Opposition to Stem Cell Research Hurting Missouri Senator
Opposition to Stem Cell Research Hurting Missouri Senator
Missouri is generally a conservative state. In 2004, President Bush won by seven points (up from three in 2000), while Sen. Kit Bond (R) topped his opponent by 13.
But last week, President Bush flew into St. Louis to help raise funds for Missouri Sen. Jim Talent (R), one of Bush’s “most reliable allies on Capitol Hill,” but also “one of the most endangered” incumbents to Senate. Why is Talent in such dire straights?
Partly, Missourians are upset with President Bush and his rubber-stamp supporters in the Senate. (Bush’s approval rating in Missouri is down to 36 percent.) But more tellingly, “analysts believe Talent is being hurt by his opposition to a ballot measure to protect stem cell research from state restrictions,” called the Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative.
Consider this St. Louis Post-Dispatch poll on the stem cell ballot initiative released this week:
Even in Missouri, opposing research into the potentially live-saving benefits of stem cell research is a political albatross.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
let’s give talent’s REAL opposition a mention, and a show of support:
Talent faces State Auditor Claire McCaskill (D), who has built a strong statewide following after losing a close race for governor two years ago. A poll last weekend by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and television station KMOV showed McCaskill beating Talent, 49 percent to 43 percent.
there’s a lot of “back country” between St. Louis and Kansas City… still, it’s hard to believe how backward missouri is… hopefully McCaskill will help bring them out of the dark…
July 1st, 2006 at 1:21 pmremember, it was the missouri legislature that brought up wanting to make “christianity” the official state religion… she has her work cut out for her… help her out!
This is par for the course. The republicans are bolstered by the most nationalist and rabidly religious dregs of American society, but it’s a confidence scam on multiple parties.
It’s a scam on the religious right because to implement their policies would be political suicide. It’s a scam on moderates because “real world” debate gets hijacked by irrelevant and nonsensical discussions about Gay Marriage, and abortion rights.
Wake up guys!! What happened to that adage about not being able to fool all of the people all of the time?
July 1st, 2006 at 2:21 pmI have NO idea why the religious wackos on the extreme far-right even care about stem cell research? They always fume about abortions, but the minute a baby is born they do NOT give a damn about it, so they are hypocrite slime!
July 1st, 2006 at 2:27 pm“You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on.â€
-George W. Bush
answer you question, brian?
July 1st, 2006 at 3:08 pm“You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on.â€
-George W. Bush
answer you question, brian?
LOL … Jesus, it really does:-) He actually really, really said that? Rather clever actually, in a “nascent right wing dictatorship in the making” kind of way, especially for him.
July 1st, 2006 at 3:16 pmWhy do these guys fail to realize that they are representing us and not a political party?
July 1st, 2006 at 3:33 pm#4 – They say that about Idaho — I-90!
July 1st, 2006 at 3:37 pmbrian – i didn’t get past that link to the quotes page…
July 1st, 2006 at 3:54 pmi’m guessing it’s pretty reliable… i just remembered hearing that he’d said that so i googled it… it would be good to know the context and location etc, but i didn’t get that far… go for it!
Partly, Missourians are upset with President Bush and his rubber-stamp supporters in the Senate.
~
Lies and corruption trounce party and affiliation.
It would seem, to me, that the problem is simple to explain — corruption and lies.
Until Bush, in my view, makes a serious effort at ethical reform, then he will become, in mind and memory, an appeaser of corruption.
No one, but no one, thief or wife, party or group, likes to be lied too. Republicans especially dislike lies.
July 1st, 2006 at 3:56 pmBush and the Congressional [not public persons] Republicans are seen as dishonest and untrustworthy.
Santo are you on here again today?
July 1st, 2006 at 3:57 pm9, 10, 11..
July 1st, 2006 at 3:58 pmYes Santo is apparently here.
Well Seixon the Norwegian is NOT on TP threads today, so praise God for small favors > lol.
July 1st, 2006 at 4:11 pmGo Larry…Keep your head in the sand. Keep that albatross flying. And keep yourself in trouble with the electorate. Blind faith in your Emperor is going to come back to bite you in the ass. We aren’t all evangelical “christians”. Thank Allah for that!
July 1st, 2006 at 4:25 pmStem cells from adults show promise and should continue. The question is not do you support the research,but research on unborn human beings. This is NOT the Third Reich and besides,there is no positive outcomes on any cells taken from eggs. The public is misinformed by Liberals who hate the unborn.
