Claire McCaskill is doing a number of canvass kickoffs in the St. Louis area this weekend. I have received emails for these events in the more purple counties containing St. Charles and Arnold, as well. I was pleased to see that the small office is almost exactly a mile from my house and that it was packed with people this morning. About half of the people were going out on a canvass immediately afterwards. Claire and Stacy Newman (who is termed out of the state legislature) addressed the crowd. I have seen in person Kerry in 2004, Obama before the primary at America’s Center in 2008, and Robin Carnahan when she ran in 2010. It is a delight to see a natural politician who clearly knows the state and the crowd. Key points which I can remember from McCaskill’s speech:
All of you who have been writing McCaskill letters about the SCOTUS nomination, she gets it. She reported seeing that Kennedy was to retire on TV and being physically ill.
In more rural areas, Republicans are lying that McCaskill favors open borders. This is not true. McCaskill said, “I am not for ripping children from their mother’s arms”, which got cheering from about a third of the crowd.
Enthusiasm appears to favor McCaskill this year. She has run statewide enough times that she knows when a year is going to be good and when it is going to be bad. This year appears to be very good. She reported the contrast between the town hall that she did in Sikeston where the room was packed and everyone gave her a standing ovation and the town halls that she did in 2010 where the people were there in order to hate and boo her. Also, a) she is never virtually tied in the polls in June and b) people are coming to her fundraisers who have not come before.
McCaskill has been having fights with “people who shall remain unnamed” about the TV budget. Although IMHO McCaskill’s commercials have been very good, TV is less important than finding every persuadable voter and talking to them face to face. About 40% of the state may not be a basket of deplorables but they will not vote for her absent an abomination like Todd Akin. Independence and being able to work with Republicans are very important to emphasize with the people on the fence. Veteran Missouri election watchers know that St. Louis County is where elections are won and lost and every additional vote from here means one less that she has to get in Sikeston. She is trying to keep the red counties at 60-65% for Hawley.
As proof that I am getting over my problems and trying to function in society, I did sign up to canvass. We will see how much useful information I can give people.