Fallout

Three items of note from yesterday:

1) CHECK IN THE MAIL? -- The Springfield News-Leader's Chad Livengood is reporting that the pro-stem cell group says the check it sent to Sarah Steelman was cashed and cleared the bank in February. The group provided the News-Leader with this statement:

“On December 21, 2007, the Supporters of Health Research and Treatments issued a contribution check in the amount of $1,275 to Friends of Steelman. The check was not posted for deposit until February 6, 2008 and cleared the Supporters of Health Research and Treatments account on February 7, 2008.” “When we made the contribution (and it was accepted), Ms. Steelman was running for re-election as State Treasurer. At that time , Ms. Steelman had never made the kind of anti-stem cell research comments that she has made in subsequent weeks. We are disappointed and dismayed in hearing them.”

2.) NIXON REACTS ON HIS TERMS -- Democratic candidates usually don't like to talk about abortion, especially in southwest Missouri -- except when two Republicans are trying to outflank each other on the right. While Jay Nixon's campaign has not yet responded to a direct question on where their candidate specifically stands on the "coercive abortion" bill and the proposals made by Kenny Hulshof and Sarah Steelman yesterday, spokesperson Oren Shur did alert reporters today that they believe Nixon's position in more politically practical. "Congressman Hulshof and Treasurer Steelman have already made it clear that they embrace Gov. Matt Blunt and wholeheartedly support his agenda. Now, to show separation from one another, they’re playing a game of leap frog – each trying to move further to the right of the other. One has to wonder how the winner of this primary will ever be able scramble back to the middle, where most Missourians are, by November," Shur said.

3) PRO-CHOICE REPUBLICAN MIFFED -- A moderate pro-choice Republican phoned me today to gripe about what she heard from the two top G.O.P. candidates for Governor yesterday. "It infuriates me that they both came down here to make a big splash . . . on abortion?," said this woman who supported Matt Blunt in 2004. This woman is undecided in the Republican primary, but said she really wants to root for Steelman. But after viewing the coverage yesterday, she came away disappointed. "I want her to be better than she is. I want to be able to support her. But she keeps giving me reasons not to," she added.