July 1st, 2006 at 5:06 pm#20
i totally agree with your reasoning…unless, of course, we can find any use for the stem cells from illegal mexicans or dead iraqis. i have several baby skulls in my basement that gen. casey mailed from fallujah…interested?
kisses,
ann
July 1st, 2006 at 5:14 pmThe public is misinformed by Liberals who hate the unborn.
This hardly contributes does it? No one “hates the unborn”, but many love the living and beleive the interests of the living trump those of a cluster of cells. Your belief may be genuinely and intensely held, but nonetheless you represent a extreme fringe of global society.
Outmoded religious mythology cannot be allowed to stand in the way of real cures for real people. The diseases likely to be treated by stem cells are frequently age related, parkinsons, alzheimers and the like. With longer lifespans becoming common, you yourself are likely to suffer from these kinds of illness. The treatments being developed using stem cells now, are likely to improve the quality of your old age dramatically. Obstructing progress at this juncture could prove, personally, fatal in the long term.
July 1st, 2006 at 5:21 pmIn the grand scheme of things, this is a non-issue.
It would be nice to work on electing people who are more liberally minded so that stem cell research can move forward.
Unfortunately, the cart is in front of the horse on this one.
July 1st, 2006 at 5:31 pm“,,,Missouris is generally a conservative state…”
Exqueeze me but I know people who escaped from Missouri and their reckoning was Missouri was one of the most racist states they’d experienced, and they came from Texas.
I think a more accurate, more reality-based description of Missouri it – it produced some of the most successful bull shit con artists – Namely
Ken Lay and John Ashcroft
July 1st, 2006 at 6:22 pmMissouri and miscreants
When discussing Missouri, the following should always be kept in mind
Ken Lay
July 1st, 2006 at 6:24 pmJohn Ashcroft
Stem cell research, and the lack thereof, can and will be used against just about all puke candidates in the upcoming elections.
Count on it!
July 1st, 2006 at 6:32 pmThere is a leading edge medical research lab in Kansas City called The Stowers Institute. But they have come out publicly and said the state needs to allow Stem cell research or they will have to leave the state and go elsewhere. When will we finally put a stop to the unreasonableness of the overReligious Right? They have middle age beliefs and they want to tell everyone else what to do. They dont want to hear any new information which is counter to what they believe. Their mantra (Dont confuse me with the facts I have my mind made up) is going to come back and haunt them.
July 1st, 2006 at 11:03 pmnow don’t get me wrong, katy. i like that you took the time to introduce the democratic opponent, claire mccaskill…
unfortunately, liberals have this reputation for thinking the rest of america — not the northeast or west coast — is “flyover country” and that the people that live there are backward. it’s sweeping generalizations like this that cheapen the political debate. but you just helped confirm that reputation with your post number 1 on this thread. so, missourans who come here with an obvious interest in this thread (because it’s about their state — funny how that works) get to read in the first comment that they live in “back country,” they are “backwards” and that they need mccaskill’s help to “bring them out of the dark”.
somehow i don’t think that actually helps claire mccaskill’s campaign.
no one has a choice as to where they are born or what the ideological norms are in that community. but it is also the reality that there is some awfully beautiful country in missouri, and some awfully nice people there too. i should know — more than half of my family are from the great state of missouri.
thinkprogress’s traffic is up 41% (congrats, tp). it’s not just “liberals” that come here.
July 1st, 2006 at 11:37 pmOther thing Missouri (I grew up there but escaped) has given us: Rush! The gift that keeps on giving………everyone hearburn
July 2nd, 2006 at 12:04 amI’m here in Missouri, and I unfortunately hail from Roy Blunt’s district, and also John Ashcroft’s home town. I think that McCaskill will prove a very tough opponent to Talent. I think this is a seat that the Dems can pick up
July 2nd, 2006 at 1:04 ampoint taken, progressaurus rex…
i live in illinois, travel to st.louis area frequently…
used to live in columbia mo. for several years…
it is beautiful country, esp. the ozarks… some of the nicest people i’ve ever met…
they are found EVERYwhere…
but when law makers even consider the notion of establishing a state religion, i call that “backwards”…
i drove I44 from oklahoma last november… the turnpike in OK was so nice and scenic – cross the border into MO and it was wall-to-wall billboards… eye trash… all the way to st.louis… not so beautiful… poor planning… obnoxious greed on display…
of course, IL is no jewel, i know… same backwards “hill rods” in this area… corn corn corn corn corn all around and to the north… and beans…
it’s not just my post that confirms that reputation…
lucky you – living in my dream of dreams… austrailia… sigh…
July 2nd, 2006 at 1:24 amthat the lawmakers considered doing so and chose not to is just as significant, i think.
