Democrats question Talent's pay for work (Missouri Senate Race)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | 3-20-02 | Jo Mannies

[FairWitness]

The Missouri Democratic Party is calling on Republican Jim Talent to make public his billing records for his work last year as a lobbyist for a Washington-based firm.

Democrats allege that the $231,000 that Talent received wasn't for bona fide work, and that the Washington lobbying firm may have served as an illegal conduit for financial aid from three Republican-leaning businesses.

[FairWitness]

Jim Talent had better have a thick hide and a good "rapid-response" team. This is an example of what he can expect from the widow Carnahan and her friends in the press from now until the election. That said, I do wish that out-of-office politicians like Talent would not so quickly and automatically become lobbyists, as if they did not know what else to do.

[KC_Conspirator]

Seems that papers from both ends of the state have properly reported and editorialized on Jim Talent today at the behest and command of their masters at the Missouri democrat Party.

[FairWitness]

What did the Kansas City paper have to say about Talent?

[TroutStalker]

Lucrative part-time jobs pay off for Jim Talent [Kansas City Star Attacks on Behalf of democRATs] ^

They have their marching orders.

[FairWitness]

From the Kansas-City Star editorial you linked above:

"Lots of Americans would say that is what is wrong with people who have been in Congress these days. They don't have a clue what average folks have to live on. With that kind of money, Talent's table must offer quite a spread."

"Talent said he wanted to show students in his class "how a congressman really thinks." In the context of all this money, that is the truly scary part."

From a Post-Dispatch editorial today that ran in parallel to its "news" story that is the subject of this thread:

"Mr. Talent told the Kansas City Star that his salary was set after he met with university officials and explained how much he needed to "put food on the table."

"The class he taught: "Thinking like a Congressman." A look at his pay stubs would teach those students everything they need to know."

Yes, they are marching in lockstep.

[TroutStalker]

When they receive the faxes of talking points from the party headquarters, they should be a bit more clever about rewriting the stories in their own words. It makes me wonder if these "journalists" received their degrees from Piper High School (ouch).

[WOSG]

Seems that papers from both ends of the state have properly reported and editorialized on Jim Talent today at the behest and command of their masters at the Missouri democrat Party

Truth! Please freep these folks with that message ... post-dispath reporter is ... E-mail: jmannies@post-dispatch.com

[BallandPowder]

You won't get any satisfaction from Jo Mannies

She is a Gephardt synchophat from way back...

[Holden Magroin]

I don't have a good feeling about this one. I think Carnahan will get too much sympathy. Best to turn attention to Minnesota, South Dakota, and Montana.