Column:

Ninth District Democrats need to step up

By Jordan Stein

Published Nov. 17, 2009

As a political science major who is also a senior, I've been thinking a lot lately about the round of elections coming up, mostly wondering which ones I could work for after I graduate. We are going to have a really good Senate race between Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan and Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and come November 2010, Missouri could join the elite group of states with two female senators.

Hopefully, Columbia's Democratic state representatives — Mary Still, Stephen Webber and especially Chris Kelly — will run successful re-election campaigns based on the great work they've done the past year. Even the Columbia mayoral race looks to have at least four candidates with the chance of more people hopping on the ticket before the January deadline.

It seems there will be some exciting politics to follow in the coming months. But there is one important race that has not generated any buzz yet — the Missouri Ninth District Congressional race.

I really hope a good Democrat runs against Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., next year. His win in 2008 was a hard blow for the Democrats in this district, who are localized in a way that favors Republican candidates. Luetkemeyer will presumably be running for re-election and will have the benefit of the incumbent effect.

The encouraging thing though is Luetkemeyer won against Judy Baker by only two points. Baker was an excellent candidate, but maybe Democrats can learn from that race. I only hope a good candidate comes along, and I would love to work for a campaign that would put a Democrat in Luetkemeyer's seat.

In order to get him out, the Missouri Democrats first need to find a good candidate, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee needs to help with funds. It's a tall order, but it's necessary because Luetkemeyer is a sucky representative.

Look at what he has done in the last two years. He called Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Jefferson City an "insult." He proposed to cut funding for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change dismissing their claims as "junk science." He spent the most taxpayer money of all freshman representatives on self-promoting mailers. On several occasions, he has quoted false numbers in public about the cost of the Cap and Trade bill proposed earlier this year, even after nonpartisan groups had publicized their inaccuracy. He promoted a "do nothing" plan in order to save the economy and fix health care. He received a "zero percent" score from a non-profit organization that advocates action for middle class families. He publicly decried the bonuses given to American Investment Group executives but voted against a bill that would retrieve the money days later.

It seems Luetkemeyer, whose campaign promises included working toward affordable health care, has tried his hardest to sit back and keep the status quo. Missourians are having some of the hardest economic times we can remember, but he's not willing to reach across the aisle (another campaign promise) and do anything about it.

Luetkemeyer consistently embarrasses Missouri by his status as just another Republican in the pocket of a big industry. The only campaign promise he has kept is his work on earmarks. He hasn't requested a cent of money to come back to Missouri. We need someone who can call out Luetkemeyer on his antics in Congress and who will legitimately take action against all the problems that affect Missourians.