i also think that even if they had legislated a state religion, the missouri supreme court would’ve had to view that as an unconstitutional act. from the missouri state constitution, article one, section 5 (religious freedom):
maybe someone here knows.
although this does appear to say that religious freedom in missouri is predicated on monotheist beliefs, the part i’ve emphasized is why trying to establish a state religion couldn’t happen there, constitutionally. admittedly, it’s pretty sad that legislators apparently hadn’t read past the first article of their own state’s constitution, but then they would be the types that are in favor of the state controlling and interfering with the rights of conscience, so i’m not surprised. or was it that they were actually trying to amend the constitution?
that part of i44 you’re talking about is near joplin and carthage, in the northern part of the ozarks. really beautiful country (off the interstate, anyway), and also runs mostly parallel to old hwy 66 through that area. that’s where my family’s from.
illinois is definitely cool, some good college towns there — carbondale and urbana come to mind — and i have a lot of friends in chicago so going there is always fun. but illinois also has cairo (pronounced kay-ro by the locals) and that has got to be the most depressing town i’ve ever seen. it certainly is economically depressed anyway.
and yes, i live in australia, sigh…it is beautiful here and i love it but the fact is my family and friends (most of them anyway) live in america, and that’s where i grew up. so i’m more interested in what happens there still. and being outside of america, i’ve gotten to see what influence america really has on “the outside world”, and have picked up on this sense of the elephant in the room for the rest of the international community, which is “what in the hell is happening to america?”
i’m really hoping that doesn’t become what in the hell happened to america? i suppose to some people, it already has.
July 2nd, 2006 at 4:47 amthat the lawmakers considered doing so and chose not to is just as significant, i think.
i also think that even if they had legislated a state religion, the missouri supreme court would’ve had to view that as an unconstitutional act. from the missouri state constitution, article one, section 5 (religious freedom):
although this does appear to say that religious freedom in missouri is predicated on monotheist beliefs, the part i’ve emphasized is why trying to establish a state religion couldn’t happen there, constitutionally. admittedly, it’s pretty sad that legislators apparently hadn’t read past the first article of their own state’s constitution, but then they would be the types that are in favor of the state controlling and interfering with the rights of conscience, so i’m not surprised. or was it that they were actually trying to amend the constitution? maybe someone here knows.
that part of i44 you’re talking about is near joplin and carthage, in the northern part of the ozarks. really beautiful country (off the interstate, anyway), and also runs mostly parallel to old hwy 66 through that area. that’s where my family’s from.
illinois is definitely cool, some good college towns there — carbondale and urbana come to mind — and i have a lot of friends in chicago so going there is always fun. but illinois also has cairo (pronounced kay-ro by the locals) and that has got to be the most depressing town i’ve ever seen. it certainly is economically depressed anyway.
and yes, i live in australia, sigh…it is beautiful here and i love it but the fact is my family and friends (most of them anyway) live in america, and that’s where i grew up. so i’m more interested in what happens there still. and being outside of america, i’ve gotten to see what influence america really has on “the outside world”, and have picked up on this sense of the elephant in the room for the rest of the international community, which is “what in the hell is happening to america?”
i’m really hoping that doesn’t become what in the hell happened to america? i suppose to some people, it already has.
July 2nd, 2006 at 4:47 amoh hell. i was hoping i’d stopped the double post in time. sorry about that.
July 2nd, 2006 at 4:51 amGreat thread, but unfortunately I have no time to jump in properly today.
Just wanted to drop a small fact into the mix – as much as I hate to offer ANY info that in any way makes Shrub look like less of a psychotic monster, I have to point out that the quote
“You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on.â€
is not really something Bush said.
If I remember correctly (and it’s been a whole two years ago, so I may not), the quote was created for a T-shirt being sold at seeyageorge.com. They are, unfortunately, no longer in business, or at least weren’t the last time I checked.
So the reason you can’t find any documentation as to where he said it or when is because, as far as is known for certain, he never said it.
