2006: What I'll Remember

It's that time of year again.

It's the time to pick winners and losers, the big political plays and neatly separate the big stories and moments of the past 365 days -- from all the rest.

Luckily, some of my colleagues are doing it for me.

*Jason Rosenbaum of the Columbia Daily Tribune Politics Blog does a nice job narrowing the top political stories to 10.

*Ron Davis over at Chatter looks ahead with some eye-popping predictions.

*And Jo Mannies of the St. Louis Post Dispatch notes how political bloggers around the state drove much of the news this year.

It's hard to top all of that. And being away from my notebook and folders back in Springfield, I figured I would just offer up the moments and stories I remember over the past whirlwind of a year. These aren't necessarily the biggest stories, and they aren't in any particular order. But these are the things that have stuck with me for one reason or another.

*To open the session in Jeff City, Republican Speaker Rod Jetton pledging the restoration of MAWD (Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities) as a top priority in the 2006 session and lawmakers failing to deliver.

*After being told by almost everyone I talked to that Rep. Roy Blunt would be elected Majority Leader, he was defeated by Ohio's John Boehner Feb. 2nd in Washington on the second round of caucus voting. When we walked into Blunt's office to interview him just minutes after the vote, he was on the phone with a family member, looking out the window. "I'll be ok. Life goes on," he said.

*After sparring with Sen. Jim Talent at a press conference over his position on stem cell research, the Senator made a special point of coming back to me after the event to further explain his position. This rarely happens, so you could tell this was important to him. He pulled me aside. "I really want you to understand my position on this Dave," he said. "It can get pretty complicated." An aide traveling with him later told me, "It actually helps him to explain it like that." Stem cells ended up being a defining issue in the campaign, the debates and in television ads.

*Interviewing transgendered Congressional candidate Midge Potts at her home. Midge was a fiscal conservative, but opposed to the war and more libertarian on social issues. Still, she ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary, challenging Roy Blunt.

*Trailing Gov. Mark Warner as he raced through Bass Pro in April, seemingly campaigning for President. Teenagers were running up to him, asking him for autographs. He played target practice and looked natural at it. He looked like a sure presidential contender. The local Dems ate him up. Months later he decided against a 2008 run.

*Covering Vice President Dick Cheney in Springfield in April and afterwards interviewing several World War II, Korea and Vietnam Vets. When I asked them why they supported the war in Iraq, most replied, "because they hit us on September 11th."

*Asking Republican Presidential candidate Sen. Sam Brownback in Springfield what he would do if one of his children told him he or she was gay. I remember him saying something about sitting down and talking with them, handling it as a family. But journalistically, I worried if the question was fair or over the line. I'm still not really sure.

*Standing at Sen. Talent's official announcement event in Springfield on June 2nd and watching a woman feverishly walk around handing out campaign literature for Auditor. I had no idea who it was until I saw the brochure. It was Sandra Thomas. She won the Republican nomination for Auditor but lost to Democrat Susan Montee in the general election.

*Beginning this blog over the Memorial Day weekend on a whim, with the help of Brad Belote and inspiration from the many bloggers before me.

*Trailing Sen. Hillary Clinton in Arkansas for a day in July with the pack of journalists. Opting against the "are you running question," I instead tried to get her to talk about Missouri's Senate race and specifically Claire McCaskill. Always careful, Clinton wouldn't bite. I wondered if I was interviewing a future president, but at the same time questioned whether her distance and distrust of the media would hurt her down the road.

*Rep. Mark Wright confronting me after my coverage of his license fee office reform press conference. "So did you bring Harpool with you," Wright asked, after seeing State Senate candidate Doug Harpool in the room. After explaining to Wright that I had nothing to do with Harpool's attendance, he replied, "Well, people on your blog think it does." I explained to him that while we strive to keep the blog an open forum, many of the comments made by its readers are just opinions and not necessarily true. After a lively verbal joust, Wright called to apologize and said the intensity of the campaign was getting to him. Later, Governor Blunt urged Republicans to vote against him for auditor in the primary.

*Primary Night @ Local Dem HQ -- The loyalists were pumped and cheering. The U.S. Senate nominee was spending the evening watching the returns in very red Springfield. In the end, McCaskill's percentage in Greene County ended up making the difference for her.

*Covering Ike Skelton in August, we headed into a local diner in Lebanon where a debate over the war broke out over dinner between two families. It was real, it was spirited and it was raw. The arguments on both sides were solid and well-thought out. We need more of that.

*Questioning Alan Keyes in Springfield over stem cell research, I ask him a round of questions about when life begins, among others. A local newspaper columnist accuses me of "hunting for soundbites." I respond. Journalists should debate this stuff more often. Still, I stand by the questions I asked that day.

*Interviewing Tim Russert via satellite in October, I ask, "Can a red state like Missouri really turn blue in just 2 years?" He responds, "You know, that's a really good question." I guess it can.
*Preparing a Truthwatch piece on McCaskill's "Josh" ad on veterans benefits, I question Josh, McCaskill's spokeswoman and the candidate herself. I ask why Josh doesn't just release his medical records to prove he had to wait for a doctor's appointment. He refuses. McCaskill stands by him. She won't force him to release something private and asks us to trust their word. I don't understand how a campaign claims that type of information "private" after thrusting him into a statewide campaign with national implications. But the ad clearly struck a chord, especially with the other side.

*The KY3 U.S. Senate Debate. I remember Sen. Talent not being able to name a single wasteful spending project. McCaskill didn't either, but I thought as the conservative in the race, Talent would name one. After the debate, this is when some people started thinking the momentum was beginning to swing towards McCaskill. I got several emails from worried Republicans, questioning Talent's performance. McCaskill cites the Springfield and Kansas City debates as the turning point in the campaign.

*Norma Champion's campaign stalling on an interview with me, because Republicans have told her campaign manager to "stay away from me." Finally, an interview is set at her home during the last week in October. Longtime G.O.P. official Mavis Busiek sits in to supervise with a pad and pen. Afterwards she said, "Well, this wasn't as bad as I thought." Champion goes on to beat Doug Harpool by a wide margin in a bad Republican year.

*President Bush rallies for Sen. Talent in Springfield, but looking at the tape over and over, Talent looks tired and dispirited on stage. There was no way of knowing, there was nothing scientific about it, but he looked like he was going to lose. People in my newsroom were talking about it. Was he sick? Did he know something we didn't? The President was here for you! Why wasn't he more excited? It was odd.

*Election Night -- I get a call saying McCaskill is coming down to speak. I start telling Talent supporters. "That's bullshit," says one in disbelief. "No way," says another. Talent fans watch the TV screen stunned. A few female volunteers begin to cry. Noone from Talent's side is answering their cell phones. We're told they are holed up in a room deciding what to do next. McCaskill suddenly declares victory. The Talent people burst out of a side door, hustle to the stage and the Senator concedes quickly and with class. I'm a bit caught off guard. It was all over. But I have to process it all for my live shot. The room falls dead silent but for the TVs in the corner, where people were watching McCaskill celebrate as the next Senator from Missouri.