Friday Shorts

• A spokesperson for Peter Kinder sent us this statement in response to Sam Page's accusation that the Lieutenant Governor is having it both ways on embryonic stem cell research: "Peter Kinder stands by his statement that Sam Page is a liberal from St. Louis who continues to criticize Peter for all the work he has done on behalf of the people of St. Louis." Added Paul Sloca: "But Peter would be happy to call Sam Page a liberal from Carter County if that’s what Sam prefers." Sloca did not comment on how Kinder feels about embryonic stem cell research.
• Regarding Thursday's KY3 News @ 10 story on the Greene County Non-Partisan Court plan, Kenny Hulshof's spokesperson, Scott Baker wanted to remind us: "It is important to note that Kenny also said that modifications are needed to the overall Missouri Plan." Better Courts for Missouri, which has voiced opposition to the Non-Partisan Plan, sent out this awkward statement Friday: "We understand that Greene County citizens would reasonably be concerned by statements implying his support for a measure that would take away their right to vote for judges, but, again, we stand by our statement that Congressman Hulshof deserves to be commended for supporting open and accountable judicial selections and opposing the Missouri Plan."
• Dems are almost getting too gleeful when unemployment numbers tick up. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that Missouri's unemployment rate increased from 6.4% to 6.6% Friday. The Democratic Party notes that Missouri also lost another 3,700 jobs last month. "The thousands of Missourians who lost their job last month do not agree with Congressman Hulshof that either they or our state’s economy are in 'a good place,'" said Missouri Democratic Party spokesperson Zac Wright. So what happens if Jay Nixon becomes Governor, and in March, Missouri is still losing manufacturing jobs?
• Congressman Roy Blunt is calling for bipartisanship to deal with stabilization of the market. "Now is the time to set politics aside and prioritize stabilizing the economy," Blunt said at a press conference, as reported by Politico. "And if we do that and do that quickly, good things can happen and it will happen quickly. We may be seeing that in the market today," he said.