Though there is considerable prior and subsequent evidence that he COULD have.
My 2 cents. Please proceed.
RL
July 2nd, 2006 at 9:28 amSo the reason you can’t find any documentation as to where he said it or when is because, as far as is known for certain, he never said it.
Kudos. Would that all voices in the debate could be as honest and up front. I thought it was too witty for Bush, but so appropriate.
Thanks for the clarification.
July 2nd, 2006 at 9:38 amDontcha know that George Bush’s Uncle Buck lives in St. Louis? How’s that for a 900-pound-gorilla and what he wants? I don’t count one iota of difference between Bucky and Jeb and Babs and George when it comes to mindset and loyalties. Kit Bond is just a petty capo gettin’ fat on the pasta. Talent would be his Tom Hagen.
July 2nd, 2006 at 10:22 amCall it partisan if you want but the only demograph that oppose is the republicans .
July 2nd, 2006 at 10:23 amCall it partisan if you want but the only demograph that oppose is the republicans .
Comment by the Lone Voice of Reason — July 2, 2006 @ 10:23 am
Quite right. More evidence, as if any were required, that republicans have become so obsessed, so brainwashed by faction, that they put it above even there own best interests, their own health and the health of their children.
That is truly scary. Fully 30% of the american electorate has abdicated rational thought for faction.
July 2nd, 2006 at 10:30 am#4:
The article is about Missouri, not Kansas.
They are not interchangeable.
Missouri is a backward, hick state where it’s a toss-up whether its residents have a higher count of teeth or IQ points.
Kansas, on the other hand, is schizophrenic about teaching creationism in the public schools. Actually, it gets voted in when the stealth religious wackos are elected, and then voted back out when the electorate realize what these nuts are doing to the school system.
I-40 does not go into our out of Kansas.
July 2nd, 2006 at 11:55 ammorning rex (ok if i call you that? sure…)
first of all, i did a little googling about the “state religion” matter… found LOTS of hits for the resolution but only 1 for the actual approval – strange…
this one i thought did a good job of explaining things:
First of all, this is not a law with legal force, but a resolution – a non-binding statement expressing the sense of the legislature. Second, as one can see from reading it, the bill does not declare Christianity the “official religion” of Missouri.
this one is another opinion piece - note the source – how diverse can it get?: the atheists and (some) conservatives both hate the idea (!):
An ignorant, ill-willed and intimidating resolution endorsing Christianity as a state religion, recently approved by the Missouri House Rules Committee, shows the willingness of some American religious extremists to embrace theocracy.
but, evidently, the resolution was passed… oops…
“illinois is definitely cool” – wow, don’t hear that much! thanks! yes, the college towns, and chicago, help make and keep this prarie state “cool”… i’ve spent alot of time in champaign-urbana as both my kids are alumni (well, one will be a senior this fall) – a great place… i hear carbondale has changed, not the party town it once was – that halloween tradition just got too violent – but i don’t have first-hand knowledge of that…
yes, cairo – given it’s early history – has deteriorated and stagnated… lots of racial strife… i’ve passed through a few times 30ish years ago – you could see what a nice place it used to be… great BBQ there! my friend and i would have to go there, out of the way, to get the real pit-bbq his parents wanted! and they were restaurant owners in missouri bootheel area, kennett (by the way, i “know” cheryl crow by 3 degrees!)
i love the hill country – imagine that, coming from the flatlands!… tried living in tennessee also, but it was just too slow paced (i won’t say backward!), even for me, a laid-back ol’ hippy!
well, you are the closest i’ve gotten to australia – heh – but i have directed my kids that they are to take some of my ashes there at the very least! i’ll be spread out all over the world!
g’day to you!
July 2nd, 2006 at 1:21 pmYou make a BIG mistake when you call any state other than Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Alabama, Oklahoma, or Nebraska a “conservative state.”
Even if your article wins the battle (and it does) you lose the war. Call the other 44 states moderate, liberal or progressive. Most Missourians don’t agree with the GOP’s real positions on issues, just some of the sound bites.
July 2nd, 2006 at 2:26 pmto reiterate.
62% favor the liberal position, 35% favor the conservative position. Hardly a conservative state.
July 2nd, 2006 at 2:28 pm#23
Most of the areas between the coasts have more progressives, liberals, or moderates than conservatives. Coming from the East Coast, I do not view any state as a flyover state.
