial reading in the Missouri House of Representatives yesterday. The bill (HB1046, read it here)  would require any presidential or vice presidential candidate to prove via birth certificate and a ... More >>

John Ashcroft Endorses Mitt Romney

We know you're all on the edge of your seats on this Super Tuesday morning waiting to see who former Missouri Governor and U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft decides to support in the Republican primaries. If you believed that Ashcroft, an evangelical Christian who reportedly doesn't drink, dance ... More >>

Senate to Vote on Roy Blunt's Opt-Out Bill for Contraception Coverage

It's nearly March, just six months before the G.O.P. convention, which sounds like a perfect time to celebrate our quadrennial political tradition: culture wars. In Michigan, Republican presidential nominee Rick Santorum is telling folks there shouldn't necessarily be a complete separation of churc ... More >>

The Ten Biggest Presidential Endorsements by Musicians in the 2012 Campaign

Megadeth rocker Dave Mustaine raised a few collective eyebrows this week when he endorsed former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's bourgeoning presidential bid. The former Pennsylvania senator has been gaining steam as of late after prevailing in a trio of February contests, including Missouri's non-bindin ... More >>

Ask a Mexican: Donde esta donkey show?

What People Are Saying About Santorum's Missouri Win

​Last night Rick Santorum swept the primaries in Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado. As expected, his most decisive victory was in Missouri, where he took all 114 county for a 55 percent runaway, more than doubling Mitt Romney's 25 percent. In many ways, it's a hollow success. It didn't count towa ... More >>

Tea Party Princess: Victoria Jackson went from the big leagues of comedy to the rabid right of modern politics

Vote In the State Primary! Or Don't. Whatever, Who Cares?

​Missouri's presidential primary is Tuesday, February 7. It's your chance to tell your party who you want to see represent you as president. Except that if you're planning on selecting someone from the Republican section of the ballot, your choice doesn't matter -- and that's not me saying that, i ... More >>

Missouri Polls Shows Gingrich Leading, Brunner Rising, and Randles Edging Spence

​ With the presidential primary campaign circus coming to Missouri both next week (for the election that doesn't count) and next month (for the official caucus), we're likely to soon see a serious spike in the number of polls about us. Which means it's is a good time for some Horse Race talk. Publ ... More >>

Ask a Mexican: Special Mormon Edicion

Missouri's 2012 Primary Election Would Be Very Telling If It Weren't Officially Meaningless

​A couple of weeks ago, Huffington Post blogger Will Bower wrote, "This February 7th, 2012, I'll be paying closer attention to Missouri's primary results and asking myself 'What if Missourians had been able to go first this time 'round?'" Bower, an outspoken crusader for election reform, proposed ... More >>

Gunfire on New Year's Eve Made St. Louis Sound Like Afghanistan, Rick Perry

​Ignoring the exhortations of St. Louis' Finest, some St. Louisans clearly did pop off some hot ones when 2011 turned to 2012. Nevermind that "what goes up must come down." When we feel like celebratin' with random sprays of gunfire, dammit, we gonna. If GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry can d ... More >>

Smart Girls Invade St. Louis -- Teaching Conservatives to "Fight Like a Girl"

Jennifer DeJournett conducts the VOICES of Conservative Women's Presidential straw poll, won by Michele Bachmann.​Sarah Palin was not present at the third annual Smart Girl Summit, which took place last Friday and Saturday at the Crowne Plaza downtown (not, as was reported by The Daily Beast, ... More >>

Missouri Likely To Favor Any Republican Candidate Except Palin in 2012

​A Public Policy Poll released yesterday indicates that all but one of a handful of Republican presidential candidates would win Missouri in 2012. That exception is Sarah Palin.The poll found that former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee would be the strongest candidate for Missouri's 11 electoral v ... More >>

Election '08 Photos: From August to Election Night

Two of a Kind: Clayton High grad Sean Quinn and poker buddy/baseball stat head Nate Silver crunch the Electoral College numbers on FiveThirtyEight.com

Video: Behind the Scenes at the Veep Debate

FiveThirtyEight.com's Sean Quinn Previews Tonight's VP Debate

The Veep Fair: Amazing Debate Facts!

Missouri Congresswoman joins the Palin 'Truth Squad'

Photos: McCain / Palin Rally in O'Fallon

Hot Damn! McCain's Pick of Palin Sets Bill for VP Debate in St. Louis

McCain Ad That Says 'Hot Chicks Dig Obama' Includes Two FOX2 Reporters

Change You Can't Believe In: Presidential candidates vie (and pander and plead) for one heart and mind in Swing Vote

Barack Obama's Embarrassing Secret: B.O.!

Last Night: Hundreds at Mad Art Gallery Shout 'Yes We Can!' During Barack Obama Watch Party

Snoop Dogg to Larry King: "I represent the gangsta party."

Rick Majerus lips off? That's a spankin'.

Unreal talks to a dominatrix and gets schooled in sherlocking.

False Prophets

Joe narrows the 2008 campaign playing field.

Anheuser World Select Lager Beer

2004 Presidential Debate at Washington University, October 8, 2004

Bowling for St. Louis

Michael Moore swings through our state

Maximized

Look for local knockout Katina Mitchell at the newsstand (and up on roofs); plus, we're feeling the Joe-mentum and want to see how John Edwards measures up, and Sanford-Brown coach John Campbell gets the kudos he deserves

Weather Vane

Gephardt tries to reinvent himself -- again