By Andy Ostmeyer
Globe Metro Editor
Former Missouri Gov. Bob Holden became a joke eight years ago after he threw the most lavish inauguration ever seen in the state. The man spent more than $1 million and found himself almost immediately scurrying to raise money to pay off everything but the $125,000 allowed by state law.
Unions rode to his defense but their $40,000 was not without a price and within a matter of weeks Holden, a Democrat, issued an executive order granting collective bargaining rights to thousands of state workers.
B. Holden, became the joke, as in “beholden.”
Now I’ve never been a disciple of the Charles Beard school of politics, a believer that elected men and women are moved exclusively or even more by personal economic and financial interests than by philosophical, religious and other principles. But the fund-raising demands on campaigns make it impossible to dismiss the influence of the moneychangers in the secular temple.
I don’t like the notion of hard-strapped workers struggling to pay health-care and energy costs having to forfeit tax dollars to fund the run of John McCain, a multimillionaire. But neither am I comfortable with Barack Obama waiving off public financing and essentially selling his political ambitions to the highest bidders.
That leaves me with little to offer except “full disclosure,” the notion that if voters are told everything, they will eventually get to the bottom of the matter. “Truth will out,” but the process is antagonistic and wearing.
With that in mind, here’s a look at where the three contenders for governor in Missouri have loaded up in the past.
Republican Kenny Hulshof: The top single contributor to his Congressional campaign has been the National Auto Dealers Association ($51,000) followed by the National Beer Wholesaler’s Association ($50,000), according to campaign reports compiled and available at opensecrets.org. The top industry in his campaign bids has been the health profession, which, combined, has given him more than a half-million dollars, followed by insurance companies that have thrown in $345,000.
Democrat Jay Nixon: Anheuser-Busch was the top single contributor to his last campaign in 2004 ($8,550), according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics. It was followed by the Missouri Association of Realtors ($3,600).
Collectively, lawyers and lobbyists gave Nixon $110,000, dwarfing the combined giving of the finance, real estate and insurance sectors ($41,175) to his campaign in 2004.
Republican Sarah Steelman: In 2004, when she successfully ran for state treasurer, the largest donor to her campaign was none other than Sarah Steelman and her husband, David. They put in $200,000 of the nearly $889,000 they raised. She got another $36,200 from Seventh District Republicans and from the Missouri Republican Party. The Missouri Bankers Association was the largest donor outside of that, giving Steelman $10,400. Lawyers and lobbyists combined gave her nearly $153,000
Where does all this get us? Maybe it’s of no real help when casting a vote, because knowing where the money comes from doesn’t help us determine if the candidate can, when necessary, rise above it and put principle before profit and ideals before interests.
The ability to do so is the difference between being a mere politician and a genuine statesmen.
Address correspondence to Andy Ostmeyer, c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, Mo. 64802 or e-mail aostmeyer@joplinglobe.com.
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Andy Ostmeyer: In the interest of full disclosure ... but then what?
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