That’s just the conservative media feeding the public BS. The “heartland” of America is in many instances more liberal than the coasts.
July 2nd, 2006 at 2:32 pmThe thread has digressed from stem cells to liberal vs conservative issues. Returning to the original… one problem with Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC’s) is that each individual patient requires a clone to avoid tissue rejection issues (Adult Stem Cells avoid that problem). Each clone requires an egg; hundreds of eggs may be needed for a single successful clone – so if we have 20 million patients in the US with, say, diabetes, we’d need billions of eggs to treat that single disease, using ESC’s. Where will we get them? Pay people? run ‘egg farms’ with 3rd – world women??? No one talks about this problem.
July 2nd, 2006 at 6:40 pmsorry ed, but the way i read the thread, it’s about liberal vs. conservative issues in missouri and how this one in particular is influencing the race. the substantive arguments you make about stem cell research aren’t actually being addressed here (not that they shouldn’t be, but the other topic is also totally fair game, given the thread — that’s all i’m saying).
on your topic: i suspect one of the reasons the research is being done is to attempt to find more viable options than what you suggest here. but also because of course liberals hate the unborn and hope to make abortions mandatory — then we can have all the stem cells we want. kill two birds with one stone. sorry i just went off your topic again.
July 2nd, 2006 at 10:02 pmhey katy, yes rex is fine.
sounds like that resolution in missouri had no teeth. funny how these people claim to have “faith” in the almighty, yet continually want to rely on man-made laws and edicts to enforce their viewpoints. doesn’t introducing a law like that actually prove that their faith is lacking? it’s like accusing god of not doing a good enough job…
“dammit, lord, why don’t we have a theocracy yet? well, since we can’t trust that slacker lord to get this done, looks like we’ll have to do it ourselves. i just can’t wait for the return of good old-fashioned stonings!”
incidentally, i also used to live in tennessee (where i went to college), as well as indiana, pennsylvania, alabama, texas, georgia, and south carolina. i have yet to live in or visit a state that doesn’t have some beautiful country and some nice, open-minded people to find. things aren’t really as bleak as they seem, it’s just we can’t seem to get the republicans to keep from screaming BE AFRAID!! BE AFRAID!! 9/11!!! TERRORISTS AND FLAG-BURNERS AND GAYS, OH MY!! all the time.
republicans don’t want brave americans, they want fearful, subservient americans. if you examine their message that’s what you’ll find.
July 2nd, 2006 at 10:26 pm{+}-^-{+}
July 3rd, 2006 at 11:04 am—__*__—
Keep in mind…
Also from Missouri, these Democrats: President Harry Truman, Senator Thomas Eagleton, and House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt. In 2000, Democratic Governor Mel Carnahan was elected Senator posthumously, defeating Republican incumbent Sen. John Ashcroft. (The governor was killed in a plane crash three weeks before the election.)
Missouri also was the home of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens),TS Eliot, Langston Hughes, Joseph Pulitzer, and Walter Cronkite.
July 3rd, 2006 at 12:22 pmAlso from Missouri… Chuck Berry, Sheryl Crow, Brad Pitt, Kevin Kline, Josaphine Baker, Burt Bacharach, Yogi Berra, Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory, Dick Van Dyke, Dennis Weaver, John Goodman and Betty Grable.
September 12th, 2006 at 12:45 pmThe church is testing its influence on the goverment and the voters. The results will determine if it is ready to take over the United States.
Religion good, church not so good.
All this opposition is supported by religious organizations. The main opposition was formed by Missouri Catholic Conference. There is suppose to be a separation of state and church. If there is no separation, what use would the constitution serve?
October 28th, 2006 at 9:18 amI was told by the presidents office of Ely Lilly that they do not want to see any cures through stem cell research. It will a their profits.
October 29th, 2006 at 5:25 pmBankruptcy Carolina Court District Middle North State United
Can it be that your server is infected with a virus – I get an Virus warning when I open your site with Firefox – Just for your Info.
March 15th, 2008 at 9:53 pmJim Crow Laws Employment Law Us Supreme Court
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
March 18th, 2008 at 2:10 pmYoung Girls Youngest Boys Gallery Young Girls Naked
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:25 amWeight Loss Pill Identifier Pills
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
April 4th, 2008 at 4:17 pmJack
Here’s a very relevant related article
April 6th, 2008 at 8:46 pmRick K. Cruso
April 11th, 2008 at 2:02 pm